#649

Omni (A-B) can use wide spacing. (beware the mono compatibility though).
One way to increase perceived width (separation) with short bars (and thus keep a compact setup) is to put a baffle between the mics.
With tiny ones like DPAs an easy solution is to clip them one the sides of your headphones, using one’s head as the baffle.

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#650

Ideally it would seem AB spacing should be roughly the distance between your ears or your shoulders; I almost exclusively have them roughly head width apart (clipped to the top of my jacket’s breast pockets) but I’ve heard good results from separating them by metres, and I’ve also managed to get useable material holding them quite close together, too (only when close up to my subject, though). Basically just go nuts.

#651

I bit of a rudimentary question for most here:

I am planning several multi-day cycling trips on rail trails here in the mid-US area this spring and summer. I would like to record some of the nature sounds I encounter.

What is recommended for a good quality, highly portable recording device for this purpose?

Thanks.

#652

Any handy recorder would do fine; if you don’t think you’ll want to invest in more “serious” kit in the future then just go for a Zoom H1n or similar (no ext. inputs). I always recommend getting a fluffy windscreen though, regardless of how casually you want to take it.

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#653

I have a Tascam DR-40 that has served me very well in a variety of environments. I like that it has XLR/TRS inputs for when I want to use an external mic.

If I was longing to upgrade I’d go to a Sony D100 or a Tascam DR-100 Of budget was a concern.

I should add that I also have a MixPre-6m that is the cat’s meow.

#654

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Found a bit of time to have a play today, just in the garden.

(Apologies for the excessively shallow DoF, trying to avoid giving away the location of my garden…)

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#655

I rather like the shallow depth of field, it makes for some nice photos!

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#656

I like your colour-coded tape!

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#657

Have you uploaded what you recorded in your garden Sam?

#658

No it isn’t… it does sound very pleasant, but it’s mainly cars, and buses and birds.

Where does one uploaded field recordings to these days? SoundCloud had it’s wobbly a while back, and besides I don’t have a paid account anyway.

#659

You can try clyp.it, or just self-host?

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#660

To me Freesound is a good platform for field recording stuffs, no hassle for listening clips on mobile phone, plus you can see the frequency spectrum. Be sure you agree the license before upload anything.

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#661

Thanks @zoundsabar! The website has tons of great articles.

#662

Second vote for freesound.org, there’s a huge library of all sorts of weird and wonderful sounds.

#663

Any recommendations for rechargeable AA batteries. I’m currently using some Ansmann 2850 NiMH with a Mix Pre D, they don’t seem to hold charge when not in use for a few days and when they get down to 50% charge won’t power the Mix Pre D so I’m only getting half the time of what isn’t a lot anyway. Any suggestions would be appreciated

#664

i use panasonic BK-3MCCE (aka Eneloop), so i can finally stop having to charge batteries at the latest the day before i will use them. This plus green (charged) and red (used) powerpax battery holders make it manageable in the field. For the Mix Pre D i bring 8 batteries (plus a few non-rechargeable in the trunk just in case) for a day of work (powering two mics with ~3 mA consumption each).

#665

I use eneloop pro and fujitsu (I think they’re literally the same with different branding in disguise) on my Mixpre-6.

#666

These look like what I need, it’s not holding the charge when not in use which becomes a pain. I’ll give them a go. :+1:

#668

it’s theoretically extremely cool, but the mic is no bueno in my opinion. great for monitoring/acquiring bioacoustic data, but not so much for generating high-quality recordings. (it does record at 384, but the mic quality is subpar.) i had very high hopes. the ability to set timers, the size, the portability, etc, are great for a good portion of the work i’m doing at the moment. no externals; only writes to SD card (not to the usb port). but watch this company, as i’m sure all of the above will improve dramatically over time. i’m a big supporter of the product. if you would be interested i can sell you mine - I’ve used only twice, and in interior settings. DM me and we can work out a price.

#669

i suggest putting them on the ends of a coat hanger - this is a little wider than our ear distance, but it produces an interesting quasi-binaural effect, albeit without elevation cues.

edited just to clarify that the coat hanger is a chris watson technique, not my own.