Recording sounds in the wild is a way to reflect the essence of the biological space in the wild through audio files. In recent years, with the development of audio technology, the quality of audio recording has been greatly improved. Modern recording equipment has become cheaper, smaller and more portable. Here are some tips on how to get good recordings in the wild.

Tape recorder and microphone

For on-site recording in the wild, choosing a portable tape recorder that uses a memory card (the same type as a digital camera) is a good option. It can integrate a stereo microphone and a recorder into one, and is suitable for holding by hand.

Get closer to the sound source!

The first principle of recording is to get as close as possible to the audio source, especially the dialogue. The microphone used to record speech should be placed a few meters away from the speaker. At any greater distance, environmental noise will make the speech more blurry, especially indoors. If the microphone is farther from the source and closer to the wall, hard surfaces reflecting sound waves can make the microphone recording less clear.

Try not to hold the microphone in your hand

Don't let anyone hold your microphone. It will become the vibration interference signal of your recording, as well as the sound of hand muscle strength. Installing the microphone on a tripod or stand close to the target will yield better recording results than having a person hold it.

Try to avoid entering unnecessary noise

When recording indoors, you can turn off unnecessary noise sources such as the radio or air conditioner. You can't do this outdoors, so you must stay as far away from noise sources as possible and get as close as possible to your recording target. The ears are very capable of recognizing external noises, so you must listen carefully, not just the sounds you want to hear, but also check if there are many noises you don't want. Or record a segment and listen to the replay - it's a better way to get the cleanest original recording.

Wind noise is often a problem. Most field recording microphones come with a basic foam windscreen - which works particularly well when the wind speed reaches 8 kilometers per hour. When the wind speed exceeds 8 kilometers per hour, there will be a rumbling noise during recording. You can move the microphone to a position with a lower wind speed or wait until the wind gradually stops. You can also cover it with a cloth cover.

Record manually instead of automatically

The automatic adjustment of the recording level is indeed a very advanced technology, but it undermines the authenticity of the biological reflection in the recording. At a certain location in the city, as soon as a person stops talking, the function of automatically adjusting the recording level stops, and the traffic noise is raised to the same level as the speaker's voice. When the speaker speaks again, the volume of traffic noise and other noises drops once more, weakening the continuity of the recorded signal volume. When using digital recording, a large amount of peak height will appear during editing and the noise level will be raised.

(Note: Automatic gain control is a type of output limiting device that adjusts the output signal by effectively combining linear amplification and compression amplification.) When the input signal is weak, the linear amplification circuit works to ensure the strength of the output signal. When the input signal strength reaches a certain level, the compression amplification circuit is activated to reduce the output amplitude, meeting the need to attenuate the input signal. That is to say, the AGC function can automatically control the amplitude of the gain by changing the input-output compression ratio. It can keep the output signal amplitude constant or only vary within a small range when the input signal amplitude changes greatly, so as not to fail to work normally due to a too small input signal or be distorted due to a too large input signal.

Uncompressed recording format

Recording in compressed formats such as MP3 or Windows Media will reduce the recording quality, making it difficult to avoid distortion during post-processing filtering and re-compression.

Record within the technical parameters of the device

If you want to record wild animals, such as bird chirping, or very quiet and soft or very loud sounds, then different recording technical parameters are required. The simple techniques described here will enable you to record in the wild that can be used for broadcasting, text dubbing and TV video dubbing.

These simple techniques will help you capture the best sound for your broadcasts, videos and documentaries from the outdoors.

Gan Weimin

Nanning Siante Technology and Trade Co., LTD