Sonic Snapshot - Track Descriptions

Waves Closeup NT3
Recording - This recording was done on a partly cloudy day at Doctors Park, six feet from the water. On this day, I recorded over 25 recordings of the waves with different tech. Because someone forgot to return their zoom on time, as well as their mini-disk kit. I was left with a soundsystem box device, which was risky to bring beaching due to its $5000 price tag, and two NT3s. I recorded many with the two zooms, but kept getting different wave sounds, due to only having a true windsock on one of the NT3s. I thought many of the recordings would have sounded terrific, as I moved the NT3s around in different angles, facing the waves, facing the woods, deeper in the woods, closer to the top of the hill. I tried to get that true field of sound, placing the NT3s in the directions we were discussing. But it was really windy, and I chose to record with only one NT3 at least once, and this is that recording. There was only one NT3 hooked up to a soundsystem box. I was aiming for a closeup of the waves breaking. In post, I duplicated it and created a stereo track. I didn't compress it. I did do some equalization of the piece, limiting the low frequencies, as well as lowering its amplification to create more of a background set.

Stream waves in background - I recorded this with an NT4, as a stereo track above a creek/drain/little waterfall about 30 feet from the water. The mic was facing the water breaking and picked up some waves in the background. I didn't compress this, as I didn't compress any of these files. I lowered its amplification by moving the bar to the left on audacity.

Stream drain waves in bground - This recording was shortly after the previous one. It was at the same location, with an NT4 again, in stereo. I did the same with this one but also increased the higher frequencies to bring out something a little different, in post.

The third audio track is simply a continuation of the previous track, but because of some glitches and bumps in the initial recording, I cut it the bumps out, and added this one.

Birds in woods - This was recorded with an NT4 directed at a bunch of birds making noise. It was recorded more uphill from the waves, closer to the parking lot of Doctors park. There are a few cars heard in the background in the initial recording. I used the most clear part of the recording as a sample of the birds in the woods of Doctors park. In post, I raised the high frequencies to bring out the birds, didn't compress it, and kept them as they were but through equalization tried to remove the heavier, deeper frequencies, isolating the birds.

Waves Better Doctors Park stereo - I recorded this one with an NT4 connected to a zoom on a different day at Doctors Park. I was less windy, and less choppy on the lake. The waves weren't breaking as roughly today, but they were creating very interesting sounds on the water. It was easier to capture their true sound, I feel, and so I chose to include this track as one of the main tracks on this snapshot. I didn't do anything to this track, I believe. If I did it was very minimal equalization cutting the deeper frequencies. I thought it sounded alright as it originally was.

NT4 doctors park - This was the second major track on the snapshot. It was with an NT4 and zoom, initially, but I was picking up two different sets of waves breaking with the zoom and with the NT4. I also picked up too many bumps and hand movement with the zoom, and chose not to include its recording, but kept the NT4's. This was recorded farther away from the water. It was recorded halfway down/up the hill in the woods, in between the park grass and the water, with a building and trail between me and the water, and then finally beyond that was the water. I chose to include it due to the range of different sounds I got. I was getting birds, wind, leaves falling beside me, a man and his kid talking to each other having fun, and then finally someone running in the distance getting closer and closer to me. I still don't know where or who this someone was. I never saw them. It does sound like they are really close, so this must have been the case. I did quite a bit with this track, namely getting rid of little bumps here and there, as well as some EQ in an attempt to lower the sound of the waves, and increase the sound of the leaves falling, the child and man, and birds chirping. I had some difficulty getting rid of the constant hum of the waves and the building. I felt like the building was a sound that created a nice background, in a way, it was a constant, and constants do not change, to create a sense of being in one space at one time.

Dog bark
This one was recorded with an NT4 at the same location as the previous track, but in a different direction, but nearly the same time. I had some dog barking and birds chirping in this one and chose to keep it. I liked the balance it created with the rest of the location. There were less sounds of the building, and of the waves, but the recording wasn't long enough, and this was why it didn't last the entire piece.

Audubon Field -
I recorded this one with an NT4 and zoom I believe. I searched for a little field and found one. It was about 30 yards from the beach, but there were trees in between me and the water, which limited the wave noise. I tried the capture the wind blowing in the tall grassy field. I created a sense of increasing wind with a gradual increase in amplification.

I really, really, really tried to create a sense of being in one space at one time. It was incredibly difficult for me to get out to Doctors Park, especially without a car. I did end up getting out there four times, but each time I felt rushed because I didn't get to spend over two hours there each time. I did experiment with various equipment, the soundsystem box, the zoom, and NT4, and two NT3s. I recorded closeups, ambient shots, and searched for birds along the beach, in the woods, and near the audubon center. I have the birds placed where the plane comes in, the balance the low and high, and birds act this way sometimes when planes fly overhead. I also have the wind pick up during the times leaves are beginning to fall around me. I had the kid speaking up/yelling to someone right before I chose to lower the slow breaking water and increase the sound of more violent waves breaking (the NT3 closeup shot), to give the feeling that the kid may have been pointing out, "hey! look at that!", and then wooosh! I also tried to limit the white noise that was naturally occurring, not only on many individual tracks, but especially when two tracks with waves breaking were together (even distant waves breaking with closer waves breaking created a masked sense of sound). That was the most challenging aspect of this project, as well as finding out how to get there. So that's why I used the enveloping tool on the two main tracks. To bring their two distinct sounds in and out. I tried to create a sense that someone was standing right at the point where the trees end and the beach sand begins, and they were slowly (every minute or so) spinning around in a circle focusing on the sounds they were facing, but still keeping the lower track in the background. I had fun with this one Kelly, and look forward to the next project. Thanks for the feedback and help!