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Tools for Attracting the Unknown...Field Recorders and Shotgun Mics

Posted on Monday, October 1, 2007 at 1:12 PM - Post Comment

TOOLS FOR ATTRACTING THE UNKNOWN:
FIELD RECORDERS AND SHOTGUN MICS

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RECORDING IN THE FIELD: WHY BOTHER?

It seems that more and more people are taking birding trips on their own these days. Trip reports are making it easier to navigate foreign countries. And as more of us retire and the price of guided tours increases, we are heading off without the aid of a major tour company to track down as many birds as we can in unknown regions. And of course for many of us, it’s more fun to go alone or in a small group and have the fun of discovering our target species ourselves.

Unfortunately, there still aren’t commercially available recordings for many foreign regions’ species. And even if you could get a CD with every species found in the area you’re visiting, it often turns out that many birds have alternate and surprisingly common songs and calls that somehow don’t make it onto the tapes and CDs.

Of course if you’re going with a large birding company, they will (or should…) have guides who know the bird songs and have the necessary playback and recording gear to maximize the species seen.

Or do they…..

For me one of the pleasures of traveling for birds is the preparation. Even if I’m going with a birding tour company, I try and learn as many songs as I can. And I bring the songs I can collect along with me.

Although I don’t usually travel with a large bird tour company, I have taken this more expensive path a couple of times, with mixed results. Once I took a trip to Bolivia with a company (…whose name rhymes with “test”….) and the guide made regular mistakes when calling out singing birds. I would suggest that maybe it could be this other species, then play the song from my collection, bringing in the bird. I was glad I had done some advance preparation…

But I digress….(and most other companies I’ve traveled with have been excellent…)

FIELD RECORDERS AND SHOTGUN MICS

If you’re traveling alone or with an unguided group, you almost certainly must have recording and playback gear to attract and identify many of the birds you will hear in the forest. Without these tools, you’re guaranteed to have many more frustrations with singing forest and grassland birds.

In this article I’m going to review a selection of field recorders and shotgun microphones; the tools you would need to attract singing birds. I’m doing this from the bias of a traveling, fairly budget-minded birder, so my criteria include these characteristics for my ideal recorder:

• As small a size as possible
• Easy to use interface operable preferably with one hand
• Fast to get recording, and then locate and play back the songs
• No moving parts
• Replaceable battery
• Good enough sound quality to attract birds

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Shotgun mics all look the same....

Most of my emphasis is on recorders adequate for attracting birds in the field. I’ll make some mention of what you might want to look at if you goal is to make pristine recordings for CD distribution, but that’s not my main objective.

One caveat up front: I work for Roland Corporation, owner of Edirol, the manufacturer of several field recorders. That being said, I’ve tried to be as even handed as possible in my evaluations below.

SOME BASICS

RECORDING MEDIUM

You can buy recorders that use a wide variety of recording medium. Here’s an overview with some comments.

Cassette tape
Avoid it!

Many field recordists have used cassette recorders in years past, and some still do. In my opinion that’s kind of like using a typewriter when you could be using a word processor.

They’re hissy, and very clumsy. Flipping tapes and fast forwarding to find a song can take precious minutes or longer. And I’ve seen birds, (and birders..), scared out of their wits by the high volume sound of a rewinding bird song.

The rugged Sony TCD5 was the real field standard for a long time and is still in use by many guides. Of course in its day it was the best and really only portable way to record in the field. But we’ve come a long way since then…

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DAT Tape
No good 

Digital Audio Tape offers much higher recording quality than cassettes, along with more precise searching mechanisms. But so what….

They are also very clumsy to manage, requiring frequent changing of tapes with limited recording time. They also have moving parts that offer many opportunities for failure.

More importantly, the tape/head interface in DAT recorders does not do well in humid environments, leading to digital noise or no sound at all.

MD or Hi-MD
Still No

First let me say that I have no problem with the “compression” found in MD, Hi-MD or even MP3 formats for calling in birds. I did an article for Birding magazine on use of the MD in the field (many years ago…) and at the time it was the best portable solution for random access playback and adequate for some types of recording. I’ve used them in many environments and they work fine. Birds are very sensitive to their own songs, and no compression I’ve ever seen has stopped them from being interested.

However, today there is no reason to use a moving-parts, removable disc-based recording device. It suffers from many of the same issues mentioned above, including discs with limited storage that will often need to be swapped out as you go through your archives; and, of course, moving parts offer opportunities for mechanical failure in the field.

Hard Drives
Maybe

HD recorders provide lots of recording time. A couple of years ago they were the only way to get a lot of random access recording time for the nature recordist.

However today, with CF and SD cards providing storage at about $10 per gigabyte in up to 8 gig packages, the need for hard drives has fallen.

The formula to remember for recording capacity is 5 megs per mono minute of 44.1kHz, 16-bit linear recording. So a 2 gig SD card can hold 3 hours of linear recording time. Having multiple cards also gives you a measure of security in case there is a failure.

HD recorders also tend to be larger and heavier. However they also usually have lots of features.

Compact Flash and SD Memory Cards
Yes

Using the same memory cards that are found in digital cameras, a new generation of very compact, high quality recorders have hit the market. These recorders offer a small size along with lossless digital recording, fast random access, easy transfer to a computer for archiving and editing, and sometimes even onboard editing.

This is the way to go for today’s field recordist, whether you are gathering recordings on a movie set, making the latest bird song CD, or just trying to attract singing birds.

IMPORTANT FEATURE AND TERMS

Here are a few considerations for your quest for the right field recorder.

Size and weight:
Remember you have to carry the recorder with you for it to be useful… (along with everything else you’ll be hauling)

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Recorders come in some very different sizes...

Boot up speed:
How fast can you get recording once you hear a bird you want to attract?

Markers and Fast Forward/Rewinding Features:
How easy is it to find the song you want in a long recording mostly full of silence?

Song playback repeat:
When you’re playing a song, looking for one species, you don’t want the recorder to move automatically on to the next file. To prevent this, the recorder needs a song repeat function.

A/B section repeat:
Once you have found the section of a file you want to play, do you have to constantly refind it to play it again?

Record Monitor Off:
Can you keep your speaker plugged into the recorder, ready to play back, without having feedback while recording?

Onboard editing or trimming of files:
Can you get rid of unwanted sections of recordings?

File naming:
For identifying recordings later

Speed of accessing recorded files:
How easy is the menu structure to navigate?

Are there folders or other organizational structures?

Quality of mic preamps:
Will the recordings be too noisy to use to attract birds?

Phantom Power:
All high quality shotgun microphones require 48 volts of power that is sent down the mic cable to power the microphone’s diaphragm.

Only the Sennheiser ME series has a capsule that can provide its own phantom power, and hence these are very common in the field.

So if your recorder can’t supply Phantom Power, you will need to use the Sennheiser mics or use an external preamp that can provide phantom power.

Fortunately they are good microphones!

Every recorder listed below with XLR inputs can provide Phantom Power.
No recorder without XLR inputs provides Phantom Power.

“Plug in power” provided by some small recorders is of no value for the shotgun mics needed for recording birds.

Batteries:
Are they removable so you can have a backup handy in case you do a lot of recording?

Pre-Record
Putting a recording into the “pre-record” mode causes it to constantly record to a small buffer, usually 2-5 seconds long.

If you hear something singing and hit the REC button within the set buffer time, the subsequent recording to the CF will include the 2-5 sec time prior to when you hit record.

This is a great way to capture birds that only sing occasionally or have long periods between calls without using up all of your media’s recording memory.

The downside is that it eats up battery life.

Limiter
A limiter can be set to “limit” to a safe level the loudest possible volume arriving at your recorder’s capture mechanism (A/D converter) As long as the limiter is in the analog stage, before the signal is converted to digital, it will protect your recordings against overloading (distorting) in case you encounter an unexpectedly loud sound.

AGC
Automatic gain control can add value when you’re doing an interview and you are really only interested in the recorded words, not the sound.

But for birding, don’t use it. The algorithm that tries to keep the gain fairly constant can cause serious “breathing” in a nature recording. And it’s not a limiter so it won’t prevent your recording from distorting if the source gets too loud.

Low Frequency Roll Off Switches
Wind blowing across a microphone and the noise you make handling a mic can easily mask your target source with loud, low frequency audio. Many microphones and some recorders can attenuate, at least somewhat, these frequencies that are lower than most bird calls.

Wind screens or Zeppelins
From foam sleeves to more elaborate coverings that look like a long-haired llama, wind screens are unfortunate necessities in many recording environments. You can make your own; or buy (fairly expensive) commercially available wind protection for your mic.

If you’re recording and the wind kicks in, you won’t be able to hear the bird at all without these.

For long birding trips, most guides seem to use just the light weight, more portable foam sleeves. They work OK.

It is possible to bring a long-threaded fabric cover that is light weight and will add a bit more protection without adding the weight of a commercial “zeppelin”

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Foam Windscreen

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More robust Windscreen

Humidity

These microphones don’t do very well in high humidity. The humidity interrupts the action of the diaphragm, causing intermittent pops, or more frequent noise.

The good news is that they return to normal operation once dried out.

So be sure to protect your mics from moisture and carry some of the silica drying packs used by photographers.

The exception to the rule above is the Sennheiser MKH70, which has a reputation for being very robust even in humid environments, as it uses a different element.

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TIP FOR VIRTUAL PRE RECORD WITH R-09

Here's one way to achieve some of the benefit of having a Pre Record with a small recorder that can split files during recording. (Splitting a file means that, without interrupting the recording process, a new file is created when you press a button. This is possible on several of the larger recorders and on the R-09.)

• Create a new folder
  (The R-09 and most recorders have folders so that you can group recordings together)
• Start recording
  (Maybe you heard a single call note, or know that this is an area that a target bird sings occasionally)
• Press the A/B Repeat button every 10 seconds, which on the R-09 creates a new file while you are recording, .
• You are now never more than 10 seconds away from the song when the bird finally sings
• You can then easily delete the blank files in that folder that precede the one with the song (assuming the darn bird ever sings....)
• This eats up battery time
  (as does the Pre Record function on other recorders)
• It also uses up memory, which the Pre Record feature does not do.
  However since memory is cheap, and since you are splitting the files so you can easily delete them later, it's a workable compromise to achieve this function, that can be useful in some cases

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SOME GENERALITIES

Every CF recorder has a built-in high speed USB or Fire Wire (FW) port for high speed transfer of recorded audio to a computer.

Every recorder listed here can record immediately without any danger of overwriting a prior file. Just press record and you’re recording a new file.

Just like cassettes……..NOT!

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THE OFFERINGS

Here are the most popular recorders on the market today.

Hard Disk-based Recorders with lots of recording time.

Korg MR-1

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Edirol R-4

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Compact Flash Recorders that are fairly large and heavy, but have lots of features

Sound Devices 702

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Fostex FR-2LE

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Marantz PMD660

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Tascam HD-P2

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Very Light Weight

Edirol R-09

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Zoom H4

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Sony PCM-D1

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M-Audio Micro Track 24/96

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Blanket endorsement: Any one of these recorders is capable of producing very good sounding recordings that would serve to attract birds in the field.

DETAILS AND COMMENTS

I was able to work with most of these units, several at length.
Here are some thoughts and comments that hopefully will be helpful when you make a buying decision.

First a chart of some specs and prices

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MORE DETAILS

EDIROL R-4

• Very versatile and with just about every feature on the market
• Fairly large and heavy
• 40 gig hard drive provides a lot of recording time (58 hours at CD quality)
• CF slot for backing up without computer
• Preamps good, although not quite as quiet as Sound Devices or Fostex
• 1, 2 or 4 track simultaneous recording, so if you were going to do ambient recording this could be a good choice
• Limiter that is pre A/D converter to protect against overloads
• Seven-speed playback for quickly locating point in track
• Onboard editing
• Markers
• Pre-record
• Built in effects including compression, gating to remove noise and EQ
• Built-in speakers
• Easy to use controls

Bottom line:
Well designed and full featured, heavy.

SOUND DEVICES 702
This is probably the industry standard for field recording and film lot sound capture

• Very good mic preamps; best on the market.
• Very rugged
• Records to CF but can also record to FW external hard drive
• Rechargeable battery, but removable so you can carry a spare
• Analog stage limiter
• Pre-record function
• Markers
• No remote control but can use with PC keyboard for naming and control (not so practical for birders)

Bottom Line
Heavy and expensive, but great choice for making high quality CDs

Fostex FR-2LE
This is a newly released field recorder from a company that has a solid reputation for higher end field recorders.
I only had a limited time with a beta version of this recorder, but I was impressed

• It’s inexpensive
• Lof features
• It’s still pretty large for long term travel and hiking
• High quality mic preamps
• 2 second Pre-Record
• Wired Remote
• Markers
• Built-in speaker

Bottom line:
Worth serious consideration if you aren’t carrying a lot of other gear long distances

Marantz PMD660
This fairly small recorder seems like it could be a great choice for the field.

This model and its predecessors have been around for a while, seem to hold up well and have been used a lot by news reporters and interviewers as well as some nature recordists.

The original productions have a reputation for problems with their mic preamps.

They are reputed to overload very easily, causing distortion. And at lower levels they are noisy. Some users have had the preamps modified by the Oade Brothers, who have a great reputation (http://www.oade.com/), but that increases the price by a hundred bucks.

However, according to several sources, including Marantz, models made after 2006 have newly designed pads and preamp circuitry that fixes the preamp noise/overload issue.

I have only used this recorder briefly, and therefore I relied on conversations with users and a number of dealers to verify this issue that I’ve read about on recording forums. I may have a chance to evaluate this unit and if so I’ll update the review.

• It does have the good features in a fairly compact format
• Optional remote control
• Built-in speaker
• 2 second Pre record
• Markers
• A/B playback
• File sectional copy (copy section of recording to new file)

Bottom Line
Could be a very good choice as it's the smallest size with higher end features

Tascam HD-P2

The UI on this is a bit odd, with lots of hardware switches for settings that you would normally never change, once set. This offers a chance in the field, anyway, for some switches to be inadvertently changed.

Also a bit limited on functions, and mostly seems designed for time code film lot recording

• Markers
• 5 to 10 sec pre-record
• File trimming

Bottom line
Probably not designed for birders

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VERY LIGHT WEIGHT RECORDERS

Some Generalities

Weight
These are all very light weight and convenient for traveling and field work when you are also carrying a scope, binocs, cameras, water, food, books while helping strangers cross a stream. Adding a field recorder that eventually feels like you’re carrying a cement block on your back doesn’t add to the fun.

These compact recorders add negligible weight to your rig.

Only the H4 has XLR inputs, and thus the only one that can supply Phantom Power.
The other recorders would need to be used with the Sennheiser ME66 or ME67 + K6 preamp module (see below for more on these very good mics.)

Record Monitor OFF function
None of these small recorders have a built-in speaker. They’re just too small.

So in the field you will connect them to your normal playback speaker, so you can immediately play back a song once it has been recorded as outlined below.

Some of these recorders have a Record Monitor Off function that turns the speaker output off during recording. This eliminates the feedback that would result if you have a live mic and a live speaker during your recording.

This feature is important for fast playback, so you don’t have to remember to turn off the speaker when you’re recording and then turn it back on again when you play back.
Look for this feature in any recorder you buy.

Jacks, cabling and reliability

All but the Zoom have 1/8^th inch or ¼ inch input jacks which have a reputation for reliability problems. And without care, this is somewhat justified.

These small connectors use a “TRS” or Tip Ring Sleeve connection technology.

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Either connection point, but especially the tip, is vulnerable to bending if enough stress is placed on the connector. And the lever arm action of a straight cable plugged directly into one of these connectors, over time, can bend the tip enough so that the connection becomes intermittent, resulting in noise in the recordings.

The solution is to eliminate, as much as possible, the movement of the connector within the internal jack.

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Wrong way to attach a mic to an 1/8th inch connector

Using right angle connectors along with some padding can eliminate most if not all of this movement and provide a secure and reliable mic connection.

I know that the Edirol has sold literally 10’s of thousands of the R-09 recorders. There was a redesign of the connector assembly after the first 3 months, and from then on there have been very few service issues with the input jack (or any other function of the unit.) And lots of these recorders are used to record concerts and interviews, so they do get tossed around a lot.

Care taken with a right angle connector for any of these models with 1/8^th inch mic inputs should result in reliable operation.  Remember, iPods use these same connectors for their headphone outputs.

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Here are some suggestions for how to rig an 1/8^th inch mic input jack and also the 1/8^th inch output.

Right angle cables:
XVM-101 or 105 microphone to right angle 1/8^th inch connectors.

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For Sennheiser ME series use this cable:
http://www.hosatech.com/hosa/products/XVM-100.html

Adapters

The Hosa GMP-272 is a right angle adapter
http://www.hosatech.com/hosa/products/GMP-272.html

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Radio Shack also carries this kind of right angle 1/8^th inch adapter.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103788&cp=&sr=1&origkw=audio+adapters&kw=audio+adapters&parentPage=search

Use this adapter for your line or headphone output to your speaker, as you’ll need to play back the recordings after you’ve made them.

If you want to, you can also use these recorders as your library playback device. The interface on iPods is probably a bit faster, but worst case your field recorder can work as a backup to your iPod.

Connecting your recorder and your iPod (or other PB device) to one speaker

If you want to connect both your primary playback device and your recorder to your speaker at the same time, use this or a similar adapter:

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2102527&cp=&pg=3&sr=1&origkw=audio+adapters&kw=audio+adapters&parentPage=search

Use an extender cable to go from your recorder to this adapter, secured in a bag somewhere.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2102965&cp=2032058.2032228.2032256&parentPage=family

Then plug 1/8^th inch outputs from both the iPod and the speaker into the other jacks on this adapter.

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CABLE SUMMARY FOR COMBINATION IPOD, FIELD RECORDER AND SPEAKER

Here’s the complete signal flow for using a mic with a field recorder, speaker and iPod:

Connect the mic, using either an XLR connector, a right angle mic cable or an XLR to 1/8^th inch standard connector along with a right angle adapter, to your recorder’s Mic input.

Connect the line or headphone output of the recorder to an 1/8^th inch extender cable.

Plug the Y adapter into the extender cable

An 1/8^th inch cable from the speaker is plugged into one of the adapter inputs

An 1/8^th inch cable from iPod is plugged into the other adapter input.

Don’t plug the adapter into any of the devices directly, as it acts as too large a lever arm and could lead to damage to the connector on the device.

Use a standard 1/8^th inch male to 1/8^th inch male cable for the output of the iPod and the Speaker’s input.

Batteries

I feel strongly that any recorder needs to have removable batteries. Otherwise you have no way to have back up power when you’re “off the grid”, which is almost all of the time in the field.

Easy to find battery formats are probably the best, but a rechargeable is OK as long as you can bring enough backup batteries to carry you from charge to charge. And you’ll definitely need at least one spare!

Two of these compact recorders have permanently built-in rechargeable batteries and therefore I believe would be dangerous to use in the field, especially in third world countries where access to power can be intermittent.

Signal to noise ratio: how good are the mic preamps?

This becomes an issue with the smaller recorders. All of the larger format recorders have good to very good mic preamps that are quiet and won’t impact your recording at all.
(Be sure not to buy a used Marantz PMD660 that has the old preamps…..)

There are three sources of noise in any recording system:

Noise of the Preamp;

All preamps have some noise. And this noise increases as you increase the gain when amplifying soft sources. If this noise is too loud, it can mask the sound you are trying to record.

“Self” noise of the microphone;

The inherent hiss or background noise of the mic itself.

All of the mics I’ve reviewed have minimal self noise, so they won’t contribute significantly to any problems for your recording.
However some inexpensive shotgun mics can be very noisy.

Environmental noise

Wind, cars, leaves rustling and other non-target birds and animals can be very noisy and seriously mask the song you are trying to record.

In reality, this is the noise you will be fighting with the most when recording. The more directional the mic and the louder it’s output, the better.

This noise usually makes self noise and preamp noise fairly irrelevant.

In the studio or film lot, the first two noise sources are the critical ones, as the studio is very quiet and there is almost no ambient noise.

In the field, however, the environmental noise is much, much louder than any noise added by a preamp or by the mic itself.

That being said, for these small recorders, it is helpful to use as “hot” or loud a mic as possible.

Fortunately, birds are very sensitive to their own song, even if it is embedded in a cacophony of other sounds.

Below are a number of sample recordings from different mics and different recorders. You can use them to get a sense of how the background noise compares with the preamp and mic self noise components.

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THE COMPACT RECORDERS

Edirol R-09

• Very compact and with an intuitive and fast interface
• Easy to use with one hand.
• Fast boot up time of 5 seconds
• Instant recording and playback
• Preamps a bit noisy
• Fast file divide function during recording. Not as good as markers but can serve that function in some cases.
• Unfortunately can’t divide the file after it has been recorded.
• OK method for navigating recorded files to find a sound in the middle of silences
• A/B file playback loop for isolating a part of the file for playback. Unfortunately this doesn’t stay with the file
• Folders for organizing recordings in the field
• Widely adjustable preamp input gain
• Mic preamps OK but maybe a bit noisy for making “pristine” recordings.
• Should work fine in normal ambient environments especially with strong mic input.
• This is probably not the recorder to use if you are going to be recording for CD production.
• Record Monitor Off works well with external speaker.
• You must use either external speaker or headphones or a splitter, as there is only one output.
  For dedicated recordists, it is critical to monitor the recording with headphones to make sure everything is working properly.
  For field recording for bird finding, however, it is unusual for anyone to use headphones, as they add more bulk and isolate you from the birding experience.

Bottom Line:
This is a very attractive, extremely light weight recorder. It's missing some features that would be nice to have.
However in the light weight category, it's probably the best choice.

Zoom H4
I found the interface to be a bit touchy, with two different interfacing mechanisms, a “floating” joystick on the front and a push dial on the side. This made its operation much easier with two hands and hard to do with one, not the greatest for recording in the field.

• Only compact recorder with XLR inputs and phantom power
• Only three mic gain settings, and I found the input levels to be quite low even on the highest setting. (See examples below)
• A/B playback loop, but not stored with file.
• Monitor Off function didn’t seem to prevent feedback from either the headphone out or the line output.
• Battery life seemed very short to me when using phantom power. I had trouble getting even one hour of use.

Bottom Line:
I didn't like working with this recorder as much as I had hoped. It has a solid XLR connector and phantom built in, so it offers more choices in microphones. But the input gain structure doesn't have the choices or offer the amplification I'd like to see.
It also ate up batteries very quickly when used with the Phantom Power on.
Hard to use with one hand, so seemed slow.

Sony PCM-D1

• Very expensive
• 4 gig internal memory plus non-standard memory stick
• Seems designed mostly for ENG or news reporters
• High quality recording formats

M-Audio Micro Track 24/96

• Preamps a bit noisy
• Built in, non replaceable battery

Korg MR-1

• Uses internal 20 gig hard drive for long recording time
• HD with moving parts maybe not best for long field trips
• Internal rechargeable battery not removable
• Markers
• High quality 1-bit recording format along with standard linear PCM recording

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SHOTGUN MICROPHONES

Shotgun mics are designed to be very directional, and are the standard for field recording.

The directionality provided by the shotgun mic’s design helps to focus the sound captured in the direction you point, and avoids at least some of the cacophony of the forest when recording one bird singing in the midst of a lot of other sounds.

Shotgun mics require phantom power, and most must get this from the recorder or an external mic preamp. As far as I know, the only high end shotgun mic series that provides it’s own phantom power is the Sennheiser ME series that uses the K6 Phantom Power module.

I evaluated several of the top shotgun mics and, as with the recorders, they fundamentally all work very well. I was particularly impressed with the Audio Technica AT4073a. It’s very compact but provides the hottest output of any of the mics I tested. It seemed to have pretty good rejection of off-axis sounds as well.

Of course the Sennheiser line is well know and respected. Almost every guide I’ve seen in the field has had a Sennheiser ME66 with the K6 phantom power module!

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EXTERNAL PREAMPS

One way to increase the performance of the compact recorders would be to add a preamp or preamp with phantom power.

Sound devices makes a great external mic preamp, the MP-1. It provides phantom power and very clean mic inputs. However it is fairly expensive and weights 1.24 lbs. So it doesn’t make too much sense to add one of these to a small recorder. Rather just buy a larger recorder with better mic preamps.

Sound Professionals makes a small mic preamp, without phantom power, that has very good S/N characteristics. I haven’t had a chance to preview one yet, but may shortly and will update this once I have tried one. They are used a lot by “tapers” who record live concerts using small recorders like the R-09.

Other choices include Sonosax SX-M2, Beachtek

All of these weigh around 1 lb….so the benefits of the smaller recorder really disappear when using using these larger mic pres and you might as well buy a larger recorder like the Fostex or the Marantz.

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PARABOLIC RECORDING SETUPS

Parabolic mic rigs use a sound amplifying parabolic reflector with an omni directional mic at the parabola’s focal point. They are very directional and actually amplify the sounds they are pointed at, so are effective for getting distant birds and also blocking out unwanted songs or sounds.

In many cases this is the best rig to have for getting the best possible, most isolated recordings.

But they are bulky, fairly heavy, and can easily get caught on vines and other debris as you walk through the forest.

The parabola needs to be large enough so its diameter is equal to the lowest frequency you need to record. For most birds 20 inches is probably OK, but you might need a larger parabola for grouse or owls.

Telinga parabolas are popular with nature recordists and weigh about 2 lbs plus the mic. After disassembly they roll up to about a 6” diameter.

They are somewhat expensive, and bulky to carry in the field, as they need to be assembled and ready to go at all times.

But for getting the quietest recordings of distant or soft birds, parabolas are the way to go.

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BOTTOM LINE

So, what system to buy……??

Obviously there is a trade off between features and portability.

As I highlighted in my review of tripods, the older we get, the heavier a pound becomes….but your application will help determine how much weight you need to carry.

One question needs to be asked: For attracting birds, will all of these choices work?
I believe the answer to this is yes.

Check out the sample files and you’ll hear that all of the songs recorded using the mics and recorders are prominent enough to attract the species in question.

One good thing: birds are very sensitive to their own songs. I believe strongly in playing back songs in the field very softly. I have seen many guides blast away at a forest at high volumes, and sometimes it produces good results; but often birds are cranked up and frantic, or just get intimidated and don’t come out in the open.

Very soft playback has worked very well for me, often causing birds to become curious rather than act like they’re under attack. I’ve had luck pulling out birds that local guides have said really never come out. I believe the secret is soft playback.

So what I’m trying to say is that even if the recording is soft and includes a fair amount of background ambience, it can still be effective for attracting birds.

Anyway, here are some suggestions:

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Most portable rig
Edirol R-09 plus Sennheiser ME66/K6

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Slightly heavier but with more features
Marantz PMD660 with Doug Oade mod or second generation built-in preamps and one of the AT or Sennheiser mics

Fostex LE-2LE with the AT4073a

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Highest quality, no concerns about the weight or budget
Sound Devices 702 along with with the Sennheiser MKH70 or with a Telinga Parabola and one of their recommended mics.

Probably best way to go if your goal is to make CDs for sale

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SOME AUDIO FILES

Here are some sample files from a few of the recorders and mics listed above.
As you can see, some of the differences are fairly subtle.
And ambient environmental noise really is the loudest obstacle to getting a clean recording of one bird singing.

MICROPHONE TEST SAMPLE FILES

All of these files were recorded using the Edirol R-4 recorder with the same gain setting. The difference between these mics is fairly subtle.

Long Senn (ME67/K6)