Observed arrival · 2026-09-23
Listening Close: a field-recording guide
A practical guide to microphone choices, finding quiet, wind and handling noise, recording ethics, and sound frequencies.
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- Field recordists learning with one microphone
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- The seven-band frequency explorer is labeled illustrative, not measured; the guide also recommends logging recording location, time, and wind direction.
Field notes
The microphone section compares omnidirectional, cardioid, and shotgun patterns, including the caveat that a shotgun narrows its forward pickup mainly above roughly 1–2 kHz. For scouting, the guide suggests recording 60 seconds of apparent quiet with headphones and higher gain, then listening back. Its frequency explorer divides 20 Hz–20 kHz into seven bands and is identified as illustrative rather than measured.
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