New devices, first tests

I have to apoligize.

When I began this website, in february 2006, I thought that I could use again my old MD MZR37 (7 years under the rain, the heat, it looked unbreakable!) and a ECM to record simple ambiances for Internet users (this example shows that it was not so bad) would be enough to feed a sound repertory.

But, well... The MD is dead, and I wanted new mics.

After one month of accounting, I decided to buy a Tascam HD-P2 and two Sontronics STC1S. I read good reviews, and both products had the specification I was waiting for (low cut on the mics, firewire on the recorder).

Two month after, I finally received the Tascam.

During this time, the website full of promesses was sadly empty of new sounds. Only my old bank.

Anyway, the last two weekend, my wife and I went to the country side. We fought mosquitos to record the calm sound of a river, we fought mosquito eaters (a surprising agreement had obviously just been dealt against us) to record the cute little birds. The weekend after, we faced rain to record other little birds in a forest. The result of all of that is here.

I did some additional tests, such as store the opened mics in a place with absolutely no sound, and record the silence... Well, bellow 60, there's definitively something. I can't say if it comes from the Tascam or the mics (probably the mics), but it can be delt. Edit with  a noise gate and some high cut all the sound before any mix.

A good point for the Tascam : it's really practicle, light, it's not a battery-eater, and to work in 90 Khz, for me, is a revolution ! One regret : the limiter simply cuts the "over" sounds. It's already a shame to step over the 0 dB, but there's no use to be called names for that... I wonder how I will be able to record fireworks again...

About the Sontronics... Well, I'll test them next week to record single sounds.