How To Record Audio - The Basics

Recording wildlife is an invaluable way to contribute to our understanding of the natural world and to document observations.

This video walks you through the basic steps you need to know for making a good wildlife recording. Though one might be tempted to think “everything has been recorded,” nothing could be further from the case. Aspire to a place in history! There are many sounds, even of common species, for which well-made recordings are still needed.

The Cornell Lab’s Macaulay Library has the largest collection of animal sound recordings in the world, and provides training, equipment, and technical resources.

Curator - Greg Budney
Film by Chris Foito

[ozgurcemg]

this was the best relaxing video i've ever seen on youtube.

[Grigoriy]

Wow. This is a kind of channel I've been looking for for quite a while. As a sound designer I just need to get some grasp on ornithology.

[DougGrinbergs]

6:21 recording equipment Nagra 7, Telinga Pro universal parabola, Sennheiser ME62 mic.

[tarjei]

Most would start out using cheaper equipment. Perhaps an USB microphone with a smartphone. Mid level might be a Røde mic. Sennheiser is a bit higher.

I think beginners might want tips on reasonably priced equipment that can get them started.

[paintedbunting]

Nice job, Greg. Watched the video again to refresh my recording knowledge from your June workshop. Finally bought my parabola/recorder setup from Stith but the actual parabola is on backorder from Telinga.

[WilHershberger]

Terrific instruction. Very nice demo in getting all the gear on correctly. Interestingly, that is how I wear my headphones in the field. Excellent video.

[SanjayMaharishi]

Such a lovely cool video, relaxed pace. Loved it.

[kglcxez]

Thank you for your cooperation and sorry for the inconvenience

[kelcritcarroll]

I have the cornell lab bird app on my iphone..it was free and the fun ive had with that app is unmeasurable…..yesterday i was trying to locate a bird I heard singing..so I recorded it then played it back loud……here he came out to check out the competition….it was a scarlet tananger….ive pulled many birds out to where I could see them from this app……and once ive found them I can look them up and hear all the calls they make….basically by a man like the man on this video…..its just the best, most interesting app ive ever used and the most used app on my phone……..I give it a five ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ rating and higher if I could…..a million star star rating would be appropriate! Ps….ive used the record button which will pick up all the birds singing or making any vocal noise and it will tell u in real time what bird/ birds are singing and its amazing…….I had NO idea the birds I have just around my house….some ive never heard of…..for instance at the end of the day about forty min before dusk I hear this eastern pee wee…a little woodland flycatcher…every night, and if I play a recording of an eastern pee wee I hear him get closer and closer…this is just and example..I just cant say enough about how wonderful this app is!

[UmbrellaforensicIPTVsetopbox]

Umbrella radio 📻 human voice broadcast

[danielaargandonalowe]

For people in Southamerican countries, we are poorer and equipments are much more expensive to import, which kind of small equipment can we use to upload to Xeno-Canto?

[familiaranomaly]

Greg, I use the Cornell smartphone app religiously, love you guys, thank you. Hope all the birds I'm identifying on the app are helping you. I live on the Columbia river in WA and have an entire eco-system in my backyard. If I'm shooting video with a Canon eos 1dx mk ii do you have any recommendations on what shotgun or parabolic mike I could use with that?

I like to "over" engineer things. ;) I will often go deep into the woods (normally around st helens or adams or in the Indian heaven wilderness) and just sit under a tarp and read all day while I record timelapse, waiting for wildlife to show up, but I'm preparing to make an expedition of sorts into northern canada this summer.

Also, one final question: Is making bird call myself, or from the smartphone, ever disruptive to birds? Like, if one of them is an endangered species looking for a mate am I disrupting the search by making calls or songs at them?

[stijnvandrongelen]

4:43 Doesn't halving the distance quadruple the loudness? As you say earlier, it's a 6 dB increase.

[Photoeye]

I have the Zoom Field Recorder. Where do I find info on this parabolic mic and supplier?


Jeff Waldrop

[johnmurphy]

Wondering if I wanted to record the sound of howling wind ie storms which mic would be most suitable

[donniumar]

what your reference for audio recorder for good quality respon speed, i have audio recorder when recording hight speed sounds it’s not good receive from recorder, i need good audio recorder.sorry my bad english hope u understand

[pol]

Hi, very interesting video!! what do you thing are the best headphones to record a bird? I'm in a dilemma with.. Sony MDR7506 and Audio-Technica ATH-M50x

[dallasacuff]

I leave out my digital recorders overnight. I place them in a cheap plastic soap box and use an external mic. I have a horrible time with bugs chewing on my external mics. It completely destroys my audio ... any suggestions ? Thanks DA

[adri.s]

Hello, I wanted to ask you for information. I
saw you mount the microphone facing forward, as I saw that there are
models that have the microphone facing the parabola, they record the
sound reflected by the parable and not the one from the sound source. What changes and what do you think?
Thank you and sorry for my English.

[balkce]

Why -12 dB? Is there a theoretical reason or was this decided empirically?