I recently released a sound effects library which features recordings of the Soviet-era Mi-24 Hind Attack Helicopter. While everything about that experience was thrilling and ridiculously fun, I want to focus on something very specific on the blog.

If you want to read all of about the crazy helicopter experience in total you can do so over Rabbit Ears Audio.

One of my favorite days of recording the Hind was the day we spent recording the switches and the electrical system on the aircraft. All of the switches in the cockpit sounded much bigger than they were. They sounded like they were built to last.

Among the more unique switches were the breaker switches. The aircraft had quite a number of break switches and there was one large switch where all of the breakers could be switched on a once.

When we set out to record this aircraft I was concerned that we wouldn’t have enough time to get all of the switches done, and boy am I glad that we managed it. The interior of HIND is filled with such character. And don’t forget about the inverters on this bad boy:

Recording Geek Note: Rig consists of Schoeps CMC5′s setup for MS, with the MK4 as the mid. It was all tracked to a Sound Devices 744T at 24/96. The inverter was recorded with an MKH 8060.

We had a number of high wind days in New York recently and when it gets windy my old apartment building starts to show it’s age. When the building is under heavy stress, it can almost sound like it is coming apart at the seems. When the wind kicks up, gusts interact with the above skylight and the poorly secured door below. This can be rather  frightening because we are in the middle of New York City, not the midwest. The last thing we all need is Toto flying by our window.

Back in January of 2011 I put up a similar post after we had a hail storm, and large gusts of wind followed. Once I heard those winds again I ran out in the stairwell with the gear and went into record. The section that I have excerpted is toward the tail end of the storm, and it evolves in subtle ways. The wind is only interrupted by one neighbor leaving their apartment at 8:36 into the recording. They open their door, lock it, and move their way down three flights of stairs and leave. The only other interruptions in the raw recording are a few planes flying over head. I never knew I lived in such a peaceful place.

Recording Geek Note: Rig consists of Schoeps CMC5′s setup for MS, with the MK4 as the mid. It was all tracked to a Sound Devices 744T at 24/96.

I’ve been waiting to record winter ambiences in the New York area all season, but winter never really showed up this year. In response, I set out on a six hour drive to Vermont this February searching for some semblance of winter. Fortunately, Mother Nature cooperated, and graced me with 2 days of winter to record ambiences, as well as some other unexpected treasures.

These Ravens are among my favorites moments from that weekend:

And when I returned from my trip and was sifting through my recordings, I didn’t quite know that this little bugger was:

Thanks to the help of Martyn Stewart I later found out it was a Red Squirrel which are often found in Vermont, and not it Brooklyn, NY where I live.

I’m really glad I managed to capture a few nice things, but I’m saddened that winter really passed us by this year. Who can forget this.

Recording Geek Note: Both Recordings were ORTF stereo recordings with Schoeps CMC 5 bodies and MK4 capsules. It was tracked with a Cooper CS 104 feeding a Sound Devices 744T.

This new collection features stationary antique engines (both steam and gas) that were used for DC power generation. At the turn of the century before electricity was widely available, these engines were used to provide power to water plants, factories, farms, and just about anything that needed power. The engines could also be found driving pumps or heavy machinery to keep a mill or a oil rig running.

I have a soft spot for the stationary steam engines. These older engines chuff, hiss, and groan in spectacular ways. If you close your eyes you might even mistake some of the engines for steam trains.

I spent a significant amount of time recording these crazy contraptions and have grown to adore not only the sounds of the machines, but also the folks who operate and maintain them. In many ways, it is a meeting of the minds when the operators of these engines realize that I am just as obsessive about field recording as they were about their engines.

My interests in these recordings stretch beyond their usefulness to sound editors, but also to their historical value. On of my previous libraries Metal Machines opened up a world of machinery used to repair old trains; it also provided a window into the work of impassioned engineers who are doing everything they can to keep their craft alive. During these shoots I spent most of my time recording the machines, but I also made an effort to document some interviews with the operators, who were, for the most part, not young men. I’m not sure how long some of these engines will continue to be restored and be functional, but I hope that it will be some time before they disappear.

Frank Bry and I have been chatting about winter recording a lot these day; one of things we keep discussing is how damn mild this winter has been so far. Mild winters can really put a damper of winter-based recordings. This weekend I got my wish: cold weather.

The Missus and I travelled upstate and we had our first significant cold snap of winter. Temperatures hit below 0°F at night and only got to about 10°F during the day. This sudden change in temperature caused the upper Delaware River to freeze. It took the entire weekend for the ice to build up, but the river finally crawled to a standstill this morning. The Missus and I headed down to the river’s edge to get some decent ice cracks and crunches before driving back to the city.

Sadly there is a road and train tracks that parallel the river, so getting clean recordings can be a challenge. The river only had a very thin layer of ice so all of the cracks on the recording came from slight shifts and movements in the ice from the shore line.

Recording Geek Note: The cracks were recorded with Schoeps CMC5′s setup for MS with an MK4 as the Mid. It was all tracked to a Sound Devices 744T at 24/192.

If you haven’t read Part 1 yet please do. Before the the Steam Whistles were up and running the Pratt calliope calliope was hooked up to a small sequencer and it was warming up for its big performance when we arrived:

We even got a little teaser of its big finale:

As you can hear this Calliope was either hard to tune, or just needed a bit more practice. Sousa is probably rolling over in his grave right now.

I was not completely prepared for the SPL that thing put out, so sadly there were a few times where both the Schoeps and the Sound Devices recorder got pushed a little too hard. I wish I could have positioned myself further away, but crowds had already started to gather and I wanted to try and minimize the background. In the end it is still a nice document of the final hours of 2011.

Recording Geek Note: The calliope were recorded with Schoeps CMC5′s setup for MS with an MK4 as the Mid. It was all tracked to a Sound Devices 744T at 24/192. I was a little too close.

Happy New Year!

At this point in time the plant is a museum, but Conrad’s love for antique machinery hasn’t waned. If you visit the Pratt Institute, Conrad will happily walk you through the machinery and the history of the plant.

New Years is very special for Conrad. Starting early in the day, Conrad runs pipes out from the power plant’s boiler and starts attaching the whistles. This year many guest collectors brought their whistles to share in the fun.

Some of these whistles came from old factories, some are from boats, some from trains, and others were newly fabricated.

Recording Geek Note: The whistles were recorded with Schoeps CMC5′s setup for MS with an MK4 as the Mid. It was all tracked to a Sound Devices 744T at 24/192. Believe it or not, I didn’t use a pad, but the gain was set “0″. These things were loud!

There was also a Steam Calliope, but that will have to wait until part 2 of this post.

Special thanks go to Conrad Milster and Alex Noyes. You can read more about Conrad here and here.

It is turning into a tradition at my apartment to record my steam pipes and radiators every year (check out 2010 and 2009). I can’t seem to help it because they are so damn characterful. Every year they let out crazier sounds. I’m beginning to think that the pipes and radiators know I’m recording. Yesterday was one of the colder days of the season and this steam pipe was working overtime:

The above clip was when it kicked into high gear and started pushing out a tremendous amount of steam. They can get really violent and on occasion that have roused me from a deep sleep. I can’t wait to see what sounds come out of these things this winter.

Recording Geek Notes:  DPA 4060 tracked to Sound Devices 744T at 24/96. The Capsule of the DPA was mounted just alongside the valve . . . .  close enough to melt it.

The occupy protests have waned in New York since their home base of Zuccotti Park is no longer available to them to camp in. At one point it seemed like there was a protest occurring every other day, but these days with cold weather setting in the group is more strategic about their movements.

Back on November 5th I recorded a protest that marched on the steps on New York’s Supreme court. Within a short time most of the protesters were threatened with arrest if they didn’t move off the courthouse steps and sidewalk. Some protesters stayed and were arrested while others moved into Foley Sqaure which is a public park across the street.

There were numerous chants during the arrests, but this “shame” chant I recorded was the most of commonly repeated.

The protests were mostly peaceful, but I did witness a few “snatch and grabs” when several individuals just grabbed cameras and took off. I would imagine a number of protesters have been the targets of pickpockets for some time. Thankfully my gear is just a bit too heavy to rip off my shoulders.

Recording Geek Note: The crowds were recorded with Schoeps CMC5′s setup for MS with an MK4 as the Mid. It was all tracked to a Sound Devices 744T at 24/96 with a Cooper CS-104 used a front end.

Recording Geek Note: Library was recorded with  Schoeps CMC5′s setup for MS and MKH 30/40′s. It was all tracked to a Sound Devices 744T at 24/96 with a Cooper CS-104 used a front end.