Back in January, I posted a recording of a guy taking a chainsaw to a log . . .  and an hour or so later there was a big wooden eagle for everyone to see.  On that same day, there was another guy with a chainsaw carving an eagle out of a block of ice.

Unfortunately for our ice sculpting friend, it was unseasonably warm that day; his eagle kept falling apart and ice was melting all around him.  Before long, he was working in a puddle of water.  I had been recording for a few minutes when I realized he was working with an electric saw and he seemed to have every electric tool possible!  I didn’t think that was such a smart move for a guy working with melting ice.

I didn’t stick around to see him finish, but the word on the street is that he managed to finish without getting electrocuted.  In terms of the sound, the electric chainsaw is a bit more subdued and consistent than its gas-guzzling cousin.  The only bummer was the crowd around him overlapping my recording.  Regardless, it is a fun recording and I’m glad he is still living.

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Recording Geek Note:  Rig consists of Schoeps CMC5 setup for MS, with the MK4 as the mid.  It was all tracked to a Sony PCM-M1o, with Sound Devices MP2 as a front end while trying to avoid getting electrocuted.

This past weekend I travelled up Boston with the Missus to visit some family.  After a mellow morning and afternoon, we ended up at a Harvard hockey game with my recording equipment.  The fans at the game ranged from die hards to students who didn’t seem to have much to do on Saturday night.  Harvard was playing Union College and jumped out to an early lead, and held on to win 4-3 in regulation.  I have to admit that I am a big hockey fan, but I had never been to a college hockey game.  It was pretty competitive and, for such a modest crowd, the fans managed to get pretty boisterous.

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Recording Geek Note:  Rig consists of a pair of DPA 4060 mounted stealthily on either side of a backpack in the second row of seats.  It was all tracked to a Sony PCM-M10, with Sound Devices MP2 as a front end while trying to avoid running into the glass.

New York City was the last place on earth my wife and I wanted to be on New Year’s Eve, so we retreated to upstate New York where the temperatures were in the balmy low 20s.  We were also treated to several days of snow and high wind: not so great for swimming, but full of intriguing sounds.  I noticed a pine tree creaking and crackling as it shed snow and ice in the wind.  I set up my Schoeps right under the branches of the tree and ran my freezing ass back inside the house.  One of the nicer details is the sound of a little padlock on a gas meter clanging away in the distance.

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If you haven’t heard Wintry Mix Part 1, you can check it out here.

Recording Geek Note:  Rig consists of Schoeps CMC5 setup for MS, with the MK4 as the mid.  It was all tracked to a Sony PCM-M1o, with Sound Devices MP2 as a front end.  I didn’t end up taking my Sound Devices recorder on this trip, but instead packed my new toy, the Sony PCM-M1o, which replaced my crappy zoom h4.   This recording is my maiden voyage using my Sound Devices MP-2 mixer as a front end to the Sony.  I’ve always loved the sound of the MP-2, and I’m really pleased with the results.  The PCM-M1o isn’t much bigger than an iphone and it has a fairly transparent and quiet line input.

We had quite a bit of snow this past weekend in New York, and I guess I got into the Christmas spirit.  I decided to take my DPA 4060s in my hat and head up to Rockefeller Center to check out the tree and maybe capture some ambience.  Ultimately, the results were not that great, but this minute or so of audio is definitely a New York holiday moment.  I was standing above the skating rink, trying not to freeze, and stumbled into these characters.

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This weekend my wife and I managed to escape New York City and get up to the country. I was lucky enough to be treated to a snow covered weekend and, just before we left to return to the rat race, we were treated to a wintry mix of snow and freezing rain.

The snow and rain was making a wonderful crackling sound off the roof of the deck and the surrounding snow, so I made a quick dash for my gear. I packed lightly on this trip and left my Schoeps MS and Sound Devices rig behind. That meant that my DPA 4060s and Zoom H4 were going to get their maiden voyage in the snow.

I set each capsule up next to a support column for the deck and ran inside to keep warm. I think the little DPAs held up quite well in the cold and moisture.  The only unfortunate element is the appearance of some vehicular and air traffic.

Enjoy the crackling.  Also if anyone could identify the bird species that crop up, I would really appreciate it.

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