Recording in the field

Depending on what and where you are recording in the field, correct microphone placement can mean the difference between a mediocre low volume "whoop" and a highly defined, well formed "whoop".

Of course, that’s if you are in an area where you have potential activity. Many days have come and gone with nothing being recorded. Well, nothing except dead air. Not to worry, patience sometimes pays off.

Here are some tips that I will share to help optimize your recording strategies.

Take a moment to observe the topography of the area where you intend to record. Topography is important because of the potential introduction of echo's & reverberations, not to mention the possibility (yet less likely) introduction of Doppler Effect artifacts from something that is moving at a high rate of speed.

Steep inclinations that surround your microphone setup can distort your recordings because of the echo and reverberation that may be present. "Multipath" echo can also cause a loss in audio quality because whatever it is that you are recording is moving, thus projecting the sound in various directions.

Hard surfaces such as rock faces and cliffs are far more likely to reflect sounds than surfaces that are matted with sound absorbing material such as moss, thick grass, dead & decaying leaves. However, hard surfaces can also carry sounds much further. This brings up a good point; Use the local surroundings as a reflector or concentrator if you wish to pickup weak sounds. Parabolic and shotgun mic's work very well as a directional setup but it would be sad to have a sound come from the opposite direction of your collector and of course, not be able to record it.  So picture this setup; This is ultimately how you get the best of both worlds; Having a highly sensitive parabolic or shotgun mic assembly recording the sounds in from of it, but at the end is a rock face or some sort of structure that could potentially reflect the sounds made behind the dish into the collector, therefore, although it would be lower in volume you would still have a chance to record the sound, plus you have the chance to record whatever is between the rock face and your collector.

  Sometimes the stupidest things occur and when you find out what you did, it's too late to correct the problem. I remember I left a recorder out one evening and when I retrieved it a few hours later, I kept hearing this soft thump. For the life of me I couldn’t figure out what it was until I put 2 +2 together and realized that it was the cord of the mic banging against the tripod that I was using at the time. The wind was blowing just enough to occasionally lift the cord and bang it against the leg. I use Velcro straps now and it works quite well.

 That brings up another point - the tripod. Don't trust that thing to sit still if you have a parabolic of any considerable weight or size on there while there is a breeze. It will topple. There are some good tripods that will sit still but if you are like me and on a budget, take some twine and some tent pegs, fasten the twine half way up the tripod legs, above one of the collapsing leg knuckles so that the twine does not slide down, then fasten the other end to the tent peg that you have driven into the ground on an angle facing away from the tripod. This will ensure that the tripod sits still. You can also consider using a sand bag; Tie one end of the twine to the bottom of the middle of the tripod and tie the other end to the sandbag which is placed on the ground in the centre of the tripod.

 Here is something else that you should consider; Microphones are sensitive pieces of equipment. Like an ear drum, the fine pieces of material that make up a typical microphone element such as a condenser mike can be damaged by shock but also by a little know problem – Moisture.

 If you make that 3+ hour trip up north in the middle of summer and you have the air conditioner blasting away to keep your interior cool, that’s great, but taking that mic out of that cool cabin and you might introduce condensation. The easiest ways around this – put the stuff in your trunk or keep the equipment in an insulated case.

 Moisture can also be introduced as the sun set’s and dew starts to form. This is why it’s important not to have your microphone exposed to the hot sun for any substantial period of time. The heat can also affect the frequency response characteristics of the microphone because expansion and contraction will cause variations of size of the actual element.

 Believe it or not, insects might find the time to visit your mic setup and leave you with some baffling recordings.  Such was the case of a friend of mine who thought that someone had visited his mic and played with it, rubbing the actual microphone with a finger or something similar but in fact, it was a caterpillar that took a stroll across the surface. There are several ways to prevent this, suspended screening, etc. I thought it would be worthy to mention.

 Experimentation is the key when it comes to recording the great outdoors. And don’t be discouraged if you come away with several hours of dead air.  It’s all part of the process.

J.

 

"Simply Sasquatch" radio show

Just started my own Blog Talk radio show called "Simply Sasquatch". You can find it here http://www.blogtalkradio.com/SimplySasquatch/ or use the link at the top right corner of your screen. 

I think Ontario seems to be very "lacking" with shows like this so it is my hope that we can spread the word about Sasquatch research, field guide "how to's", tips and tricks, etc.

I am also hoping to do equipment reviews and have interviews with fellow researchers.

I just finished my first episode today, so excuse my broadcasting etiquette and skills if it sucks. I will learn in time. Have a listen, maybe you might like it. My first show is only 15 min long and I will be creating a calendar of future shows soon. I am not sure about what the show broadcast times and dates are going to be but Saturdays seem to be the most convenient, obviously since I have the time, being off work and all. We will see. If you have any show suggestions or your thoughts on a show schedule, drop me a line!

Cheers and enjoy the show!

 

Nothing to report? That's hard to believe.....

One of the things that I question when it comes to field research is coming home with no news. No data. Nothing. This is really quite a shame because even on the most uneventful outing, hoards of information can still be collected.

 Have you ever come across a professional “researcher” or “scientist” who came and went without taking any notes, samples or making a phone call relating to what they were doing in the field?  It never happens. Habitual processes kick in and even if you don’t sit there with a pen and paper that crazy little thing called a “memory” starts taking notes for you.

 Hang on a second here – people who make trips into the field and say “nothing to report”, no sightings, nothing of relevance……”

 Are you implying that just because you did not have a Bigfoot encounter that you were unsuccessful, therefore you have nothing to report? Perhaps it was just another “uneventful field trip”?

Ok, great. Thanks for sharing that. By the way, what was the ambient air temperature during your trip? What was the dew point? Were there any prevailing winds? Cloudy? Clear? Ambient noise such as a construction crew that echoed down the lake? Drunken partiers at a fire pit yelling obscenities all through the night? How about the water temperature at the local lake? Were flowers and berry bushes in bloom? Unusual odors in the area?

 I guess you get the point. Even with no “perceivable” Bigfoot activity, many other factors are still prevalent. It adds to research, theory and potentially a better way to understand what might be living on our planet with us.

 A creepy yet sobering close to this – As elusive as Bigfoot seems to be, the whole time you were in the field looking for “It”, “It” could have been there the looking right at you. Observing you. Learning from you.

 If that was the case…. sure, you could say you came home empty handed – but in one respect, you were a teacher. You just taught it once again how to be even more elusive.

The cost of connecting.

Just took a peek at the VISA bill and saw the Rogers internet charge. Interesting. It's more than last month. Perhaps they jumped on that fair access policy and are dinging me for those few additional megabytes that I might have downloaded which would of course put me over the allocated cap and make more income for the conglomerate.

"Bundle and Save!!"

What a bunch of bullshit directed to people who will buy the idea and subscribe to the services. Hook, line and sinker.

How about doing your homework and building a platform that works with your lifestyle. Trust me, if you do the research, you can save a good chunk of $$$ without sacrificing much, if anything. If you say you don't have time to do so, then most likely you have the finances to take it up the rump and pay whatever is owed to connect and communicate with the those outside of your home. And when you do give a &$#% about your recent internet, phone or cable bill and call for clarification.....more than likely that phone call is going to take an amount of time that will further increase you irritation.

It's ok Jason, calm down. Ok, Fine, I vented.....but I am still ticked with these companies making excuses for the poor customer service, performance and prices.

Internet - Rogers Portable Internet. Basic. $27.99

Phone - Primus Talkbroadband  Unlimited $25.95 /mth plus $5.00 for an additional number

Cable - Cogeco basic (Classic) cable $27.99 

What am I at here? Basic math, come on brain work.........

Ok say $87 bucks for your home entertainment and connectivity. Dear god, internet is a necessity now? Yup, appears to be. Holy Smokes, remember when Bell charged for RENTING home phones? Yes, renting!!! It was almost $5 a month for a piece of crap touch tone phone that did not even have the call display that we are all accustomed to now and we wont pick up that call if it someone we dont know or says PRIVATE CALLER. How disciminate we have become. Is this because we are permitted to be more selective about the type of calls we get? It just makes for new methods to be developed to get us to answer that call and the only reason why is because of that "all-mighty" dollar. "If I could just wiz through these 500 cold call numbers in my database im sure one of them will buy the Willi Wonder 6000 Vacuum Cleaner with free delivery." Think again you mindless rubberhead. The more connected we get, the more selective we get. The more privacy we yearn. The harder your job becomes. The more crap you throw at us, well, it's gonna come right back at you at slighter faster speed, maybe just enough to make you go "Huh? Wow, I gotta do something about this".

$87 bucks a month to watch 30 minutes of TV a day, have a home phone that might be used 5 times a month and internet which is used to bitch about my internet costs. I just chuckled about that one. Neat. Now what I am describing may be to some referred to as a  "LITE" version. How about all of you who subscribe to "Digital TV", maybe you also have that sports package, and for a "few dollars more" (more BS) get that internet package from the same provider, there is another $~45-50 bucks a month. Oh, by the way, you can also get phone service....great! Now we are past $100 a month. For what? Consolodation? Is that the reason you did it? You are paying the extra $$$ because it's all with the same company? 

I ask and offer you this. Don't burn yourself. Go shopping. Make these larger companies realize that they are dealing with an educated individual. Do your homework. With the money you save, well, congrats!!! You not only saved but you sent a message to the industry. 

Shop around. Give the little guys a chance. They are offering wonderful deals to gain leadership and many of the deals are too good to pass up. I know - I have learned and now I am wise - at least until tomorrow when another vendor throws out an offer  "too good to be passed up". I'm going to look at that with an amount of skepticism that would make all but the most "Herb Tarlec" type of sales rep cringe and all for good reason.

Until my next late night rant......If I wasted the 7 minutes of your time reading this, sorry, no refunds. Use as directed. :)

Cheers,

Jason

 

Wise to operate in Stealth Mode?

This seems to be a topic of some debate when conducting field research. Just how far do you go to conceal your activities and your presence? It would seem that most sasquatch encounters happen to those who were not looking for it, they were just minding their own business going about their routine when the sighting occured. 

The merit in these types of sightings lies in the consistency of the report and the typical granularity that comes along with it.

As an example, there is a video that has recently surfaced, referred to as "The Monster of Gum Creek". There is absolutely nothing conclusive about this video. Nothing. You can look at it hundreds of times and you cannot tell if the "thing"that is walking in the far background is a human or a sasquatch. Skeptics would leave it at that, and I am a healthy skeptic - but if something were made more compelling in this video, perhaps a clearer face shot - you might have my interest.

The point is, these people were out using an ATV, certainly not being "stealth".  As the fellow worked his way upstream the sighting occured. Sightings always seem to happen like this, and it is for this reason that I take no special steps to cover my tracks when I am doing field research. Just being yourself and acting in your usual manner will bring no sense of harm or fear to those who observe you - and don't think your not being watched.....many of us do not realize the amount of life that is peering upon us without our knowledge. Forest creatures have this down to a fine art. We do not. 

Get the balance right....Preventing blobsquatches

There is a little known feature found most high-end digital cameras and even some budget models commonly referred to as a Histogram. Without going into the super technical details it is simply a graph that represents complete black (left side) and complete white (right side).

 

When you take a picture of varying tones, shades and colours the histogram looks kind of like a "mountain" and when correctly exposed will appear to "peak" in the middle of the graph. You know instantly if your picture is going to be underexposed (peaks to the left) or overexposed (peaks to the right) and so you can adjust your exposure accordingly to balance things out. You need to learn how to look at the scene and understand where the exposure should be to create that perfect picture. To get the best dynamic range from a picture, you must expose it as bright as possible without over exposing it.  I use to always stay on the lower end of things because I thought it would be safe and I found myself having to take my pics into photoshop because they were always underexposed. Ever since I learned to use the histogram feature to my advantage, I have been shooting better quality pics that rarely need to be post-processed. 

This brings up a very important point - something we have seen far too much of - blobsquatches. Those grainy under-exposed photos that we are all too familiar with. It's really disturbing to find that these pictures were taken with cameras that were more than capable of taking sharp, clear pictures. So why the blobsquatches? 

1. Underexposed and too much shadow - not enough dynamic range and brightness to bring out the definition and detail of the scene. 
2. Not a high enough depth of field (Shooting with too low of an f-stop (large aperture) which keeps the object you are focusing on "in-focus" while the surroundings appear out of focus. It is these type of pictures where the blobsquatches frequently appear - in the unfocused sides of the intended target. Crank that f-stop up and get the whole picture in focus! 
3. Too high of an ISO setting can introduce noise in your picture. When possible, try to keep your ISO setting as low as possible, however, do not take that for granted. In fast-moving situations you may want to crank up that ISO to capture action shots - keep in mind that you need more light to work with that higher ISO setting. 
4. Last but not least, do not rely on AUTO. Experiment with your camera because sometimes it doesn't always calculate and select the best settings automatically. If in doubt, consider this - if your camera is capable of shooting RAW, do it, because that one "pristine shot" that you took may not have been so perfect after you get the picture home and view it on your computer - with RAW you can fix all that. JPEG's are already processed by your camera so you are limited to the amount of editing that you can perform. This is one reason why I love my camera - I can shoot RAW & JPEG at the same time so I have a copy of each. Yeah it takes more space on the memory card, but gigabytes are cheap nowadays. Happy shooting!
   

Hearing a Sasquatch - The sixth sense.

Every so often I download a few podcasts to listen to while I am commuting to work. One such podcast is Sasquatch Watch Radio which is hosted by Billy Willard and DB Donlon, AKA "The Blogsquatcher". Both of these fellows are members of the group Sasquatch Watch of Virginia. Billy and his son Josh started this group in 2005 while DB has his own blog.

Recently, one such podcast of Billy's touched on the subject of Infra sound.

It was an interesting show and it reminded me of some reports of people feeling like they are not alone, perhaps better described as feeling "uneasy" or "queasy". Some go as far to say that they felt a form of paralysis for a period of time and they could do nothing except lie in a semi-fetal position. Maybe this is the way that the body and brain react to trauma, perhaps even along the lines of those who fall into a coma after being traumatized, some say it's the body's way of beginning the defence and repair process by shutting down certain things that are not necessary to survive - movement, consciousness, sensory inputs. 

What's more interesting is that if infra sound is actually used as a form of defense, what is it that humans are doing to elicit such a response? Many people are simply minding their own business, camping, fishing, hiking - by all means not showing any signs of aggression. This is why I think that perhaps infra sound is not a defense mechanism, instead, it's a way of warning humans of impending danger. How many people stick around after having an apparent "infra sound" experience? I'd probably be leaving the area pretty quickly. 

Mind you, I do not believe that I have ever experienced Infra sound or any events as some of those described so I cannot really tell you what I would or would not do or how I would feel. 

Now let's look at this slightly differently. If you were an avid hiker or field researcher, you would be accustomed to your surroundings including all the sounds around you. Crickets, Birds, Frogs, Wolves, Owls. All of these animals generate unique sounds and we can almost immediately picture what the animal is as soon as their call is heard. 

Now imagine one day all of that changed. You were hiking along a trail and with tremendous volume and strength you heard a blood curdling scream. It seems very close to you, but you don't know where it's coming from. Your mind races to think of what it might be - Part of your initial terror is that you cannot associate the sound with anything so the fear of the unknown is steadily increasing. Now imagine if you heard the call again, this time it seems louder and closer, but again, you cannot associate the sound with anything you have ever heard before.

At this point your heart is probably racing, the hair on the back of your neck is standing up and goosebumps cover your entire body. You feel helpless, alone and scared. 

Audible perception of sound that we cannot identify has the ability to trigger a defensive response in cases where we feel vulnerable.

Non- audible infra sound can apparently still be perceived by the human body, thus causing it to take a similar course of action.

Notice the similarities? Not being able to identify and relate to the sound. The fear of the unknown. Your body is reacting according to it's sensory inputs, and since we cannot "hear" infra sound, who's to say that your ears are part of this perception? Maybe we all have a sixth sense. Who knows....

We haven't even begun to fully understand "audible" Bigfoot vocalizations and now we are exploring something much more intriguing. Perceiving sounds without hearing a thing. Fascinating.