Microphones for Wildlife Sound Recording

Select the right Equipment for the Sounds of Nature

Mar 6, 2009

Microphones used in wildife sound recording have more in common with the types used for outside broadcast and film/TV sound rather than music recording.

To get the right microphone for any sound, the recordist needs to understand the subject, its environment , and their likely position relative to the subject. Microphones used tend to be directional, small-diaphragm types. Directionality is needed because the target is often at some distance from the microphone and there may be extraneous sounds that need to be reduced.

Wildlife Sounds as a Subject

Wildlife sounds differ from most sound recording subjects in that the performance is unscripted, the performer is usually at some distance from the microphone, and the wanted sound is often fairly quiet. The performance also generally takes place in the open air, exposing the microphone to wind noise.

All of these factors make recording harder, which is why the techniques and equipment used for wildlife sound recording are different from that used to record a rock band.

Microphones for Wildlife Sound Recording

Recordists who are recording soundscapes can use normal stereo techniques such a spaced omnis, binaural microphones or Mid-Side pairs. This is suitable for wide soundstage subjects like the dawn chorus, the sounds of moving water or flocks of geese.

Such open microphone techniques can also give excellent recordings of a particular species, if the animal is vocalising close to the microphone; unfortunately close usually means within a metre or so (a few feet). This is hard to arrange, though good fieldcraft and knowing that animals are creatures of habit can get very natural sounding recordings this way, if the microphone is placed before a bird arrives to sing from a favoured song-post.

Most beginner recordists want a sound of a particular bird, isolated if possible from the sounds around it, the sonic equivalent of a telephoto lens. Two microphone types come close - the shotgun microphone and the parabolic dish.

Shotgun Microphones for Wildlife Sound Recording

The shotgun microphone uses a long tube with slots cut into it so that the microphone picks up sound mainly from the front and attenuates it from the sides and rear. At the low end something like the Sennheiser MKE300 works well, and the same company's ME67/K6 is a good choice for those with a bit more money to spend.

Parabolic Dish Microphone for Recording at a Distance

The alternative is a parabolic dish reflector, which needs to be at least 60cm (two feet) in diameter, with an omnidirectional or cardioid microphone placed at the focus. This is the most directional microphone option, with the advantage of a higher signal output than a shotgun mic. It can record a single bird from up to 100 metres (100 yards) away. Its disadvantages are that it is unwieldy in the field, and distorts the frequency response of the microphone, making the sound thinner and sharper than it should be. The Telinga parabolic dish microphone is an example of this design.

All microphones need wind shielding outdoors. Cheaper options include the Rycote Softie range or DIY basket systems where the microphone is suspended in a cage of netting which is covered by landscaping fabric. More effective though more expensive is the Rycote modular basket system and the DPA Windpac. Without wind protection the recording will be spoiled by rumble.

Getting closer always improves a recording, but shotgun and parabolic dish microphones make good recordings possible at distances where the recordist can avoid disturbing wildlife subjects.

The Singing Life of Birds, Donald Kroodsma, Houghton-Mifflin, 2005 ISBN 0618405682

The copyright of the article Microphones for Wildlife Sound Recording in Recording Engineering is owned by Richard Mudhar. Permission to republish Microphones for Wildlife Sound Recording in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.