sampling microscopic sounds (ants, bugs) and long distance

[balma]

Hey guys, I have been searching those super sensitive mics that can perceive the sounds of insects, like "ant chat" , bugs talk, or any kind of microscopic sound. I don't have any idea where to purchase them./..

Also, there are parabolic mics, that can help you to hear sounds at long distances. I will like to sample my neighbors having sex....

Any extra idea about other specialized mics? where can I get mics for my samples like these ones????

[madtheory]

The parabolic thing doesn't really work very well, that's a myth from TV. If you want to sample your neighbours, it's actually illegal. Plus you'd need to put a mic in the room, also illegal.

What you need for this insects, I would think, is one of the DPAs with their high voltage mic pre amp. I'm sure they'd be happy to enlighten you if you asked them.

[balma]

Well legal or illegal, I found it for $1200. That's quite expensive I think.


I use to sample a lot of sounds from the nature. There are some birds here named "Oropendolas" that have such a strange chant, really complex. I have sample a few of them, the problem is that the sample is not as good as I want it to be, since they visit only very high trees.

the sing is very strong, but I need a clean record, so I considered the parabolic mic an option...



I was thinking on weird sampling sources from the nature, and not conventional ways to obtain them, like the insect noises

[madtheory]

I never said parabolic mics were illegal, nor did I say they were not available. What I said was they're a myth. Meaning that it's ancient technology, the only reason they're still sold is because they look good for TV. It's not a professional device.

For about the same money you can get one of the lower end Sennheiser boom mics. also known as a shotgun mic. The longer they are, the more directional they are. Far better bandwidth than the parabolic approach. Take a look at Trew Audio, they have good prices.

[blitzdj86]

For the record, ants don't make noise, they communicate via pheremones.

[balma]

I've seen they left smelly traces, and change information throught their antenas, but they also make some noises with their jaws.

There are so much people getting their samples from libraries, and taking sounds from other artists, I think this is not really necessary since we have so much different noises surrounding us, and should be really fun to collect them.

I feel great atraction on a technological device that can capture a sound that we cannot perceive, and bringing it to a frequency that we can hear and manipulate.

[novielo]

only an idea but have you tried to put an electret mic at the end of a straw and record? it may distord the sound but it may be interresting as well.

[Hugo76]

I really like your idea, balma. I think I'll have to ta a walk with my mididisc oneday and record som stuff

[blitzdj86]

There are so much people getting their samples from libraries, and taking sounds from other artists, I think this is not really necessary since we have so much different noises surrounding us, and should be really fun to collect them.

I feel great atraction on a technological device that can capture a sound that we cannot perceive, and bringing it to a frequency that we can hear and manipulate.

1: search 'found sound'
there are lots of people using found samples..

2: you would probably be interested in some sounds made from space.. I can't rememebr exactly what it's called, but they captured electromagnetic noise with some sensors on space ships as they passed each planet (the voyagers i think), and converted it into audible frequency - its really spooky underwater alien sounding stuff.

Also I havent done it yet, but I'm planning on doing this with converting video component information to sound - and the other way, so that i can do things like, project sound through semi-transparent objects, add other lights, etc.. then record it.. I should have this up and running in a couple weeks.

[balma]

Yeap I got that cd, it came on a Carl Sagan book about the Voyager spaceship.


Voyager spaceship was sent to the deep dark and cold space, with a disk that will remain playing during hundreds of years until the battery dies. They VOYAGER project was designed by Carl Sagan when working wit the NASA

I also have sampled turning the dial of an old AM radio very fast. You get aleatory sounds, you don't know what you'll get, voices, white noises, everything mangled very fast.

Sometime something real cool appears... this requires patience, and a long memory sampler....


but something harder, is to record those birds. You can get a lot of birdsounds going to wallmart's discount cds, there are a lot of those crappy cds with ambien sounds there, but I want my own birdsounds

[man-009]

guess i will keep my windows closed tonight!.....lol
cool idea. I love sampling weird stuff as well. contact mics on old sqeeky screen doors sounds pretty cool slowed down in an industrial break over some dark strings.

[Operatron]

I feel great atraction on a technological device that can capture a sound that we cannot perceive, and bringing it to a frequency that we can hear and manipulate.

ideed !

[code green]

saw this article (link below) and thought of this thread...this may clear some things up regarding ant sounds/hearing:

http://judson.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06 ... -nest-251/

[balma]

quite interesting, really will love to sample those rubbing sounds.

I suppose there must be devices that can capture also those ultrasounds and bring them to our audible spectrum. I thought I watched a NatGeo program about bats...

[matia]

Chris Watson did some great recordings of insects and nature.