BTS#8: Recording A Nor'easter & Amazing Talking Oak
Join me on a field recording trip into a Nor’easter!
Here in New England, Winter Storm Bobby brought over a foot of snow and winds in excess of 35mph to the landscape.
The storm started late Friday night (1/28/2022) and dropped about 3 inches of snow.
Saturday was the main event with the heaviest snowfall occurring between 8am and 1pm at a rate of just over 1" per hour.
Luckily, I live within walking distance to a woodland and spent about 4 hours exploring and recording the storm.
Video
The Behind The Sounds (BTS) video for this trip is available to my supporters on Patreon.
The BTS series is a resource for learning field recording techniques, advice, methodology, and gear selection and set up.
Each episode covers one recording expedition.
It takes a tremendous amount of time and effort to film these informative videos in the field and edit them in post production.
To watch this Behind The Sounds episode and the full series to date, consider becoming a Patreon. If you do, you’ll also receive my Field Recording For Beginners eBook and the opportunity to Zoom with me to ask questions, nerd out on gear, or receive critiques on your work.
Recordings
During my adventure in the woods, I setup 2 drop rig recordings. Continue reading for the details.
Drop Rig #1
Dual-trunked oak tree with large hole and fissure.
As I was walking through the woods, I heard some very loud tree squeaks and pops. After investigating the sound, I found a large oak tree with a fissure running up one of the 2 main trunks.
The crack started at a hole near the base of the tree and was about 25’ in length.
With every gust of wind, the oak tree would screech, crack and pop as the edges of the crack rubbed together.
The vibrations caused by the rubbing wood were so strong, I could feel them through my boots while standing in front of the tree.
After being presented with this amazing sound, I decided to setup a drop rig recording.
SASS microphone propped up with pine branches.
Since I had packed light for this trip, I was without my tripod. So, I found an old pine tree and used it as a makeshift tripod to hold my SASS microphone directly in front of the hole in the trunk.
I let the recording run for almost an hour. Unfortunately, a snow blower could be heard for most of the recording.
However, I was able to capture a few minutes of pure tree sounds, wind and snow. Please have a listen below.
Drop Rig #2
After recording the talking oak tree, I wanted to capture the sounds of the cutting winter winds.
I ventured to the top of a ridge for maximum wind exposure and setup my SASS microphone on an old, woodpecker-hole-ridden tree.
SASS microphone on woodpecker conifer.
While on the ridge, I found a metal folding chair that someone had left behind. I took this opportunity to have a nice sit and enjoy the sounds of the 35mph winds.
I invite you to have a listen too with the recording below.
If you want to read more about my field recording adventures, please see the posts below or this interactive sound map.
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Thanks for reading,
-Jared
