Zoom H4N Recorder
Wendt Audio Mixer
Sennheiser 416 Microphone
Aquarian Hydrophone
Having been several times before I chose to come here based on its proximity to my house and for the fantastic entrance formed by branches entwined into an arching tunnel, something I thought could perhaps be incorporated into our film.
The problem with it being in close proximity to the city is the drone of traffic still carries through when trying to record an atmos. The built in mics on the Zoom are extremely convenient and negate the necessity for bringing along a Rode NT4 aswell as a 416 however. I think to capture a truly peaceful and isolated woodland atmos I will have to drive to somewhere far more remote and at night time to minimise the disturbance of passing cars. There were also frequent planes flying overhead which didn't help, and the birds seemed to have taken a vow of silence, so nothing usable was captured with regard to atmospheres.
I gathered some usable material however I was made all the more conscious of the background drone of the city thanks to the superior headphone volume the Zoom has over the Marantz.
I had hoped to characterise the woods in our piece and stir unease through the creaking of the trees themselves, and attempted to record this using a contact mic on fallen trees whilst my assistant bent and crumpled the rotting bark. This did not quite have the desired effect of a drawn out groan, and my assistants movements were audible at times. I may need to research the types of trees with creaking properties or alternately manipulate creaking wood sounds with some EQ and pitch shifts.
This was not an all together successful outing but did prove an insightful learning curve.
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