Fun day ‘in’ the river!
After packing my bag with some extra recording supplies and some boots I spent a wonderful time at and in the river.
My first task was to find a suitable place. These days it is not that easy anymore to access places at the river; plants and trees are growing wildly everywhere. Riding up and down for about half an hour I finally found a perfect spot. It looks like the site is also used to water horses. While I was recording some people dropped by to water their three dogs.
In any case, there, its bank is not that steep and the stream shows different levels of depth.
Prepared with my dad’s rubber boots I bravely stepped into the mud. Already the day before I had fixed a small, wooden board to a hazelnut stick; taping one piezo pickup mic to one side and the other one to the other side, while both piezos are protected by a piece of thin, rubber glove.
Putting the H4 on record, ‘key hold’ and back into the protective bag, I started swaying my self-made paddle inside the river. Of course it is easier following the current, but the nicer and more distinct sounds are readily jumping into the headphones pushing the wooden board against the natural flow.
On scene, the sounds recorded with the board dipped deep into the water doe not sound as intense as the ones with the board sticking out of the water half way. Checking at home, however, both sound great.
Next to listening carefully, the most important element to consider is the “correct” movement. Having seen many movies I have to confess I am predisposed. The movement we mostly see can hardly produce the (perfect) sound we hear when seeing a person rowing. It takes some practice and testing different ways of swaying and plashing in order to get the desired results.
When I returned home I had about an hour worth of rowing sounds. Let me share a short example.
Similar Posts:
