Join me as I try to imagine the sound swooping swallows would make as they fly around the sky over our heads. I always think that swallows are avian jet fighters and yet so graceful. I could watch them for hours…
All sounds created on my Machine Mikro (what a clever little box it is!)
Join me as I have a bit of fun with my Mashine Mikro and create an electronic seascape soundscape complete with buoys and lighthouses…but only synthesised sound of course. If only I knew what I was doing (I think it is called making it up as you go along?!).
Join me and listen into some clips from the golden age of BBC Radio Comedy from the 1950s. I remember listening to the radio (no TV in those days during the day) to BBC Radio Comedy programmes on a Sunday afternoon. Names like Tony Hancock, Keneth Williams, Keneth Horne and many more spring to mind.
Radio always had the best scenery…
I created the background music (if you can call it that) on my Native Instruments Maschine. I have no musical knowledge or training it (and it shows). I just plug noises into the spreadsheet arrangement (image below) which is the Maschine 2 software, push the button and see what pops out. It seems to work and, of course, it is royalty free!
You can listen to my musical efforts on their own by clicking here.
About 300 years ago when I was young and good-looking, I used to take every opportunity to watch the 1951 Ealing Studios film, ‘The Man in the White Suit’ (1951) staring Alec Guiness. No video recorders or DVDs in those days. One of the main reasons I liked the film was because of the fabulous sound effect used in the film (unmistakable if you know the film).
And so, I made my own version of the sound effect which I combined with the original – you can hear in the clip below. After that, you can hear the ‘White Suit Man’ sound effect I created (a tribute to the original sound effect!) on its own.
I created my White Suit Man sound effect on my Native Instruments Machine.
Here’s the original sound effect + mine. Then, below that, my creation.
And here’s my version of the sound effect on its own (image courtesy of IMBD)
This is what happens when you put the sound of surf crashing onto rocks (see my previous post) through Adobe Audition filters (flanger, phases and echo). Quite a noise! Best with headphone on.
Join me on the cliffs east Portsoy, Scotland and listen to the waves crashing onto the rocks far below us.
I recorded the sound using my Zoom H6 sound recorder and used my parabolic microphone (with two mics for best stereo effect). The sound was processed in Adobe Audition.
Join me at a bird colony on a rock which sticks out of the sea just West of Portsoy, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. If you listen, you will hear the sea washing around the column of rock and the birds, who cling to and nest of the sheer rock face (see image) and make an almighty noise. You can hear the natural echo as the bird sounds bounce off the cliff faces which surround the rock column. You will hear seagulls, gannets, razorbills, cormorants and many other birds – all squawking away. You’ll hear ‘peak squawking’ at about 2 minutes.
Recorded using my parabolic mic and a Zoom H6 (my Zoom F6 still missing in transit!)
Me and my Samson ETM-3C double paddle Morse key have been together rattling out messages in Morse code for over 40 years now. The key has never let me down and we have travelled the world together. I’m pleased to report that both me and the ETM-3C are still going strong with a whole lot more dots and dashes still in us providing our respective batteries don’t conk out. Come in Tokyo!!!
To generate dots and dashes, you have to ‘key’ the two paddles side to side. One paddle generates continuous dots, the other paddle generates continuous dashes and, if you squeeze both paddles together, then a stream of dots followed by dashes will be sent. The trick is to manipulate the paddles in order to build up the Morse code characters.
Join me on the beach at Portsoy, Scotland where the stream that flows down from the hills crossed the beach and flows into the sea.
Join me and listen to the waves crashing onto Portsoy beach. Portsoy is in Aberdeenshire, Scotland and was the setting for a Peaky Blinders episode last year. Portsoy has some wonderful walks in and around this most delightful town. The harbour is also well worth a visit. By the way, I used my panoramic microphone (1 dish, two mics) to record the sound.
I see people from Poland are looking at my blog (from Flag Counter)
Like thousands of other people in the United Kingdom, we are offering the spare room of our house to refugees from the Ukraine. Our British Government is moving at a very slow pace and, until we can identify a refugee from the Ukraine in Poland (or any country near to the Ukraine), we cannot start arranging travel for these people. In fact, I feel ashamed to be British when I see what Boris Johnson is failing to do (all talk, no action and lies, lies, lies).
And so, if you are in Poland and if you can put us in touch with an agency/NGO who is trying to find accommodation for refugees in the UK (Scotland), then please send me an email at info@rids.co.uk and we will do our best. We have one spare bedroom, it would suit mother/child or older couple (senior citizens?). Naturally, we would NOT be charging rent for the use of our room. We want to help.
It really is time for Boris Johnson to go (along with his cronies).
Join me as as I tried to record the sounds of a crow but then a tractor came along and ploughed the nearby field. The field was close to the woods at Duff House, Banff, Aberdeenshire. You can hear the tractor driver lift the plough, rotate it and lower it again before turning round in order to plough in the opposite direction.
I will never forget the wonderful people of Liberia and Sierra Leone (previous post) who had to live through the Ebola crisis. Despite the often overwhelming and devastating challenges they faced day after day, it was never difficult to find a smile.
Join me on a transatlantic KLM flight heading towards Europe. Listen to what the pilot has to say.
Join me whilst I listen to a talented young man playing the piano in Amsterdam Central Station’s lobby.
Join me on a KLM flight and listen to the safety briefing many of us, I suspect, don’t listen to.
There is always someone who wants a free ride!
We lived on a boat in the Netherlands for six years. Wonderful memories of the Netherlands.
Video and sounds from Amsterdam’s King’s Day celebrations – a huge street party in Amsterdam!
Join me on the vibrant streets of Amsterdam and listen to the King’s Day celebrations!
A few more flowers and other wild things for you to enjoy…
Join me and listen in to the sound of water passing through a short tunnel under a footpath in the woods.
As promised, this is an example of sound recorded using two microphones fitted to my parabolic microphone rather than just one microphone. See what you think…(also see my posting regarding the parabolic microphone here)
Join me as I try to record bird sounds in the wood only to have a light aircraft fly overhead…
Join us on this morning’s dog walk and listen to the sound of a woodpecker (and other birds) as we walk through the woods near to our home in Banff, Scotland.
Today, for the first time, I used two microphones on my parabolic microphone. Stay tuned for sounds of a stream that runs through the woods. The second mic on the parabolic microphone makes quite a difference – much richer soundscapes. I processed the sound in Adobe Audition to try and limit the wind noise. The wind rushing through the tree tops create quite a lot of background noise…
You can buy a parabolic microphone from this company.
The top images shows a Photoshop neuralised image of my previous post. I neuralised the sunset image using an image of some shells (see the image at the bottom of this post). Quite a nice effect.
Take a look: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMLPeJask/
When people like this chap return to the UK, they could face being charged with a criminal offence by our Government. At that time, we need to support these men and women who are, in my view, heroes. We need to be ready for the actions of an uncaring government and people like that awful woman Priti Patel.
If you are in the UK, please circulate this post widely. These brave people (and their families) need our support now and will certainly need it in the future.
Join me in Starbucks and listen out for the wifi password (but you have to guess which of many Starbucks outlet it is!!!)
Join me as we all take off in a modern helicopter (best with headphones on).
Click here to read all about it: https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/aberdeen-aberdeenshire/4039118/meet-some-of-the-people-offering-up-their-homes-to-those-fleeing-ukraine/
Join me on the train travelling smoothly and comfortably between Amsterdam and Brussels
Join me in the departure lounge of an airport (we’ve all been there!)
Join me on a train where, unfortunately, I found myself sitting next to an annoyingly talkative woman who spent over an hour talking unrelentingly into her mobile telephone, and my ear. Later in her conversation (I have spared you), the woman went on to give some highly personal details about people she worked with (names, departments, the lot). I can only assume she didn’t realise other people on the train could hear her every word (loud and clear!). All I was trying to do was record train sound effects…instead, I had to put up with an appallingly unpleasant blabbermouth! This unappealing woman was the audio equivalent of a photo-bomb. I have two words for her – live mic!
Join me an enjoy the sounds of a wedding in an old Norman Church.
Join me for a cup of tea in the cafe in Harrods department store in London.
Join me on one of our British trains. Over the years I’ve learned that the food on our British trains generally is massively overpriced and doesn’t taste so good (French trains so much better in all respects). Please note that it is the train loudspeaker system that is delivering quite badly distorted sound (along with the badly distorted sandwiches!). Brexit = terrible food!
Join me at a British train station as the train makes ready to depart, and then departs.
