The Sounds of Kart Racing
Join me on the trackside at a Grampian Kart Racing Club meet (14 August 2022)
Posts from the ‘Richard Broom Soundscapes’ category
The Other Sodding Tractor
Please see my previous post and then join me as I try to record the tranquil sounds of the River Deveron, near to Banff, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It clearly isn’t my day for field recording! Today is a public holiday and I would expect any self-respecting farmers to take a day off. Not in Banff. So please enjoy the tranquil sounds of the River Deveron passing you by and the delightful sound of a f**king tractor pull a rake around a nearby field. Using my directional parabolic mic (DM), I can hear the sounds of tractors and other industrial noises several kilometres away.
The Sodding Tractor!!!
Join me as I try to record the sound of birds today. It is public holiday here today in Scotland. There is no wind. It would have been a perfect day to record bird sounds in the woods near to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duff_HouseDuff House in Banff, Aberdeenshire. Wonderful bird sounds but oh my, the noise of a f**king tractor on Banff Golf Course provided unwanted background noise to the recording of the birds who were really going for it in the woods today. Pah!
The Pilot’s Briefing
Join us on a British Airways flight and listen to the pilot briefing the passengers about the up and coming flight to Chania, Crete. I’m sure someone will tell me that the image I have chosen is not that of an Airbus A380!
The Cave and the Libyan Sea
Join me in a cave close to the Libyan Sea in Crete. The cave was a natural echo chamber. Listen to the waves breaking and the echo as the sound of the waves bounced around inside the cave. You will also hear me tramping about in the cave. There was no sand but plenty of gravel underfoot.
The Sounds of a Taverna in Hora Sfakion, Crete
Join me in a Taverna right next to the sea in Hora Sfakion, Crete. Listen to people enjoying a fine meal and you will also hear the sounds of the waves washing up on the nearby beach. What a wonderful place to enjoy Greek food.
The Sound of Cretan Bees
Join me at the Vritomartis Naturist Resort close to Hora Sfakion, Crete as I listen to the very busy bees and other insects buzzing around large plants close to our beautiful room which overlooks the Libyan Sea. You might also hear the occasional bird!
The Sound of Cretan Sheep
Join me here in wonderful Crete as we listen to a large herd of sheep passing close to the chalet where we are staying at the Vritomartis Naturist Resort in Crete. The sound of sheep bells (the sheep have bells around their necks for some reason) really is one of the wonderful sounds you will hear on this most delightful Greek Island. I can also highly recommend the Vritomartis Naturist Resort. A wonderful hotel in all respects.
The Fun of the Fair
Join me a the fairground and hear the sounds of old fashioned fairground organ banging out it’s jolly tune.
The Cornish Pastie Shop
Join me at the Cornish Pastie shop at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham in the UK. The Cornish pasties were edible but not the best I have ever tasted. The NEC is generally very busy (as you’ll hear) and the food outlets do charge top dollar for their mass-produced products.
British Airways Blues (‘Your call is important to us’)
Join me as I listened for a total of over 3 hours to of ‘music on hold’ and ‘your call is important to us’ messages whilst I waited for British Airways to answer the telephone today. After a total of three hours of no reply, I gave in. British Airways, and before it BOAC and BEA, is or was something we British used to be proud of. I did get hold of one unhelpful chap from BA who dismissively gave me another number to call because I had ‘the wrong kind of Business Class ticket’ (yes, Business Class!) and the number he gave me promptly disconnected me and so I went to the back of the queue again.
Sadly… we live in changed times. Is the UK going down the tubes and taking British Airways with it? It’s certainly beginning to look like it.
British Airways – such a disappointment (and I speak as an IAG shareholder!!!!).
The Suck, Squeeze, Bang and Blow…
Join me for my rather warped idea of what it would sound like if you were sitting in the middle of an internal combustion engine. Best with headphones on….
All done on my Machine Mikro.
The Sound of Swooping Swallows…
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!)
The Electronic Seascape Soundscape!
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?!).
The Golden Age of BBC Radio – Come in Tokyo
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.
The Crazy Sound of Surf
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.
The Cacophony of Birds
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!)
The Stream Meets the Sea
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.
The Sound of Portsoy Beach
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.
The Crow and the Tractor
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.
The Pilot Speaks…
Join me on a transatlantic KLM flight heading towards Europe. Listen to what the pilot has to say.
The Train Station Piano Player
Join me whilst I listen to a talented young man playing the piano in Amsterdam Central Station’s lobby.
The Pre-Flight Safety Briefing
Join me on a KLM flight and listen to the safety briefing many of us, I suspect, don’t listen to.
The Amsterdam Street Party – King’s Day
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!
The Sound of Water
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)
The Pesky Aircraft Overflight…
Join me as I try to record bird sounds in the wood only to have a light aircraft fly overhead…
The Coffee Shop…
Join me in Starbucks and listen out for the wifi password (but you have to guess which of many Starbucks outlet it is!!!)
The Helicopter Experience
Join me as we all take off in a modern helicopter (best with headphones on).
The Train to Brussels
Join me on the train travelling smoothly and comfortably between Amsterdam and Brussels
The Departure Lounge
Join me in the departure lounge of an airport (we’ve all been there!)
The Annoyingly Talkative Woman on the Train
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!
The Sound of a Wedding
Join me an enjoy the sounds of a wedding in an old Norman Church.
The Cafe in Harrods, London
Join me for a cup of tea in the cafe in Harrods department store in London.
The Train Snack Bar Announcement
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!
The Sound of the Railway Station
Join me at a British train station as the train makes ready to depart, and then departs.
The Walk in the Woods…
Join me and enjoy the sounds from our dog walk in the woods near to Duff House in Banff, Aberdeenshire, this morning. You’ll hear the sounds of woodland birds, including a fine woodpecker, streams and all the other sounds (including, if you listen very carefully, golf ball hits from the nearby Dufff House Royal Golf Club.)
All sounds recorded on my parabolic (directional) microphone using a ZoomH6 recorder (My Zoom F6 still hasn’t arrived!). The sound was mixed (using adaptive noise reduction) using Adobe Audition.
The Walk in the Woods…
The Amsterdam Tram
Please join me for another ride on one of Amsterdam’s wonderful trams.
The Sound of Sonar…
Join me as I submerge in my own private submarine…
The Toilet From HELL: The Return of the Haemorrhoids!
Join me in the toilet from Hell. It’s what happens when the haemorrhoids fight back.
Richard Broom Photography
The Hypersonic Train at Warp Factor 6!
Join me as we take a Warp Factor 6 train ride (fun with sound effects in Adobe Audition). Rest assured, however, no British train will ever go that fast – not with Boris Johnson driving. Thinks…..didn’t we invent trains?
Richard Broom Photography
The Train Just Whizzes On By…
Join me along side the high-speed railway track in the Netherlands as an express train whooshes by us at tremendous speed…
The Pump Room, Bath, Somerset, England
Why not join me for lunch in The Pump Room in the old Roman spa town of Bath (Roman name Aquae Sulis). Did I hear somebody in the recording mention Bangers and Mash? Yum!
Or you could go and see the Roman Baths (see video below)
The Railway Station, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Please join me at the vibrant Amsterdam Central Station. Listen to the announcements and people and trains coming and going.
The Boiling Kettle
Join me for a cup of tea or just listen to a good old sound effect – a kettle boiling in our kitchen earlier this morning.
The Squabbling Crows
Join us as we listen to a group of crows squabbling over something…
The Big Birds and the Little Birds
Join us in our back garden where, because we live on the coast, we have seagulls swirling about over our heads all day. After a while, you stop noticing their shrieking (about a minute into the recording, the seagulls really shout out loud!). You can hear the tiny birds tweeting away. They sit in a tree in the garden waiting to be fed…always hungry.
The Walk Along the Muddy Track (in Scotland)
Join us as we walk along a muddy track in Scotland…
The Walk Along the Muddy Track (in Scotland)
The Parabolic Microphone
A new microphone system!
I have purchased a parabolic microphone from the Parabolic Microphone Company.
Today was the first day I ventured out into the woods with the ‘para-mic’ to test it out – results below.
Briefly, the parabolic microphone is a directional mic. Basically, point it at a sound source and press the record button (listen to the babbling brook recording above).
On this first try out down in the woods close to Duff House, I forgot to put the ‘wind condom’ on the dish (second image below) and so I picked up quite a bit of wind noise. Moreover, there was a gentle but steady wind through the trees in the wood and that gave me a small amount of background noise which I’ve managed to reduce in post-processing using Adobe Audition.
I used my Zoom H6 to record the sound. I’m still waiting for my Zoom F6 to arrive.
The first recordings will be coming up shortly. Please stay tuned.
The Sound of Roberts International Airport, Monrovia, Liberia, West Africa
Join me in the departure lounge of Roberts International Airport, Monrovia, Liberia, West Africa. Wonderfully helpful staff (unlike Luton Airport!!! – follow this link). Here’s a multi-media extravaganza for you…
Richard Broom Photography
The Most Dreadful Disease
Join me as we listen to an aid worker in Sierra Leone talking about that most dreadful disease, Ebola, and the terrible effects it had on just one village in Sierra Leone.
The World’s Worst Airport
Join me and enjoy the sounds of the departure lounge at the airport I dislike above all others – Luton Airport! I would go a long way to avoid either arriving at or departing from Luton Airport. Dirty, unhelpful staff, overcrowded…the list goes on. My one word of advice when it comes to Luton Airport – AVOID! When you see the road sign, just keeping going!
The Firework Display
Join me for a New Year’s firework display in the Netherlands a few years ago.
The Russians Are Coming
Let’s hope the ordinary decent people of Russia can put a stop to Putin’s evil intentions. Putin is deranged. His own people need to topple him. Putin is a war criminal and must be stopped.
Our British politicians are not doing nearly enough to support the people of Ukraine. Our mendacious Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, and his greedy supporters need to think about preventing suffering in Ukraine rather than thinking about themselves (as they always do).
The people of Ukraine deserve better.
The London Underground (Tube)
Join me on a London underground train journey on the Circle Line between Bayswater and Nottinghill Gate (where you might find Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts!).
The Chatty Lady Train Journey
Join me on a train travelling across the Netherlands with a group of very chatty ladies.
The Sounds of Amsterdam Central Train Station
Join me on the platform of Amsterdam Central railway station. Listen to a train pulling in and then the announcer talking over the public address system.
The Sounds of Amsterdam Central Train Station
The Noisy Cafe, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Join me in this noisy and busy cafe in Central Amsterdam, Netherlands.
The Sound of Dutch Coffee…
Join me as we sit in a delightful and vibrant restaurant and coffee house in Amsterdam.
The Blackbird
The Sound of FEAR!!!
The Question is….dare you listen to our latest podcast which is all about FEAR!?
Click here to listen to The Sound of Fear Podcast.
The Sound of FEAR!!! – Richard Broom Photography
The Girl Reading
The Cameraman
The Lookout
The Lookout
The Fighter
The Fighter
The Lightning
The Lightning
The Biter
The Biter
The Soundscape Library (Soundscape 10) – King’s Day, Amsterdam, Street and Canal Parties
ing
Please click on the Soundcloud link below, close your eyes and join me on the streets of Amsterdam for the King’s Day (27 April) celbrations. Amsterdam turns into one big street party on King’s Day and boats with very loud sound systems and celebrating crew members tour the city’s canals having what can only be described as a very good time!
See all other soundscapes here.
See my King’s Day video here.
See my King’s Day Spark here.
The King’s Day, Amsterdam
The Bare Naked Ladies
Bare naked ladies spotted in Amsterdam earlier today…
The Bare Naked Ladies
The Soundscape Library (Soundscape 9) – Hemmeland Woods + Dog!
Moral: never take a dog with you when you are recording soundscapes!
Please click on the Soundcloud link below, close your eyes and join me for a walk in the woods at Hemmeland – a wooded area close to Monnickendam, Noord Holland, Netherlands.
Hemmeland is a great place to see nature, picnics, sunbathing and for dog walks. At Hemmeland you’ll find a mixture of wildlife, flowers, plants, trees, beaches and much more. There was a northeasterly wind today blowing at between 10-15 Knots. You’ll hear quite a lot of noise generated as the wind blew through the treetops. You’ll also hear the dog sniffing around.
There’s not too much about Hemmeland on the Internet but you can look at my photographs of Hemmeland by clicking on this link to visit my Adobe Spark Hemmeland page (scroll down when you get there)
See all other soundscapes here.
The Woods, Hemmeland
The Soundscape Library (Soundscape 8) – Amsterdam Central Station, main lobby
Please click on the link below, close your eyes and join me in the main lobby in Central Station Amsterdam (a natural echo chamber). Towards the end you’ll here a station announcement but the natural echo in the main lobby makes it hard to hear what is being announced.
See all other soundscapes here.
Amsterdam Central Station