SFX – Richard Broom Photography

August 15, 2022August 15, 2022

The Sounds of Kart Racing

Join me on the trackside at a Grampian Kart Racing Club meet (14 August 2022)

The Sounds of Kart Racing – Richard Broom Photography

June 2, 2022June 2, 2022

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 sounds of the River Deveron + and an annoying f**king tractor! by Richard Broom

The Other Sodding Tractor

May 6, 2022May 6, 2022

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 Cretan Bees by Richard Broom

The Sound of Cretan Bees

April 29, 2022April 29, 2022

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.

Sheep And Bells Crete Mixdown 2 by Richard Broom

The Sound of Cretan Sheep – Richard Broom Photography

April 1, 2022April 1, 2022

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 Engine Soundscape by Richard Broom

The Suck, Squeeze, Bang and Blow

March 31, 2022March 31, 2022

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!)

https://soundcloud.com/rrr700/the-sound-of-swooping-swallows?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

The Sound of Swooping Swallows

March 27, 2022March 27, 2022

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.

https://soundcloud.com/rrr700/the-surf-gone-crazy?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

The Crazy Sound of Surf

March 26, 2022March 26, 2022

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!)

https://soundcloud.com/rrr700/the-portsoy-scotland-bird-nesting-site?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

The Cacophony of Birds

March 25, 2022March 25, 2022

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.

https://soundcloud.com/rrr700/where-the-stream-meets-the-sea?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

The Stream Meets the Sea

March 25, 2022March 25, 2022

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.

https://soundcloud.com/rrr700/portsoy-beach-the-sound-of-the-waves-crashing-onto-the-beach?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

The Sound of Portsoy Beach

March 15, 2022March 15, 2022

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 Aircraft Safety Briefing by Richard Broom

The Pre-Flight Safety Briefing

March 14, 2022March 14, 2022

The Pesky Aircraft Overflight…

Join me as I try to record bird sounds in the wood only to have a light aircraft fly overhead…

https://soundcloud.com/rrr700/aircraft-overflight?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

The Pesky Aircraft Overflight…

March 12, 2022March 12, 2022

The Helicopter Experience

Join me as we all take off in a modern helicopter (best with headphones on).

https://soundcloud.com/rrr700/the-helicopter-start?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

The Helicopter Experience

March 7, 2022March 7, 2022

The Departure Lounge

Join me in the departure lounge of an airport (we’ve all been there!)

https://soundcloud.com/rrr700/the-departure-lounge?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

The Departure Lounge

March 7, 2022March 7, 2022

The Sound of a Wedding

Join me an enjoy the sounds of a wedding in an old Norman Church.

https://soundcloud.com/rrr700/the-sound-of-a-wedding?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

The Sound of a Wedding

March 7, 2022March 7, 2022

The Cafe in Harrods, London

Join me for a cup of tea in the cafe in Harrods department store in London.

Harrods Cafe by Richard Broom

The Cafe in Harrods, London

March 7, 2022March 7, 2022

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 Train Snack Bar Announcement by Richard Broom

The Train Snack Bar Announcement

March 7, 2022March 7, 2022

The Sound of the Railway Station

Join me at a British train station as the train makes ready to depart, and then departs.

https://soundcloud.com/rrr700/the-train-station?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

The Train Station

The Railway Station – Richard Broom Photography

March 6, 2022March 6, 2022

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.

A walk in the woods by Richard Broom

The Walk in the Woods…

March 5, 2022March 5, 2022

The Amsterdam Tram

Please join me for another ride on one of Amsterdam’s wonderful trams.

A Tram Ride in Amsterdam by Richard Broom

The Amsterdam Tram

March 4, 2022March 4, 2022

The Sound of Sonar…

Join me as I submerge in my own private submarine…

Submarine Sound Effect by Richard Broom

The Sound of Sonar – Richard Broom Photography

February 27, 2022February 27, 2022

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?

The Hypersonic Train by Richard Broom

The Hypersonic Train at Warp Factor 6!
Richard Broom Photography

February 27, 2022February 27, 2022

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 Train Whizzes By… by Richard Broom

The Train Just Whizzes On By…

February 26, 2022February 26, 2022

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 Kettle Boiling (sound effect) by Richard Broom

The Boiling Kettle

February 26, 2022February 26, 2022

The Squabbling Crows

Join us as we listen to a group of crows squabbling over something…

The Battle of the Crows by Richard Broom

The Squabbling Crows

February 26, 2022February 26, 2022

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 Big Birds and the Little Birds by Richard Broom

February 26, 2022February 26, 2022

The Walk Along the Muddy Track (in Scotland)

Join us as we walk along a muddy track in Scotland…

The Muddy Boots (are made for walking!) by Richard Broom

The Walk Along the Muddy Track (in Scotland)

February 26, 2022February 26, 2022

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.