natures microphone

[dave burraston]

the wires themselves are multifaceted and the often discussed aeolian aspect is but one. they are also nature's microphone. much animal life intereacts with them e.g. insects (spiders, mozzies), birds and cows have all had a play too!

the rainfall recordings are also very beautiful. water dampens the vibrations of the wire. water and morning dew will generally stop them from singing or vibrating. in light or short patches of rain the vibrations may not be completely dampened. the sound of the rain drops hitting the wires can be heard at varying amplitude levels. on the occasions when a drop hits a piezo pickup a loud click is generated. the interaction of water with the earth cable crocodile clip can produce dramatic changes of bass/earth hum amplitude.

wind is a notoriously difficult phenomena to record with microphones. another unique aspect is the ability for the wire system to convey the sound of the wind. on a number of recordings made during the last residency, and of course on alan's earlier recordings, it is remarkable how well the sound of the wind is conveyed through the wires to the pickups.

another thing to consider is the picking up of ionospheric whistler waves, which are an interesting physical phenomena.

->

The Solar-Terrestrial Environment.
By John Keith Hargreaves
Published 1992
Cambridge University
Press
434 pages
ISBN 0521427371

and

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whistler_(radio)

and a large set of stephen p. mcgreevy's ground-based ELF-VLF audio recordings is at ->

http://www-pw.physics.uiowa.edu/mcgreevy/

d

[Bill Sherman]

Enjoyed listening to sounds recorded using the long wires. I started a Shoutcast Radio Station a while ago that broadcasts sound I recorded on my windharp. I now have two of them. Is your microphone a stereo piezo? I'm using hand wired hum bucking magnetic coils to pickup the vibrations. A piezo would be easlier to attach to the wire, as you have done. How are they as regards to hum pickup in city areas? My station is at Windsonics

[dave burraston]

the wind sounds are mainly transmitted through the length of the wires to the pickups. sometimes the pickups will also be transmitting there own sound also, but that seems to depend on the wind. the pickup generated sounds are generally very short whisps, a bit like someone breathing over a microphone. the wind sounds transmitted through the wires are similar to what one hears acoustically as the wind goes over the length of the wires, not a million miles away from the sound of the wind through the trees.

d

[Jase]

Have you recorded any whistler waves? Fascinating phenomena, I hadn't heard of them. The link to the dawn chorus on that wikipedia page stirs my interest too. I've read that some migratory birds navigate by seeing the magnetic poles, so it makes me wonder if there's a connection with the similarities to the birds' dawn chorus.

Do you reckon the sound of the wind is from the wind hitting the piezos rather than the wires?