Boy in a hot tub.

Many Icelanders own a summer house. Almost all this summer houses have a  outdoor hot tub spa.
In July 2011 I spent one week in workers union summer house. Of course there was a hot tub where my son spent many hours for fun. I put my Aquarian mics in the tub. Part of the result can be hear in the session below.
Recorder: Korg MR1000 with SD552 preamp.
Mics: Aquarian H2a XLR  40cm apart
Pix: Olympus 4040 in Ewa-Marine pocket.

See more and listen at: www.fieldrecording.net
Download mp3 file.

Nature reserve in Flói 2011 – Part 1

Last summer solstice I went to a nature reserve in Flói, in the south of Iceland to record birds life. The result was many hours of recording.
It is my intention to put most of it to the website in the future months. The recording below was recorded between 1:00 to 2:00 am.
The recording device give a brilliant result in this quiet atmosphere. Most of the background noise is coming from surf along south coast and some traffic noise.
Many birds are in this session like Red throated Loom and Phalarope. Other animals are sheep, horses and driving humans (Homo mobil petrolium).

See more and listen at: www.fieldrecording.net
Download mp3 file.

In memory of my father

Following sound file was one of my first recordings I made on a “real” cassette tape recorder. It is my father holding a lecture about electricity, what it is and how it is made. The lecture is all in Icelandic. It was recorded in Skálholtsskóli (dormitory school) during the winter 1977 – 1978 where I studied this glorious winter. Many of my recordings this winter can be listen at this website.
My father, Bergur Jónson (b. 16.4. 1934 – d. 28.9.2011), was an electrician engineer so it was easy for him to explain for 15-25 years old students about electricity. At that time he was working as a engineer at Landsvirkjun but that company has build many hydro power plants since 1966.
Following picture shows me lie on my father´s back at 17th of Oktober 1963 at my second birthday.
I hereby publish this lecture in memory of my loved father who died sadly of cancer 77 years old last September.

See more and listen at: www.fieldrecording.net 
Download mp3 file one.
Download mp3 file two.

Ocean of words

There are many sound bloggers I regularly visit. One of them is Des Coulam´s “Soundlandscapes´ Blog”. What he writes in the blog is often very informative. But he also makes very nice Binaural street recordings. Something I have tried many times, but just seldom be satisfied with, because I have always been disturbed by many things during recording.
In a small community like Iceland – Reykjavik where everybody knows everyone I am usually disturbed after some minutes with someone who knows me or I knows. Just an “ordinary street recording” can therefore be as difficult to record as many nature recordings with extreme situation.
In 17th of June 2011 at Iceland´s independents day I tried something different than Binaural setup. I planed to use a blimp on boom to record in many places in Reykjavik. I thought if I used this highly visible items some of the people who knew me would not disturb me. But it looks even more difficult to record with this setup. Many people now stopped, even foreign tourists, looked at me, and asked: “Where is the camera?” or “What are you doing”?
But in one place in town center, in Austurstæti I could record ocean of words without being disturbed in at least 20 minutes.

See more and listen at: www.fieldrecording.net 
Download mp3 file.

What is under the Kayak?

Every time I´am sailing on my kayak I start to imagine how the world is beneath the kayak. When I got my Aquarian microphone it opened a whole new world for me.
In mid of August 2011 I recorded this world from the dock at Gufunes in Reykjavik. Most of the sounds are pops and crackles, possibly from shrimps and/or shells. The highest level comes from something that looks like someone is routing gravel on the seabed. But sometimes other strange sounds are audible, such as “birdsong”, “mumble Duck” “crying child” and “sounds from piano strings”. Other sounds are easy to explain like diving ducks searching food and small waves at nearby beach. At 11:40. min. a group of Kayak rowers pass by with a splashing sound.
Recorder: Korg MR1000 v/Sound Devices 552 preamp (24bit/96Khz)
Mic: Aquarian H2a_XLR (with 40cm interval)
Pix: Canon 30D (see more pictures) 

See more and listen at: www.fieldrecording.net 
Download mp3 file.

Soprano in Laugarneskirkja (church)

Guðjón Samuelsson (b.1887 – d.1950) was the state architect of Iceland from 1924-1950, and designed many churches, including the Catholic church and Hallgrímskirkja as well as the National Theater. Laugarneskirkja was consecrated in 1949, and is not one of his most orginal works, as it looks a lot like the church he built in Akureyri a year earlier.
In 3rd of July 2011 I recorded few songs with Anna Jónsdóttir, a soprano singer in Laugarneskirkja.
She began her song study at Nýi tónlistarskólinn, (New Musical School) by Alina Dubik and graduating with a final exam in the spring of 2003.
Next winter, she studied at the Musical University in Bucharest where her main tutor was Maria Slatinaru.
Anna completed his degree soloists from the New Musical School in November 2004 under the guidance of Alina Dubik.
Anna thought Debut-concert in the fall of 2006 at Hafnarborg where Jonas Sen played with her on piano. In 2008 she released her first CD, Móðurást, containing Icelandic songs where the main theme is motherlove in it’s broadest sense.
Past years Anna has been active in the Icelandic music scene with a solo concert and participation in larger projects.
Antonia Hevesi are playing on Piano in this two songs..

See more and listen at: www.fieldrecording.net 
Download mp3 file.

Queen kill a worker

I recorded a Wasp traffic close to Wasp nest in Reykjavik 7th of July 2011. First session was recorded when the hair of the mic´s furry was so close to the wasp nest´s door the queen could not access in to the nest. Slowly trough the session the queen gets more angry. And when I moved the mic from the nest she killed one of the two workers in the nest (sorry, I did not record that).The second session is recorded with the mic more far from the nest. The queen comes and goes when searching for food in daily life.
Most of the audible sound from the nest is the queen and workers footsteps and wing flaps when the queen leaves or accesses the nest.

See more and listen at: www.fieldrecording.net 
Download mp3 file one.
Download mp3 file two.

Blog for "Hljóðmynd"

I don't know if I will write this blog in English or Icelandic..or in both language.
But anyway, the blog will be about fieldrecordings, recording technologies and my other brainstorm about sound recordings.
But you don´t need to wait. You are welcome to visit:
 

www.fieldrecording.net