New year’s eve at Las Américas, Tenerife

I spent new years eve 2011-2012 at Tenerife. It gave me a nice opportunity to compare the fire works between Tenerife and Iceland. The microphones was based on balcony´s 4th flour at H10 Conquistador hotel, facing to north. It was not the best location to record the fireworks it self, but instead it picked up a nice echo from Mt. Teide and some large buildings in the area (sounds like a thunder).
This session start three minutes before midnight.
Warning! This recording can damage hearing and speakers on high volume.

See more and listen at: www.fieldrecording.net 
Download mp3 file (192kbps / 24.9Mb)


Recorder: Sound Devices 744 (24bit/48K)
Mics: Sennheiser ME62 30cm/110°
Pix: Canon 30D
Listen to Fireworks in Iceland

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.

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.