Reading Time: 2 minutes

Here a test at the limit of a reasonable sound pickup distance (about 40 meters) regarding a type of Robin call, the so-called repeated Tic call, to test the real difference between a sound pickup performed with a parabolic microphone versus two types of shotgun microphone (a short shotgun and a long shotgun).
As a parabolic microphone I used a 57 cm diameter Telinga, with a type of microphone called Twin Science inside: a Cardioid capsule facing inwards of the parabolic dish more an Omnidirectional capsule facing outwards of the parabolic dish.
The shotgun microphones used were the Sennheiser ME66 and MKH816t, both quite old but still considered quality instruments.
A Sound Devices 744t recorder was used in conjunction with a Sound Devices 302 mixer for the two additional external tracks.
I think it is not difficult to draw a conclusion in favor of the parabola when recording subjects at a distance.

The audio file shows the four tracks both as recorded and normalized up to -3dB, all alternated track by track.

Reading Time: 6 minutes

In January 2025, I was able to realize my dream of a holiday in Tenerife after meeting Rubén Barone, a friend and naturalist from Santa Cruz, whom I met in Genoa in 2019 and who invited me on a nature-focused visit. So, after the Covid-19 hard times, picking up an opportunity and following his valuable insights, I spent seven beautiful days on the island, where I traveled 1,200 km with the aim of observing and recording some of the remarkable endemic bird species of the Canary Islands.
In a small photo backpack equipped with my basic optical equipment, I carried with me the Zoom F3 that I had purchased two years earlier and which until then I had used in combination with an excellent Naturesound 53cm XLR parabolic stereo microphone. Being unable to transport bulky and delicate luggage on the plane, my choice easily went on the small F3, equipped with stereo microphones with a stereo baffle separator.
This Naturesound solution has proven to be very practical, ingenious, and high-quality: it consists of two microphones made with two Neutrik XLR male connectors containing internal components that transform the 24/48 volt current to approximately 3 volts, suitable for the two AOM5024 omnidirectional microphone capsules used. The kit also includes a circular separator that can be positioned between the two microphones after fixing it to the tripod socket on the bottom of the recorder: it works as a stereo separator, providing an excellent stereo image.
I managed to fit the Zoom F3 + microphone pair into a soft bag for small lenses, thus minimizing weight and bulk.

My experience with this kit has been very satisfying, because it allowed me to go hiking, take photographs, and record nature audio without sacrificing anything, not even in terms of quality. The relative familiarity of the Tenerife birds and therefore their relative proximity allowed me to make recordings that, in my opinion, were always of very good quality, despite the working distance and the presence of background noises. Pointing the two AOM5024s, mounted on Neutriks and separated by the baffle, at the sound source (the singing bird), I achieved a beautiful stereo effect and consistently high sound quality thanks to the quietness of the F3’s preamp section and 32-bit float recording.
I’ve attached some samples I obtained.

Erithacus rubecula superbus

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Serinus canaria

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Serinus canaria / Phylloscopus canariensis

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Fringilla teydea

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Phylloscopus canariensis

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This experience has convinced me of the value of such a solution that should be considered much more than a simple fallback compared to other microphones when space or weight constraints—in short, portability—are at stake. For nature enthusiasts and others sound lovers, the achievable quality makes this a combination to always carry in your pocket, so seizing opportunities to capture events and sonic moments that would otherwise be missed if you’d avoided carrying bulkier equipment from home.
From this perspective, the Naturesound Neutrik+5024 set is truly invaluable for the situations described above; I’m thinking in particular of bird vocalizations, from those emitted by rare and accidental birds to “difficult” and uncertain sound signals, and those less usual and documented; and certainly all those soundstages and sounds of species of other animal groups that for various reasons require and deserve to be recorded, on vacation (whether abroad or not), as well as in the backyard, in any situation in which you don’t have access to more complete but also more cumbersome equipment that isn’t always at hand.

Nel gennaio 2025 ho potuto realizzare il sogno di una vacanza a Tenerife dopo aver conosciuto di persona nel 2019 a Genova Rubén Barone, un naturalista di Santa Cruz, che mi aveva invitato ad una visita in chiave naturalistica. Così dopo gli anni del Covid-19, approfittando dell’opportunità e delle sue preziose indicazioni, sono stato sette giorni sull’isola, girandola per 1200km con lo scopo di poter osservare e anche registrare alcuni dei pregevoli endemismi dell’avifauna canaria.
Ho portato con me, all’interno di un piccolo zaino fotografico dotato di un’attrezzatura basica, lo Zoom F3 che avevo acquistato due anni prima e che fino a quel momento avevo utilizzato in combinazione con un ottimo microfono parabolico Naturesound 53cm XLR. Nell’impossibilità di trasportare in aereo bagagli voluminosi e delicati, la scelta è facilmente ricaduta sul piccolo F3 equipaggiato però di microfoni stereo con separatore stereo baffle.
Si tratta di una soluzione Naturesound che si è rivelata molto pratica, ingegnosa e qualitativa insieme: si compone di due microfoni realizzati con due maschi Neutrik XLR che recano all’interno dei componenti atti a trasformare la corrente da 24/48 volt a circa 3 Volt adatta alle due capsule microfoniche utilizzate, le AOM5024 omnidirezionali. Il kit è completato da un separatore circolare da posizionare tra i due microfoni previo fissaggio all’attacco per lo stativo, posto nella parte inferiore del registratore: esso funge da separatore stereo fornendo un’ottima immagine stereofonica.
Sono riuscito a far stare l’insieme Zoom F3 + coppia di microfoni in un sacchetto morbido per obiettivi di piccola taglia, minimizzando così pesi e ingombri.
L’esperienza fatta con questo kit mi ha ampiamente soddisfatto permettendomi di poter effettuare escursioni a piedi, scattare fotografie e registrare audio naturalistici, senza rinunciare a nulla, nemmeno in termini di qualità. La relativa confidenza degli uccelli canari e quindi la loro relativa vicinanza mi ha permesso di effettuare delle registrazioni a mio giudizio buone, comunque sempre di qualità pregevole, al netto della distanza di lavoro e della presenza di rumori di fondo. Puntando verso la sorgente sonora (l’uccello in canto) le due AOM5024 montate sui Neutrik e separate dal baffle, ho ottenuto un bell’effetto stereo e una qualità del suono sempre all’altezza grazie alla silenziosità della sezione pre dell’F3 e alla registrazione float a 32 bit.
Allego qui alcuni campioni che ho ottenuto.
Questa esperienza mi ha convinto della bontà di una soluzione che deve essere considerata molto più che un semplice ripiego rispetto ad altri microfoni quando sono in gioco vincoli di spazio o peso, in una parola di portabilità. La qualità ottenibile ne fa, per gli appassionati dei suoni della natura e non solo, una combinazione da portare sempre con sé in tasca, cogliendo occasioni per immortalare eventi e momenti sonori che andrebbero invece persi se si fosse rinunciato in partenza ad uscire portando attrezzature più ingombranti.
Da questo punto di vista, il set Naturesound Neutrik+5024 è davvero insostituibile per i casi sopra descritti e in particolare penso alle vocalizzazioni degli uccelli, da quelle emesse da rarità e accidentali fino alle manifestazioni sonore “difficili”, incerte e a quelle meno usuali e documentate; e certamente tutti quei suoni delle specie di altri gruppi animali che per varie ragioni richiedono e meritano di essere registrate, in vacanza (che sia all’estero o meno), così come dietro casa, in ogni situazione nella quale non si possa disporre di attrezzature più complete ma anche più ingombranti e non disponibili a portata di mano.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“I hadn’t been back to visit the tiny Golden-eyed Owl (who lives in the forest above my house) for 15 days already… So I put down a little microphone, after spending 2 hours with her, and the incessant comings and goings, male and female, to bring back prey for the two chicks. Micromammals, and also passerines, sometimes as big as them! Here’s an extract from this life, a privileged naturalist, moment in our increasingly crazy world…” Grégory Chamming’s

ZOOM H1e recorder – AOM 5024 Microphones 50 cm apart – file as recorded

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Parabolic Stereo Microphone 25 cm dish 1+1 AOM 5024 capsules

ZOOM H1

First three Blackbir songs with a ZOOM H1 old type and small 25 cm stereo parabola;
last two songs with onboard Mics of ZOOM H1- AS RECORDED

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ALL NORMALIZED up to -3dB

Reading Time: 2 minutes

* UPDATE – I finally ran the test for the onboard microphones as well.

See the last two MP3 audio files with the recordings first as recorded, then Normalized to -3dB. See also the spectrogram image of the file normalized to -3dB for the differences in noise level.

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I performed a comparison test between three inexpensive handheld recorders: XVIVE XV1-r, ZOOM H1e, ZOOM H1n.
So far I have only tested the recorders for their Mic IN Plug In Power input, as I rarely use the built-in microphones on a recorder. I will try the built-in microphones as soon as possible.
XVIVE XV1-r is interesting because it allows you to choose between 24 bit and 32 bit float, while H1e is fixed at 32 bit float.
I used a DIY parabolic microphone assembled with two pairs of AOM5024 omni capsules with two stereo outputs, basically like having two twin parabolic microphones each with 1+1 capsule. In this way I am able to record simultaneously with two recorders and have an input signal as equal as possible between the two inputs.
I compared the two recorders in 32 bit float mode (XVIVE XV1-r and ZOOM H1e), both in 24 bit mode with H1n and XV1-r.
All audio files are downloadable: right click – download

postscript – In February 2025 Tascam began shipping the DR 05xp and DR 07xp models. The recording formats include 32-bit float, 24-bit and 16-bit. It will be interesting to test at least one of these.

See description below each audio file

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01_XVIVE_BlackBird_32bit_noLowCut

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02_H1e_BlackBird_32bit_noLowCut_AS-RECORDED

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03_H1e_BlackBird_32bit_noLowCut+6dB

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04_XVIVE_Blackcap_32bit_80HzLowCut

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05_H1e_Blackcap_32bit_80HzLowCut

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06_XVIVE_BlackBird_24bit_noLowCut_AS_RECORDED

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07_H1n_BlackBird_24bit_noLowCut_AS_RECORDED

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I finally ran the test for the onboard microphones as well. All Low Cut ON 80 Hz.
See these last two MP3 audio files with the recordings first as recorded, then Normalized to -3dB. See also the spectrogram image of the file normalized to -3dB for the differences in noise level.
Three singing calls (thirty seconds) for each recorder.

VX1r_H1e_H1n_AS_RECORDED

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VX1r_H1e_H1n_AS_RECORDED_NORMALIZED_-3dB

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VX1-r H1e H1n (-3dB Normalized)

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This is a wonderful recording by Grégory Chamming’s.
It is a perfect recording both from a sound and educational point of view, as it directly compares the song of two species that are often confused with each other: Sylvia borin and Sylvia atricapilla. The recording was performed using a very simple ZOOM H1e Essential recorder and a microphone system that I myself made for Grégory, the so-called TETA Microphone, a microphone that provides an excellent reconstruction of the stereophonic sound scene. The file has not been retouched in any way, except transformed into MP3 format and brought back to a reduced format in length from the original 9 minutes.
The perfect stereo separation allowed us to have the song of the Garden Warbler on the left, and that of the Blackcap on the right, therefore directly comparable in their emissions, but also separable if desired by selecting one of the two tracks of your choice: GREAT!
Thanks to Grégory for agreeing to share this “sound track” with everyone!

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(WITH wind) SD302+R05 Hand held Parabolic Stereo Microphone – 2+2 AOM 5024 capsules.

(WITHOUT wind) SD302+H1XLR Hand held Parabolic Stereo Microphone – 2+2 AOM 5024 capsules.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

I tried to make a stereo parabolic microphone setup as compact as possible.
I 3D printed a 12.5 cm dish with a focal point at 3 cm. I also printed a 6.5 cm diameter stereo baffle separator, inside which I placed two PUI AOM 5024 omni capsules in an “quasi PZM” position (see here for more info).
To remain consistent with the small size, a compact recorder I used an inexpensive Olympus LS-P1.
I then tried to make a recording at a Cattle Egrets roost (currently about 300 units, which will then double during the winter) located in my large garden at home.
Using headphones you can perfectly hear the blackbird and the robin, where they emit their calls in the midst of the herons’ cries, placed to the left or right exactly where they were in fact.
Clearly the amplification of the small parabolic dish affects only the few high frequencies recorded.
The stereophonic baffle assembly seems to work despite its extreme compactness.

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Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis and African Sacred Ibis Threskiornis aethiopicus roost at night in my garden (North Italy), here in the cold of the rime and the fog.

This is a recording made using a Mid Side Stereo Parabola. The microphones inside are AOM 5024 on the MID channel, and a JLI-1160 figure eight capsule on the Side channel.

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I’m very attached to old things and at the same time devoted to innovation, so I’m always torn between using one or the other.
For example, if I use a Mid Side microphone setup, I could use a Sound Devices 302 coupled with a Fostex FR2Le, such as the very compact FR-AV2.

The convenience of moving around with a single very small device Vs. a fairly heavy set divided into two units.

If I have to favor the Mid Side functions of varying the width of the field angle while recording, I must necessarily use the combination with Sound devices 302.
This function with the Tascam FR-AV2 only occurs when recording is stopped.

the OLD

Sound Devices 302 +Fostex FR2Le

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the NEW

Tascam FR-AV2