For any audio recording we need a microphone and a recorder, and in many situations a headphone to monitor the recording. Some recorders have built in microphones which may be convenient to carry and useful for general recording purposes and ambient sound recording and for unattended long recordings but generally we need a microphone or set of microphones (for stereo recording) separately. 

In nature we generally record particular animal sounds or all the sounds at a particular location, the former recordings are called focal animal recordings. We need a directional microphone, a recorder and a headphone for making such recordings. These days equipment changes fast and new models with new features and technology replace previous models in a matter of few years, this is more true for recorders then for microphones. 

Since I started bird sound recording in 1997 the recorders have changed a lot, the recording medium has changed from analogue tapes to digital audio tapes and then to mini-discs and finally to memory card or solid state recorders. Recently digital recorders have changed from 24 bit resolution to 32 bit.  Compared to recorders microphone have changed much less and some very old microphones are still in use like Sennheiser MKH 416 which is in use for nearly 50 years?. A  parallel can be drawn with photography, camera lenses, like mics, can be used for long time without much change whereas camera bodies, like recorders, change very fast, and this is an important criteria while investing in photography and audio equipment. There are following general considerations when buying audio equipment.

Microphone selection

First thing to look in a mic is its connectivity to a recorder and its power requirement. The mics generally have XLR or mini-jack output, the former being more robust. Now a days most of the mics have XLR output and run on phantom power, which is well matched with most of the recent recorders which accept XLR mic input and provide phantom power to the mic.The directionality and reach, inherent noise, sensitivity to moisture and ease of carrying and handling are some important considerations for selecting a microphone.

We obtain directionality and reach by using two different kinds of microphones, parabolic and shotgun. These microphones achieve directionality by different ways, parabolic microphones focus sound coming in particular direction to the microphone element placed at the focus of paraboloidal and shotgun microphones cancel off-axis sound by destructive interreference making sound along the axis more pronounced.

Parabolic microphones are generally much more directional and have longer reach but may not be easy to carry and handle for some people, and their gain reduces for very low frequencies, but overall, they are preferred microphones for many bird sound recordists. The shotgun microphones do not have the reach and directionality of parabolic microphones but the good quality ones have flat frequency response and are easier to handle. Directionality of shotgun microphones depends on their length, longer the microphone more directional it will be.

Microphones for recording birds and nature should have low inherent noise, and high signal to noise ratio, otherwise mics may add noise to a recording. Inherent noise of microphones and other parameters can be found at the following links:

If one is particularly interested in recording in high humidity areas, like in high rainfall areas, it is better to use RF condenser microphones like MKH series of Sennheiser microphones. RF condenser microphones work at low voltage and do not produce crackling sound due to electric discharge due to high humidity and dust combined. High sensitivity microphones are also quite sensitive to handling and wind noise. In itself a bare mic in hand will get noise from the hand and also from wind, and ideally will need a suspension, a handle and some kind of wind protection while in windy field conditions. There is a very wide range of mic accessories to deal with above issues, and depending upon the mic, field conditions, personal choice and budget one can select these accessories, which in some cases may cost more than a mic and a recorder combined. So, while deciding on a mic and recorder one should select and match the accessories.

Questions for choosing a microphone

Recorder selection 

Questions for selecting a digital recorder:

Headphone Selection

A headphone with good sound quality and rugged to use in field is required to monitor the sound being recorded. A good hoadphone can detect online whether the sound getting recorded is distorted due to various factors like high wind noise, microphone or recorder noise, mic-recorder connecting cable noise or due to loudness of sound reaching microphone or to recorder (not a problem in 32 bit recorders). Use of headphone is also important to know if a directional microphone is pointed in right direction, particularly in parabolic and long shotgun microphones because of their narrow maximum gain angle. Headphones are available in various shapes, sizes and quality of sound, and their cost varies from a few hundred rupees to more than 50 thousand rupees. Headphones good in sound quality, durable and comfortable to use in field conditions within ones budget may be a good compromise.Since equipment is changing very fast I advise that buyers may have a look at some online audio equipment sale sites like BHphotovideo which provide whole range of equipment available at a particular time, with its specification and comparisons among similar equipment and customer reviews. Another suggestion is to seek advice of field recording experts on naturerecordists group where we can obtain invaluable advice from some of the top field recordists in the world.

My Recording Equipment

Recorders: I began recording using analogue recorder Sony WM-D3 and then switched to DAT (Digital Audio Tape) recorders when they appeared in the market. A also used a Mini Disc recorder for a brief period before switching to Solid State recorders. I used Marantz 670, Sony D50, Tascam D100 MKIII and now I use Sound Devices Mixpre3 and Zoom F3 recorders, the later I find rugged, easy to use, lighter and low battery consuming 32-bit recorder which has sound quality almost as good as that of Mixpre3.

Microphones: I started with local made shotgumn microphone that I used initially for a very short period. In 1998 I got old used Telinga Microphone Pro 3 which I used till 2005 and then switched to Telinga pro 5 and 6 Microphone handles with Twin Science and Stereo DAT microphones. I still use these microphones with Telinga Pro 8 handle. Recently I have started using Telinga Modular microphone set up with Sennheiser MKh 8040 and Schoeps MK2 microphones. In addition to these I have very long shotgun microphone Sennheiser MKH 815, long shotgun Sennheiser ME 66 and short shotgun Sennheiser MKH 8060 which I use occasionally, except the latter which I use extensively when constrained to travel light.

Headphone: I use Sennheiser HD25 pro headphone which I find quite sturdy in field and excellent in sound. Before this I used Sony MDR 7506 which is excellent headphone but comparatively less rugged in field.

Equipment suggested for different budgets:

Low Budget (below Rs 50,000):

• Recorder: Zoom H1 essential recorder
• Microphone: Sennheiser MKE 600 microphone
• Headphone: Sony MDR 7506 headphone

Medium Budget (below Rs 1 lakh):

• Recorder: Zoom F3 recorder
• Microphone: Sennheiser MKE 600 microphone or Sennheiser MKH 416
• Headphone: Sony MDR 7506

High Budget (above Rupees 2 Lakhs):

• Recorder: Zoom F3, Sound Devices Mixpre3 ii
• Microphone: Shotgun:Sennheiser MKH 8060 or MKH 8070
• Parabolic: Telinga Modular with Sennheiser MKH 8020 or Schoeps MK2 microphone
• Headphone: Sennheiser HD 25 Pro