Not_Tape

John

A place for field recordings and other pieces of sound that I make and want to share.

  1. On Elden Mountain, Arizona, 12:53pm, 7-5-25

    09/08/2025

    On Elden Mountain, Arizona, 12:53pm, 7-5-25

    My wife wanted sound of the trees up on the mountain, so she dropped me off at the head of a trail and headed back to town with the kids. (I’ve tried to tape nature with them in the vicinity before…their voices carry.)  I hiked in with my field kit and a camera. I’d gone up with the Lewitt airs in mind, figuring I would need the better wind protection I can fit on those mics but the weather did not cooperate. The wind died almost as soon as I set up and didn’t pick back up much in the few hours I was there. I switched to a more sensitive pair of mics without the windshields but I think it was still too subtle for me or my kit to capture.  I may not even leave this recording up. I may have ruined anything that was there it in post.  Recorded at 96kHz on my personal Zoom F6 via a matched pair of Clipply EM272s on my travel stereo bar.

    11 min
  2. Thunderstorm, 7:08pm, 1-29-25 (republish)

    08/28/2025

    Thunderstorm, 7:08pm, 1-29-25 (republish)

    Recorded from just inside the open door of my garage during a fast-moving Thunderstorm. Thunder and rain on concrete along with the same traffic sounds I always get and a train, which I wanted to leave in. Storm tape never turns out how I like. I need to get rain on a tent, but who has time for that?

    18 min
  3. Cabin Porch in Arizona, Evening, 7-5-25

    08/20/2025

    Cabin Porch in Arizona, Evening, 7-5-25

    Fourteen minutes from the front porch of the cabin we stayed in outside Flagstaff, Arizona, this summer. Late evening, I left the rig on a mic stand zip-tied to the railing in case the wind knocked it down. Ang really wanted the sound of the wind in the aspen trees, a few of which were growing next to the stairs leading up to the porch. You will also hear the birds come up to the feeders nearby.

    14 min
  4. Campfire in a Suburban Backyard, 8:49pm, 1-19-25

    01/31/2025

    Campfire in a Suburban Backyard, 8:49pm, 1-19-25

    I’ve wanted good campfire tape ever since a certain episode of Nocturne, from a few years ago. Unfortunately, the only times I’ve been camping since then have been places with fire bans in effect. I may take this down later, it’s only up here right now so my wife can listen and tell me what she thinks. I used a very cold night in January to burn off a lot of fallen wood in our backyard fire pit. No real logs on this fire, just short crackles of sticks and large, ax-shortened branches. It’s about what you would hear any night we’d have a fire, but without people talking.

    7 min
  5. Jupiter Beach, Jupiter, 6:32am, 12-31-24

    01/16/2025

    Jupiter Beach, Jupiter, 6:32am, 12-31-24

    I’m standing on Jupiter Beach, facing the sea. I’m right where the waves break, although the water touches my tripod legs once or twice. What you hear came through a matched pair of Lewitt 140 Airs into my Zoom F6 field recorder at 96k, 32bit. I stood there with my cans on the whole time. Jupiter Inlet is about 30 yards to my left, and you will hear boats coming in an out along the beach on my side. (The other side of the inlet is private beach, and the jetty is dotted with fishermen) Once the sun is up I notice a couple huddled on a blanket under the sand bank about 20 yards to my right. I have no idea if they were there when I arrived in the dark or if they just got there. Towards the ends of the recording you may hear them or beachcombers in the distance. This was my second attempt at this beach. On my first try the wind was too strong, even for my good filters. This time the wind was calm and the weather clear so of course I had more boats passing out of the inlet…Which I decided to leave in, it is part of the space after all.

    27 min
  6. Guadalupe River, Kerrville, 9:44am, 11-9-24

    11/25/2024

    Guadalupe River, Kerrville, 9:44am, 11-9-24

    About fifteen minutes along the Guadalupe River where it passes through Kerrville, Texas. I had been to this crossing several times before over the years, but not this particular spot. This is a spot my wife liked when she visited, so I went back a few days later to make this tape for her. It was on a weekday morning, however, so there was more traffic noise on the nearby roads than she had on her visit. Recorded at 96kHz on my personal Zoom F6 via a matched pair of Clipply EM272s on my travel stereo bar.

    15 min
  7. New Recorder, Night Sounds, 9:28pm, 10-4-24

    11/25/2024

    New Recorder, Night Sounds, 9:28pm, 10-4-24

    I’ve used a Zoom H5 in some capacity or another since 2017 and I love everything about it. (Perhaps because it was my first digital recorder I ever worked with.) The display is simple, I love the gain knob with the safety bar across the front. It’s simple and straightforward. Even when I picked up more advanced equipment— either for work or for my own stuff— the H5 lived in my camera bag. And for the same reason my everyday camera did—to catch whatever came up at the time. Most of the time I had to set the gain once and leave it, so this led to some bad tape sometimes.  To solve this problem (and with some birthday money) I picked up a Zoom H4essential, which has built-in X/Y mics, and…can record in 32 bit float.  I don’t know how I feel about it yet.

    20 min
  8. Llano River, 4:07pm, 11-13-23

    10/01/2024

    Llano River, 4:07pm, 11-13-23

    Setup in Grenwelge Park along the Llano River just below the suspension bridge. Recent rains meant the river was higher than normal (hence the noise) but I’m only here once a year, and I wasn’t as far in as I wanted to be. To the left, sound of traffic on the suspension bridge and just beyond that water over the lake dam. To the right, the river this out, sounds of wind through the long grass.  Recorded at 96kHz on my personal Zoom F6 via a matched pair of Clipply EM272s on my travel stereo bar.

    20 min
See All (28)

About

A place for field recordings and other pieces of sound that I make and want to share.

Information

  • Creator
    John
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2025
  • Episodes
    28
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2022 John Skees
  • Show Website
    Not_Tape