NEW RELEASE – Songbirds Echoing in the Forest

Songbirds Echoing in the Forest - Sounds by Knight

Fill your sense with the beautiful sounds of birds singing in the forest by a gentle wilderness stream. The cheerful musical sounds of playful songbirds will both make you smile and soothe your soul. . .

May 17, 2016 and the songbirds were in full spring mode. I headed to Boyer Chute NWR and set up camp for the day. I had my Sennheiser MKH8040ST ORTF mics attached to a tripod and set up in different locations, some deep under the forest canopy, then out in the open area trying to capture the sounds of the refuge. My best recordings came from just inside the fringe of the forest where I was able to get some nice echoing sounds. Continue reading


NEW RELEASE – Autumn Winds & Wind Chimes!

Autumn Winds

Adding to our collect is “Autumn Winds & Wind Chimes”

Enjoy the relaxing sounds of a Midwestern autumn breeze blowing through the trees. Listen as the wind blow through the leaves, releasing their final grip on the branches and scurry across the ground… the haunting sound of wind chimes can be heard playing their tune off in the distance.

This album was recorded in a open field surrounded by beautifully colored trees.  Winds were blowing 30 to 50 mph making for some great howling sounds through the limbs and leaves getting blown across the landscape.  The biggest challenge was trying to keep the wind from effecting the mics… and me from getting blown away!

I really enjoyed making this recording and hope you enjoy it too!
Let me know what you think,
Brian Knight

Sounds by Knight

 


Sights & Sounds of the Nebraska Sandhills

The last week in April I had a chance to spend a few days roaming through the Sandhills of Central Nebraska. The main goal of this trip was to record sounds without any “Human Noise Pollution” and to capture images of the Milky Way.

With the truck loaded with gear I headed 185 miles Northwest out of Omaha to Burwell, NE which sits on the Eastern edge of the hills. As you drive west the landscape changes from farmland to the rolling dunes of sand covered in brush, shrubs and cactus.
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Union Pacific 844 – The passing of an Era…

Union Pacific Steam Locomotive 844 passed through town this week on it’s way to Arkansas for the 150th Shiloh Civil War Anniversary “Shiloh Limited Steam Special”.

I was 16 when I had my first chance to chase the Northern class 4-8-4, 844… back then it was plated as “8444”. Driving across Nebraska in a beat up VW Beetle, I would race 8444 to the next town so I could try and get a recording of it high-balling out of town.
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Finding Sounds in the Strangest of Places

The last week in February my mom went in for hip surgery at the Nebraska Orthopaedic Hospital in Omaha. As you walk through the front door, the first thing you notice/hear is this huge, beautiful water fountain off to the right in the main lobby.

Nebraska Ortho Hospital by Sounds by Knight

The sounds pouring from this 1 1/2 story tall fountain was just begging to be recorded! So, with a little finagling I was able to get permission to bring my audio equipment in and do a sound recording after the main lobby closed! Being the good son that I am:), I went to visit my dear mom the next night with my recording equipment in hand.

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Marantz PMD 661 Field Recorder… Is it worth the Money?

In January of 2011 I bought a Zoom H4n to do some voice-over and ambient sound recordings with. Although this little recorder is packed full of features, the preamps really lack the sound quality needed for semi-professional work.

In searching for a new field recorder, there was a few features that I required… clean (relatively speaking) preamps, 96/24 bit PCM wav format, large SDHC card capacity, standard battery operation with the ability to plug in external power if needed, bright, readable screen & portability. This narrowed my search down to only a few companies that offer a solid state, 2 channel portable field recorder in the $600 to $800 range.

Zoom H4n vs Marantz PMD 661

Zoom H4n vs Marantz PMD 661

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