Til er hljóðheimur sem fáir vita um. Hann er þó ekki síðri en sá sem við þekkjum. Þessi hljóðheimur er fullur af lífverum sem gefa frá sér og tjá sig með hljóðum.
Hljóðheimur þessi skarast við hljóðheim okkar við yfirborði sjávar.
Það er líklega orðið ljóst að hér er verið að tala um sjóinn. Það er alltaf spennandi að skyggnast þar niður með hljóðnema og hlusta eftir lífi og öðru sem þar er að gerast.
Þann 17. apríl 2011 gekk á með suðvestan slyddjuélnum og blíðskaparveðri þess á milli. Fór ég niður í Sundahöfn og stakk hljóðnemunum niður fyrir sjávarborð. Þar sem ég var við enda bryggjunnar í þokkalegu skjóli frá ljósavélum skipa og ríkjandi vindátt, þá liðaðist þung undiralda úr Faxaflóanum upp að brimgarði þar rétt hjá.
Í þessari upptöku heyrist þegar aldan leggst að grjótinu í brimgarðinum og laus steinn vaggar í hleðslunni. Þá heyrast smellir frá rækjum og bláskeljum.
Í upphafi upptökunar heyrast drunur frá þyrlu sem flýgur yfir Viðey. Síðar kafar skarfur eða æðarfugl tvívegis eftir fæðu og róta í botninum.
Þeir vatnahljóðnemar sem þarna eru notaðir eru mjög næmir. Því heyrist því miður vindgnauðið frá hljóðnemasnúrum þegar hvöss él og vindhviður ganga yfir.
Það er ekki mjög greinilegt á þessari vefúgáfu, en á upprunalegu upptökunni heyrist greinilega þegar élin skella á haffletinum eins og á þak á skýli.
Grunnsuðið er að mestu leyti bundið við annan hljóðnemann sem því miður suðar heldur meira en hinn. Þá heryrist í ljósavél í skipi sem bundið var við Skarfabakka.
Það skal tekið fram að þetta er óvenju hljóðlát upptaka úr Sundahöfn. Undir yfirborði Sunahafnar er vejulega óbærilegur háfaið frá ljósavélum. Háfaðinn er síðan enn meiri frá skipsskrúfum skipa þegar skip koma og fara.
Mælt er með því að hlusta á upptökuna í góðum opnum heyrnartólum og á miðlungs- lágum hljóðstyrk.
Birds searching food.
This is a peaceful undersea recording. Soft but heavy waves are coming from the ocean falling on nearby breakwater.
Shortly after the recording start a helicopter fly over the recording place. All the time shrimps and shells make a “crack” or „sparking“ sound.
Not far away duck or cormorant are diving and searching food on the ocean floor. The birds do that several times during the session. Shortly after the first diving a hailstorm hit the recording place.
Almost in the end of the session, something fall inside in a nearby ships (ca 1 km away).
This recording was made with two Aquarian hydrophones attached with 2,5 meter long „mic bar“ to separate them from each other.
Some of the background noise is a wind when it is strokes the hydrophone cable and the boom. In distance a ship generator is running
This is unusual peaceful moment in Sundahöfn harbor. Normally is this terribly noisy place because of ships engines, generators and propellers.
Quality open headphones are recommended while listening at low to mid level.
Sækja mp3 skrá (192kbps / 39,5Mb)
Recorder: Sound devices 552 (24bit/96Khz).
Mics: Aquarian H2a-XLR Hydrophone.
Pix: Olympus 4040 in Ewa-Marine pocket.
Wow! I really love this one, fantastic work! The subtle low frequency’s in the background really adds up in making this track atmospheric as few.
Thanks Magnus.
But I am not fully satisfied, anyway this is the best thing I’ve done with Aquarian mics. I have spend may hours on the shore but (almost) nothing have succeed.
However, I have play this session in full length and quality many times, again and again….. It is sooooo reeelaxing 🙂
It surprise me how sensitive this mics are. It is important to study how to deal with this mics on the field. Even my 9 meters cable pick up sound all the way to the XLR plug. I have noticed I can only use SD552 for undersea recording because of low noise. Somehow SD302 have so much more white noise. Even the mic amps in my Korg recorder handle Aquarian mics better with less noise than SD302.
About the low frequency. Most of it is just the wind around the mic boom and cables. I cut it around 100Hz on the mixer while I was recording. If I just step down the foot on the dock it gives a peak level to the recorder. I don’t know in fact where the lowest frequency comes from. Probably is it just a car traffic in Reykjavik sounding trough the ground, but it is not audible in this session.
Wow, I can’t believe you aren’t fully satisfied with the recording. I agree with Magnus, it is incredibly atmospheric. The low rumbles, the blurry indistinguishable sounds, the crackles almost like a fire. It’s really one of my favourites on your site. You have a really original portrait of Icelandic life here.
Thanks.
What can I say. I can feel the space down there throug the headphones while recording.
But I can not hear it on the recorded file as I wish. The quality is then much lower on the web.
If the preamps and headphone amplifier in SD552 can give this fabulous result then I think some recoder can do it as well.
Hopefully one day can I catch this amazing sound. 🙂
Hi Magnus, I’ve been following the news about your volcano. What is your news about it?
Des
This situation is going to be very difficult for many farmers. This is the second time that farmers in South Iceland relive eruption in the worst time of year. They are now beginning to lose animals. At the moment nobody know exactly the loss. It is not only ash storms in the south, it is also snow storm in the north and east of the country. This cold weather is not so unusual, but it does not improve the situation.
A small amount of ash fell Reykjavik 22nd May, but is was not a problem this time.
As usual pictures say many words. Here are some links:
How it all start: First minutes of the eruption
Here is a video
Picture gallery and more pictures
The ash clouds are so heavy during the day it can be as dark as night: Video here
Webcam at Mila
This spring has been very cold. I suppose that many migratory birds will die this year when ash will be added in their hard life.
It is hard to say that I have heard a bird song this spring. Even if birds are around they does not sing. Many places which should be crowded with birds are now dead.
But this is a long story with complicate explanation. Not only cold spring and volcanic eruption this year and lats year.
I just wish I have recorded more birds life in the past when the nature was full of singing birds everywhere this time of the year.
Magnus
Hi Magnus – those photos of the eruption look absolutely surreal, very cataclysmic.
So much media attention here in Australia is about the effects of the eruption on air travel, but your post and photo-link have made me realise how much worse it really is.
Your remark about the loss of bird song is heartbreaking, but I’m sure that in years to come the populations will return and increase again.
Meanwhile, I hope you are doing ok.
It looks like the eruption is finish!!
It happens very quickly. Just 4 days in black Hell and then green spring again. 🙂
When I write this it is still a small activity in Grimsvotn but nothing that will harm people or animals. The ash from this 4 days eruption will fall next days over Europe and disturb some air traffic.
About the birds. The most changes are with cliff birds along coast side like Fratercula arctica and some species of Larus and Uria. Sterna have also decrease a lot or almost disappear in some places. The main reason is lack of food in the sea, probably because of climate changes.
Magnus