December Rain

Slushy Michigan rain in December.  Slushy December rain. When you live in Michigan, the weather can be pretty unpredictable. It might be sunny, rainy, and snowy all at the same time. It’s actually been pretty cold and snowy over the last couple of weeks, but during a brief warm-up, nearly everything melted, and it even rained for a day before completely snowing over again.  This recording of surprise winter rain was captured with the BasicUchos and F3 under an umbrella.  These are Outdoor Sounds.

Early winter snowfall taps against lingering autumn leaves, creating a soft, steady white-noise soundscape. This recording is subtle and calming. If you’ve never experienced Michigan, we’re lucky to have all four seasons and a mix of deciduous and evergreen trees. Most years, the leaves are long gone by the time the first real snow arrives—but this year was different. An early snowfall came before the trees had fully let go of their leaves. As the snow fell, tiny pellet-like flakes tapped against the dry, crispy leaves still clinging to the branches in front of my house. It created a sound I don’t often hear: soft, rhythmic, and almost like natural white noise. The snow falls steadily, the leaves barely move, and the entire scene feels hushed and intimate, as if winter and autumn briefly overlapped.  This session was recorded using a Sennheiser shotgun microphone paired with a Zoom F3 digital recorder.  This is Outdoor Sounds.

Evening rush hour heard from the edge of winter woods—traffic, falling snow, and quiet creaks carried through cold air. When you live close to a city, it’s hard to avoid the sound of traffic—especially in winter. With the trees bare and snow covering the ground, sound carries differently, traveling farther and standing out more sharply against the otherwise quiet landscape. Today’s recording captures exactly that feeling. The ambiance of passing cars mixes with the subtle sounds of winter: falling snow, distant creaks from the trees, and the occasional shift of cold air through the branches. There’s something about this combination that feels unmistakably seasonal. The contrast between human movement and natural stillness is a hallmark of Midwest winter evenings, and this recording reflects that meeting point. This session was recorded in ORTF stereo with LOM BasicUchos and a Zoom F3. This is Outdoor Sounds.

A half-frozen winter runoff flowing into the Rogue River—gentle tones of water and ice recorded on a cold Midwest day. The longer I spend listening to nature… the clearer the subtleties become. Winter has fully arrived here in the Midwest, and during a quiet walk through the town of Rockford, Michigan, I went searching for something worth capturing. Near the boardwalk, I came across a small runoff feeding into the Rogue River—partially frozen, partially flowing, and full of delicate textures. What drew me in was the contrast: the steady movement of water beneath and around sheets of ice. If you listen closely, you’ll hear the soft shifting tones created as the current weaves through frozen edges, bubbles under ice, and breaks into open water. It’s a simple scene, but one that holds a surprising amount of detail the more you sit with it. This recording was captured in ORTF stereo using the LOM BasicUchos and a Zoom F3. For the best experience, listen with stereo headphones to catch the spatial movement and subtle character of the winter runoff. This is Outdoor Sounds. Links Rogue River Boardwalk | alltrails.com

Church silence. This is Outdoor Sounds.  Sometimes the best sound is when there is none at all. I recently stopped pray in the middle of the night at a church I knew was open. It was close to midnight, just barely raining, and silent in a way I haven’t heard in a long time.  Fortunately I had my equipment in the truck so I set up in this little grove or grotto on the side of the building and let it record while I went in to pray. You can listen for a whole lot of nothing. Just a few passing cars and the faint drops of rain from the roof.  I was recorded with my Lom basicucho mics and Zoom F3.

Wind chimes on a breezy day. This Outdoor Sounds.  I’ve really been enjoying the simple things lately. We recently had a windy West Michigan day - it’s nature’s way of removing the rest of the leaves from the trees. And I capture the sounds of the little wind chime hanging off the roof on our deck.  It was recorded with my Sennheiser Shotgun mic and Zoom F3 recorder.

Traveling to Australia. This is Outdoor Sounds.  Today’s episode is a special submission from a friend of mine, Jason Earle, the Founder of GotMold. Jason has been spending some time abroad and was able to capture some early morning nature sounds in Manly, New South Wales. It’s a popular beachside suburb of northern Sydney Australia.  The recording start very quite and then comes to life with the calls of birds around the 30 minute mark. It’s an amazing array of sounds that I’m not familiar with being from West Michigan.  So again, a huge thanks to Jason for sharing this recording. Enjoy.