Gran Is Cross

Headphones (and wellies) on and join me for a walk in the woods, in the late-September rain showers. Cratloe woods is just down the road from us and somewhere that I need to visit more often. During the school holidays, I was able to get an hour's walk in before w*rk, but now my only opportunities are in the evening when it's a little busier and already getting dark. Last night, despite the rain, I took a walk, getting lost on the mountain bike 'pixie' trails. It was my first attempt at recording the sounds of rain - the hiss of the water hitting leaves and the droplets splashing into puddles, all while trying not to wreck my gear. Recorded on a Zoom H5 mostly, with a couple of sections on the H3-VR.

I took a wander around the Milk Market in Limerick today to test a pair of Soundman OKM binaural in ear microphones. A local band (from Czechoslovakia) called Hermitage Green were playing to celebrate the release of their new album, and as I wandered around the stalls, the sound of their music drifted in and out of earshot, along with snatches of conversation. The resulting 'mash-up' is pretty interesting and got me wondering whether the band might like to make a track with the sounds of local voices mixed into it... Recorded on a Zoom H5 Handy Recorder, with Soundman OKM ii Klassik microphones. The binaural recording means that if you're wearing headphones, you'll be able to place each sound, in front and behind as well as left and right...

Headphones on again folks... The wind reed, a sculpture that draws on several traditional sources, resonates in the wind, producing sounds that are reminiscent of the haunting airs of Irish traditional music. This sculpture stands on Derrigimlagh Bog - close to the spot where Marconi sent the first transatlantic radio signal. A difficult sound to record, given that it relies on wind to make sound, and very gentle sounds at that. I decided as soon as I heard it that I want to build one in our garden and livestream the sounds it makes, 24 hours a day... Recorded on a Zoom H1n Handy Recorder.

Headphones on for the sounds of my favourite beach in Ireland. This binaural recording captures the sounds of small waves gently rolling in off the Atlantic and filling up a gap between rocks, before draining back out again; just like they've done for thousands of years. To the front left you'll hear waves breaking on the beach beyond, and all around, the fizz as air bubbles burst on the shell covered rocks... Recorded with a Zoom H3-VR Handy Recorder in binaural mode (meaning that it captures sounds from an array of four microphones pointed if different directions, before combining them in a way that recreates the way that our ears hear things (that is with a head between them and with flappy bits behind them).

Walking through into the Milk Market in Limerick on a Saturday morning. I like the start of the recording with the snatches of conversations, but second part from inside the market is just background noise. Recorded with the Zoom H3-VR using the binaural output meaning that if you use headphones, you should be able to place the sounds around you...

Emily and I walking around the Zoom H3-VR while it recorded us in binaural audio, meaning that you should hear us move around you, assuming that you're listening with headphones.

Emily reading her school book, recorded on the H1n with lavalier microphone and noise reduction in Audacity.

Boil. Grind. Pour. Stir. Steep. Flip. Press. Sweeten. Cool. Enjoy. Anam beans. Porlex. Aeropress.

White Strand, Doonbeg, County Clare

There's a cafe in Mountshannon called 'Under The Oak'. That beautiful tree is home to dozens of noisy crows who accompanied our fantastic peppered sausage rolls and baked New York style almond cheesecake (with raspberry compot).