Sennheiser MKH RF microphones help capture the soundscapes of the world's tallest trees

Natural sound expert Thomas Rex Beverly displayed a wide selection of condenser microphones Sennheiser MKH RF to discover the hidden sounds of an ancient redwood forest.

Between March and October of last year, Beverly climbed the giant trees of a redwood forest in the heart of the Santa Cruz Mountains, California, to capture its rich soundscape at different heights. In this project, he not only sought document the ambient sound of a virgin forest and the subtle and intimate sounds of one of the redwoods, but also preserve and share the auditory essence of the ancient redwood ecosystem.

Among the tools that Beverly used for this project were microphones Sennheiser MKH 8000 Series, which he chose for its clarity, wide frequency response, and ability to capture nuanced ambient sounds in challenging environments. Specifically, he chose the MKH 8020, MKH 8030 and MKH 8040 in various configurations.

Given the towering height of the redwoods, capturing the sound of multiple vertical layers was essential. For ten days, Beverly placed several microphones in it bosque para captar diversos sonidos ambientales. La instalación incluyó micrófonos omnidireccionales espaciados, la configuración ORTF doble y experimentos con el micrófono ambisónico Sennheiser AMBEO VR, que se utilizó para captar audio espacial en el paisaje vertical de los árboles.

Uno de los aspectos innovadores del proyecto de Beverly fue el uso de matrices de micrófonos 3D. Construyó una configuración 4.0.2 con cuatro micrófonos omnidireccionales MKH 8020 dispuestos en forma cuadrada al pie del árbol, con dos MKH 8040 encima. Esta disposición se diseñó para capturar el elemento vertical del paisaje sonoro del bosque, adding depth and dimension to recordings. Additionally, Beverly installed a similar array at the top of the tree to record sounds from the treetop and integrate them into a 3D mix.

Despite the physical challenges, Beverly found the experience deeply rewarding: "It's one of the most complex setups I've ever made, but also one of the most unique. No one has ever tried to capture sounds from the zip line of a redwood tree."