Hi all! I am fresh back from Ecuador and excited to share soundscapes I recorded at the wonderful Sani Lodge, located along the Napo River about 50 miles downriver from Coca, Ecuador. I’ve posted 21 (so far) on SoundCloud … you can listen to them via the playlist below, or else go to my SoundCloud Channel where you can listen to individual tracks and read descriptions. See my previous post, Ecuador or Bust, for information about Sani Lodge and the film project I’m involved in.
Note that these are binaural soundscapes. For an immersive super-realistic 3D listening experience, please use headphones and adjust volume to a comfortable listening level (not too loud).
Below is a light-hearted yet informative “Production Crew Music Video” created by Keven Siegert, team member and super-talented cinematographer and photographer. I really like the video because it features not only the beautiful Sani Lodge habitats, but also our team hard at work (including yours truly).
Me-Lang in canoe with Eddie, on of Sani’s excellent guides:
The lodge itself, viewed from the lagoon:
As always, please let me know what you think of these recordings … and the video as well!
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Hi Lang,
I’m a graphic design student studying in the Netherlands. At the moment I’m working on an experimental project surrounding life in Ecuador. I was wondering if it would be possible if I could use some of your ambience records in my project (with credit of course!) to make it feel as if you’re really immersed in the country.
I would love to hear from you!
Kind regards,
Iris van Velzen
Iris: I just this moment discovered your message here. If you’re still interested, please contact me via email: langelliott@mac.com
[…] what you think of my podcast! And for more information about my trip, please check out my previous Yasuni Soundscapes blog […]
Fantastic soundscapes Lang, really makes me want to teavel there! Was it a challenge to not record the howler monkeys? They seem to dominate the soundscape. Were they everywhere or did you easily find spots without them?
Colin: Thanks for chiming in! Howlers could be heard in the background for about 45-minutes at dawn, on each morning I was there. So you’re right; it was difficult getting a dawn chorus without them. While their distant sounds were ubiquitous, it proved challenging to get really close. On the first morning we canoed right by a group while they were sounding off … what a thrill! So I thought it would be easy to replicate that. Wrong! Over the following five days, I never again got that close, although I was lucky to get a wonderful recording of a… Read more »
Lang, I’ve just started making my way through these (highly anticipated, I will add), and am finding them absolutely enchanting and magical. Thank you, thank you SO MUCH for providing us with these virtual experiences. My heart is firmly attached to the Neotropics (my “second birding home” being Costa Rica and Panama)–I’ve never been south of that into South America although I yearn to go. So these have me transfixed. I haven’t gotten any farther than Lagoon at Dawn, but I just have to tell you how much I loved that one–so many layers of action! The katydid(?) on your… Read more »
Mary Ann: So glad to hear that you’re enjoying the soundscapes. I’m pretty happy with what got, although, in retrospect, I should have stayed at least another few days. I was just getting the hang of the place, and I had to leave. Six days just doesn’t cut it in a brand new place.
Lang, so well done. Enjoyed all soundscapes and loved the music video, both a reminder that i live such a sheltered life. LOL So i’m thankful you enable me to hear what you see. I had to look up more info on the cinammon atilla. That one threw me.
The Cinammon Atilla was one of my favorites … its whistled dawn song reminded me of the plaintive dawn song of our Wood Pewees back home. When I first heard it (the dawn song), I knew it was a Flycatcher of some sort.
I work in industrial rehab. Currently l am working with an Ecuadorian in our work hardening program. I am going to play this recording during her treatment session on Monday. Can’t wait to see her response. Thanks for the effort it took to share this with us, Lang.
You’re so very welcome Carly. Let me know how it goes!
Fantástico Lang me da una idea para hacer un cd de electronic birds.congratulations
Thank you Senen … and good luck with making a CD!
Gracias a ti a ver si algún dia podemos hacer algún proyecto juntos.
I do hope that happens, Senen.
What a great collection! The binaural recordings are excellent! I have also been making binaural recordings (mostly dawn choruses) for many years, and just started using the Sennheiser/Apogee “Ambeo” headset for informal recordings (more info at http://www.apogeedigital.com/shop/ambeo-smart-headset). I always love hearing yours, and this one is a special treat!
Antony: I bought one of the Ambeo headsets, but it was defective, so I sent it back (it produced very tinny recordings with horrible bass). Have you had good luck with yours? Perhaps I should try another one?
My experience with the Ambeos has been very positive: full frequency recordings with very low noise levels and quite good reconstruction of the binaural field. A plus for me (for informal use) is to be able to listen ‘through’ the headset while recording; pocketing an iPhone SE instead of my normal recorder is also a plus; and Apogee’s MetaRecorder is fairly easy to work with. Quality tops out at 24/48, but that’s ideal for my non-critical work. A quick sample from a Cape Cod beach walk is here: http://weprepit.com/binaural/2018-12-03-sample-for-lang–16.48.m4a A typical frequency sweep of this recording is here: http://weprepit.com/binaural/2018-12-03-sample-for-lang–16.48-sweep.png I… Read more »
Your sample sounds great to me!