hydrophone tests - Lake from jetty by JezrileyFrench

I began selling my own make of hydrophones because, quite simply, I felt the range of products out there wasn’t that good considering the prices being charged. I don’t ‘compete’ with other manufacturers as my hydrophones are custom built by a field recordist for other folks interested in this area of sound exploration & my prices are designed to make this technology accessible to as many folks as possible. Over the years lots of people have asked me for advice when deciding which make of hydrophone to buy & i’ve always give un-biased advice based on whats available at the time. Since I launched the c-series hydrophones i’ve had lots of requests for comparison tests & my reason for doing this now is that, simply, people want to get the best value for their spend & I believe in the products I offer. So, here is the same lake, recorded on the same day with 3 different types of hydrophone - the recorder (Sound Devices 702) settings were identical on all sections.

(4 seconds silence between each sample)

first 2 minutes recorded with JrF c-series hydrophones (£60 per unit with 5metre cable - longer cables currently at £1 per metre extra)

second 2 minutes recorded with Aquarian audio hydrophones ($169 per unit with 3 metre cable)

third 2 minutes recorded with Dolphin Ear Pro hydrophones ($399 per unit with 10 metre cable)

Chris on BBC's Springwatch xmas special 2011 - with one of my c-series contact mics

CHRIS WATSON using some of my contact mics to explore the hidden inner sounds of trees on BBC's The One Show (originally shown in march & just repeated this week - july 2011). In the same series of films he also uses some of my units to explore rock pools & ponds.

also you can hear results possible by using c-series contact mics in this way on this great recording of beetles in an oak tree by Peter Toll:

click here to listen

field recording badges

set of 3 designs

to order visit the ordering page

new addition to the specialist range of field recording equipment available from JrF

parabolic reflector / dish

£50 inc. UK POSTAGE ONLY !
(if you'd like a quote for overseas shipping please contact me before ordering)

sold out (again) !

Designed and built by a highly respected maker, now retired - LIMITED NUMBER of his remaining stock left 

parabolic reflectors are an essential addition to the kit for any serious field / sound recordist. In essence the act as a natural 'zoom' for sound - noise-free amplification enabling the listener / recordist to isolate the sound of distant sound sources. Developed with the wildlife recordist in mind these dishes have been used for years to record the sounds of birds for example and are used all over the world by film, tv and radio crews.

The 'parabolic curve' is a specially designed shape, scientifically formulated to provide natural amplification.

I use one to not only capture natural sounds but to achieve interesting creative effects in all kinds of environments - such as locating small sounds in busy locations.

These particular reflectors are supplied ready for you to adapt for your own microphone option & without pre-cut holes. They have a focal point of 4 inches (this is the point where the beams of sound hit the microphone capsule) & are 23inches diameter, 7 inch depth. They were built by a respected sound recordist who has recently retired.

Constructed from vacuum-formed ABS thermoplastic.

For more information on the use of parabolic reflectors there is an article on the website for the Wildlife Sound Recording Society - click here to read.

please note: these come as just the disc itself & one has to create / attach ones own mic system (hence the lower cost). However a chap on one the recent courses I teach on came up with a really handy way to do this: basically it's an industry wide standard fitting for (wait for it) a toilet flush handle & when you mount one of those (complete with its handy collection of washers & twist caps) as a handle on the dish the 'bolt' of the handle protrudes into the dish to a height of 4inch - which is the focal point of the curve ! Then one can mount small microphones either onto that bolt or use it as a point at which to structure a further mic holder. I'm not sure if toilet handles are the same size in the rest of the world though ! (but I could always get one & supply it with the dish if not).

below are some photos of one of these dishes being set up with the above handle / mount solution:

reflectors will be sent in double-walled card boxes by standard parcel service.

& here's another microphone mounting solution sent to me by Gisle Tveito (norway) - the picture shows field recordist Fredric Vogle (norway) using one of these parabolics with an AKG480.