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Making Sound Recordings with a Smartphone
A smartphone can be a useful tool for documen3ng sounds of rare birds or unusual vocaliza3ons of common birds, but a smartphone is not a replacement for a dedicated sound recorder and microphone. However, with an inexpensive recording app and good technique, a smartphone can make decent documenta3on recordings to add to an eBird checklist. Here are 3ps on how to make the most of recording with a smartphone. Download A Recording App That Makes .WAVs Smartphones come with a simple “Voice Memos” app that can be used for making recordings, but this built-‐in app creates highly-‐compressed, low-‐quality sound files and does not have any customizable seHngs. Instead of using your phone’s built-‐in app, we recommend downloading a dedicated sound recording app. For just a few dollars, a recording app allows you to create uncompressed .WAV files and provides increased control for making recordings in the field. Our team oOen uses the RØDE Rec and RecForge II apps, but there are many op3ons available. Pick The Best Se?ngs Before you begin recording, it’s important to check the seHngs for your recording program. In almost all cases, choosing your seHngs needs to be done only once before you start your first recording and your preferences will be saved for future recordings. Different apps provide differing levels of control over your final recordings. Here are some of the most common control seHngs that are found in sound recording apps.
File Type -‐ Always select .WAV, an uncompressed file format that gives beVer results than compressed files like .MP3s and .M4As. Recording Quality – Set this to the highest possible seHng. Some programs give simplified op3ons, such as “Low” or “High,” while others will let you choose sample rate and bit depth seHngs. We recommend a sample rate of 48 kHz and a bit depth of 24 bits. File naming -‐ The most useful file names include recording date and 3me, which help with sor3ng and organizing recordings later. Channel -‐ Most phones are only able to record audio in mono, so this is the best op3on to choose. With the “Stereo” op3on, the audio will record in two iden3cal channels, unnecessarily doubling the size of the sound file. Level seHng -‐ Most dedicated recording apps allow you to control the recording level. You should aim to have this peak between -‐6 and -‐12 dB, and most importantly, do not let the peak level hit 0 dB.
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Use Good Recording Technique Good recording technique will always help you make the most of a recording situa3on, whether you are recording with a smartphone or professional recording equipment. Remember, your smartphone is designed to capture a very loud sound (your voice) at close range, while most bird sounds are rela3vely soO and distant. If you make noise while trying to record a bird sound—by talking, walking, or moving the phone in your hand—your smartphone is going to pick up the noise that you are making much more than the bird sound. With that in mind, here are some important points for making the best possible recording with your smartphone: • Get close to the bird • Know where your microphone is and keep it clear of any obstruc3ons • Point the microphone at the subject • Hold the phone gently or rest it against a stable surface if possible • Don’t move or talk while you are recording • Keep the phone pointed away from background noise • Make a voice announcement aOer the bird stops singing or calling For addi3onal informa3on about recording technique, download our “Tips from the Experts.” Back Up Your Sound Files To A Computer Be sure to transfer your recordings to a computer when it is convenient. Smartphones have several op3ons for sharing media. The easiest method to use is the file-‐syncing service Dropbox. If you have a Dropbox account and the Dropbox app on your phone, files can be synced to your account automa3cally and added to your computer at a later date. Other sharing op3ons include email, media message, or manually connec3ng your smartphone to your computer via USB and transferring files directly.