Here is a New Year’s Eve audio recording made in rural Shiga Prefecture, Japan. We can hear temple bells, traffic, trains, and other sounds. At midnight nearby fireworks and a neighbor’s firecracker announce the new year. We can also hear the rumble of fireworks in the distance.
On December 31, 2017, I scouted the location to be sure that I could set up easily at night.
The Compass app on iPhone helped me point the microphone north.
At night I set up my recording gear a little before 23:30
I rode my old commuting bike to the field and parked with the headlight aimed at the tripod location. With plenty of moonlight and a clear sky, I turned off the light before recording.
After setup and testing, I recorded for about 40 minutes. I could see very well with a small headlamp.
Frankly, I was a little disappointed with this recording. I’d expected a nearby temple bell to be more dominant, but it did not stand out as I’d hoped. I like the variety of bells that we can hear in this recording, but next year I’ll try to record closer to a temple.
Notes
- Recording was done with an Audio-Technica BP4025 stereo microphone and a Tascam DR-70D recorder mounted on a tripod.
- For post-processing I used the Audacity multitrack editor.
- This recording is also available on radio aporee ::: maps.
