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.
Fields in Tsuji, Ritto City, on December 31, 2017. At midnight I recorded temple bells and fireworks here.
The Compass app on iPhone helped me point the microphone north.
Compass on iPhone and fields in Tsuji, Ritto City, on December 31, 2017. At midnight I recorded temple bells and fireworks here with the microphone aimed north.
At night I set up my recording gear a little before 23:30
New Year’s Eve recording outdoors at midnight between fields in Tsuji, Ritto City
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.
Old touring bicycle outdoors at mdnight between fields in Tsuji, Ritto City
After setup and testing, I recorded for about 40 minutes. I could see very well with a small headlamp.
New Year’s Eve recording outdoors at mdnight between fields in Tsuji, Ritto City
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.
