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DPA 8010 Hydrophone recordings in swiming pool


foliver

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Hello all. I´m facing in some weeks some underwater sequences (swimingpool and sea). I´ll rent a DPA 8010 hydrophone that cames with a DPA HMA4000 preamp.

Seems a good piece of equipment. I´ve never recorded underwater, and i´ve some doubts about how it can be.

I know sound on water is different, and mics too.

I guess i`ll need lot of "just for sound takes", cause i´ll hear all the camera crew breath bubbles....

Someone have had an experience with hydrophones? Some tip? something to take special care?

Thanks to share your underwater experiences.

Fabian

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I was using a DPA 8011 once for a project in the pool and the tropical sea for a programme with divers and freedivers. I was rather dissapointed of the sound, as it did not resemble my own underwater listening experience: with the 8011 only high-mid to very high freq spectrum was audible, in the sea the crackling of the coral was just the same everywhere and masked everything else.

The 8011 looks very much like the 8010, I cannot tell if there is a major difference between them.

there are other, cheaper underwater mics with a wider sound spectrum offered on the internet http://hydrophones.blogspot.co.at/2011/05/c-series-pro-hydrophones-new-addition.htm

I am freediving and use a gopro  for my own amateur videos, it is remarkable how much sound the gopro records, although it sits sealed in its watertight plastic housing. And pretty much of it are strange body sounds.  So better not dive down yourself, but let the mic hang down on the cable. I'd be curious for an A/B test of a gopro against the DPA

Ambient boasts to have a big underwater ball mic, that can be used as a stereo or even as a surround array and covers more frequ spectrum. There are some demo videos on utube. But I guess it would be quite expensive to get such a kit to Uruguay

lo mejor para tu proyecto,

Axel

 

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Hi Axel, thanks for your repply.

i get the picture...

the most important scenes are very subtle, and shooted in swimingpool. 

She ( the caracter) is very contemplative and falls down.

We are going to have some gentle inmersions from below, some of it in normal light, and some in the dark, with just a zenital light on her..

Thanks for the link, interesting.

In some moments, she is going to disconect from the reality, but always this disconection is related to water ( pregnant, genesis, origin, loneliness, etc). i was thinking how it can sound a dialog ( what she is hearing ) recorded with an hydrophone inside a spheric fishbowl...dialog played back with a speaker..interesting ( for me at least)

Gracias Axel, voy a pensar.

 

Axel, do you have driven the 8011 with your Cantar preamps, or you used a more sensitive one? I´m a Cantar user too.

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Aloha, living in Hawaii I have had extensive experience with the Aquaear MKII hydrophone. It is a great mic, performs very well underwater. You can find out more about this product by going to www.burnselectronics.com.au/prod)01. They also make all the power supplies well as the hydrophone preamplifier/ amplifier. Check it out, it very well may be what you need. Thanks

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I've just recently started looking into hydrophones as well. Not sure what I'll use them for but there is a river behind my apartment with some real wildlife that is a tempting place to start. Looking at Ambient. The ASF-1 seems to be very nice and the ASF-2 which they announced at NAB is extremely price competitive.

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I've done quite a bit of research, and have gotten to play with most of the available options on the market, and in my opinion, the Ambient ASF-1 Sound Fish is the best hydrophone in the market. Essentially, the best frequency response of any hydrophone I've heard, almost no cable handling noise. I was very impressed!

I got to listen to the new ASF-2 at NAB, but the self noise was quite higher than with the ASF-1, I'd say at least 6dB more, and it seemed more susceptible to cable handling noise. Not really surpassed considering it is quite cheaper. Perhaps a good option for some though.

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1 hour ago, Jose Frias said:

I got to listen to the new ASF-2 at NAB, but the self noise was quite higher than with the ASF-1, I'd say at least 6dB more, and it seemed more susceptible to cable handling noise. Not really surpassed considering it is quite cheaper. Perhaps a good option for some though.

Yeah it seems that way. They also limited the frequency response to minimize handling noise so I imagine it was a pretty big issue at the start.

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hi Fabian,

I recorded on the Cantar.  No issues with 8011 self noise, but I just went for divers bubbles in the pool and the crackling noise in the coral reef, after that I stopped using it. It was a reality show and there was no time to really go into underwater soundscapes. To my opinion, the 8011 was way too expensive for what it could add to the programme.

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Hey Clay thanks for the information. 

Axel, in my case,  i'll rent it, it's the only one that is around me, and i"ll have it for not too mutch, just for 4 days.

i have not too mutch sequences to buy one...even if they are  as Mathew sais competitive options.

Thanks Jose'.

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