Petros Kolyvas Posted December 24, 2010 Report Share Posted December 24, 2010 Jim Feeley asked a question regarding an image I posted in a thread that was loosely about the H4n. I thought, instead of taking that thread completely off course I'd re-post the image here and answer the questions as best I could. So I'd be interested in hearing a sample audio file from your bike mount. What's the balance of you breathing and talking, road and ambient noise, derailleurs, and so on. No really, I'm interested. Well... The bike setup didn't work as well as I thought, and so this isn't entirely a success story - but I was very glad I tried. Regarding samples, I'm travelling right now but I'll try to put some up in the New Year when I'm back. I ended up with a reasonably well isolated recorder so it worked out in that sense. The recorder in the image was also reversed to try to get the sounds of the rear of the bike. While the Redhead windscreen was very effective at reducing the wind noise at speed, the directional nature of the microphones meant that, even facing rearward, chain/cassette/derailleur sounds weren't pronounced enough for my liking and it was hard to point the recorder directly at anything while still maintaining enough shock absorption. I tried putting the mount on the seat-tube, with the recorder facing right down at the chainrings, but I felt the lyres were going to snap right off. While that wouldn't be the end of the world, the accident that might ensue as the recorder ejected itself towards my pedalling feet gave me pause rethink that setup before I took it outside. Trying to get the sounds of the chain, freewheel, chainrings, derailleurs and even clipless pedals was better performed with a bike on training stand without the resistance unit touching the rear tyre. I guess a repair stand would also work well in the case of trying to isolate individual sounds in order to build up a palette. The sounds were ultimately never assembled for the short film... we decided to strip out any ambient sounds and simply use music and a voiceover. We did however, use lots of sounds from the bike as giant mic stand. I could lean it against something (almost perfectly vertically) in the middle of downtown Montreal and was able to record some great city-scapes along with the sounds of bikes going by on one of the busy downtown bike paths. Don't know if it's of interest to anyone but there it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfisk Posted December 24, 2010 Report Share Posted December 24, 2010 Having done tons of sound fx recording in the field...if I were to record a bicycle, and could use whatever equipment: -Have one cardioid lav on the front fork facing down to get the tire sound. -Have one cardioid lav mounted on the frame right above the front set of gears -Have one cardioid lav mounted on the frame right next to the rear set of gears -Have an omni lav mounted on the front fork as close as possible to the front brake -Have an omni lav mounted somewhere on the handlebars as close to the gear shifters as possible. Hardwire all those into a Deva thats in a backpack, or some other bag that isn't too restrictive to the rider. I've come up with some really creative ways to mount lavs in really weird places and keep them isolated from wind and vibration, while being able to put them virtually anywhere they'll survive. Wheel wells in cars, air intake and blowoffs on engines, motorcycle tail pipes, motorcycle engines, anywhere that they won't get destroyed by extreme heat or fire can be done. That then really leaves you flexible later on to accentuate certain sounds depending on the shot, be it a close up of a tire, a POV from the rider's perspective, or whatever. The more the merrier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stacysound Posted December 24, 2010 Report Share Posted December 24, 2010 We will spend thousands of dollars on bike parts that weigh mere ounces less and you want me to strap my Deva on my back ;-) One of my most memorable sounds is the sound of hundreds of bikers clipping into their peddles at the beginning of a rally. Also a drafting pack going by at 25 mph. Looks like a fun project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studiomprd Posted December 24, 2010 Report Share Posted December 24, 2010 "We will spend thousands of dollars on bike parts that weigh mere ounces less and you want me to strap my Deva on my back" to get the job done properly, yep! or maybe a 788?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Perkins Posted December 24, 2010 Report Share Posted December 24, 2010 My best luck w/ bikes was with mics on the riders head--the resulting recording sounded more like what a rider hears than up close bike mechanical and tire/road sounds that a rider doesn't hear that way. But of course, choice is good, and now with shooters rigging tiny cameras all over.... phil p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Feeley Posted December 24, 2010 Report Share Posted December 24, 2010 Ya, I've approach it like Phil. I've mic'd lots of cyclists. Helmet, glasses, or hair/hat, tx in back jersey pocket...a bit of boom from a follow vehicle. I tried mounting mics on bikes, but didn't get what I wanted. After reading dfisk's post, perhaps I'll try again. Speaking of rigging tiny cameras all over bikes, in 2011 looks like we'll be using over a dozen GoPros, painted black, for some re-creations of races from 100 years ago... Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfisk Posted December 25, 2010 Report Share Posted December 25, 2010 Well, I would hire a cyclist for a day specifically for recording, rather than bother someone during a race. That's not something I would want to distract a professional cyclist with during a race. So, in the case of recording, yes, I would put all kinds of gear on a bike to get the sounds that I need. We will spend thousands of dollars on bike parts that weigh mere ounces less and you want me to strap my Deva on my back ;-) One of my most memorable sounds is the sound of hundreds of bikers clipping into their peddles at the beginning of a rally. Also a drafting pack going by at 25 mph. Looks like a fun project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Feeley Posted December 27, 2010 Report Share Posted December 27, 2010 I'm not as experienced as you, but most of my experience recording cyclists and bikes has been for docs. The few gigs that weren't were for commercials. So I had access to and/or control over the bikes. Most racers in the US are amateur hobbyists. And pros have plenty of downtime before their races. Sure, you can't bum-rush a guy minutes before the start. But with planning and coordination (between rider, staff, mechanic, etc.), you can find time to wire up a rider before the race... assuming you want race sounds... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfisk Posted December 28, 2010 Report Share Posted December 28, 2010 Yeah. It really depends on what you need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Paine Posted January 3, 2011 Report Share Posted January 3, 2011 I'm a die hard mountain biker. Working on a bike project has always been a dream. I didn't do this one, but I love the use of Natural sounds. Sure beats just sticking on music end to end ! Matt Hunter Descends 5000 feet of singletrack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Marts Posted January 4, 2011 Report Share Posted January 4, 2011 More cycling: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Marts Posted January 5, 2011 Report Share Posted January 5, 2011 The above Danny MacAskill video doesn't pertain so much to "Recording sounds of cycling", but the bike skills are amazing. The real stuff starts at around 1:05 in. Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon_tatooles Posted January 5, 2011 Report Share Posted January 5, 2011 The sound of deep dished road bike wheels is haunting. Having those cruising on the flats full-out is a great sound. Other great cycling sounds are any loose clothes flapping in the wind. Dry heaving also lends a sound of authenticity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Wexler Posted January 5, 2011 Report Share Posted January 5, 2011 That Danny MacAskill cycling is amazing! He is so completely in tune with all aspects of the bike and the terrain. We are watching an edited video and I'm sure he wiped out several times that we don't see, no less amazing that these things can be done even once. - Jeff Wexler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael McQueen Posted January 5, 2011 Report Share Posted January 5, 2011 one of my favorite sounds is a bmx bike pumping a quarter pipe and airing out. there's woosh sound the bike makes as it pumps the surface of the ramp followed by a da-dunk noise as both wheels bump the coping of the ramp. then silence... followed by the same sounds in reverese(when done properly). here's a photo of myself partaking in said action but sans the sound effect, which as much as i'm at the skatepark i should probably record that sound sometime... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg sextro Posted January 5, 2011 Report Share Posted January 5, 2011 Thanks for sharing this Simon. Quite nice. I'm a die hard mountain biker. Working on a bike project has always been a dream. I didn't do this one, but I love the use of Natural sounds. Sure beats just sticking on music end to end ! Matt Hunter Descends 5000 feet of singletrack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael McQueen Posted January 5, 2011 Report Share Posted January 5, 2011 a film i just bought off itunes called Life Cycles has great sound production. its a lot of slow mo stuff with some post sounds added. i haven't had time to watch all of it yet but the first 16 minutes is amazing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Paine Posted January 6, 2011 Report Share Posted January 6, 2011 a film i just bought off itunes called Life Cycles has great sound production. I'm waiting for my Blue-Ray copy to arrive. It's a beautiful film. Since we're posting riding pics... I spent last Summer working on a Doc in Alaska and the Yukon. On one of my days off, I got to ride some fantastic trails just outside of Whitehorse, Yukon. (a small town called Carcross). This particular trail is called Mountain Hero. a pretty tough 3-4 hour uphill climb followed by an exhilarating 10-12 km downhill. Probably the greatest trail I've ever ridden. Certainly the most scenic. Did i mention I really love my job ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonathan chiles Posted August 23, 2011 Report Share Posted August 23, 2011 Stunning pic Simon!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael McQueen Posted August 28, 2011 Report Share Posted August 28, 2011 Here's a video I tossed together from a ride last weekend. Just to get halfway decent shots took enough of the trail time away. But I do want to spend some time getting great sound to accompany great footage for a short doc on a local trail I've been wanting to do. Some good points in this thread. I'll experiment with lav on rider, lav on bike and stereo mic probably to a small type h4 recorder. I'd love to do a multichannel but don't want to lug too much gear into a trail. Like to keep it simple and light, especially when you're a few miles into the woods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Paine Posted September 12, 2011 Report Share Posted September 12, 2011 Hey Michael those are some fine looking trails in your neck of the woods. Would love to ride there someday. Here's a little video I put together of a ride I did last fall on some local trails. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Deutscher Posted October 13, 2011 Report Share Posted October 13, 2011 I'm doing a gig at the end of the month where we're doing some corporate work for Specialized. Part of it is taking their mountain bikes and road bikes out on the trail and roads. I'm still working out the logistics with production, but am wondering how planting lavs on a mountain bike coming downhill would stand against the vibrations of the bike. I know Simon and Michael do quite a bit of biking so was wondering if placing lav's on sections of the bike that are more protected by suspension would help. I like Dave's idea on mic the bike but am worried that placing a recorder in his/her backpack heading downhill might be too much vibration for the recorder as well. Thanks guys/gals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studiomprd Posted October 13, 2011 Report Share Posted October 13, 2011 " placing a recorder " hint:no moving parts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keenan925 Posted October 13, 2011 Report Share Posted October 13, 2011 Pete, can I say I'm jealous. Make sure to have lots of wind protections Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Deutscher Posted October 13, 2011 Report Share Posted October 13, 2011 " placing a recorder " hint:no moving parts Duly noted Senator Pete, can I say I'm jealous. Make sure to have lots of wind protections Micro-Cats will be my friend (assuming they want to see lavs strapped to the bike during filming.) Still working out logistics... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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