Verde River Recordings
These are works in progress, representing efforts to test equipment, recording techniques, locations, and mixing approaches for field recordings along the river. They also represent my love for being at the river and for listening to its many wonders. The recordings are arranged from the headwaters near Paulden and on downstream for 190+ miles. Human sounds (including sounds from a sometimes noisy recordist) are not removed. My approach is to record the riparian soundscape “in use,” recording the situated, fleeting geophony (non-biological), biophony (flora and fauna), and anthrophony (human-made) of each setting on the given hour, day, and season.
Comments, feedback, suggestions, and conversation welcome! Message me!
Photo by Thomas Catlaw
Verde River Headwaters at Sullivan Lake Dam. January 2023.
Equipment: Rode NT5 (stereo pair, ORTF), EM 272 Clippy (stereo pair, 120 cm A/B), Rycote wind protection. Zoom F8n Pro, 48 kHz/24-bit.
Processing: EQ, Dynamic EQ, Compression, Limiting
Photo by Thomas Catlaw
Upper Verde Wildlife Area. January 2023.
Equipment: Rode NT5 (stereo pair, ORTF), EM 272 Clippy (stereo pair, 120 cm A/B), Rycote wind protection, Zoom F8n Pro, 48 kHz/24-bit.
Processing: EQ
~1 mi upstream from Lower TAPCO River Access Point (RAP). March 2023.
Equipment: Sennheiser 8040 (stereo pair, ORTF), Rycote wind protection, Zoom F3, 48 kHz/32-bit float.
Processing: HPF, EQ, Dynamic EQ, Compression
Photo by Thomas Catlaw
Soundwalk along the Jail Trail, Cottonwood, Arizona. April 2023.
Equipment: Sony PCM-D100, ORTF (120 degrees), Rycote wind protection, 48 kHz/24-bit.
Processing: EQ, Compression
Listen for: Common Yellowthroat, Yellow Warbler, Gila Woodpecker, Song Sparrow, Summer Tanager, Lesser Goldfinch, Lucy’s Warbler, Splashing Dogs
River at Greenway in Dead Horse Ranch State Park. January 2023.
Equipment: Sony PCM-D100, ORTF (120 degrees), Rycote wind protection, 48 kHz/24-bit.
Processing: EQ, Saturation, Imaging, Limiting
Photo by Thomas Catlaw
Downstream from Skidmore River Access Point. July 2023. A lovely spot caught at a wonderful moment. One of my favorite river recordings.
Equipment: Sennheiser MKH 8020 (stereo pair, 60 cm A/B); Rycote wind protection, Zoom F3, 48 kHz/32-bit float.
Processing: EQ, Compression, Limiting
Listen for Abert’s Towhee, Song Sparrow, Common Yellow Throat, Common Raven, House Finch, Yellow Warbler, Wilson’s Warbler, Brown-crested Flycatcher, Mourning Dove, Ash-Throated Flycatcher, Lesser Goldfinch, Gila Woodpecker
Photo by Thomas Catlaw
Downstream from Black Canyon River Access Point. July 2023.
Equipment: Sennheiser MKH 8020 (stereo pair, 60 cm A/B); Rycote wind protection, Zoom F3, 48 kHz/32-bit float.
Processing: EQ, Compression, Limiting
Photo by Thomas Catlaw
Soundwalk from Bartlett Dam four miles downstream. March 2023.
Equipment: Sony PCM-D100, ORTF (120 degrees), Rycote wind protection, 48 kHz/24-bit.
Processing: EQ, Compression
These recordings were made shortly after the heavy floods and flow in the Verde-Salt corridors began and water was released from Bartlett Dam. The soundwalk begins in the floodplain below the dam (Song Sparrow, Northern Cardinal), stops at a couple of points downstream (Song Sparrow, Anna’s Hummingbird, Black Phoebe), before climbing up and away on a trail from the river to a ridge (Cactus Wren). It then turns back up stream, stopping at the gauge station (Northern Cardinal, Lesser Goldfinch, Anna and Costa’s Hummingbirds, Black Phoebe) along the way.
Photo by Thomas Catlaw
Near Riverside Campground below Bartlett Dam. February 2023.
Equipment: Sennheiser MKH 8020 (stereo pair, 60 cm A/B); Rycote wind protection. Zoom F8n Pro, 48 kHz/32-bit float.
Processing: HPF, EQ, Limiting
Photo by Thomas Catlaw
Downstream from Needle Rock Picnic Area. October 2022. * First Field Recording*
Equipment: Rode NT5 (stereo pair, ORTF), Sennheiser 416, Rycote wind protection, Zoom F8n Pro, 48 kHz/24-bit.
Processing: EQ
Downstream of Needle Rock Picnic Area. February 2023.
Equipment: Sennheiser MKH 8020 (stereo pair, 60 cm A/B); Rycote wind protection, Zoom F3, 48 kHz/32-bit float.
Processing: EQ, Saturation, Imaging, Limiting
Windy Day Downstream from Box Bar (“Jacob’s Spot”). November 2022. Dubbed “Jacob’s Spot” by me after our friend Jacob, a professional birding guide, who told me about it.
Equipment: Rode NT5 (stereo pair, ORTF), EM 272 Clippys (stereo pair, 120 cm A/B), Rycote wind protection, Zoom F8n Pro, 48 kHz/24-bit.
Processing: EQ, Compression, Limiting
Listen for Black Phoebe, Common Raven
This recording is the foundation of my needlebox composition. Available free to stream on Bandcamp.