{"id":8421,"date":"2026-09-13T08:17:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-13T08:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/manaliveaudio.com\/microphones-audio-naturaliste\/"},"modified":"2026-09-13T10:50:58","modified_gmt":"2026-09-13T10:50:58","slug":"nature-recording-microphones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/manaliveaudio.com\/en\/nature-recording-microphones\/","title":{"rendered":"Our microphones for nature recordists"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nature sound recording doesn't stop at what our ears can hear. Beneath the surface of a pond, in the soil of a forest or in the ice of a lake, there's a lot going on! With a hydrophone and a geophone, you can listen to it and record it. Every outing is different, and everyone finds their own playgrounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Dolphin
Photo: Corto SPM<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Underwater recording with the hydrophone<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Water carries sound very well: about 4 times faster than air, and much further. Many aquatic animals use it to communicate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At sea<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This is the most spectacular. Gaby Mu\u00f1oz, a Colombian filmmaker based in Barcelona, took our hydrophone offshore with pilot whales. Corto SPM listened to a pod of dolphins from his boat, with a small HoneyTone Amp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Pilot
Photo: Gaby Mu\u00f1oz<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For this kind of outing, go for the 8-metre version: from a boat, the cable runs out fast!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Manalive
Photo: Julio Rald\u00faa Veuthey<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Fish coming to nibble<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It's the accessory people often forget: the Bait. Slip some bait into its cavity, lower the hydrophone to the bottom of a pond, a harbour or a river, and listen to the fish come and nibble all around. No need to go far to have life in your headphones!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Manalive<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

See the Bait accessory<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In marshes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Allan Linares recorded the bubbles of a salt marsh releasing gas at low tide. Gurgles, bubbles, trickles: a marsh draining at low tide has a lot to say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Salt
Photo: Des Blenkinsopp, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In rivers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The current, pebbles rolling along the bottom\u2026 Frantz Loriot carried out a whole recording project along the Sihl, a Swiss river. With the Float, the hydrophone stays just below the surface; with its weight, it goes down to the bottom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Manalive<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Underground recording with the geophone<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The geophone listens to what travels through soil, wood or ice. It goes down to 5 Hz, into lows the ear can barely perceive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The earth<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Planted in the ground with its Ground Spike, it lets you hear what travels beneath your feet: distant rumbles, knocks, everything that makes the earth around you vibrate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Manalive<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Trees<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Wedged against a trunk, it lets you hear the wood at work: creaks as the wind bends the tree, branches rubbing together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Lichen-covered
Photo: Nicholas A. Tonelli, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ice<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

On a frozen lake, a glacier or an iceberg, ice cracks, snaps and resonates. Laid flat, the geophone listens to those cracks from the inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Frozen
Photo: soumyajit pramanick, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Please note: in its standard version, the geophone is not waterproof. Keep it dry, and use the hydrophone for anything that happens in water. A waterproof version of the geophone is coming soon!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few common-sense rules<\/h2>\n\n\n\n