Press Releases

Recording Nature's Sounds like a Pro

Cornell Lab of Ornithology Course Taking Registrations Now

March 9, 2009

Ithaca, NY—Have you ever wished you could bottle the incredible wave of bird song that arrives with spring? You can! Learn how and benefit science in the process at the annual Sound Recording Workshop offered by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The next session takes place June 6–13 at San Francisco State University's Sierra Nevada Field Campus in spectacular natural surroundings. Students often return multiple times to get attuned to the rhythms of nature.

"I used to think that I was a pretty observant person," says workshop graduate Adele Binning. "But the Sound Recording Workshop added a dimension to my life that was there all along but that I was missing–sound. Every single day my world is richer because of my week in the workshop!" The Sound Recording Workshop is taught by skilled recordists on the Lab's Macaulay Library staff. "This workshop is appropriate for all who have an interest in recording wildlife sounds," says audio curator Greg Budney. "Whether you are a seasoned researcher or someone who's never recorded a bird before, we'll guide you through the process."

Through daily field recording sessions, lectures, and demonstrations, participants learn how to get the most out of their field recording equipment and take advantage of every recording opportunity. They also receive an introduction to sound analysis software that converts sound waves into visual images so they can "see" a bird's song, note by note.

Alumni of the program have gone on to record natural sounds around the world and contribute recordings to the Macaulay Library archive—the largest collection of bird and animal sounds in the world. The recordings are used for scientific study, conservation, education, and have appeared in popular media from CDs to movies.

The Sound Recording Workshop fee of $895 covers tuition, class materials, local transportation, food, lodging, and the loan of a recording system for the course to the first six registrants who request it. A deposit is requested to reserve a space in the workshop, which is limited to 20 students. Registration and a $100 down–payment are due by April 10. Learn more at: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/MacaulayLibrary/record/workshops/audio–workshop and look at some of the images from the 2008 workshop. To register or get more information, contact Nancy Schrempf at (607) 254–2153 or ns29@cornell.edu.