Helicopter

Five flights of a toy remote-controlled helicopter.

The first flight has a close pass from the helicopter, resulting in the recorder picking up some wind noise through the midweight Sony wind screen. I had tried using the heavier Rode screen, but it cut out enough of the high frequencies to make a noticeable difference.

The second flight includes the distinct sound of the helicopter hitting the stippled ceiling in my condo, followed shortly after by the helicopter colliding with the wall and tumbling to the ground. I can't really tell if all of the stipple-ceiling scratches on the top rotor blades affect its flight – this isn't a precision machine.

Flight number three was going really well until a bookshelf got in the way.

The fourth flight starts with a couple of quick spins of the rotors, which helps prepare the helicopter for a natural takeoff. Most of the time I hand-launch, holding the helicopter by the tail until it's stable and generating sufficient lift. This flight ended with the toy going nose-first into a wall and then falling about seven feet, which is no rougher than average.

The fifth flight that I included in this set – I actually recorded many, many more – is just a short hop with a soft landing at the end, just to prove that I could still do it.

The recorder was in the middle of the room, about five feet off of the floor, with the mics in wide stereo position and pointing at where I launched each flight. I've edited out some wind noise from the fifth flight, and cut out all of the fumbling and retrieval time between each, but otherwise the audio is as-recorded. Gain was set around 6, which is higher than I usually go, and a fair bit of background noise shows up in the quiet moments. But to put it in perspective, I had to learn to hold my breath for a few seconds before and after each flight to avoid contaminating the recording. From seven feet away.

A longer review of the helicopter is coming, but the short version is that it's a lot of fun and remarkably resilient. Even better, despite how it sounds, it has yet to do any damage to innocent parties.

Cuisinart

 

A Cuisinart four-cup blender doing its thing.

Penny likes to make frozen banana concoctions that come away with the consistency of ice cream. The sounds of the blender change with the forward and reverse of the blade, which are marked "chop" and "grind" on the control buttons; how the machine runs indicates the consistency of the mix. There's also a quiet little moment at the very end (2:40) that makes me smile every time I listen to it.

I've wanted to record this process for quite some time, and I've come away with more ideas now that I've finally done it. The kitchen is a very interesting room.

Dishwasher

My dishwasher late at night during the wash cycle.

This is an old GE model that's definitely not up to the current low-noise standards, but it still works, which is all we really ask of it. Recorded with the D50's mics in XY stereo configuration, without a windscreen, on the gorillapod. Run time 2:15, with a 1s fade at the start and 4s fade at the end, but otherwise unprocessed.

Regulator

The sound from a natural gas regulator diaphragm.

Recorded with the Sony PCM-D50's mics in the wide stereo setting. XY stereo might not have picked up the traces of traffic in the left channel. Handheld without a shockmount, using the Rode Dead Kitten in fairly high wind. From the Senator David A. Croll Apartments, née Rochdale College, 341 Bloor Street West. Run time 45s, with a short fade added at the start and longer fade at the end, but otherwise unprocessed.