You can help me capture Nature Recordings in Zimbabwe

Hi Everyone!

This post is something completely different from what you've heard from me thus far because I find myself in the extremely fortunate position of being able to plan a field recording trip to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe this coming August.

Capturing the sounds of the world around us is my greatest passion and I cannot put into words how excited it made me when this opportunity presented itself. I see this in a once-in-a-lifetime chance to capture the sounds of the wildlife, culture, nature, and everyday life in this vibrant country and help spread awareness about the importance of environmental conservation. The resulting recordings are planned to be released in one or multiple sound libraries and Spatial Audio experiences for casual listening.

Victoria Falls is not only home to one of the largest waterfalls on earth, it is also nestled in between several nature reserves, making it a perfect hub for expeditions.

Covering Travel Expenses

While no additional gear (besides some dry bags and a rugged backup drive) will be needed, the travel costs for this trip are something I will need help with. Any support at all will be greatly appreciated and supporters will be listed in a dedicated section on the product page.

Even if you're not in a position to contribute anything, sharing this post and getting the word out will help a lot!

Update (July 1st) - 55% of Funding Goal reached

With your gracious support we have already reached 55% of my $1000 funding goal! A huge THANK YOU to anyone who donated, shared, and engaged with my posts. Of course, everyone who supports this project will be commemorated on the product page of the resulting libraries.

"Pre-Order" the resulting Libraries at a Fraction of their final Price

Any donations at $40 or more will be treated as "pre-orders" for the sound recordings that will result from this trip which you will be receiving before their release on A Sound Effect, Sonniss, and Gumroad. I will send you a link to the files via a personal message in response to your donation.

Once these libraries are released, I will be donating a portion of the ongoing proceeds of sales to wildlife conservation efforts in Zimbabwe including Painted Dog Conservation. Others will be added soon.

What I'm planning to record

While a lot of environmental factors will determine how well I will be able to capture certain sounds, I am planning to record:

• Wildlife (at Hwange National Park, Painted Dog Reserve, other locations TBD)
• City / Town / Village Ambience
• Nature (open spaces, water falls at Victoria Falls, birdsong)
• Dawn Chorus(es) (if environment permits)
• Vehicles (shuttle bus, safari jeeps, etc.)
• Walla and crowds
• and any interesting sounds in and around our hotel

With every single recorded sound I'm guaranteeing:

• SoundMiner, Soundly, BWF metadata
• Text markers for notable sonic events in long-form recordings
• Location, time of day, mic-type, mic-position notes in SoundMiner Metadata
• A minimum resolution of 24 bit / 96 kHz

Immersive ambience recordings may also be released on Bandcamp for recreational listening and via Apple Music, Tidal, Amazon Music for listening in Dolby Atmos.

I will also be documenting the recording process and post about it on my blog.

What I'm bringing

• Rycote HC-22 Shotgun Microphone with Rycote Super Blimp for capturing isolated sounds
• RØDE NT-SF1 Ambisonic Microphone for capturing ambiences in a 360 format that can be converted to anything from mono to Dolby Atmos
• LOM Uši Pro pair for stereo ambiences and recordings in tougher conditions
• Zoom F6 and F3 as the main recorders
• Zoom H1n with Rycote Furry for "run & gun" recording
• Ulanzi MT-49 as stand and boom pole