Recording machine noises

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Bart12

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Hello,

I don't know if this question is at his place here. But I don't where to ask my question.

I'm working for a John Deere dealer and from time to time we have machines, tractors which make a certain noise which is not normal.

We tried a lot of times to record these noises but every time the recording is useless. Because it is impossible to hear the noise on the recording.

So my question is. What do i need to record noises in machines. What kind of equipment should I use.

Hopefully some can help me out.

Regards
 
Bart, this is a stab in the dark, but I've sounded engines before with a stick / long screwdriver, whatever.

Putting the metal tip on the block and your ear on the handle to hear ticking...that kind of thing.

I wonder is that the sort of thing you're talking about, and if so, would a contact mic and some kind of pole be a better job?
 
Try something like the Zoom H1. I find it pretty good and not at all expensive. But there are some sounds that you can hear really well but for some reason, when you try to record them, just never sound like they do in your ears. I do this delivery to this fashion house and on the way out is this door that has the most fantastic squeak/creak. It sounds really creepy and long and ascending. So I took my Zoom H1 there and tried to record it. I tried it from a variety of different directions, angles and distances but it just never sounded the way it does to my ears as I'm walking out of the building. I even recorded it from there. At best, it sounded like someone playing a soprano or alto sax !
 
Interesting question.
Like Grim said, a Zoom or similar may work. Problem with this type of thing is that the sound looses it's context. You need to "be there". There may be a vibration associated with it, where on the machine the sound is coming from etc. It's like Foley artists. They try to reproduce sounds with objects. Like knocking coconuts to sound like horse hoofs. If you only hear it, is it a horse or is it some guy with coconuts?
 
Maybe some type of piezo pickup stuck to the engine....?
 
Hallo guys thanks for the replies.

It is indeed every time the same. You can't hear the noise when you have recorded it. And as you now it is damn hard to describe a noise in words for some one else to understand it.

I was indeed thinking about making a converting the stethoscope we have here. Is equiped with a long metal point the make contact with the engine to localize noise. This things works. Maybe i can put a mic on one size instead of the ear plug.

This device is handy to localize a noise. But some times this is not possible. For example you can only hear the noise inside of the cabine when your driving. At that time it is hard to use the stethoscope. So I want to record the noise in the cabine.

I was just wondering if a binaural recording maybe also can de the job. because the mic are at the same place of my ears were I hear the noise. this is just an idea. Anyone of you have more experience with the binuaral recordings?
 
You know, the other thing that strikes me is the part our own heads play in particular sounds we hear. Recording equipment approximates what we hear rather than duplicates it. In another place I deliver to, in the reception foyer, the door that leads outside is actually two automatic sliding doors. They have this fractional gap and on a windy day, you get brilliant whistling wind. It's glorious. I've heard it so many times, it was that sound that finally pushed me to buy the H1. But when I tried to record it, it didn't translate. You picked up bits of wind whistling, in between people coming in and out, people talking, cars whizzing by.........all the sounds that I'd usually hear but mentally blot out because I'm focusing on the wind !
The crazy things we do eh ?
If you find a solution, fill us in. Yours is an interesting dilema.
 
Bart12 said:
Hallo guys thanks for the replies.

It is indeed every time the same. You can't hear the noise when you have recorded it. And as you now it is damn hard to describe a noise in words for some one else to understand it.

I was indeed thinking about making a converting the stethoscope we have here. Is equiped with a long metal point the make contact with the engine to localize noise. This things works. Maybe i can put a mic on one size instead of the ear plug.

This device is handy to localize a noise. But some times this is not possible. For example you can only hear the noise inside of the cabine when your driving. At that time it is hard to use the stethoscope. So I want to record the noise in the cabine.

I was just wondering if a binaural recording maybe also can de the job. because the mic are at the same place of my ears were I hear the noise. this is just an idea. Anyone of you have more experience with the binuaral recordings?
Click to expand...

The Zoom would do stereo recordings.

The stethoscope thing might work too. I would just hold the earpiece to the mic on the Zoom.

As was mentioned human hearing has the advantage of dialing out some sounds we don't want to hear, while a mic picks up everything and doesn't discriminate.

Loading the clips into an audio editor you may be able to eq out the sounds you don't want and emphasize the sounds you do want to hear.

edit: Actually the stethoscope> Zoom thing may not work because the mic will likely pick up unwanted engine sounds.

Another solution might be using something like a Peterson contact mic ($15-20) and taping it to the rod and recording via the contact mic. You may need a preamp to get the Peterson to line level.
 
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