The Telinga Stereo Parabolic Microphone has been one of my favorite tools since I started using it in nearly two decades ago. The mic combnies two seemingly contradictory accoustic qualities; the ability to focus on a narrow slice of the sound field and yet capture a very wide, spacious stereophonic "image".
Telinga Microphoneswas founded by Klas Strandberg in Uppsala, Sweden. Klas hand-delivered mine to me in Bristol when we met up at the Wildscreen Festival in 1996.
Newer models encase the mic capsules in a more compact foam cylinder instead of the "foam lolipop" on my unit, but they still deliver an amazingly wide, spacious and detailed image.
Here's a few more recordings made with the Telinga.
This is just a Sunday morning in my backyard here in Queens.
During the spring migration season, the greater New York City region is a crucial stop-over point for dozens of species of birds. With the Flushing Meadows to our west and Little Neck Bay directly east, our corner of Queens is host to an amazingly diverse morning chorus of birds every spring.
Crowd scenes come across very well in stereo.
The parabola allows one to isolate a section of the scene and avoid the intrusions of excess traffic and blaring radios. This village center in India on a market day surrounds the listener in a very evocative manner.
One can almost smell the heady mix of spices and diesel fuel...
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