The Song Meter Micro - From Wildlife Acoustics - Another Quick Look

The Song Meter Micro Revisited

A good, inexpensive, static recorder for recording Winter wildlife.

So, in addition to taking this Winter/down time to analyse all the bat recordings we've accumulated, what else are we doing?

Well, if you're like me, you also don't want to miss any neat wildlife sounds still occurring during the cold weather; but how?

Unattended sound recorders like The Micro, are a big help in such situations. Primarily, because of their customizable features. 

First we must consider a couple of factors... Such as where you live, and whether or not you have access to areas where wildlife vocalize. As for urban wildlife sound hobbyists - I have not forgotten you! Nor, have I forgotten how difficult it can be, to capture clean recordings of animal sounds. It's not easy while living in/or close to a city - but it certainly can be done!

In my particular situation, at the start of this Winter, I've had occasions when I could hear coyotes (and sometimes foxes) vocalizing at night. By my estimation, I would say their location was at least 100 meters away. 

I immediately started thinking: how am I going to capture these sounds? I'll run down the thought processes I went through:

• Get a shotgun microphone?
• An inexpensive (affordable) field recorder using it's built-in (X-Y) microphones?
• Maybe a good field recorder with a shotgun?
• Possibly a good-quality trail cam?

Enter The Micro!

Yes, there are other options out there as well...but we won't be discussing them at this time.

Note: The Song Meter Micro's Quick Start is located right at the beginning of the User Manual.  

I have written a full review of The Song Meter Micro, which may be read Here. Perhaps of even greater interest: There is also a full, webinar/presentation review of this unit; viewable to Members of The BatAbility Club.

Also note:

• The Micro allows a wide range of recording schedules/flexibility. 
• Wildlife Acoustics has excellent Customer Service & online resources available.
• Wildlife Acoustics provides a handful of silica gel packs with the unit.

The next review (coming soon) will be of the recently released book 'A Miscellany Of Bats'

Followed by a review of The TeensyBat (Ver. 4.1) DIY bat detector. Webinar/presentation review is already up and available to members of The BatAbility Club.

Until then,

Happy sound recording!

Review: The Song Meter Micro Recorder from Wildlife Acoustics Part 1 Of 2

Part 1 Of 2 The Song Meter Micro Recorder from Wildlife Acoustics

The Song Meter Micro, is the latest offering in the line of Wildlife Audio Recorders from Wildlife Acoustics, in Massachusetts USA.

This (very small!) wildlife sound recorder, was developed for those needing to record various (non-bat) animal species.

This compact, cute, and robust sound recorder was designed from "the ground up" to work as an unattended recording solution. The main points one realizes straight away are:

It's small!

It's not very expensive.

It's robust & capable.

Packaging - Upon arrival, you'll notice that the box is small. When you open the (outer) box, you'll notice that the inner box is small...

Unboxing video on YouTube 

The unit is 4"/101mm High x 2.9"/74mm Wide x 1.1"/28mm Deep. It is 0.43lbs/195g with batteries installed.

The Song Meter Micro currently sells for $249 (US dollars) directly from the Wildlife Acoustics Site. It is also available from many Dealers in the UK and Europe. 

 

For those in The UK, NHBS has them in stock. The Song Meter Micro is designed for unattended recording of wildlife sounds in the field. It is constructed of a dark green poly-carbonate, which blends into the natural environment very well. It comes with a built-in, omnidirectional microphone. The Song Meter Micro records 16-bit PCM .wav files - to a single, Micro SD card (up to 2 terabytes in size). 

 

 

The sample rates available, range from 8kHz to 96kHz. 8, 12, 16, 22.5, 24, 32, 44.1, 48, and 96kHz are the selections available. Run time on 3 AA-sized alkaline batteries, is 150 hours. Wildlife Acoustics provides a thorough, 15-step Quick Set-Up Guide. 

For a whittled-down version, just to give you an idea of what's involved:

•  Download/install the free App onto your mobile device.
  

•  Get The Song Meter Micro up & running, by installing batteries, Micro SD card, and powering on.
  

•  Choose from one of the pre-set schedules provided; save.
  

•  Load schedule to The Micro via Bluetooth, replace cover, and deploy unit.
  

 

The Song Meter Micro deployed near my local lake. One small screw was all that was needed, to attach it to a tree at the water's edge. My target species here, were small terrestrial mammals (especially Shrews). More specifically, I was hoping to record Northern Short-Tailed Shrew (Blarina brevicauda); which I know to are in the area. No luck yet...at the time of this writing.

Once you read through The Quick Start's 15-Step process, and deploy the unit a few times, it becomes very easy. Read the User Manual, and you'll understand a lot more about how it may be customized: Gain settings, etc.

This unit fills a need for many Researchers working with (non-bat) animals that vocalize.

 

The unit records sounds very well; about as good as a handheld digital recorder in the same price range. So far, I've recorded various songbirds, ducks, singing insects, and Fowler's Toads.

Part 2 of this review will feature sound recordings (via YouTube video links), as well as spectrograms (using Kaleidoscope, of course!).

When deploying Song Meter Micro's, I would follow this excellent tip, directly from The Wildlife Acoustics's web page: "requires adding desiccant for each deployment to prevent condensation."

Pros:

•  Relatively inexpensive for what you get (good value).
  
•  Made by a trusted name in wildlife recording equipment.
  
•  Professional Tech support available.
  

Cons:

• Mobile device is necessary to control/set-up, and check status.
  

Once again, The Song Meter Micro may be ordered directly from Wildlife Acoustics, if you're in The U.S. 

Links to excellent Song Meter Micro Vimeo videos (created by Wildlife Acoustics):

Song Meter Micro Configuration Editor

Song Meter Micro Configuration Library 

Learn more about The Song Meter Micro in Part 2 of 2, of this review. 

...Unless, you're the "impatient type" and want to know more about The Song Meter Micro right now - In which case, I'd recommend signing up to The BatAbility Club: Where there's a full webinar (video review) & discussion about it - By yours truly! Along with comments and questions from Director, Neil Middleton.

Happy bat animal detecting!

The Song Meter Micro from Wildlife Acoustics - First Look!

I am very happy to report, that The Song Meter Micro from Wildlife Acoustics has arrived for testing and review. So far, I'm very impressed with it.

 

  

I couldn't help but make a quick unpacking video.  

Let me remind the reader, that this device was designed to record wildlife other than bats. Wildlife Acoustics has it listed as a bird and wildlife recorder (as can be seen from the above link).

This micro-sized unattended recording solution, is already being used successfully in the field - To record singing insects, amphibians, mammals, and birds. It has many customizable features (especially for such a small device).

I simply couldn't resist some preliminary tests with The SM Micro. I've also taken the time to review many of the recordings, made here in the suburbs...And straight away, I can tell this unit has a lot of potential! 

I've just recently started to hear singing insects in the evenings. The local population of mammals are pretty much always present. And my local toad and frog population should be making their debut any night now!

Happy bat detecting!

And happy wildlife sound recording! - Visit The Wildlife Sound Recording Society