Review: The Ranger - From Titley Scientific

The Ranger is a brand, new, cutting edge, wildlife recorder, which has just been released from Titley Scientific.

Building upon the success of their Chorus and AnaBat Swift Titley has developed a fully customizable, long-lasting, wildlife recorder.

Photo credit: Titley Scientific

It features:

• Three microphone ports.
• The ability to choose from a wide range of microphones.
• With Titley‘s currently available microphones, many different combinations are possible.

The Quick Start User Guide.

Two audible microphones, and one omnidirectional Ultrasonic microphone.

A quick peek at the Titley ranger powered on.

The Ranger’s main specifications are as follows:

• Physical size: 194 x 123 x 50mm (7.64 x 4.84 x 1.97 inches).
• Weight: 478 Grams (16.86oz.) without batteries.
• it may be powered by: 4 or 8 AA size batteries, external power sources, or solar (optional kit available).
• Sample rates: 500, 384, 320, 192, 96, 48, 44.1, 32, 24, or 22.0 5 Ksps.
• Frequency range: 20Hz to 250kHz.
• 2 SD cards supported (up to 1TB each)
• GPS - The Ranger performs daily fixes, and supports GPS enabled transect mode.
• 3 Channels: 1 Front mounted, ultrasonic or acoustic, two sides (acoustic only). simultaneous recording.
• Headphone jack for FD output (ultrasound) and stereo acoustic.
• File Output: Full spectrum (wav), ZC, GPS (.gpx), Temperature (.csv).

The Ranger unattended bat/wildlife sound recorder, has the ability to use many different microphones. Among the commonly selected options are:

• Low-profile, side-mount, audible microphone product code: AAAB028 current price $99 US 
• *Remember to always check Titley’s website for prices*
• Omni directional acoustic microphone AS-0 product code: AAB016 V1 $225 US
• Directional Ultrasonic microphone US-D product code: AAAB013 V1 current price $325 US 
• Omni-Directional Ultrasonic Microphone US-O V3 product code: AAA012 V3 current price $199 US

The Ranger arrived to me, here in New York (from the headquarters in Australia) in a heavy-duty, black plastic bag with embedded bubble wrap:

And inside of that black package…

And finally upon opening the box:

Remember that your (chosen) microphones are under the cardboard flaps.

Additional specifications: 

• Housed in a camouflage, weatherproof/shockproof (IP67) with tripod mounting hole.
• 2.4 inch color LCD touchscreen display.
• Warranty: Recorder 2 years, Microphones 1 year.
• Lockable security box, microphone, extension cables, power lead, and solar panel Kit are all available options.

Some additional items of interest include:

• The microphones are indeed “weatherproof, and highly sensitive”.
• When testing the headphone jack, with default settings, the output was very sensitive and accurate. As sensitive as any microphone I’ve ever tested.
• Batteries are stated to last 100 nights (ultrasonic) or 700 hours acoustic (depending on temperatures).
• The Ranger may be configured as: mono or stereo – acoustic, as well as Ultrasonic – simultaneously.

The new Ranger, deployed on carbon fiber tripod (on my deck).

The resulting recordings (Northern Barred Owls & Coyotes, will be featured on my YouTube Channel soon...

Here's an unboxing video:

Additional accessories available, include:

• Chorus and Ranger security box and cable lock product code: AAAB032 $145 US *Please remember to check the Titley website for current prices*
• Solar panel kit for the Ranger (is provided with everything needed). Solar Panel for Ranger or Swift product code: AAA034 $120 US
• Ranger accessories bundle: case, microphone cable, and USB cable product code: AAAB035 current price $70 US

Quick Start User Guide:

• Informs you of AnaBat Insight software (With QR code).
• Refers you to the user manual (via QR code).
• Firmware updates, Titley website, AnaBat user community, and YouTube channel are all provided via QR code squares.
• Microphone care guide.
• How to start recording with your Ranger.
• Inserting microphones.
• Selecting, recording mode: a.) custom, b.) day only, c.) dusk and dawn, d.) Night only, e.) continuous
• Select microphone settings.
• Information about GPS.
• Final checks, etc.
• Testing/ensuring all is OK using the magnet on lanyard.

On the subject of batteries…

• I installed the Duracell optimum batteries to start with. They only lasted about one full overnight session.
• The energizer batteries, I replace them with fared much better: providing several nights of recording.
• Those were replaced with Kodak brand AA batteries.

This was definitely a case for eneloop brand batteries. And I promptly ordered some.

The Ranger creates several file folders by default, whenever it records. These are Recordings – main folder/root, which then contains three subfolders: Acoustic, FS Ultrasonic, Simultaneous. This turned out to be very convenient in practice. 

The latest firmware adds, a host of brand new features!

Things I like - Generally speaking:

• The features it has.
• The fact that it can use 2 audible and 1 ultrasound microphone simultaneously.
• It’s robust design (similar to previous models).
• The ease of deployment – easy to choose/preset mode selection.

Detailed Battery status 

One of my local bats, just having a snack...

Having a look at a Ranger FS recording (just a peek at the spectrogram) with AnaBat Insight software.

Amoung some of the interesting, and/or unique features of this new unit, are things like:

• The ability to input an Asset Tag Number.
• Ability to set the sensitivity of the attached microphones, etc.
• Being able to set what the voltage level should be, for external power cutoff (the default is 10v).

Pros:

• With microphones supplied: it is extremely sensitive.
• Creates clean, accurate, recordings.
• Default settings, produced excellent sound quality recordings – well balanced/no clipping.
• Excellent/detailed battery status information.
• Ease of deployment – easy to choose modes – via mode button.

Cons:

• May be considered relatively expensive.
• Bluetooth connectivity would've been nice.

Obviously, Titley wildlife sound recording products have a loyal following, worldwide; and for good reason: They produce professional-level products. Their recorders are used and trusted by many of the world's top researchers, et al.

Those who are loyal customers of Titley, will be happy to see many of the great features they have come to expect from this brand. Things like:

• Ease of deployment.
• Accurate, professional audio recordings.
• A myriad of customization features, as well as scheduling, etc.

Currently, you can order the new Ranger units, right on Titley's website!

I plan to add some more Ranger-specific tips & tricks to this review soon... There will also be some audio files...either here, or on my YouTube channel.

Some additional tidbits: I've recently learned that one (US-based) group studying wolves, sets their recorders to:

• Record between 6am - 6pm
• 22kHz sample rate, 12dB of gain
• 200-750 for mid max frequency
• 1.5 to 60 second recordings

Also, that coyotes typically vocalize at 600Hz on the low end.

Another (US-based) group, studying Barn Owls:

• Set their recorders to record at 30-60 minutes after sunset / and 30 minutes before sunrise.
• Set their sample rate to 12kHz - for Barn Owls (24kHz for other owls).
• Often record in 30 minute blocks
• Set their gain to 24db
• Frequency 1.5 to 3.3 Hz
• Detection length to 0.3 to 1.2 seconds
• Maximum inter-syllable gap to 0.001

Until next time,

Happy bat detecting!

Book Review: ‘Thermal Imaging For Wildlife Applications' By Kayleigh Fawcett Williams

There’s a very interesting new book, just released entitled: 

‘Thermal Imaging For Wildlife Applications’ by Kayleigh Fawcett Williams published by Pelagic Publishing.

It was published on October 24th of this year. It is 176 pages in length, measures approx 9.5" high and 6.5" wide, and weighs 304 grams.

Right from the start, I may as well confess, that I really like books about electronic kit. In the world of bat ecology and to a lesser degree, Ecology at large, there aren’t many books on such topics. Which is to say, there aren’t many books out there, which deal specifically with the subject of electronic devices used by ecologists, biologists, and others involved in wildlife study and research.

On a related note, I’m happy to report that there are several, very interesting books printed over the last decade, dealing with the subject of wildlife recording. They cover forest habitat(s), underwater/dolphin calls, general guides to sound recording in the field, etc. I have intentions of acquiring one or two, at some point. 

Like many of you, my current bookcases are packed and overflowing.

This often forces me to place books on top of other books, which may be on top of papers I’ve printed out for reading, which are on top of a laptop that isn’t used very often anymore, etc. 

Which is when I discovered that (for whatever reason) it seems this book is a little more “slippery” than other books. Whenever I placed it on top of any sheets of paper, whether it was a single sheet of paper, or a short stack, this book always had a tendency to slip and slide away. 

It would slide off of whatever “small tower” it was precariously placed on (mea culpa). But only if placed on paper; it seem to fare well on all other random surfaces. Things like the rubberized cover of an iPad, the faux-steel cover of an HP laptop, etc. 

I can’t help but wonder, if someone at Pelagic Publishing is reading this in disbelief? (I’m just having some fun). 

In any case, we should probably bear in mind, that this was observed with my copy of the book. It may very well be that subsequent printings of the book will be slightly different. When printing for distribution, the molecular structure of the book’s covers might have a quantum change, rendering it a bit less slippery, who’s to say?

As always, a big thank you to Pelagic Publishing for the copy of the book! I feel honored to say that I received one of the very first copies. Even before the author received her copies! 

The book may be found, wherever books on Ecology (and related subjects) are sold.

The book has an eye-catching cover - depicting two Fallow Deer, whose image was captured by the author, using a FLIR T1030sc thermal camera.

The Contents are well-laid out, in a detailed, and logical order. This is immediately followed by a listing of the Figures shown in the book.

Thermal Imaging for Wildlife Applications offers the reader an excellent trek into the world of thermal imaging. It features a well-laid-out progression. Illustrating that this technology is not only very useful for bats, but almost any wildlife species which one may wish to study. The content was refreshing and engrossing. 

It features detailed descriptions of when and where thermal imaging has been referenced in the existing literature. The book serves as an excellent resource, pooling together records of the use of this technology over the past several decades. Along with detailed notes, and interesting information.

Pros:

• It's a unique and valuable reference on the intriguing, increasingly used technology which is thermal imaging.
• The book covers the current state of the art of these devices, along with some helpful guidance, for someone considering their acquisition and use. 
• It's a handy, one-stop resource, containing a wealth of education on the subject.

Cons:

• I would have liked to see more information on the individual imaging units available; as well as more specific recommendations.

Please note: You're reading a review of a book, dealing with high tech electronic kit - written by someone who adores high tech electronic kits! It hasn't been easy to remain stoic and objective. I've had to curb my enthusiasm, but I can say, that I really enjoyed it!

I'll can also tell you that even a geek like me, learned a few things about this amazing technology, which was completely unknown to me.

Some things I really liked:

The word cloud on page 5.

The paired photographs on page 7.

The photos on page 27.

I was pleased to read Chapter 3 ('Methods') because it explained the various ways in which these cameras may be deployed.

It was neat to see the 'Kayleigh says' paragraph boxes throughout the book - which contained enlightening tips/information shared by the Author. The boxes were reminiscent of those often seen in the 'For Dummies' series of books.

I enjoyed Chapter 5 ('Application Types'), and Chapter 6 ('Wildlife Applications'). 

As the author herself points out: The book may be read cover-to-cover, or used as a reference. This is certainly the case. I found the descriptions of several different types of thermal imagers engaging. 

I enjoyed learning a bunch of stuff that I was unaware of in regards to this unique technology: How it's deployed, utilized, and most importantly, how the resulting data is handled. You'll be sure to learn some things you might never have guessed (I did!).

Pages 84 through 124 contained an Appendix, detailing when and where thermal imaging was discussed in the existing literature - From 1968 to 2021. As someone who is fascinated with how instruments such as bat detectors, microscopes, and telescopes have evolved over time - I found it very interesting!

Page 125 ('Resources') shares very intriguing information, which you probably didn't know you needed. Which is neatly followed up with ('Supplier Directory') on page 127. To be blatantly honest - always one of my favourite parts of any book of this type. This is the section informing the reader exactly where they can get their hands on such magic. In other words: the list of active vendors/Dealers to check out when shopping for your own thermal imagers. 

I found the book delightful, engaging, informative, and an overall wonderful reference. It would be of interest to anyone who is either considering, or ready to begin using thermal imaging technology. It's not only a unique resource on the subject, but an impressive technical reference, which one can come back to again, and again.

It also serves as an easy to understand introduction to the world of thermal imaging. Which would be well suited to a newcomer to this fascinating and useful technology. 

Until next time,

Happy bat detecting! thermal imaging!

The AudioMoth Online Conference 2023

For the second year in a row, Nils Bouillard has arranged, curated, and orchestrated The AudioMoth Online Conference!

And it was even better than the first one! I'll share the description seen on the welcome screen of the course:

"Welcome to this second edition of the Audiomoth Online Conference. Over the course of four sessions, we will be hearing from 12 researchers using Audiomoth in the field! The topics we will be covering will include coral reefs, soundscapes, birds, bats, rodents as well as perspectives and a bit of an overview of the state of affordable bioacoustic tools. Needless to say, the breadth of knowledge that will be shared during this conference, once more, will be substantial and may give you some ideas for projects of your own!"

If you look closely, you can see what the prices were (€57, and €30 for Students).

This 2023 Conference featured 12 speakers!

A LOT of material was covered! Let's get a couple of things out of the way:

• I learned a lot!
• Each of these talks were simply fascinating!

The kind of stuff that would inspire one to start thinking about collecting wildlife sound recordings! As well as underwater recordings...And hydrophones!

Yes, I still have the cutest little (purple) circuit boards for building pre-amps for (DIY) hydrophones...

No, I haven't built any yet, because I'm a bit of a scatterbrain who gets distracted by shiny, new things! lol

Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating, but - Back to The AudioMoth Conference!

12 speakers - I'll break it down further (a generalization):

Session 1

• AudioMoth + Light Pollution + Effects on the timing of bird songs (Hong Kong). By Ann To.
• AudioMoth + Bat Activity + Street lights (Hong Kong). By John Allcock. 💓
• AudioMoth + Utility of Acoustic Indices to assess diversity of birds. By Gaurav Singh

Very engrossing! Light pollution and Swinhoe's White Eye (bird) - Wow! The effects of light pollution, and street lighting on bats, Along with fascinating findings while assessing the diversity of passerine/non-passerine birds. All excellent and very informative!

Session 2

• AudioMoth + Sampling High Frequency calls of Cave Bats + Southeastern Amazon. By Giulliana Appel.
• AudioMoth + Impact of community-led Conservation Practices on Biodiversity in Floodplain Lakes + Jurua River / Amazon. By Carly Batist.
• Taking The AudioMoth Underwater + Oceanic Soundscapes + HydroMoth. By Lucille Chapuis. 💓

The techniques used to record cave bats in the Amazon was illuminating and enchanting, Learning about the floodplains, weather, and wildlife, as well as cutting edge data manipulation was interesting, The oceanic soundscapes/underwater recording, as well as equipment discussion was captivating. 

Session 3

• AudioMoth + Assessing Avian Diversity in Taita Hills, Kenya. By Vikram Malhi
• AudioMoth + Estimating The Abundance of The Critically Endangered Great Green Macaw. By Tom Lewis. 💓
• AudioMoth + Social Vocalization In Social Networks of Wild, Free-Living House Mice. By Nicholas Jourjine. 💓

Fascinating descriptions of methodologies in (avian) surveys, and data collection, The critically endangered Green Macaw is simply captivating, I thoroughly enjoyed the informative talk on the (wild) House Mice.

Session 4

• HydroMoths + Hurricanes + How Does A Low-Cost Recording Device Perform in Extreme Weather. By Nathan Wolek. 💓
• AudioMoth + Creating Tools To Conserve Our Wildlife. By Andrew Schulz.
• AudioMoth + Open Acoustic Devices. By Andy Hill. 💓

The Hurricanes and Hydromoths presentation was just chock-full of getting kids involved in real science; educative! Creating Tools to conserve our wildlife was incredibly informative, and also demonstrated kids involved in real science, the talk from Andy Hill was extremely instructive and explanatory. He shared several valuable/useful guidelines for getting the most from AudioMoths.

Now: Please keep in mind, that all of these presentations were fascinating and informative! I found all of them captivating, and deeply appreciated each of them. I simply placed a "💓" after the ones which I found to be particularly absorbing to me.

Each of these talks offered those in attendance, a unique glimpse into the current state of bioacoustic study. Each consisted of instructional breakdowns, and informative explanations of the projects discussed. As well as very well explained details of the processes, and a glimpse into the extensive amounts of work involved. 

These educational AudioMoth Online Conferences are a treasure trove of learning; and not to be missed! They are an outstanding way to learn which current, and future methods are being employed in the field of bioacoustics. 

In many cases, a look into what it's like, to utilize state-of-the-art manipulation of collected acoustic data. As well as methods and techniques, employed in challenging environments, to collect important and viable bioacoustic data.

So these online conferences would be ideal for anyone who works with, or plans to work with or deploy, virtually any device created by Open Acoustic Devices.

Attendees who have watched all the courses, whether live or recorded playback, get a certificate of completion emailed to them.

By the way, you can subscribe to the free email updates right from the Barbastella Ecology page. Just scroll down to the bottom of this page. So you won't miss out on future events. 

Until next time,

Happy bat detecting!

Book Review: Big Bat Year A Conservation Story by Nils Bouillard

Review: Big Bat Year - A Conservation Story by Nils Bouillard

The book may be seen here, at the publisher's site.

Big Bat Year, takes the reader along on the unique journey made by it's author, to see as many different species of bats as possible, in a single year.

For those of you who weren't aware, this is similar to a "Big bird year" which some avid birders undertake; often traveling around the world, to see as many different species of birds in a single calendar year.

The book is 232 pages in length, measures 6.21 x 0.63 x 8.92 inches, weighs 510 grams, and was published on April 27th, 2023.

I was very curious about this book, from the time I first learned of it. By the time I'd reached the bottom of page 4 - after reading the rules, which the author decided to impose on himself, I realized two things:

•  He's thought things through, and isn't going to make it easy for himself.
•  I'm going to enjoy reading about this adventure!

This book is unique. This factor was obvious to me, from the time of the book's release. It isn't the kind of book on bats you and I are used to. One of the key differences, is that this is a book which you sit down and read through. 

I know, please bear with me here...

It's a recounting of an adventure, a memoir of a young man determined to accomplish something (unique) which no one had set out to do before:

Record as many different species of bats as possible, while traveling around the world, and limiting yourself to one calendar year. 

I think you would agree, that he's accomplished this goal admirably! 

As always, I advise you to shop around for the best price, and delivery times. Link to NHBS below to get you started:

Back to the book...

I was pleased to read page 11, because it was the first time in which bat detectors were discussed!

Some interesting facts about invasive species began on page 13. There are such sections placed throughout the book. I will not report on all of them, so as to leave some as surprises.

An exciting description of recording a bat in New Caledonia on page 32.

I loved reading about the events leading up to the author's purchase of an AnaBat Walkabout detector (pages 34-35).

There's some concise, but effective, and encouraging words on page 69, for anyone who has ever considered learning more about bats.

Pages 71-74 (Sepilok, Borneo) has a little something for everyone - By the time you reach this point in the book, you've become well-aware that the author gives reports of many different types of animals encountered (not just bats). This will undoubtedly keep naturalists intrigued. 

Pages 75 through 206 represented the whirlwind tour of bat chasing I was looking forward to! 

With a "stop" on page 98, for a concise overview of bats & disease. 

And a short, but informative "stop" on page 100 for an explanation of bats & culture (I enjoyed it!).

Page 114 discussed the author's acquisition of The EM3 detector (from Wildlife Acoustics) so I was smiling!

There was a fascinating "first" described on page 161 (no, I'm not going to disclose everything...).

Pros:

• A unique book, which is easy to read.
• Beautiful assortment of photos.
• Very nice descriptions of the animals encountered. 

Cons:

• I would have loved to see more pictures of bats.

I found the book very interesting, at times exciting, and overall inspiring. It would be of interest to anyone connected to bats in any way; and would also be a great introduction to the world of bats for a newcomer.

If you know a birder, who either would (or should!) be interested in learning more about bats: This is the book to gift them! 

In fact, as I type this, more than one person comes to my mind...Indeed, I will inform the leaders of the 2 Birding Groups I used to tag along with - Highly recommended!  

Until next time,

Happy bat detecting!

A Brief Review Of Three Software Applications For USB Microphones

A Brief Look at 3 Software Applications For USB Microphones

• Bat Recorder for Android phones
• AudioMoth Live for Laptops
• Ultrasonic Analyzer for iPhones

Each of these applications are available from their respective locations on the Web. Each may be reached by clicking on it's name/link above. 

The Mics used for these tests

What are they?

• The Ultramic Evo 384K from Dodotronic
• The PiPPYG (DIY) from Omenie.com (Phil Atkin)
• The Brand-new (not-yet-released) AudioMoth USB Mic

Back to the software...

Bat Recorder, for Android smartphones, is found on the Google Play Store, and is listed at a price of $6.99.

AudioMoth Live is found on The Open Acoustic Devices Site, is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux; and is free.

Ultrasonic Analyzer, for Apple iPhones is found on The Apple Store, and is $19.99. Bat Recorder works on Android phones (only), is very bat-friendly, and  packed with features. It seems to be designed with the bat recordist in mind.

AudioMoth Live - Works on laptops - This can be a PC running Windows, Linux, or Mac operating system.

AudioMoth Live is well designed and simple. Perhaps the fact that it's so simple to use, translates into a good design?

Ultrasonic Analyzer - Works on Apple iPhones only, is quite advanced, with several features commonly seen on bioacoustic recording software: Cursor position (area tapped) displays: Frequency, Sound Pressure Level, etc.

This iPhone based App is designed for users who like to have options; there are plenty of customizations available.

Features & Facts - Some Pros & Cons:

Bat Recorder - Will not work with The PiPPYG USB Mic (at the time of this writing). It does work with either of the other two Mics.

AudioMoth Live App - In addition to 'Off' - You have 'Monitor' and 'Heterodyne' while monitoring/recording.

Works well with AudioMoth (obviously) 

Monitor gives you a relatively complete "audio picture" so to speak.

Heterodyne gives you a thin, moveable, white line as a tuning needle. It's free to download from Open Acoustic Devices.

Ultrasonic Analyzer - This App worked well with the AudioMoth USB mic and Dodotronic’s Evo 384K USB mic, and sometimes the PiPPYG mic. You can see high resolution screenshots of this App on the Apple store.

Easiest to use? I'd rank them from best (easiest) to worst as follows:

1. AudioMoth Live - It's so easy to use, you could probably teach a 10 year old how to use it efficiently. And it wouldn't take long! Don't like reading User Manuals? This is for you. It currently tunes down to 12kHz (via built-in heterodyne). 

2. Bat Recorder - Takes some getting used to, and you'll really need to read the (online/Built-into-app Manual) to use it properly. Ideal for anyone chasing bats.

3. Ultrasonic Analyzer - If you like Avisoft's software, then you'll like this App. Reading of the User Manual will also be required. It may be well-suited for those who are interested in recording a larger range of animals.

I can tell you that each of these Apps provide excellent accuracy in the reproduction of sound.

Until next time,

Happy bat detecting!

Review: The AudioMoth USB Microphone from Open Acoustic Devices

This is a review of the new (yet-to-be available) AudioMoth USB Microphone designed by Open Acoustic Devices.

It is not currently available to the public (at the time of this writing). I must say that I feel privileged and honoured to be the first to get one. I’ve been fortunate to be able to test, review, and publish my thoughts on this brand-new USB Mic.

This very small unit arrives in an appropriately sized box.

(AA-sized battery for scale)

The size, is very small - Specifically: 35mm x 40mm. The weight, is very light!

Unboxing / AA size battery shown for scale 

The price of this unit, has not been officially announced. However, I’m told it will be under $100 US. Based solely on the fact that this small, versatile unit works very well across multiple software applications, I have a feeling it will be quite popular.

Clever business card!

As seen in photos, this unique unit has a green hard plastic outer casing. If you are familiar with some of the documentation provided by Open Acoustic Resources, you will have seen a photo of the Mic in both green and dark blue plastic cases. 

 Page 4 of 4, of the documentation mentioned above.

At this point I cannot confirm whether or not the unit will be available in dark blue, when it is released/available for public purchase.

Back view of AudioMoth USB Mic

From the outside/back view — you can see the area for the Micro USB connector, and a female 3.5 mm jack for plugging in an additional microphone. Or, as mentioned in their documentation "...a hydrophone" 

Thanks! That's all it took to get me thinking about my (unbuilt) DIY hydrophones... 

Having this additional 3.5 mm jack provides a great resource/platform for experimenting with additional microphones - Such as others you have on hand; mini-shotgun microphones, shotgun microphones, and DIY microphone projects.

When a microphone is plugged into the 3.5mm jack, the AudioMoth USB microphone is (temporarily) disabled. 

Inside is a perfectly (snugly) fitted, small circuit board.

Where the magic happens.

 

It's worth mentioning, that this AudioMoth USB Mic is a modified version of the original AudioMoth - With: the battery holder, 256KB SRAM, SD card holder, and real-time clock crystal removed.

I found both the external and internal design to be very well done - it also didn't take long at all before I became very pleased with it's ease of use, and it's general performance.

For a very quick start:

• Download the free AudioMoth Live App - from the Open Acoustic Devices Website.
• Out of the box - simply plug in a mini USB cable to the Mic itself, with the other end plugged into a laptop.
• Launch software - Click the green play button - this begins the spectrum display scrolling from right to left.

I would strongly recommend printing out the documents which you find of most interest, to have to hand for quick-reference. However, for the sake of being thorough - here are the functions behind the switch settings of The AudioMoth USB Mic:

USB/OFF: When the switch is set to USB/OFF the sample rates, gain and filter options can be set through the AudioMoth USB Microphone App above. The green LED will light when USB is connected.

​

DEFAULT: When the switch is set to DEFAULT the device will enumerate as a USB microphone implementing the set sample rate and gain. The green LED will flash at a rate determined by the sample rate (identical to that of the standard AudioMoth firmware).

​

CUSTOM: When the switch is set to CUSTOM the device will again enumerate as a USB microphone implementing the sample rate and gain settings as above, and also the requested filter and advanced settings. The red LED will flash at a rate determined by the sample rate (identical to that of the standard AudioMoth firmware). You can switch between DEFAULT and CUSTOM whilst recording to see the effect of these settings.

I generally keep mine in 'Default' mode, for the majority of my recording.

The (proposed) relatively low cost of this USB Microphone will make it an attractive bit of kit for many people. Not just those involved in ultrasound recording (bats!), but those involved in wildlife sound recording in general.

Since it not only excels at recording ultrasonic sounds—it also does a good job of recording audible sounds as well.

Here is just one of many examples of recordings I made: Two Baby Barred Owls vocalizing at night.

Recorded with the brand-new AudioMoth USB Mic from Open Acoustic Devices, at an approximate distance of 15 meters.

This makes The USB Mic a good choice for those who intend on recording both ultrasonic and audible sounds.

This new microphone would also be very good for bat detecting enthusiasts/obviously, as well as those interested in recording other wildlife sounds. 

From my extensive testing, I’ve also concluded that Professionals will find it very useful as well... I find it to be robust, and pleasantly sensitive using it's default settings. You plug it into your laptop, launch the AudioMoth Live App - And it just works! Audio is coming over your laptop's speakers, loud and clear.

I believe it would be perfect for having a listen around an area, and/or before deploying the main/overnight recorders. It would be perfect for confirming the presence of animal vocalizations before deploying other overnight equipment... 

This relatively inexpensive unit, would make an excellent addition to the recording equipment of the typical recording enthusiast. With the combination of being affordable, and providing very good performance. I found the recordings to be on par with several of the detectors available today. 

I've used The AudioMoth USB Mic on: An old Samsung smartphone, running the Bat Recorder App; as well as on an iPhone running Ultrasonic Analyzer. No issues were encountered. 

I've made countless recordings of my local bats, and they were all excellent! During recording, and later on when playing back and analysing. 

These recordings will be shown/played/discussed in an upcoming presentation on The BatAbility Club (on 7/24/2023).

I hope to add some spectrograms to this review in the near future also... For now, here's a recent screenshot:

This is most likely one of my local Big Brown Bats (Eptesicus fuscus)

I'm also planning to add some related material to my YouTube channel, and SoundCloud for convenience. 

To go over the steps/to reiterate:

1. Install the AudioMoth Live App downloaded from here.
2. Plug in The USB Mic using the length of USB cable appropriate for your needs.
3. Wait for your laptop's operating system to detect and recognize The USB Microphone.
4. Launch the AudioMoth USB Live App Audio.
5. You want to choose 'File' > 'Enable high sample rate' (typically).
6. Press the green Play button (starts spectrogram scrolling).
7. Select 'Auto save file duration' (or capture wav files yourself manually).

When you first plug-in and use this AudioMoth: You will immediately recognize how accurate the microphone is at detecting and reproducing sound. There is also an option to select 'Off' which stops the spectrogram scrolling/screen.

The 'Monitor' setting, gives you the option of monitoring large swaths of incoming sound. You may also select 'Heterodyne' to provide the advantage of a heterodyne bat detector to the incoming sound. 

Pros:

• Very user-friendly, not much effort required to begin recording.
• May be used to record ultrasonic and audible sounds.
• Extremely small and lightweight.
• Described as splash proof, which means it won't deteriorate from some (accidental) light rain.
• The AudioMoth Live App works well with The Dodotronic Ultramic Evo384K Mic - It may work with the USB Mic you currently have to hand...

Cons:

• Omnidirectional only.
• Not available for purchase yet.

Getting your hands on one of these USB Mics (when they become available to the public) may be different than what you're used to. It depends...

As for where and when to order: I can't say at this time. Stay tuned! And keep checking the Open Acoustics Devices Site, as well as GroupGets and LabMaker (Earth and Ecology page).

Mid-August Update: I'm working on adding just a bit more to this review. Mostly, screen captures and an additional summary.

For now, I cannot emphasize the following statement enough:

The AudioMoth USB Microphone is a simple and robust device, which allows you to begin recording bats quickly, easily, and accurately. Especially when using the AudioMoth Live App on a laptop!

I want to be clear: This new AudioMoth USB Mic is a pleasure to use. The AudioMoth Live App designed for use with it (works with other USB Mics too) is refreshingly simple. I'm very happy with the way it represents what the Mic is hearing, as well as how easily it allows me to save the recordings.

Until next time,

Happy bat detecting!

The USB Microphone By Open Acoustic Devices Has Arrived!

Just a brief post, for now: The USB Mic, which has just been developed by Open Acoustic Devices arrived the other day (here in upstate NY - From England).

There will be a full review here on the blog in the future. However, the first debut and discussion of it, will be on July 24th, via The BatAbility Club. You may follow this link: The BatAbility Club to find out more about them.

As mentioned in the preceding post, the software covered, will mainly be:

• Bat Recorder - An Android phone App from Google Play Store.
• Audiomoth Live App - by Open Acoustic Devices.
• With a brief look at Ultrasonic Analyzer (iPhone App).

Unboxing 

I'm very excited to share my first impressions of this brand-new USB Microphone here; after having Tweeted about it, etc.

This is the back of the microphone

Back view of the microphone plugged into laptop 

• It's small and light - All that's needed is a USB to Micro USB cable.
• Using it (with The AudioMoth Live App) is super simple.
• It has a built-in 3.5mm jack - for plugging-in an additional microphone. This is an outstanding feature for experimenters!
• It works flawlessly on laptops.
• I've used it without incident on Android smart phones (with Bat Recorder).
• I've also used it on my iPhone (w/ adapter) and Ultrasonic Analyzer (iPhone App).

I mention this last point, because it demonstrates how versatile this Mic is - It works well on an App which was developed before the Mic existed. The iPhone App even displays the name of the Mic. The reason why isn't earth-shattering; but it's still neat!

It is also a great indicator of the smooth operation that one can expect, from this little piece of hardware. I also like the idea of the documentation stating its splash proof; thanks to the use of a Gore® protective vent over the Mic element. Not that I would ever "test" its ability to repel water (and neither should you) it's just nice to know it's there.

It may begin to drizzle one night, when you least expect it...

Obviously, I'm just sharing very basic bullet points - These points (and others) will be greatly expanded upon going forward, and in future blog posts.

It is a pleasure to use, provides sensitivity similar to a (low-cost) shotgun microphone - the compact types made for DSLRs - with the advantage of ultrasound, of course. The intuitive AudioMoth Live App allows one to tune (the Mic) all the way down to 12kHz. 

Until next time,

Happy bat detecting!