Church Bells in Malta

Malta, a small island in the Mediterranean, boasts an abundance of churches, chapels, and cathedrals – 313 in total on the main island and 46 on the smaller island of Gozo. During my visit, I was fortunate enough to record the bells at the Hal Safi Parish Church.

Recording Experience

I was able to get up close to the bell tower thanks to a local friend who was able to arrange a meeting with the priest. Knowing that the bells would be loud, I used a the Zoom F6 32-bit recorder to record the sounds. I placed the Audio Technica 4025 microphone directly next to the tower while using a Zoom H8, along with two Sennheiser MKH 8040 microphones, in the courtyard below.

Preparing for the Recording

To ensure that the recordings wouldn’t be distorted, I kept the gain levels lower on the Zoom H8, which is a 24-bit recorder. Although I was worried about the recordings while I was up close to the bells, I was relieved to find that everything had turned out well when I reviewed the files at home.

Church Bell Sound Library

I was able to record over 40 minutes of melodic church bells and several single hits during the feast for the Conversion of Saint Paul, which was taking place at 5 pm. Thanks to Marcelle and the priest at Hal Safi Parish Church for making this recording experience possible.