Cockatoos Screaming In Windy Forest ORTF 3D
There’s something wonderful about walking into a forest that already feels alive before you even set up a microphone.
The moment we stepped away from the Olinda Falls parking lot, which is just a little drive outside Melbourne, we were welcomed by a full chorus of cockatoos overhead. Shrill calls, sharp squawks, sudden whistles from every direction, all while the wind pushed hard through the massive and impressive treetops.
It was November, but it felt more like the edge of winter, barely 13°C and of course, in true Victorian style, we were reminded that Melbourne really does like to throw all four seasons into a single day.
While I was unpacking the Schoeps ORTF-3D array, the gusts got stronger, and leaves began to tear free and scatter across the forest floor.
The sound of distant birds wailing through the valley added this eerie, cinematic depth as if the whole landscape was part of a much bigger story. Standing there beside the fern gullies and massive eucalyptus trees already felt surrea, but the screaming of the cockatoos made it almost otherworldly.
A little farther down the trail, Olinda Falls came back into the picture. It’s not a dramatic waterfall by any means, more like a steady forest creek threading its way through the rocks, but that’s exactly the beauty of nature sound recording. The smaller the stream, the more detail you get. Huge waterfalls tend to settle into a constant band of white or pink noise, which has its own charm, but a narrow creek tells a completely different sonic story. Every tiny stone shapes the water differently. Every ripple, slap, swirl, and bounce becomes its own unique sound.
But the rain started again, and with no shelter nearby, we had to make the call. We do have a rain cover for the ORTF-3D array, but it’s brand-new to us, and I wasn’t comfortable leaving the rig in the rain. So we packed everything quickly and hiked back up toward the parking lot, soaked but happy, because that’s all part of the adventure.
This release marks our very first individual 3D immersive sound library recorded with the Schoeps ORTF-3D, and we couldn’t be more excited about the direction we’re heading. Expect more small, affordable spatial packs like this coming very soon.
