51 WEATHER FOCUS Audio
As harsh as weather gets on Earth, there are far more punishing environments out there for microphones. In 2021, Nasa’s Mars 2020 Rover mission will set down on the Martian surface and capture video and audio of the landing. The first sounds from the red planet will be recorded by DPA d:dicate 4006 Omnidirectional and DPA MMA-A Digital Audio Interface microphones. Both mics will be paired with MMP-G Modular Active Cables, which act as preamplifiers. In order to capture the sounds of an alien world, the design team at Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory created a special enclosure for mounting the MMA-A interface inside the rover chassis and the DPA R&D team created a custom MMP-G amplifier housing to bolt onto the Rover’s exterior. DUSTY, WITH A 90% CHANCE OF MORE DUST
covered with Bubblebee wind fur, which is especially resistant to water. “There are some microphones whose key selling point is that they are water resistant. They’re not for underwater recording – that’s a different construction – but it does give you the ability to use the microphone if it has been immersed in water. How it sounds when it comes out of the water is something else – they may not sound natural anymore,” says Brinck. Weather and climate reporting has become of central interest – and importance – to people all over the world. In common with many other types of content, there is a push to provide deeper and richer – more ‘immersive’ – experiences. Being able to realistically capture the pit-pat of rain, the freight-train sound of a tornado or the roar of a wildfire
is going to be a major factor in presenting climate and weather coverage in the future. New technologies, including binaural recording, may be one of the next frontiers in weather recording. “With binaural you can wear a headset, or even a hat,” explains Brinck. “You have the microphones in your ears and the microphones are picking up everything you would hear right at that location. It sounds really magical. I have yet to try it in extreme weather situations – but I’ll let you know once we have!” How much more effective would it be to hear the splashing of water and the human impact of a flood in South Asia as if you were really there? These technologies could make this happen – good news for us, as sound can communicate experiences on an emotional level beyond the realm of what can be captured by the eyes.
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