CASE STUDY ICE CALVING
“Icebergs are part of the lifecycle of a glacier, so recording them is an important part of the story”
coming from the contact mics. When you mix those together, you get these epic-sounding events. And so that was one of my main goals, to have the close calving sound on the glacier and distant perspectives from the double mid-side rig, where you’re looking at the glacier from up to half a kilometre away.” To add more colour and resonance, Beverly was also able to capture another aspect of glacial erosion; the underwater world of melting icebergs. He says icebergs are part of the lifecycle of a glacier, which made recording them both over and underwater an important part of the story. “It’s very tricky to record underwater sounds,” he explains. “Many hydrophone recordings are conceptually interesting because they show the unheard world below the waves, but they sound like tinny lo-fi recordings that don’t captivate my ears. That changed in Greenland with a combination of some DIY hydrophones and the distinct underwater acoustics of the rocky fjords. “If you record out in the middle of a giant fjord with a depth of 1000m, there is very little resonance. However, find rocky fjords with depths ranging from 50–300m and they sound like cathedrals! The pinging and booming of the icebergs could be heard bouncing around the walls with wonderful echoes.” Preserving the natural landscape While calving has always been part of a glacier’s lifecycle, climate change has significantly accelerated the erosion of them all. Through his field recordings,
campsite recording the calving. Over the two weeks, I managed to capture about 700 calving events.” Recording in such extreme and remote locations means packing light, with a rig which covers a wide variety of use cases. Beverly says his caters for a comprehensive range of environments. “You have a front and rear mic – which in my case is the pair of 8040s – and side mic – the MKH 30-P48. This has been my go-to rig, as you can record everything from a close-up animal to surround sound all in one blimp. Plus it’s compact, which is important for me as I have to think about how much gear I can fit in my backpack! “Another benefit is that these mics do really well in extreme temperatures and humidity. After having them for over six years recording in the wild at least eight weeks a year, they are still going strong!” In Greenland, Beverly used additional mics in spaced omni configurations, set up as stereo pairs or in quad, as well as a pair of Geofón omnidirectional field recording mics which can capture ground vibrations. sounded like a subwoofer. We found the source – a deep crevasse formed by a waterfall inside the glacier was creating large pockets of air in the sub-glacier river. The bubbles would burst every few seconds and the sounds would resonate up through the crevasse like a sleeping dragon. “By using the 8040s together with Geofóns, I was able to get the sounds of the glacier, plus the kind of sub-bass impact Developing perspective “I started feeling this bass sound, it
Beverly aims to inspire listeners and help preserve the precious natural landscapes and their breathtaking soundscapes for future generations. “All of the glaciers that I have recorded in Greenland are retreating at an unprecedented rate,” he laments. “By recording sounds of spectacular calving events, I hope others can experience and love these living rivers of ice. Whether it’s a blockbuster movie, nature documentary, video game or art installation, the sound is the element that bonds the story together like glue. “The more people develop a visceral connection, the more likely we are to slow their retreat.”
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HEARD AROUND THE WORLD Recording the sound of glaciers calving was a unique job for Thomas Rex Beverly (top right) – and the scenery was simply stunning (above)
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