Sennheiser’s MKH series condenser microphones helped sound recordist Thomas Rex Beverly to capture the sounds of nature during his recent expedition to the majestic wilds of Pagagonia, which lies partly in Argentina and partly in Chile.
Beverly is a world-renowned “adventure field recordist”, who has compiled around 100 sound libraries, which have been used by Oscar, Emmy, and Golden Globe winners for major film, television, and video game projects. For the Patagonia expedition, he packed a range of outdoor gear, eight recorders, eight microphone rigs tailored to various recording needs and session lengths, DIY hydrophones, cameras, SD cards, a few sets of Sennheiser HD 280 PRO headphones, and multiple sets of batteries.
He said: “When travelling by plane, there’s a restriction on the battery size allowed, typically around 100 watt-hours, which directly impacts the number of recording sessions I can undertake. My mic setup includes high-quality options like the Sennheiser MKH 8020 and MKH 8040, powered by 48V phantom, alongside 24V phantom power and plug-in-power mics for my drop rigs,” he elaborates. Beverly also tested the latest Sennheiser MKH 8030 figure-8 microphone during this trip.”
Thomas and his colleague Andy, set up their base camp in El Chaltén, known as the national capital of trekking in Argentina and the starting point for several trails surrounding the peaks of Cerro Torre and Monte Fitz Roy. They went on day hikes and overnight camping trips for a total of 12 days, exploring and recording.
During the first days, Beverly ventured out for shorter hikes to experiment with the MKH 8030 microphone and with hopes of recording wildlife like austral parakeets, austral pygmy owls, large Magellanic woodpeckers, guanacos, and Andean pumas. Beverly joked that when it came to pumas, he didn’t want to attract any attention, so he used some of his ‘drop’ microphone rigs, which recorded for up to seven days by themselves.
When hurricane-force gales funnelled through El Chaltén, Beverly had the perfect opportunity to record extreme wind sounds. “One of the best ways to record howling and whistling winds is by capturing power lines resonating in the wind or the sound of windows cracking when the wind blows at 80 miles an hour. These produce very melodic whistles that sound editors love to use in film scenes.”
After recording around El Chaltén, Beverly, his friend, a specially hired mountaineering guide and a porter embarked on a four-day backpacking trip to Torre Glacier. A river crossing marked the point that separates the hikers from the climbers, who cross the river to reach the giant peaks.
Past the river, the crew found themselves in a forest made up entirely of lenga beech. Some of the most captivating sound he recorded was the rain inside a giant hollow log of a lenga beech, which Beverly calls the ‘cello of the forest’. He said: “The log adds a unique character by allowing you to hear the rain both outside and through the wood. You need to find a well-worn log with a thin layer of wood around the hole and large flakes peeling off. This creates a chromatic rain sound that is soothing, with a woody, plopping, and pinging texture, resulting in a beautiful rain melody.”
Beverly says recording the wind is always a challenge, the key question being how to capture all the details amidst the noise. Sometimes the wind can turn into a roar, and so a lot of what he was doing was getting a mix of the power of that roar but also the close-up details, whether it’s the rustling leaves, the canopy sounds, or a branch creaking with an ominous, eerie groan.
Beverly used the Sennheiser MKH 8040 to capture this experience, choosing these microphones because he could mount them in an ORTF setup that is compact but still retains a wide and immersive stereo image.
The Torre Glacier, which the team finally reached, has retreated up the valley significantly in the last ten years. Following their mountaineering guide, they reached a spot where icebergs were calving off the glacier, and then trapped by rocks in a small area.
He explained: “I could throw some hydrophones into the part of the lake filled with icebergs, capturing the sound of them shifting and melting. I discovered that the icebergs here, confined to such a small space, produced more squeaking and creaking sounds. It revealed sounds I didn’t know existed. One night it rained heavily, so the hydrophones also captured the underwater rain.”
He concluded: “The combination of towering mountains, deep valleys, and the expansive ice sheet creates a truly unique environment. It’s a place filled with unparalleled beauty and unique sounds that resonate with a purity and grandeur you simply can’t find anywhere else. The Patagonia Expedition has been a remarkable experience, not only challenging me to explore new territories but also uncovering sounds I never knew existed. Each trip is unique and this one, with its blend of challenges and incredible moments and fascinating ecosystems, stands out as truly unforgettable.”
