Tag Archives: Trains

Rail Crossing Warning Systems

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The weather was unseasonably warm in Minneapolis today. As I write this it is nineteen degrees centigrade (sixty six degrees fahrenheit) at 7:11pm on a usual chilly late October evening. Days like this require mates on bikes to meet outdoors to drink beer at undisclosed locations near bodies of water. On my way to such a location I was held up by a train and decided to record it.

By the time I had my gear out of the bag the train had passed, but the warning bells were still ringing so I walked up to them while recording. I’m fairly sure that these bells are not mechanical, or even analog, but here they are nonetheless with all the ambiance included.

Train Track Bells

Good Quality Field Recording on a Budget

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I made this recording of a freight train near downtown Minneapolis today using an old third generation 20 gig iPod running Linux (more info at ipodlinux.org). The microphone I used to capture the sound was an Audio Technica AT822 stereo condenser, list price of $419, but zZounds.com has them for about $250. The nice thing about the AT822 is that it comes with an XLR to 1/8″ stereo cable as well as a standard “Y” cable. This makes it easy to plug it into a hand held portable recording device like a DAT recorder or MiniDisc.

Unfortunately the iPod only records in mono via the headphone jack, but I was able to get a good strong signal into it via the left channel element, and record at a staggering 88.2kHz sampling rate! 96kHz is also supported. There is a way to get a stereo line level signal recorded through the dock connector, but I would need a preamp between the iPod and the mic so I may not bother unless I find something cheap, tiny and battery operated. I’ve ordered a replacement battery for the iPod, and I’m planning on keeping this small kit in my bike bag to make impromptu recordings. I would be interested in hearing about other examples of good quality field recording ACB readers have used. Anyone else have similar techniques?

iPod Recorded Freight Train