AMB018 STRANGE RAIN

A month ago I woke up on a Monday morning with my plans to head out recording FOLIAGE stalled by pouring rain… Rain that the weather forecast forgot to mention! But rather than be frustrated I decided to experiment with unusual methods for recording rain, starting with capturing four discrete channels of granular metal rain by placing a microphone in two vintage mnilk cans as well as a trash can and a copper bin. Sitting inside listening on headphones while showers passed soon became the best Monday morning I’d had in ages! So I started stalking the local rain radar and for the following days and weeks every time I saw a rain shower approaching, I would roll my recorder on a different setup of props.

Please check out the MAKING OF video for a very quick listen to each set up, but over the following weeks I progressed from resonant vintage milk cans, trash can & copper bin to two waterphones, the giant Tank Resonator, a 44 Gallon drum, three tuned steel pan drums, pots and pans and bowls, buckets, kettles and a biscuit tin… And then switched from my MKH8040 and MKH8020 mics to a set of six Usi Pro mics which I used inside six vintage gas tanks, and then in two sets of six wind chime pipes.

For more ‘normal’ purposes I also recorded quad rain in a tin shed and six channel rain in my greenhouse, where my mics (MKH8040/8020/70×2) got to hang out with my avocado plants, yuzu, tamarillo etc… Really lovely textural rain, which could easily double for canvas or tent fabric without ruining DX.

In most cases I would leave the setup recording for 30-60 minutes, which enabled me to later make selections to provide a range of intensities, from gentle steady rain so passing downpours. The resulting library is a strangely beguiling collection of characterful interior rain.