Outdoor Sounds

Distant highway traffic drifts across the water in this morning commute capture from a cliffside rental in Osage Beach. The morning commute.  Not every recording is about untouched wilderness. My rental property in Osage Beach, Missouri, had a great, but distant view of a local highway bridge, so I captured what it sounded like first thing in the morning: the ambient flow of cars and trucks,...

Busy midday boat traffic on the Lake of the Ozarks: engines, wakes, and the sounds of a summer afternoon on the water. Listen in to this capture of busy midday boats enjoying the lake. Recorded during a trip to the Lake of the Ozarks, this episode is all about the energy of a summer afternoon on the water. Speedboats, pontoons, and other watercraft pass by in a near-constant parade, engines rising...

A relaxed dockside moment at Lake of the Ozarks—waves, ambient lake life, and a well-earned drink. Me, a beverage, and the dock at my Lake of the Ozarks rental.  After a busy day of boats and lake activity, there’s something nice about sitting still and letting the water do the talking—waves lapping against the shoreline, the ambient hum of the lake going about its evening business, and the o...

A summer evening at Lake of the Ozarks—boats, waves, birds, distant cars, and a creaking metal dock. Ever wonder what the Lake of the Ozarks sounds like on a summer evening? This episode captures a cliffside waterfront property in Osage Beach, Missouri, as the day eases into evening. Listen for the steady rhythm of waves rolling in below, boats passing in the distance, birds settling in for the ni...

Sunset ambience from a lakefront cliffside in Osage Beach—speed boats, pontoons, and jet skis on the Lake of the Ozarks. Lake of the Ozarks at sunset. This is a different kind of soundscape than usual: less solitude, more energy, capturing that golden-hour buzz of a lake in full summer swing as the sun goes down.  I recently had the opportunity to stay on a beautiful lakefront property in Osa...

A campus pond—birds, baby ducks, e-bikes, and distant traffic on the East Beltline. The mystery of the disappearing waterfall. A listener recently reached out with a request: record the waterfall on the Calvin College campus in Grand Rapids. (You know who you are, and thank you for the tip!) So I made the trip out, mic in hand, only to discover that the waterfall had vanished. Turns out they appar...

A binaural walk out from a remote cabin—wagon wheels, slush, birds, and woodland creatures in true stereo. In this episode, you hear my trek as I reluctantly leave a secluded A-frame cabin tucked about a mile into the woods—pulling a wagon loaded with my gear back through the slush toward the car, the woods slowly waking up around me. Listen with headphones to get the true left-right experience of...

The quiet crackle of a wood stove and the scratch of a pen while planning the year ahead in a remote A-frame. Find solitude. This is Outdoor Sounds. Solo escape in a little A-frame cabin for a yearly planning session. This isn’t technically “outdoors,” but the cabin is simple and remote enough that I’ll let it slide. This episode is a quiet one: the small wood stove ticking and crackling as it war...

During an overnight planning retreat, I stayed in a tiny A-frame cabin about a mile into the woods from the parking area. Warm enough that day to turn the snow into thick, messy slush—so enjoy the sounds of that walk, there and back. Recorded with a Sound Devices MixPre 6 and a Sennheiser shotgun mic. This is Outdoor Sounds. At the beginning of the year, I had the chance to stay in a tiny A-frame...

The crackle and hum of a wood stove inside a small A-frame cabin during a solo winter planning retreat. Near the beginning of this year, I took my annual planning retreat—a tradition where I step away on my own to think through the year ahead. This time, that meant a few quiet days in a small A-frame cabin: just a table, a cot for sleeping, and a wood stove for warmth. It’s not technically an “out...

Slushy Michigan rain in December.  Slushy December rain. When you live in Michigan, the weather can be pretty unpredictable. It might be sunny, rainy, and snowy all at the same time. It’s actually been pretty cold and snowy over the last couple of weeks, but during a brief warm-up, nearly everything melted, and it even rained for a day before completely snowing over again.  This recording of surpr...

Early winter snowfall taps against lingering autumn leaves, creating a soft, steady white-noise soundscape. This recording is subtle and calming. If you’ve never experienced Michigan, we’re lucky to have all four seasons and a mix of deciduous and evergreen trees. Most years, the leaves are long gone by the time the first real snow arrives—but this year was different. An early snowfall came before...

Evening rush hour heard from the edge of winter woods—traffic, falling snow, and quiet creaks carried through cold air. When you live close to a city, it’s hard to avoid the sound of traffic—especially in winter. With the trees bare and snow covering the ground, sound carries differently, traveling farther and standing out more sharply against the otherwise quiet landscape. Today’s recording captu...

A half-frozen winter runoff flowing into the Rogue River—gentle tones of water and ice recorded on a cold Midwest day. The longer I spend listening to nature… the clearer the subtleties become. Winter has fully arrived here in the Midwest, and during a quiet walk through the town of Rockford, Michigan, I went searching for something worth capturing. Near the boardwalk, I came across a small runoff...

Wind chimes on a breezy day. This Outdoor Sounds.  I’ve really been enjoying the simple things lately. We recently had a windy West Michigan day - it’s nature’s way of removing the rest of the leaves from the trees. And I capture the sounds of the little wind chime hanging off the roof on our deck.  It was recorded with my Sennheiser Shotgun mic and Zoom F3 recorder. 

Church silence. This is Outdoor Sounds.  Sometimes the best sound is when there is none at all. I recently stopped pray in the middle of the night at a church I knew was open. It was close to midnight, just barely raining, and silent in a way I haven’t heard in a long time.  Fortunately I had my equipment in the truck so I set up in this little grove or grotto on the side of the building and let i...

Traveling to Australia. This is Outdoor Sounds.  Today’s episode is a special submission from a friend of mine, Jason Earle, the Founder of GotMold. Jason has been spending some time abroad and was able to capture some early morning nature sounds in Manly, New South Wales. It’s a popular beachside suburb of northern Sydney Australia.  The recording start very quite and then comes to life with the...

A running clean stream. This is Outdoor Sounds.  Most of the time, I don’t need much. On this recording I sat in the woods on a Sunday afternoon for about an hour and a half while recording a beautiful little stream. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. This was recorded with my sennheiser mkh416 shotgun mic and zoom f3 digital recorder. 

Sitting in the woods with nothing to do. This is Outdoor Sounds.  This is a shorter recording from my hour and a half stint in the woods. The bummer is I didn’t check the battery before recording and I only captured about 20 minutes of it.  Regardless, I hope you are as relaxed as I was listening to this.  It was recorded with my LOM BasicUchos and MixPre 6. 

The Early Morning Songbirds at a Hocking Hills Campground episode was the most popular recording from last quarter. So, here is the audio looped for over 8 hours for your listening pleasure. Enjoy!

Unwind by a September bonfire as the crackle fades to embers, joined by crickets, night air, and wildlife in this calming outdoor soundscape. In this episode, you’ll join me for the wind-down of a family bonfire on a beautiful Sunday evening in September. As the fire slowly burns from bright crackles down to glowing embers, the surrounding nighttime soundscape begins to take center stage. You’ll h...