Product Description
The Atlantic Forest Domain – Vol. I: Birdsong Ambience – Mantiqueira collection offers exclusive soundscapes recorded in the Serra da Mantiqueira, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The Mantiqueira region is located within the Atlantic Forest Domain, featuring a mountainous topography with well-preserved native forest areas that serve as habitat for a rich native fauna, notably a great variety of songbirds, while also being characterized by intense rural activity.
The field recordings were captured with excellent technical quality in three-track recordings and four-track recordings, allowing for a pristine and immersive representation of the sonic complexity and beauty of the region. The soundscapes were captured in forest areas within the open ombrophilous forest ecosystem, specifically on small rural properties in the Gonçalves region, Minas Gerais, at an altitude of approximately 1,450 meters (4,757 feet).
Collection Details and Technical Specifications
This collection consists of 15 files recorded during the summer of 2015.
- Duration: Continuous files ranging from 2 to 10 minutes. Total duration is approximately 70 minutes.
- Digital Recording: Initially recorded at 24 bits/48KHz.
- Mastering: Finalized at 24 bits/96KHz using Pro Tools.
- Ready for Use: Preserving their original characteristics, the files underwent a meticulous process of unwanted sound element removal (using iZotope’s RX 9 software), making them ready for integration into professional post-production projects.
Track Configuration
The collection features soundscapes with the following track configurations:
- 11 Files: Captured in 3 tracks (ORTF adaptation) in an L/C/R layout.
- 3 Files: Captured in 4 tracks (Quad) in an L/R/Ls/Rs layout.
- 1 Bonus File: Monophonic. Ambience featuring a small passing motorcycle (a common mode of transport for rural workers in the region).
Stereo Option
A stereo version (L/R) of the collection is also available. The downmix was performed in Pro Tools using the Penteo 360 plugin, offering a more affordable alternative for projects requiring only L/R stereo format files.
Organization and Content
The files are named following the Universal Category System (UCS). Detailed information and descriptions of the sonic environments have been incorporated into the metadata (via Soundminer), facilitating search and organization within your sound library.
The collection offers unique and genuine soundscapes. Each track is a crystalline sonic sample, captured at different times of the day, providing a comprehensive representation of the fauna’s diversity and the rural environment. The files include numerous songbirds, ambiences with delicate cricket sounds, and distant human activities, representing the characteristic soundscape of the Mantiqueira’s mountainous rural areas.
Amidst the varied chorus of birds, the following are highlighted: the strident “cackling” of the Red-legged Seriemas (seriemas), the alarm and threat calls of the Southern Lapwings (quero-queros), the strong and hoarse cry of the Guan (Penelope genus) (jacu), and the unmistakable song of the Great Kiskadees (bem-te-vis).
This library is a valuable resource for sound designers, filmmakers, and professionals seeking authentic, high-fidelity natural sounds for professional audiovisual projects.
Capture and Recording Equipment
- Microphones: Schoeps MK41 (3X) – for L/C/R tracks; Schoeps MK41 (2X) + Sennheiser MKH418s – for L/R/Ls/Rs (Quad) tracks.
- Recorder: Sound Devices 788T.