It has been quite a strange year! In contrast to all the negative stuff regarding the Covid-19, for me personally, this year was actually surprisingly rewarding.
Everything started when I got a grant for the year 2021. The grant was granted by the Alfred Kordelin foundation, and it was meant for recording a large sound collection of sounds of Lapland, Finland. Nothing like this, on this scale, had been done here before. For me, this was a proud moment, as Lapland is my home.
For the project, I bought a good amount of gear, from microphones and other recording gear to GoPro and an expedition sled. I’ll list the gear further below.
Free collection of 167 tracks
Please be free to start listening to the sounds while you read. The playlist is below.
Most of these sounds I recorded this year. I added also some sounds from the previous year, as I thought they were a good addition. Full versions of many of these sounds can be found on my other sound libraries. This sound collection of 167 tracks can be freely used for commercial projects without attribution. Resale or repacking is not permitted. The download link is at the end of this post.
In addition, I released a bunch of commercial sound effect libraries, including Arctic Wind, Arctic Water, and Snow Impacts. Some of the sounds I decided to release as single tracks, for example this track:
You can hear the water flowing under the snow! It was recorded in Enontekiö, which is located in northern Lapland.
While recording sounds, I started a YouTube series called “Field Recording Lapland”, which has currently 11 episodes. The series includes sound recordings, hiking, and gear stuff. Here’s episode number 11, Reindeer Round-Up:
This year has been full of unique experiences, and the reindeer round-up was certainly one of them.
Main gear
- MixPre-6 II: My main recorder alongside…
- Sony PCM-D100: My other main recorder.
- MKH 8040 x 2: I used these in stereo and mono.
- Rycote Stereo WS AE ORTF Kit: For 8040’s.
- Rycote Wind Screen Kit 10: For 8040.
- MKH 8020: This I used with a parabolic dish.
- Telinga Universal MK2: Parabolic dish.
- Manfrotto 5001B Nano Stand
- Sony MDR-7506 headphones
- Orca OR-270: Bag for MixPre-6 II.
- GoPro Hero 9 Black
- Sandstrøm 20100 mAh Powerbank USB-C x 2: For MixPre, GoPro and smartphone.
- Fonekit IP20K-C 20100 mAh powerbank: For MixPre, GoPro and smartphone.
- Hama 10200 mAh powerbank: For GoPro and smartphone.
At the end of the year, I got a few additions to my gear, including:
- LOM Geofón: Geophone
- Aquarian Audio H2a-XLR x2: Hydrophone
I’ll tell more about my gear in another post.
Well, what happens in the year 2022?
I’ll continue recording, and I’ll continue making videos. I’m sure there will be more sound effect libraries. I’m planning to experiment a lot with my geophone and hydrophones, so there will be something special coming! Something completely different is also on its way, but that’s a story I’ll share after the new year’s celebrations.
So, thank you for reading, listening, and following. Here you can find the download links for the free Lapland sound effect library: https://www.niklaseuren.com/product/lapland/
Hi Niklas,
Fascinating read! This is a really interesting project with some great recording results 🙂
I’ve just got the Mix-pre 3 II to go with my 8040 pair, so I’m hoping to get out and make some good use of them – it’s nice to see someone with similar kit producing such good results!
I couldn’t get around traveling, as much as I usually do, with Covid, so it’s nice to travel through other people’s sound libraries instead aha – keep up the good work!
All the best,
Dan