{"product_id":"finland-electromagnetic-chorus","title":"AMB106 Finland: Electromagnetic Chorus","description":"\u003ch1 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 170, 255);\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvailable Tuesday, Oct. 13th\u003cimg\u003e\u003cimg\u003e\u003cimg\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h1\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDESCRIPTION: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI first learned about VLF recording back in grad school in 2013. It's this nerdy niche of radio enthusiasts with a lot of overlap with the ham radio community.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVLF stands for very low frequency radio waves, which basically means radio waves that are 20 hertz to 20,000 hertz. That's very low for a radio waves, which are generally in the megahertz or higher range. But because the radio wave is in the range of our hearing, you can translate the radio wave into something that you actually hear.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese VLF antennas can pick up electromagnetic storms in the atmosphere. A lot of these are caused by distant thunderstorms. When the lightning strikes, it actually creates a radio wave that bounces between the different layers of the atmosphere. That can be heard as something called a sferic or a whistler, and that's one of the more common VLF sounds.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut that wasn't my goal in Finland. I was aiming to record the sounds of the Northern Lights. The particles shooting out of the sun that hit our magnetosphere and create the visually stunning display of the Northern Lights also put off radio waves that are in this same spectrum. So you can hear pops, crackles, resonant noise and potentially other phenomena. And that was my goal in Finland.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBut before I could record in Finland, I had to go through 10 years of failed attempts and iterations.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI first found a sound artist that was building these, and he taught me how to build a basic DIY VLF receiver, which is a giant spool of copper wire. This spool has to be a certain diameter and number of turns in order to pick up the frequencies I want. It looks like a big hula hoop.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe first attempt at recording VLF was on a 2015 cross-country bicycle trip where I rode from San Diego, California to the Davis Mountains in West Texas. I decided it was a great idea to haul this giant hula hoop of copper wire with me to try to record electromagnetic sounds. It was a neat experiment, but it didn't sound that great and I regretted bringing this heavy spool of wire with me on the bike when climbing over the rocky mountains.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI remember vividly the first experience recording in this way. I had both the VLF mics and my acoustic mic set up, and there was a thunderstorm in the distance. I was listening through both of them. You could see the lightning and instantly hear the pop in the VLF mic, and then a few seconds later the acoustic mics would pick up the sound of the rippling thunder. Because the VLF wave is traveling at the speed of light. And then the speed of sound is much slower, so it takes a few seconds for the thunder to arrive.\u003cbr\u003eListening to this live was really fascinating, but I was never that impressed with the sound of the recordings. Because one of these big hula hoop receivers is mono, and I generally can't stand the sound of mono recordings in any context.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe next iteration of this process was finding a guy on eBay in 2017 that built these DIY VLF radio antennas. This was a different type of pickup where it was just a tiny little box with a long telescoping antenna that's about six feet long. That was much more portable to deal with, picked up the sounds pretty well, but also had the issue of being mono.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI was able to record some interesting atmospheric sounds with these early experiments between 2015 and 2025, but I was never that impressed with the actual sound of the recording. Mostly because it was conceptually super interesting, but it didn't actually sound that good as a standalone field recording.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe final adaptation of this decade-long hunt to record natural radio in a way that genuinely captivates me was to modify the LOM Priezor design. I started with that open source design and then worked with Tom Benedict to create a 3D printed version that interlocks two of the Priezors together. Doing that gets a quasi stereo recording.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese small hoop antennas are much more portable than the hula hoop size one I was hauling on my bicycle through the desert. Over the years, I learned that the hoop antennas function like a figure eight mic, so they're directional. So if you take two of the hoops and align them perpendicular to each other, you actually get a quasi stereo recording.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI tested that out in Hawaii with a massive storm system coming through, and it worked amazingly well (more on those sounds later).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile two of the Priezors are a solid system, I thought I could take it to another level by creating a tetrahedron of four of the Priezors. Then you have a 3D pickup of the whole sphere, because the hoop antennas are arranged like the tetrahedron of a first order ambisonics mic. This is not a true ambisonic setup by any means, but it does give you 360 coverage. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYou have lots of different options of how to listen to these four channels of audio. You can condense all four channels down into stereo. You can take the four channels and route them into a quad setup. You can experiment with putting the four channels through an ambisonics decoder. There's lots of interesting options with this setup.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI then took this VLF tetrahedron to far northern Finland and spent two weeks trying to record the electromagnetic sounds of the Northern Lights. On three of the nights, we got stunningly strong Aurora Borealis, and I was able to capture this unheard sound of the natural world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eI finally captured the electromagnetic chorus with captivating spatialization. Hallelujah. \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI hope you enjoy the sferics and tweeks (pops and pings caused by lightning in distant thunderstorms). \u003cstrong\u003eAnd the resonant auroral hiss created by one of the most visually stunning phenomena in the natural world. \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat's a wrap on my 147th sound library from the natural world, and I hope you enjoy listening to the soundscapes of aurora borealis. I'll talk to you again soon.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBEHIND THE SCENES:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStories and sounds from my recording adventures. \u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ciframe src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/1233155346?badge=0\u0026amp;autopause=0\u0026amp;player_id=0\u0026amp;app_id=58479\" width=\"3840\" height=\"2160\" title=\"AMB105 Behind the Scenes – Northern Lights soundscapes\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKEY FEATURES:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSferics (clicks and pops)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTweeks (laser-like pings)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAuroral hiss (resonant, shifting noise bands)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSPECTROGRAM DEMO: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA compilation of my favorite sounds from this collection.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ciframe src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/1233157607?badge=0\u0026amp;autopause=0\u0026amp;player_id=0\u0026amp;app_id=58479\" width=\"3840\" height=\"2160\" title=\"AMB106 Finland Space Sounds-Demo\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFILE LIST:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eView spectrograms for each track, search, and filter in the Airtable spreadsheet.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eClick \u003cstrong\u003e\"View larger version\"\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ein the bottom right corner of the File List below to open in a new tab. \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMobile File List viewing is limited. Use a desktop computer for the best experience. \u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ciframe class=\"airtable-embed\" src=\"https:\/\/airtable.com\/embed\/appHxriKgm1aIHBNd\/shrwq1EFfH3TzNshO?viewControls=on\" width=\"100%\" height=\"533\" style=\"background: transparent; border: 1px solid #ccc;\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFILE TYPES:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eVLF tetrahedron - 4 channel setup with a variety of decoding options\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e65 Northern Lights soundscapes\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e50 clips also include stereo wind recordings. \u003cstrong\u003eSo you can switch between the audible world of weather and the unheard world of VLF radio. \u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRead this document for a detailed description of how to use these VLF recordings. \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c!-- AMB106 Finland: Space Sounds — built 2026-10-05 13:13 CDT from AMB106 Oct5 1312.txt; 3D-only: Stereo rows removed; 3D size 23.4 GB from the Finder folder --\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLIBRARY INFO:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003ctable width=\"100%\"\u003e\n\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e3D Specs:\u003c\/strong\u003e 23.4 GB – 96 kHz \/ 24-bit – 65 3D WAV files – Approx. 4.1 hours total\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMetadata:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/universalcategorysystem.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eUniversal Category System\u003c\/a\u003e, CSV, Soundminer, BWAV\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCategories:\u003c\/strong\u003e ELECEmf, Electromagenetic Chorus\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLocation:\u003c\/strong\u003e Finland, Lapland, Lake Inari and Muotkatunturi Wilderness Area, March 2026\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMastering:\u003c\/strong\u003e read my \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/thomasrexbeverly.com\/pages\/field-recording-mastering-rules\"\u003eField Recording Mastering Rules\u003c\/a\u003e for more info.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDelivery:\u003c\/strong\u003e Instant - blazingly-fast - digital download\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLicense type:\u003c\/strong\u003e Single user, royalty-free - for a multi-user license, click \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/thomasrexbeverly.com\/pages\/end-user-license-agreement\"\u003ehere\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSound Library Guarantee:\u003c\/strong\u003e If you're unhappy with my field recordings in any way, I'll give you store credit equal to the cost of the sound library. Read the full details – \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/thomasrexbeverly.com\/pages\/terms-and-conditions\"\u003ehere\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGEAR USED:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eVLF Tetrahedron\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThis radio mic was based on the open source design of the \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/store.lom.audio\/products\/priezor\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eLOM Priezor\u003c\/a\u003e. Source files on GitHub – \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/LOM-instruments\/Priezor\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ehere\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTom Benedict built this VLF mic for me with some 3D printer wizardry.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLewitt LCT 540 S\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eZoom F6\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eZoom F8n Pro\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCinela LEO-Lewitt (custom wind protection)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Sound Library","offers":[{"title":"3D","offer_id":41397189574714,"sku":null,"price":80.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1319\/4983\/files\/FinlandSpaceSoundsv2comingsoon.jpg?v=1791294720","url":"https:\/\/thomasrexbeverly.com\/products\/finland-electromagnetic-chorus","provider":"Thomas Rex Beverly Audio","version":"1.0","type":"link"}