What would it be like to be able to listen to the 28th annual Head of the Cuyahoga Regatta with your head above and below the water at the same time? Let’s first assume for the moment that you’d even want to do this. Granted, the Cuyahoga River hasn’t caught fire in 55 years. That’s due in large part to many groups, both government and volunteer, doing positive and determined work to clean it up and keep it pollution-free, mostly. Even so, yuck. Let’s say however, that with the aid of a pair of underwater microphones, or hydrophones, one can achieve this simultaneous perspective. Well then, it would sound a little like the video below. Put on your snorkel tube and enjoy sounds from a rowing regatta.
What you hear is the sound of sweep rowers, always 8+ teams of men and women, paddling their racing shells up and down the river. If they’re going from left to right in the recording, they’re farthest from my microphones against the far wall of the river headed for the starting line. If they’re going right to left, they are closer to the mics, in the racing lane rowing with the current toward the finish line 4,470 meters, or just short of three miles, away.
From a sound recording perspective, I’ve got two recorders running. A Sony PCM D100 with its onboard mics flared out, and a Sound Devices 702 with a pair of Aquarian H2A hydrophones spaced as far as I could in the limited area provided. I synced them in post. To make that possible, I pulled the hydrophones out of the water. While still recording with both setups, I did a few hand claps.
Admittedly, this video will win no photography awards. Plus, the images don’t necessarily match what team is rowing in the audio. I wasn’t really concentrating on photography this go round. And to be honest, it’s quite an ugly section of the river.
I was at the site of the 1952 fire, one of the largest fires the river ever saw. Large enough to burn down the bridge that would have been to my right. But this fire wasn’t the most famous. That sad distinction goes to the ‘69 blaze. When you see articles about the ‘69 fire, it’s usually the ‘52 fire you’re seeing photos of.
I chose this position to be away from crowd noise I knew would be prevalent toward the finish line. The young women that can be heard shouting for their teammates are in another shell on their way to begin their own race. If you listen closely, you can hear a coxswain shouting to her crew that I’m on the bank taking their photograph.
This is only a small portion of what I recorded yesterday morning for use in a sound effects library and album to be published at a later date.
Learn more about the race, and see results from this year’s event here, at the Head of the Cuyahoga website.