<b><i>(Half-speed version, Part 1 of 3)</i> — An immersive peaceful soundscape, the normal-speed version being at <a href="https://freesound.org/people/Philip_Goddard/sounds/812800/" rel="nofollow">https://freesound.org/people/Philip_Goddard/sounds/812800/</a> (which is part 1, whose page links to part 2), to whose page I refer you for full details of the recording. What we have here is a deeply impressive transformation, with bumblebees sounding like you've probably never heard before, and a full and varied grasshoppers performance that adds great interest. </b> This slowed version (an octave lower in pitch than the original), lasts some 3h 30' after editing, so I split it into three parts for uploading here. Part 2: <a href="https://freesound.org/people/Philip_Goddard/sounds/812956/" rel="nofollow">https://freesound.org/people/Philip_Goddard/sounds/812956/</a> Part 3: <a href="https://freesound.org/people/Philip_Goddard/sounds/812958/" rel="nofollow">https://freesound.org/people/Philip_Goddard/sounds/812958/</a> <b>Advisory</b> ** This was a very quiet soundscape, and I've amplified it a fair bit to be a worthwhile experience in a more normal listening place. Be aware that the opening is meant to be very quiet! ** Because of all the fine detail I strongly recommend listening with high-grade headphones, and also in a really quiet listening space. Also, through many speaker systems the bumblebees' impressive low bass frequencies could sound boomy and thus spoil this beautiful natural soundscape transformation. <img src="https://www.broad-horizon-nature.co.uk/250618_recording-flies-bees-grassh-cranbrookcastle.jpg" alt="Recording flies, bees, grasshoppers and birds on Cranbrook Castle"> <i>This recording running. We're looking roughly south.</i> <img src="https://www.broad-horizon-nature.co.uk/250618__02_recording-flies-bees-grassh-cranbrookcastle.jpg" alt="Recording flies, bees, grasshoppers birds on Cranbrook Castle — closer view"> <i>Closer view of recorder placement during this recording. There are some bramble flowers lurking in the shade of the bracken, very close to the recorder — very attractive to bumblebees. Note that I set the recorder to be facing steeply upwards, to pick up the most sounds, with most detail (i.e, in this particular situation).</i> <b>Techie stuff:</b> Recorder was a Sony PCM-D100, with two nested custom Windcut furry windshields. It was placed on an Aoka carbon-fibre mini tripod (low, to minimize wind exposure). I had the mics set at my default wide-angle setting — 120°. Post-recording processing was to apply EQ in Audacity to correct for the muffling effect of the windshield, and used TDR Nova GE VST plugin to drastically reduce low bass in the (very little) microphone wind noise, so that what remains of that is generally pleasant to the ear and just a nice bit of the 'landscape'. For this half-speed version I reduced the speed (and thus pitch) in Audacity, where I also used the OrilRiver VST plugin to apply a 'foreground in cathedral' reverb. <b>Please remember to give this recording a rating &#8212; Thank you!</b>&#160; <img src="https://www.broad-horizon-nature.co.uk/me-icon_wink.gif">