Hi, I’m Johan.
I like nature sounds.
I’m a big fan of nature ambience sounds, but I found it almost impossibly hard to find long, continuous, and truly authentic recordings—so I decided to simply start recording my own.
Why I record nature
I've been listening to recordings of nature sounds for most of my life — at least since I stumbled across a three-CD “Sounds of Nature” set at my local grocery store sometime in the late ’90s. I was hooked. But I also remember that nagging feeling of, “Wait a minute… this sounds too perfect. It sounds like layers of different recordings mixed together.”
“I want it to sound the way it actually sounded, in a real place — not an imaginary one.”
Then came the YouTube era. What an incredible, almost endless source of nature recordings! Unfortunately, the trend there also became one of stitching long recordings together from shorter video clips — and more recently, of course, using AI to create some or all of the content.
Sure, it's hard to compete with the picture-perfect environments AI can generate in seconds, but to me, it has never quite felt “right.” Put simply, I want it to sound the way it actually sounded, in a real place — not an imaginary one.
Also, importantly, the video and audio in all Here by Ear videos are always in sync and from the actual location. I never record sound in one place and video somewhere else.
First and foremost, I make these recordings for my own sake, because I enjoy listening to them and (in my mind) revisiting the places. But if they could bring joy to any of you out there, that would make me incredibly happy.
Please feel free to comment on the video posts on YouTube! I want to know everything about what you think :)
Put on your headphones, relax, read, work, fall asleep, or simply enjoy a quiet moment in nature.
Thanks for listening,// Johan
My recording setup
The camera, lens, and microphone currently used for the Here by Ear recordings.
Panasonic Lumix S1H
Oldie but a goldie! Netflix certified full-frame mirrorless camera with a 24.2-megapixel sensor and open-gate 6K video recording at 24 fps. Built like a tank, no fixed recording time limit, and it NEVER overheats. My best friend!
SIRUI Venus 50mm Anamorphic Lens
50mm anamorphic lens for full-frame cameras, with a T2.9 maximum aperture and a 1.6x squeeze factor. Its horizontal field of view is roughly equivalent to a standard 31mm lens while maintaining the depth-of-field of a 50mm lens. I prefer anamorphics since they let me utilize the full sensor area while still capturing a super wide field of view.
RØDE Stereo VideoMic X
Don't let the name deceive you. This stereo microphone is legendary thanks to its (almost) unmatched low self-noise. Two matched ½-inch condenser capsules in an X/Y arrangement. Built-in shock mounts reduce handling vibrations, while the supplied windshield reduces wind noise. I run it through the Panasonic DMW-XLR straight into the camera to capture synced 24-bit 96kHz audio.
Come along on the journey
New continuous field recordings are published regularly on YouTube, Spotify, and this interactive archive.