How to record your canary’s song for an online show

What online shows usually ask for

• One continuous take of 3 to 5 minutes, with no cuts, joins, filters or added sound.
• One bird in a show cage, with no other bird heard in the background.
• At the start of the take, a card with the show code and the date written by hand, so the recording is clearly made for that show.
• At the end of the same take, without stopping, a close-up of the band long enough to read it.
• A recording made within the show’s dates, and the original file sent, not a copy passed through a messaging app.
• Every show has its own rules: read them before you record.

The equipment

• A recent phone on its own is enough for most breeders, if the room is quiet and the phone is close to the cage.
• A small microphone that plugs into the phone (for example a Shure MV88+ or a Rode VideoMic Me-C) gives clearer song for little money.
• A handheld audio recorder (for example a Zoom H1essential or a Tascam DR-05X) gives the best sound for the money: no automatic processing and full-quality files. Film with the phone at the same time if the show asks for video.
• A small tripod or something steady to hold the phone, so nobody touches it during the take.

The room

• Choose the quietest room you have and the quietest time of day.
• Switch off fans, air conditioning, the TV and anything that hums; keep other birds out of the room or covered so they stay quiet.
• A room with curtains, a sofa or a rug echoes less than a bare room, a bathroom or a kitchen.
• Let the bird get used to the show cage and the place for a few days before recording.

Where the microphone goes

• About 30 to 50 cm from the front of the cage, at the height of the perch.
• Keep the same distance for every bird you record: distance changes the sound more than the equipment does.
• Phone horizontal, steady, with the bird well lit (daylight is best) and the whole cage in the picture.

The settings

• Switch off noise reduction, “voice focus”, “enhance audio” and wind noise reduction: they treat canary song as noise and cut or flatten it.
• If your phone or recorder lets you set the recording level by hand, do it: the loudest notes should reach about two thirds of the meter (around −12 dB) and never the red.
• For video, 720p is enough for judging and keeps the file small; 1080p or 4K makes very large files.
• On an iPhone, Voice Memos with lossless quality switched on is a good free choice when only sound is needed.

The take

• If the show asks for a card, start with it: hold it in front of the cage for a few seconds, put it away, then wait for the bird.
• Start recording before the bird sings and wait: it is fine if the first seconds are quiet.
• Let it run for 3 to 5 minutes without touching the phone or talking.
• At the end, without stopping, bring the phone close to the band until the number can be read, hold it for a few seconds, then stop.
• If the bird does not sing well, try again later or another day, and send your best take. Never join pieces of different takes.

Check before you send

• Listen with headphones: no distortion on the loudest notes, no voices, TV or other birds.
• The band can be read at the end.
• The file is within the show’s size limit. If it is too large, record again at a lower video resolution rather than editing the file.

Sending the file

• Upload the original file directly where the show asks (on Canora, on your entry).
• Do not send it through WhatsApp, Facebook or email first: they compress the sound heavily and the judges hear the difference.

Frequent questions

How Canora helps

• Online shows on Canora: enter your bird and upload its recording on your entry, free, up to 250 MB.
• The judges hear your bird without knowing whose it is, and the club follows their scores live in the final.
• Your bird’s results go onto its page and pedigree in Canora, with the judges’ score sheet.