Beginner Level Assistance on Wall Recording Please?

[madison_366]

Hello!

I'm relatively new here, and would like some advice on how to get started recording through walls.

I did read through some of the previous threads here and on hardware, and apologize in advance if some of the answers are already there and I missed them.

Generally through, I found the threads addressed way more specific and technical questions than the level of where I'm at, like how to remove feedback and distortion. I need some more 'entry level' assistance with this kind of stuff. Right now, for listening I have a basic tape recorder, and a glass cup I press against the wall sometimes. That's about it.

I did also try a couple google searches. But even when putting "record" in the search terms, 95% of my results were $150-$300 items of 'listen-only' equipment from questionable websites. It just seemed like it would be a lot of digging to find what I was looking for, and I thought it might be easier to come here.

Here is my situation: I have a new, young, attractive, blonde neighbor who just moved in next door to me, like as in her bedroom is adjacent to mine in the apartment complex. However, the walls are pretty damn well insulated, and unless she is just blasting music, I can't hear anything. Furthermore, the way the floorplan of these units work, unless she does something in the living room, simply hiding a tape recorder in the hallway next to her front door isn't going to pick up on anything I don't think.

I would like to be able to listen (and record) through the wall that divides our two bedrooms. What kind of gear would I need to buy to make this work? Maybe if people could link items on Amazon that they use for this sort of thing? After it's recorded (assuming I left something set up overnight) do I need to buy any special software to condense it down? Cheaper examples of workable items would be preferred, as my budget is a little tight right now, but if it's just one of those things where I will have to bite the bullet in order to get any quality recordings worth a damn, I understand.

Anyways, I apologize for all the noobish questions, but any help/assistance/insight you guys could provide into how you make this work would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

[sc0tt-uk]

Hi,

From what you've said, it doesn't sound like an easy task. The budget situation can pretty much be summed up in one sentence - stuff that's cheap is usually cheap for a reason. Going on what you've described, I'd be surprised if anything cheap will make a dent in this.

For the immediate future, if it were me, I'd put effort into figuring out if there is actually anything worth recording. Your ear to the wall will almost certainly do a better job of picking stuff up than a glass and a tape recorder, because A) your ears can hear a wider range of stuff (both in terms of frequency and dynamics), B) your ears don't come with the higher noise flaw generated by electronics and tape hiss, and C) your ears are hooked up to your brain, which is smart enough to focus on specifics and tune out the incidental stuff, which no microphone can do yet.

If you can, observe her routines - figure out whether she has regular company who's likely to be there for sexy times, roughly when she turns in each night, whether any sort of action is audible at all at those likely times of late nights and early mornings. If you can put all that together without it getting too creepy for comfort, then you'll be able to figure out what the potential for recording is, and judge what to spend accordingly. Sure, there's always the possibility that there might be a few bits of action that you don't get recorded and then nothing to write home about by the time you've acquired gear, but tbh, I'm almost certain that you'd enjoy those lucky moments more if you were listening live instead of through a cheap sub-par solution. Sometimes, a recording isn't everything. On a long term project like a neighbour, I think you stand a better chance of a putting a decent solution together if you spend a bit of time scoping out the situation first.

Just my 2 cents...

Sc0tt-UK

[sexsoundsinthedark]

I was in the same situation.

Be sure to check your electrical plugs. Take off the cover and see if you can remove the quarter-sized metal punch-pieces that are in the metal box that holds the plug assembly.

Of course, you'll need to take care that you don't short things out.

I used an ipod inserted into a space in the electric plug-box so the recording mic was facing the open hole, and I created a sound-proof box to cover that - so that all sound came from the adjacent room.

Hear the results - http://www.soundboard.com/sb/sexsounds

[madison_366]

Thank you guys for your feedback! I really do appreciate it.

Scott-uk: You're probably right in terms scoping out the situation, and waiting to buy gear until I can get the right gear. After lurking here for a little while, I really wanted to get a recording to pay it back in a way I guess. I might be letting my excitement/impatience get the better of my judgement. Also, the way the hallway is setup, it might be a little hard to inconspicuously get useful information, but I'll try and be smart about it.

Just for the record/as a side note: I don't use the cup with the recorder. If that's how it came across, I apologize for the confusion. But yeah, separate tools for separate jobs. If you press your ear to a cup on the wall, at least in my experience you can listen 'live' with a little more clarity in my experience.

dark: I would have never thought of that. Thank you for the tip. There is a power outlet on our shared wall. I'll have to try it, and see if I can get anything!

[thomas]

Thank you guys for your feedback! I really do appreciate it.

Scott-uk: You're probably right in terms scoping out the situation, and waiting to buy gear until I can get the right gear. After lurking here for a little while, I really wanted to get a recording to pay it back in a way I guess. I might be letting my excitement/impatience get the better of my judgement. Also, the way the hallway is setup, it might be a little hard to inconspicuously get useful information, but I'll try and be smart about it.

Just for the record/as a side note: I don't use the cup with the recorder. If that's how it came across, I apologize for the confusion. But yeah, separate tools for separate jobs. If you press your ear to a cup on the wall, at least in my experience you can listen 'live' with a little more clarity in my experience.

dark: I would have never thought of that. Thank you for the tip. There is a power outlet on our shared wall. I'll have to try it, and see if I can get anything!

And you do not see any chance to get a recording from the entrance floor? That is from my experience the most promising way...

[rluke]

Hear the results - http://www.soundboard.com/sb/sexsounds[/quote]

that soundboard... oh my sweet god. amazing dude

[sc0tt-uk]

After lurking here for a little while, I really wanted to get a recording to pay it back in a way I guess. I might be letting my excitement/impatience get the better of my judgement.

Personally, I'd rather wait for a recording done right, particularly when it comes to the through-wal stuff which is more difficult. We'll still be here when the time comes that you can start sharing sounds

The way the hallway is setup, it might be a little hard to inconspicuously get useful information, but I'll try and be smart about it.

Assuming her life is like most peoples and it revolves around some sort of job, a fairly regular social circle and perhaps a relationship, you'd be surprised how easy it is to pick up on patterns when you look for them. Definitely be smart about observation though. This is where you live, so if something feels risky, trust your gut and live to listen another day. After a while, I developed a knack for identifying the difference between the excitement of being hot on the heels of a potential catch and the adrenaline that accompanies actual risk. Hopefully you'll be able to do the same.

Just for the record/as a side note: I don't use the cup with the recorder. If that's how it came across, I apologize for the confusion. But yeah, separate tools for separate jobs. If you press your ear to a cup on the wall, at least in my experience you can listen 'live' with a little more clarity in my experience.

Makes sense. The cup is probably creating some sort of mini echo chamber. Hmmm, now I think about it, I don't think I've ever actually tried this. Gonna have to go oldschool and give it a go.

Good luck man. Keep us posted.

[magnate]

She also might just be quiet, until she's not

Don't just check outlets, check anything that looks like a hole or a crack. I've used my phone + headphones and "ICanHearU" to amplify anything hitting the mic. Use it to sense things out, and if the sound changes, sounds like her HVAC, any of that sort of thing, you might have some sound leakage you can use.

[sexsoundsinthedark]

It was a few apartments ago - but her moaning was so hot, I really wanted the recordings.

My ear lead me to listening beside the power outlet, and it occurred to me that if I cut through the drywall, I would be able to hear better... before I cut, I put a long slender nail through the drywall to be sure I found the studs... and discovered the drywall is backed by plywood - a building code to help ensure sound insulation between apartments (bastards)...

The only place the plywood had cut-outs, was for the electrical plugs. Upon inspection, I noticed I could wiggle the round punch-outs that let you put wires into the box for the receptacle... soon I had all of them removed and used an extra long sushi skewer to poke around in the empty space between the 2x4 studs - there was no fiberglass pink insulation to help reduce sound transfer.

the mic from my ipod faced into one of these open holes - this was good, and it got even better when I created a sound-proof box that made an air-tight fit against the wall all around the receptacle. This extra bit really increased the sound quality because now my ipod was in the same air space as their room.

Unfortunately, I ditched a pile of these recordings before I found this forum... where I could have shared them for long-term storage.

Hope this tip on recording through an adjacent room helps capture some more roommates and neighbors in a long series of bird songs from the same female or couple.

My favorite is to compare those wonderful pre-orgasm moments for the same woman - between many different orgasms from many different sessions...