The softer side of the monsoon

This field recording was made in Nepal at the end of August 2025, on the way up to Ama Yangri Peak in the Himalayas (3700 meters above sea level).

We started hiking at four in the morning.

It was completely dark. I was walking with a guide and a Sherpa who helped carry my equipment. The trip happened near the end of the monsoon season, so I knew there would be rain. I had packed the gear carefully, with rain protection and several layers of safety around the equipment.

Still, most of the rain was too heavy to record in.

That is one of the practical problems with recording rain. Rain can sound beautiful around the microphones, but if the drops hit the microphones directly, the recording can fall apart quickly. You get small cracks and sharp hits that take over everything.

So I had to wait.

At some point, before the vegetation started getting smaller higher up the mountain, the rain softened for a while. The forest was still around us. The ground was wet. The air felt heavy, but calm.

I found a place under some roots where the microphones could get a little shelter.

That was the moment I could finally take the equipment out.

I recorded with LOM Uši Pro omnidirectional microphones, trying to capture the ambience of the forest rather than one single sound.

When people talk about monsoon, the first image is often heavy rain.

And yes, later that day I experienced the heaviest rain I have ever been in. On the way down I was soaked through, tired, and worried about the gear the whole time. Luckily everything survived because I had packed it in rain-safe pockets and several layers of protection.

But this recording is from the other side of that day.

A short, quiet break between heavier showers.

I have used this recording in different projects, including work where I create an artistic dialogue between Sápmi and the Himalayas. One way of doing that is by layering recordings like this with bird songs and other sounds from Sápmi.

The recording does not explain that connection by itself. It just carries a moment from one place.

This one stayed with me because it came from a small calm moment inside a very hard day.

Technical note: I added a small high shelf EQ to bring out a little more detail in the higher frequencies. Other than that, the recording is unaltered.