Bioacoustics Laboratory
Recording and analysis of animal sounds and ultrasound
The Bioacoustic Laboratory at the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin offers a specialised research infrastructure for acoustic studies of a wide range of organisms. The current focus is on studies of birds, bats, amphibians and insects. The laboratory supports both research projects at the museum and collaborative projects with external partners.
Modern recording, playback and measurement technology is available for working with audible sounds and ultrasound. A specialised sound studio also provides access to historical sound recordings. Thematically, the bioacoustic laboratory is closely linked to the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin’s Animal Sound Archive, one of the world’s oldest and, with around 120,000 recordings, most extensive collections of animal sounds.
What is the bioacoustic laboratory used for?
The bioacoustic laboratory is particularly suitable for:
- acoustic analyses of animal vocalisations and communication sounds
- studies on behaviour, speciation and biodiversity
- bioacoustic monitoring of populations and habitats
- playback experiments in the laboratory and in the field
- Digitisation and analysis of historical sound recordings
- Interdisciplinary projects at the interface of zoology, evolutionary biology, neurobiology and conservation research
Contact
Dr Karl-Heinz Frommolt
Head of Laboratory
Email: Karl-Heinz.Frommolt@mfn.berlin
Telephone: +49 30 889140-8640
Use and collaboration
The laboratory facilities are available to museum staff, students, PhD students, postdoctoral researchers and visiting scholars. Use is permitted within the framework of joint research projects and subject to prior arrangement.
External researchers may also use the bioacoustic laboratory as part of collaborative projects. This is subject to the research topic being relevant to the museum’s research questions and to available capacity.
For enquiries regarding use, measurements or the development of joint projects, please contact the relevant contact person.
Features
Recording studio
- Digitisation of analogue and digital audio media (including tape, cassette, DAT, CD, vinyl)
- Professional studio equipment (Studer, Revox)
- High-quality analogue-to-digital converters
- Mixing desk and specialist audio equipment
Low-reverberation room
- Mini-booth for free-field measurements (approx. 8m³)
- Measurements and calibration in a controlled acoustic environment
Acoustic recording and playback equipment
- Multi-channel recorder
- Long-term monitoring systems (e.g. SongMeter)
- Autonomous ultrasonic detectors
- Ultrasonic and measurement microphones
- Ultrasonic loudspeakers
- Software for acoustic analysis
Laboratory procedures and analytical methods
- Acoustic recordings (audible sound and ultrasound)
- Digitisation of historical sound recordings
- Measurements in an anechoic chamber
- Sound level measurements
- Acoustic signal and frequency analyses
- Playback experiments
- Long-term bioacoustic monitoring
- Analysis of communication signals