Song Meter SM4 Acoustic Recorder

The Wildlife Acoustics Song Meter SM4 is the proven industry standard wildlife audio recording equipment, specially engineered to deliver quality sound recordings of birds, frogs, and other vocal animals in the wild.
With the ability to store terabytes of data and record birds and wildlife in the field for months at a time, the Song Meter SM4 gives scientists a flexible tool for conducting species inventory, presence/absence surveys, endangered species detection and habitat health monitoring.
 
High Quality Recordings
The SM4 features two second-generation built-in microphones that create higher quality recordings of birds and vocalizing animals than previous generations of Song Meter microphones. The low-noise microphones have a superior signal-to-noise ratio so you capture more wildlife sounds that matter to you.
 
Dual-Channel Recording Capability
Take advantage of the SM4’s dual-channel feature to ensure that recording continues – even after one microphone is disabled by wildlife-incurred damage. Record in stereo or mono using the built-in microphones, or connect one or two cabled microphones. Adding additional runs of cable to the external microphone gives you the ability to capture audio from far-off wildlife such as birds in the forest canopy or frogs at a nearby pond.
 
Easy-to-use Scheduling
To get you started quickly, the SM4 features easy-to-use Quick Start schedules, such as sunrise to sunset. You can also customize your schedules for specific wildlife sound recording needs. The free SM4 Configurator software can be used to configure settings and schedules from a computer. The SM4 Configurator software also provides a Security Lock option to prevent accidental changes to deployment and recording settings.
 
Large Storage Capacity
The SM4 has two SD card slots that accept SDHC and SDXC cards. When fitted with two 1TB cards, the SM4 can store up to two terabytes of data.
In addition, you can save card space by using W4V Compression. The format doubles the capacity of your SD cards with no noticeable degradation of recording quality. The resulting W4V files can be opened with and/or converted to uncompressed WAV files using the free version of Kaleidoscope software.
 
Features
Industry-standard line of birds, frogs, and other vocal wildlife audio recorders, with over 20,000 SM4 family recorders sold to date
Proven and reliable, with only 0.64% of recorders requiring in-warranty repairs 
3-year warranty
Weatherproof design suitable for any environment
Compact, at 8.6” x 7.3” x 3.1” (218 mm x 186 mm x 78 mm)
Built-in fail-safe and fault-tolerant technology, including two flash cards for failover and extensive internal diagnostics 
Two built-in, low-noise microphones allow for quality, stereo animal recordings
Flexible gain settings and high-pass filters for optimal performance in different recording environments
Record 510 hours scheduled over months using four D cell batteries, 305 hours using NiMH batteries or even longer using external power.
Choose a quick-start schedule or easily create your own
Strong anti-alias filters improve signal-to-noise ratios
Capable of storing terabytes of data to two SDHC/SDXC flash cards
Optional cabled microphones and hydrophones
GPS attachment allows you to set date, time and location for multiple recorders
Save card space via W4V compression, doubling the capacity of SD cards without degrading recording quality 
Compatible with Kaleidoscope Pro software to quickly scan recordings to help find species of interest
 
Technical Specifications
 
Recording Format:
Two-channel, 16-bit PCM .wav files or compressed .w4v files
Sample Rates:
The recorder supports the following sample rates in samples per second on one or two channels: 8000, 12000, 16000, 22050, 24000, 32000, 44100, 48000, 96000
Built-in Microphones (2):
Directional Characteristic: Omni-Directional
Sensitivity: -35 ±4 dB (0 dB=1V/pa@1kHz)
Signal to Noise Ratio: 80 dB Typ. at 1kHz (1 Pa, A weighted network)
Max Input Sound Level: 126 dB SPL Typ.
Run-Time:
510 hours (typical at 24kHz stereo) with 4 D-cell Alkaline or 310 hours with NiHM batteries
Power Options:
Internal power using 4 D-size alkaline or rechargeable NiHM batteries
External power via optional SM3/SM4 Power Cable
Storage:
*We recommend using SanDisk SDHC/SDXC cards. You can buy them from our store.
2 SDHC/SDXC flash card slots (Class 4 or greater)*
More than 1 terabyte total capacity using 2 512GB SDXC cards
Compression is available to further increase storage capacity
Dimensions: Height: 8.6" / 218 mm; Width: 7.32" / 186 mm; Depth: 3.1" / 78 mm
Enclosure Material: Polycarbonate
Enclosure Environmental Protection: Fully weatherproof with integrated humidity control
Operating Temperature: -4°F to +185°F or -20°C to 85°C
Warranty: 3 years (4 years from us!)