Recording Mode

Low-Power Mode Battery Life Benefits

The battery life benefits from opting for Low-Power mode depend on the sample rate and number of channels you have selected. Generally speaking, lower sample rates benefit more than higher sample rates, but there is significant variation from one sample rate to the next. At the default sample rate of 24 kHz, the battery life benefit is approximately 30% in mono and 13% in stereo. See Acoustic Recording Power Consumption for a table of power consumption measurements taken at each sample rate, with Highest Quality and Low-Power modes.

Low-Power Mode Effects on Audio Quality

In Low-Power mode, the Song Meter Mini 2 's anti-alias filter is less effective. The anti-alias filter removes frequencies that are too high for the selected sample rate to record. Sounds that are higher in frequency than half of the sample rate are not recorded accurately. They instead are folded down and appear as upside-down artifacts in the recorded audio when viewed in a spectrogram. In both recording modes on the Song Meter Mini 2, aliasing is possible, as the anti-alias filter takes effect gradually as frequency increases. In Low-power mode, aliasing artifacts will be louder by 3 to 12 dB.

In many situations, when using the default sample rate of 24 kHz, this may not present a significant or even noticeable problem. There are relatively few sound sources in nature above 12 kHz. Echolocating animals like bats are the most obvious exception, but some species of droning insects may present a more severe problem.

If you are recording in an environment with significant high-frequency sound sources, like droning insects or high levels of bat activity, we recommend using the default, Highest Quality mode.