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Underwater recordings with the Raspberry Pi and a HiFiBerry ADC
With over 70% of the Earth covered in water, there’s an entirely new soundscape waiting to be recorded. Did you know that by pairing a Raspberry Pi with our analog-to-digital converters, you can capture underwater audio? This opens up several practical use cases:
- Environmental Noise Monitoring: Measure underwater noise to evaluate the impact of human activity and natural soundscapes.
- Recording Marine Life: Capture genuine sounds of aquatic animals for research or creative projects.
- Underwater Communications: Develop and test systems for clear communication below the surface.
Getting started requires the right equipment. The key component is the microphone—specifically, a hydrophone. Hydrophones operate like standard microphones, with many models offering familiar connectors such as 3.5mm phone jacks or XLR for high-end setups. Other models come with plain cables that may need soldering or screw terminals.
There is a wide range of hydrophones available from various vendors. Since we’re not experts in this field, we recommend speaking directly with the manufacturers to determine which option best meets your requirements.
One important note: if your Raspberry Pi will be near the water, be sure to use an enclosure with proper environmental sealing.
Next, you’ll need an analog-to-digital converter to sample the audio data. For hydrophones with an unbalanced connection requiring a mic bias voltage, the DAC2 ADC Pro is typically the best choice. For models with a balanced output, the Studio ADC or Studio DAC/ADC are more suitable. Not sure which ADC to use for your hydrophone? Contact us!
We’d love to hear about your underwater projects. Tell us what you’re working on!
March 4, 2025
