Recording a Grand Piano

[yogisan]

Hi everyone,

did anyone record a grand piano yet? I am desperately looking for advice regarding mic positioning and how to get a decent recording in general.

I appreciate your input!

Cheers

Jo

[nickysnd]

Yogisan,

google:

piano mic technique

You will be amazed!

I did a few piano recordings. It is difficult to advise, it really depends on many things - type of music, type of piano, the result that you want, etc. Try some of the options found on google, they are really useful.

I would recommend to double record it using two pairs of mics, one close, one from the audience perspective - and then play by combining the two recordings (if it is for pop music, then the close pair will be enough). Attention! - the position of mics is essential, don't improvise, use what is recommended, especially the type of mics recommended (condenser, cardioid, etc.)

[chest]

FWIW, a few tips from another beginner...

It's very difficult to learn how to record a grand piano, even after reading about what you ought to do.

I found close mikimg the easiest for getting an "acceptable" sound: two omnis about 9" above the strings - a few trials should find a good placement. Very good for some things but not at all right for a classical-music type sound. Also, the mics then pick up a lot of noise from the damper pedal and hammers: if you add artificial reverb to this, you'll get reverb from these noises - completely un-natural, compared with what a listener would ordinarily hear. (A practical point with close miking - if the mic stands have to reach a long way across the strings, they might tend to droop gradually, and eat away at the 9" separation from the strings.)

I did trial recordings with crossed-pair (cardioid) mics in several different places and couldn't even begin to get a good sound until I got help from someone who knew how to do it - a good position, in my case, was just under 7 ft above the floor and about 5 ft from the curved part of the piano.

If you have mics with switchable polar pattern, you might get a better sound from the omni setting - look up the correct separation for two omnis - or experiment, starting (I think) with about 18" separation. "Spaced omni" recording's aren't mono-compatible, though.

Having done all my trial recording on my own (before getting expert help), I'd recommend, if possible to get someone to help you - either you play the piano and they do the moving of the mics and adjustment of recording levels, or vice versa.

If the piano's in a "room", not a "hall", you'll need to try to keep a lot of the reflected sound out of the mics. ("Sound-on-Sound" magazine's recommendation for d-i-y recordists is to hang/drape duvets in strategic places to find what deadening is necessary, before thinking about sticking any expensive thick foam tiles on the walls/ceiling.)

Of course, without the right mics and pre-amps, you won't get good results. Reading will help narrow the choices, but you really need to hear the results in your particular situation. People recommend hiring mics to see how well they suit your needs, but just to hire (say) three pairs of good mics for a weekend could be quite expensive.

I thought I might get a steer by phoning a couple of companies that sold recording equipment, and asking what mics and pre-amps they would recommend (from their range) in order to make grand-piano recordings that wouldn't sound too much out of place amongst classical and jazz piano CDs of 5-10 years ago. Both simply asked what my budget was - a response that I thought was irrelevant to my question.

So my biggest tip would be to try to find people who can give you independant advice about equipment and, best of all, demonstrate suitable recording methods in your own situation, using their preferred equipment. Unless you've got a lot of time to explore this on your own, it might even be worth while paying someone for a day of their time to help you get what you want.

[nickysnd]

Right on, chest.

Yogisan, if you want a pro recording, then hire a pro. If you want to record it yourself, without having the knowledge and the experience, then read what is available, apply the knowledge you can gather, use the mics you can afford, do your best, and what comes out - that's it. Next time you'll do better. And so on. Eventually you will become the man to do it. :)