pop noise in recording

[JannieM]

Hi Everyone,

Today I tried recording some piano music and when it was played back there was a slight popping noise scattered through out the recording. This is the first time have seriously tried recording a piano but did research it on YouTube. However, I only have one dynamic mic to get the job done. But, I do use an interface with my computer.

1) Any ideas on what could be causing the popping noise?
2) Does anyone know how to get a popping sound out of a recording?

Jan

[andygabrys]

To remove the pop you need surgical audio editing plugins like iZotope RX 6 which has processes to remove the pops.

Why they happen in the first place:

1) computer underpowered and CPU is overloaded
2) audio buffer in your DAW is running at a small size and overloading CPU. The reverse of this is the buffer size is set too large and there is latency in the recording path making it impossible to play in time with a click track or other recorded tracks.
3) power supply to computer, audio interface, or anything else in recording path is "dirty" and causing the unit to have fluctuating voltage.
4) you have recorded with the preamp on your interface set too "hot" (high) and those pops are actual distorted notes. Digital recording has a fixed max volume.
5) if its something like a vocal, using a pop filter might help during the initial recording, but won't help a source like piano.
6) level in DAW is set too high so you channel meters are in the red and distortion is occurring in the mix portion or your DAW.

There could be other causes but these are some of the most frequent issues.

Good luck!

[JannieM]

Thanks for your reply Andy. Guess I will start at #1 and work my way down the list until the problem is solved.

Jan

[Razor7Music]

Just curious, for my own information, is a dynamic mic the best choice for recording acoustic piano?

[neilmctavish]

I think it depends on what kind of sound you’re going for. If you put a dynamic up and it’s the sound you want then it’s The right choice. I remember my daughter wanting a super vibey sound and she got it with our grand piano using a sub $100 ribbon mic. Pianos can be a lot of fun to experiment with different mics, mic positioning, lid opened or closed, etc.

Neil

[Razor7Music]

I think it depends on what kind of sound you’re going for. If you put a dynamic up and it’s the sound you want then it’s The right choice. I remember my daughter wanting a super vibey sound and she got it with our grand piano using a sub $100 ribbon mic. Pianos can be a lot of fun to experiment with different mics, mic positioning, lid opened or closed, etc.

Neil

Cool

[funsongs]

Did you try spitting out your bubble gum before the session?!
(just kiddinya... )

[ttully]

Good one!!!

[mojobone]

Just curious, for my own information, is a dynamic mic the best choice for recording acoustic piano?

Pianos can be fiendishly difficult to record; tuning and condition are important, but mic choice can come down to an individual player's touch on such a dynamic instrument, so Neil's right that it's totally situational. I recently worked on some latin jazz where the genre-appropriate tone was achieved by hanging a dented Unidyne inside the top of a somewhat dilapidated upright. The resulting honking midrange was necessary to cut through the wall of horns and percussion. That piano sounded like a$$ soloed, but in context? Amazing.

In a really good room, when I want to capture the piano and the space it's in, that's a job for a condenser or two, in stereo. I'd want a fast, clean preamp and something like the Audix SCX25

In a bad room or if I'm gonna have to shoehorn the piano into a dense rock mix, I might use an SM57 or two right up near the hammers. The closer to the hammers, the more brightness and attack you get.