mic set up for grand piano

[vicky]

hey everyone,please forgive me if this has been discussed; I looked for it, but didn't see it....How do you (or me) mic a grand piano?greatly appreciated,Vicky

[slowdance]

Vicky,Go to: www.johnlsayers.comClick on <The Recording Manual> you will find the info on micking a grand piano.Regards,Dick

[mewman]

Hi Vicky, I've seen a lot of different techniques used. Here's a link that does a good job of explaining some of the basics. http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/may99/a ... .htmMewman

[vicky]

thanks...it looks like I made some mistakes, but next time, I'll know...appreciative,Vicky

[ernstinen]

My dear ol' Dad retired from playing jazz piano quite awhile ago, and then got the itch to record some songs on his fabulous Kawai grand piano. He bought a portable DAT machine, and a stereo mic. I think this is the mic he used:http://www.zzounds.com/item--AUTAT825After I told him many times his tracks had some distortion (which he couldn't hear), he lowered the input level on the DAT and got some pretty good recordings. They're not extremely hi-fidelity, but he did a very good job given that he started to learn how to record in his late-70s! He took them to a studio in Austin, had them digitally mastered, and started cranking out CDs. Good for ol' Dad! Ern

[stick]

I recorded my piano the other day and tried something a little different that worked pretty well. I stuck two LDCs inside the lid as pictured in the articles, and then used a couple of SDCs sitting on towels on the extreme ends of the music rack pointing back into the piano (that's the new part). In the mix, I mainly used the mics inside, but by adding the outside ones back in a little, the stereo spread got a little wider, and added some nice brightness and definition. I don't have it here on my laptop, but when I get back to the studio I'll try and remember to post up a link to it. I thought it turned out pretty cool.

[vicky]

Stick...4 mics altogether?I'm still working with the phase issue from 2 (thanks to everyone for the links on piano mic-ing, and phase)....First I need to finishing listing due on Wednesday, then i will add viola to the piano pieces... (I forgot to mention I'm also vicky the viola player), mix and master....and post for feedback....or send in for a personal critique....Thanks to everyone,I don't even want to think about the time I would've wasted without this forum.....Vicky

[stick]

Yep. 4 mics. I was going for a pretty big wide image, so a little out of phase actually helps that. I'm just careful to get the main mics set up the same height away from the strings.

[stick]

Here's that recording, if you're interested. This is my little '48 Steinway 'M' (5'9"). You'll hear some clicks and clacks... the action needs to be rebuilt, but I'm just saying it adds character. HA! Mic'ed with 4 mics. The artist is my 18 year-old niece, Alissa... we're doing a few tunes for her Senior Project at school. She wrote the lyric, and I plunked out the music. This Is Me

[ernstinen]

Quote:Here's that recording, if you're interested. This is my little '48 Steinway 'M' (5'9"). You'll hear some clicks and clacks... the action needs to be rebuilt, but I'm just saying it adds character. HA! Mic'ed with 4 mics. The artist is my 18 year-old niece, Alissa... we're doing a few tunes for her Senior Project at school. She wrote the lyric, and I plunked out the music. This Is MeStick --- That sounds great! Nice sensitive playing, cool vocal, nice song! That young lady's got something ---Say, have you ever used PZMs on piano? I once recorded my Takamine acoustic guitar with 2 mics, added a bit of pickup sound, and still wasn't quite happy. So I put a PZM on the table in front of me, and it added that extra something. I've also recorded electric guitar amps with 3 mics and a PZM right near the Strat to add a little pick/string sound. Ern