Piano Mic Techniques???

[rumleymusic]

However, compared to a pro recording (with time spent on stuff) it has much to be desired considering it is a 9' Bose.

Sorry, but I have to agree. It is quite pinched, almost mono sounding, and becomes harsh very easily. 22cm AB is fine for high pitched instruments, but is it not sufficient (sometimes) for piano.

[CGBrian.M]

Originally Posted by rumleymusic

Sorry, but I have to agree. It is quite pinched, almost mono sounding, and becomes harsh very easily. 22cm AB is fine for high pitched instruments, but is it not sufficient (sometimes) for piano.

Well OK then, I'll have to keep working at it. I will say two things: 1) The mp3(320kbps) I posted sounded worse to me than the .aiff file, especially the louder parts towards the end of the clip. 2) I felt it (the original file) sounded quite close to what I heard in the church. I didn't feel like there was any lack of a stereo sound to it.

Brian

[Marik]

Originally Posted by piano

For a student recording you really will never get better! I hope that student has some idea of what a privilege is it to get a recording on that instrument.

However, compared to a pro recording (with time spent on stuff) it has much to be desired considering it is a 9' Bose.

To me the Boesendorfer is always a very tricky instrument to record. It always has some quite cold sound qualities, glassy/harsh top and something really weird going on in the lower mids.

As a part of my Doctorate dissertation I had to record S. Feinberg Sonata no.6 and had Boesendorfer at my disposal. It was very frustrating experience--no microphone placement or EQ could take care of pretty weird instrument voicing stuff.

Having said that, it is actually very fine instrument to perform on, with very even and much more comfortable mechanics than a good (American) Steinway. However, in my experience, it just does not lay on the recording nearly as nicely as a Steinway D.

A good example of quite an amusing disparity is a few Rachmaninov's Welte Mignon recordings, which came out as a "Window in Time" double set. Probably one of the best piano roll transfers, but the Boesendorfer sound has nothing to even remotely do with Rachmaninov's touch, or idea about his perception of the piano and its sound.

Best, M

[innermusic]

Another bump.
I've had good results with a pair AKG451s into pair of of Neve 1089s. Lid off or full stick, mics near center 12 inches back from hammers, 12" apart pointing 45 degrees L and R. Panned hard L/R.

[Accurate]

If you're doing classical, omnis in AB are definitely nice - I've had great results with the THE TT-3M especially. Sometimes using an X-Y or ORTF pair with omnis as outriggers can be great as well and gives you more control when mixing. If you're micing closer in, I would highly recommend the Beyer MC834 or Milab DC196.

However, the most important thing is to match the mics to the piano and the room. For example, I found the Beyers and Milab to work incredibly well on a Baldwin 9' Grand but they were awful on a Steinway D in the same hall, due to the Steinway being much darker. The THE mics saved me on that session. So, you have to try out a few pairs/positions and see what matches with your situation.