Which solo classical piano setup of the two?

[macula]

I am a good professional classical pianist but a newbie in recording technology. Please help me overcome my pre-purchase indecisiveness!

I am looking for the best possible matched pair of mics below $1,000 to connect with an Apogee Duet FW interface running on Macbook 2.4GHz with 4GB of RAM (I haven't bought the Apogee yet, but I doubt there is a better interface in that price range). Which one do you think is best:

1. Oktava (or Michael Jolly's OktavaMod) MK-012
2. DPA 4061 kit
3. Any other options? Unfortunately I cannot afford a Schoepps or Gefell pair.

Thank you!

[jnorman]

i just did a christmas CD of solo piano for a lady with a 7'4" bosendorfer grand piano, which turned out to be one of the best recordings i have ever made. i have used DPA 4011s on this piano for a previous CD i did for her, but this time i used a pair of AT 4051s inside the cabinet. spectacularly good pair of mics for the money. i tried a pair of DPA 4061s in spaced AB just outside the lip, which was also nice, but both the pianist and i preferred the 4051s.

[VegetativeState]

You should really check out this thread from Dr. Bill where he compares a number of ribbon pairs on piano, the pair he chose in the end was fairly surprising and definitely in your price range. I'm not sure about the Duet having enough gain for ribbons, but if it does this thread should be of great interest:
Ribbon Madness....Some Comparisons

[just.sounds]

At least buy the 4060 not the 4061, you will have higher self noise with the 4061's and the maximum dBspl the 4060's take is enough for anything exept pistol shots.

[John Willett]

If you are looking at the mini DPA, it's also worth looking at the Sennheiser MKE 2 series.

Personally, my new piano rig will be the MKH 8020 stereo set.

[Roland]

Originally Posted by John Willett

If you are looking at the mini DPA, it's also worth looking at the Sennheiser MKE 2 series.

Personally, my new piano rig will be the MKH 8020 stereo set.

I dissagree, the DPA's a significant improvement over all other lapel mic's I've used albeit at a higher cost.

Regards


Roland

[John Willett]

Originally Posted by Roland

I disagree, the DPA's a significant improvement over all other lapel mic's I've used albeit at a higher cost.

But have you tried the MKE 2? And - it's a similar price to the DPA. Also, the same capsule was used in the MKE 212 boundary mic. It's not like other tie mics.

I just suggested it should be considered - and it should.

[Jim vanBergen]

Both the MKE-2 (regular & red dot, which is a -10dB pad that equates to the 4061) as well as the DPA 4060 & 4061 are excellent for "in piano" miking. I like the magnetic mounts DPA has come up with for the 4060 series on the soundboard of the instrument.

I don't think the differences are staggering...subtle, but certainly there and a consideration if you can do a physical A/B of the two. Otherwise, if it's between the Octava, it's a big difference in how you mic (mount the mics) on the instrument that will have a serious concern.

I have done many recordings using an Mk-012 pair that I thought sounded stellar. I suppose in all honesty I am too much of a mic prima donna to buy a pair of Octavas instead of DPAs or Schoeps, but the Octavas in ORTF directly over the A key above middle C on full stick in a great studio sounded lovely.

The thing about lav mics- you can also get a really good sound with the lid closed, and much easier to mount & place that a regular SDC or LDC microphone.

Hope this helps.