Grand Piano please listen to my recording;) U will like it!

[Epan]

Hi evereybody, I have done my first recording on my new piano (it was a live concert performance in the studio). This is my first post and I really would like some comments on my stuff. I am normally doing jazz and pop/rock and not so much classical. Have a listen.

[BrianHanke]

The sound is excellent and the performances are very musical!

The only improvement I would suggest is to roll off the bass. As it stands now the two octaves below middle C are overpowering the right hand.

Also, I might choose to add some more reverb, but that's probably more just a matter of personal taste.

[Epan]

Thanx. The piano player are indeed very musical and it was great to really get to use the potential of our new instrument. I`ll check into the bass. Haven`t heard it outside the studio yet, and I know I have a sub that needs to be set up properly in here... Tried to keep it a little on the dry side to suit the room its played in. After all its from a concert in our studio and I didn't want to overdo it with a really large space. Maybe I`ll have fun with it later

[rumleymusic]

What piano is it? It has a very pleasant, mellow character.

[krs]

really nice recording

Not really hearing that bass as overpowering, sounds warm round and full over here (both on the monitors and phones)

[asagaai]

Beautiful-thank you.

GJ
Newcastle/OZ

[nowatthepl8]

I enjoyed that. What did you use for mics/pres?

[chupee]

Very swet Mics and Pres? i too agree too dry A litle Altiverb and put that piano in the opera house and them you have a real winer .... Very nice

[Epan]

C.Bechstein C234. AB stereo setup DPA 4006. SSL preamps and Bricasti

[hv_]

Wonderful playing. And congrats on the new piano which must be a real gem.

As mentioned above, the left hand is a little over emphasized. More so in the 2nd piece than the first. There seems to be 2 different mic placements... perhaps a little closer in the 2nd piece. Noticed the stereo imaging is different between the 2 pieces also... I prefer the 2nd myself. Not sure if the bass issue is mic placement, spacing, recording balance, the room, or perhaps piano-lid position. I generally record AB at a distance of about 20 inches spaced about 8 inches apart and positioned about 10 inches south of the dampers with the piano-lid totally removed. And mics centered over middle C. And balance the preamp with a middle C hit. Also surround my piano with Auralex Maxwalls to take the room out of the picture. I liked the ambiance you got... with omnis you must have used a very small dash of reverb.

Howard

[Epan]

Same placement on both recordings. About 4 feet out from the piano, mics 15 inches apart. Lid, fully open. Different added ambience(not much) and maybe a little different panning on nr.2 so that may be why you think its a different placement. I think the bass issuse is mostly the recording balance, and it seems to get better after I leveled it up. Thanks for the tip about hitting the middle C

[flober1970]

sounds great,

I do not agree on the reverb, sounds alreay too much too me..

I always love the bechstein, you guys know German pianist Yoachim Kuhn, he plays very often on bechstein and make them sounds beautiful.

F

[Sounds Great]

Great sounding piano, and captured very nicely! Also, very dynamic, what was your recording medium?

[Epan]

Funnny this reverb thing. I guess it`s all about taste. Glad to hear that more people loves Bechstein. We picked out the piano, among many good competitors, but for me it really stood out as the best. It is a very dynamic instrument and the player is as well, so i believe thats even more important than the recording medium. It is recorded into PT at 96 kHz/24bit.

I will listen to Yoachim Kihn

[flober1970]

It's Kuhn, sry made a typin mistake

he is a god!!

love the bechstein harmonics

: : : JOACHIM KÜHN : : :

if u got a chance, get that album :
DIE DREIGROSCHENOPER
1995


F

[MaTr1x2051]

Nice warm recording. The 4006s are lovely mikes. But I feel you are miking the instrument too close for a classical performance. It sounds almost as close as a good jazz recording would sound. With an instrument as large as a grand piano, it needs space for the sound to develop and blend naturally. I try to use 4 mikes on piano whenever possible: 2 out in the room for natural sound, and 2 closer to the piano for clarity. The mix depends on the players style, the genre, and the room itself. I'll try and post a sample of a piano recording I just finished up yesterday that employs this technique.

Otherwise, I like the warmth of the sound you got. But I've never felt able to capture the true essence of a classical performance with 2 mikes. If its the only option, I'll still err on the far side, rather than the close side. But I also know some people that use as many as 6 to 8 mikes just for solo piano.

Sample to come...

[MaTr1x2051]

Ok, here's the third movement of Beethoven's 'Les Adieux' sonata. Piano was a Bosendorfer Imperial in a 500 seat hall. This is the very closest sound I would ever go for on a classical recording. As I mentioned, this is 4 mikes mixed. Enjoy

[bcgood]

I like Epan's recording better. Don't change anything Epan, it sounds great. You have to understand, people are going to chime in all over the place telling you to do this or that. Obviously you know what you're doing and have a good ear and gear so just go for that sound. I like the natural sound, it has bass, it has mids, it has highs... Just like a REAL piano! go figure...

[MaTr1x2051]

I'm a concert pianist myself... I've played for 20 years, have had a few tours... I've never heard a piano 'naturally' sound like the OP's recordings. Not that I particularly dislike his recording; it is quite a nice tone. But the whole point of my post is that it doesn't sound like the real instrument would sound from an audience perspective at a classical concert in a real hall.

I understand that everyone will have different opinions of what is good, but don't go putting someone else down for having a different preference This is supposed to be a place where we can all share our own opinions and let whoever reads and listens figure it out for themself.

Epan: I like the recording - just wanted to share a different perspective, one that my clients usually ask me for. If you are doing more and more classical recordings, you just might want to consider a few more alternatives before you settle on something.

[Sounds Great]

Originally Posted by MaTr1x2051

Ok, here's the third movement of Beethoven's 'Les Adieux' sonata. Piano was a Bosendorfer Imperial in a 500 seat hall. This is the very closest sound I would ever go for on a classical recording. As I mentioned, this is 4 mikes mixed. Enjoy

Very nice. I like the sound and balance, but without the close mic'ing, it doesn't sound as dynamic or have as much impact i.m.o.

[bcgood]

Originally Posted by MaTr1x2051

I'm a concert pianist myself... I've played for 20 years, have had a few tours... I've never heard a piano 'naturally' sound like the OP's recordings. Not that I particularly dislike his recording; it is quite a nice tone. But the whole point of my post is that it doesn't sound like the real instrument would sound from an audience perspective at a classical concert in a real hall.

I understand that everyone will have different opinions of what is good, but don't go putting someone else down for having a different preference This is supposed to be a place where we can all share our own opinions and let whoever reads and listens figure it out for themself.

Epan: I like the recording - just wanted to share a different perspective, one that my clients usually ask me for. If you are doing more and more classical recordings, you just might want to consider a few more alternatives before you settle on something.

I'm not putting you down at all I'm just expressing my opinion since you posted a clip which begs a comparison between the two. Honestly his sample sounds more realistic to me than yours. Don't take it the wrong way though, you're recording isn't bad just not my personal preference.

[Bflat]

MaTr1x2051, how much compression did you use on your recording?

[MaTr1x2051]

No compression at all. I had a limiter on the 2bus for the session, but it didn't hit at all on the file I posted... only about .5db of reduction when it did hit, which happened maybe twice during 45 minutes of music.

I used an ORTF pair in the hall (about 500 seats like I mentioned), and an AB pair about 6 feet or so from the piano, centered around the crook, maybe 1 foot to the right. The ambience you hear is about 50% real and 50% faked. Signal from the close mikes was delayed to align to the far mikes.

But ya, there is not an ounce of compression on that recording. It is Beethoven, and the pianist did a very nice job of keeping their dynamic within a reasonable range for accurate performance. No Beethoven piano performance should ever have as much dynamic as say, Rachmaninoff or Prokofiev.

[Sounds Great]

The further the microphones are from the source, the more natural room compression you are going to experience.

[Bflat]

I do agree about adding 2 additional mics for a bit more room tone. I like the recording a lot, but to me, the reverb does not seem to match the room completely. I hope that is helpful. In my own non-classically trained view, the recording is 95% perfect and 100% awesome. Maybe you could ask the pianist to sit still next time... joking.

[rumleymusic]

We have heard Bechstein and Bosendorfer, only fair we hear a Steinway.

Typical AB setup I recorded yesterday in a livingroom.

[Sounds Great]

Originally Posted by rumleymusic

We have heard Bechstein and Bosendorfer, only fair we hear a Steinway.

Typical AB setup I recorded yesterday in a livingroom.

A little on the dark side, but it really sounds like you are right there in the livingroom. Nice job!

[rumleymusic]

A little on the dark side,

It is. Of course it wasn't the D model. I think it was a C. I actually brightened it up some from the original, but I couldn't do more with this piano in this size of a room without it sounding "honky-tonk".

[MaTr1x2051]

Ah, the lovely Steinway sound. You can't find a better piano in the world than a well kept Hamburg Steinway D. :D

[rumleymusic]

Same thing,

A little less muffled, more air.