Recording grand piano

[Hope209]

I know this topic has been discussed before but I was hoping you guys could tell me what mics from my collection to use. My friend wants to record a grand piano(i THINK it's a steinway but i could be wrong) at our college using his Mbox and today is his last day to have access to it by himself. It's in a large band practice room, but by no means in some kick-ass concert hall. How should he mic it and what mics should he use? He said the last times he's recorded it he had trouble with stereo separation. I also have Altiverb so should be bother trying to mic the room? He's going for a Ben Folds sound

Shure SM57(2)
Oktava MK012 (2)
Audio Technica 4033
Audio Technica 4050
Shure SM58
Studio Projects C1
AKG C1000
Shure SM81(2)
AKG D112
Audio Technica ATM25
Sennheiser MD421(3)
Audio Technica 3035
Sennheiser E609
Royer R-121
Rode NT-2(2)

[cdog]

4050 pair

[apdv1]

Yes the 4050's would be good. Might I also suggest a dedicated phantom power supply if you are going to use an M box for tracking, It will make them sound better. I would use an X/Y set up about 6 inches to 2 feet away depending on how much attack you want in the sound.

[Reggie Love]

A common classical approach would be to put a pair of relatively flat curve omnis around 6-8 feet away and directly opposite the open lid. If the mikes have good clarity then you won't need to separate them that much.

For close miking I prefer to mike either end of the piano first under the lid and avoiding getting too close to the hammers, then add a third mike for the false stereo effect, if required.

If you have all the capsules for the Oktavas and the band room is either okay or can be made that way then I'd try the Oktavas as omnis. Otherwise, close, I'd use the the Royer at the far end of the piano and an Oktava close to the keyboard end to capture either end of the tone. However, close miking is a pretty sh*tty option bearing in mind the way sounds develop in a grand, you'll be tweaking positions for a while.

[tINY]

The 012 or the 81 pairs could work well. Try spaced pairabout 2' form lid and 6' apart, co-incident and ORTF at 6-10'.

Pan the chanels hard L/R.



-tINY

[pkautzsch]

Oktavas in Omni. 1 to 2 ft AB, something like 6 to 8 ft away, facing the open side of the lid. Because they are the only real pressure transducers I can find in your list.

For more directness and intimate sound, add support mics: a cardioid (maybe the AudioTechnica 3035 which is rather good for its price) pointing at the hammers. And some LD (or LD pair) for the tail end, if you like. You'll get more "roundness" there.
A ribbon might be interesting, but I haven't heard one at a piano so far.
I wouldn't go for too clear stereo image (no XY or ORTF, but rather AB for the main pair): otherwise you'll hear the player's breathing on the left and the rumbling of the air conditioning on the right...and lots of piano mud in the middle.

[Don S]

Omnis about 3 feet apart and about 1 to 2 feet back - a starting place of course. But - get a better pre amp than what's in the Mbox. That will make a huge difference!

[dbaudio]

You didn't say what genre of music you would be recording. For solo piano, you don't have to be quite as concerned as you would if the piano were part of an ensemble, but never the less, there are different techniques for recording "classical, jazz, and pop piano.

Spaced omnis is a standard practice for classical piano recordings in a reasonably good accoustic space.

As others have said, for close micing (typical for jazz and pop), a pair of cardiod condensers can be made to work, especialy if you take time to find the sweet spots in the piano. A great grand paino will have two very distinct lobes of sound. Stick you head in the piano while someone is playing it and keep listening until you can "see" the pattern of the lobes. Once you know where they are, deciding on mics and mic positions will be easy.

[hughesmr]

Originally Posted by Reggie Love

A common classical approach would be to put a pair of relatively flat curve omnis around 6-8 feet away and directly opposite the open lid. If the mikes have good clarity then you won't need to separate them that much.

Has anyone A/B mic'ed a grand this way using diffuse field omnis (e.g. Schoeps MK2S)? I've done it with EW QTC1 but not my MK2S's. I have a gig coming up that I'd like to try it on, and would be interested to hear if folks have done this.

Of course I know I could EQ them, but....

Mike

[Barnabas]

Originally Posted by Hope209

He's going for a Ben Folds sound

Good luck. It might not be easy to get a Ben Folds sound.

I recorded Ben Folds at a live concert two years ago. He had about a dozen lines coming out of the piano. Multiple pickups, and multiple mics. I wish I kept a list.

You've got some good suggestions here. Try them out, and move the mics around until you get the sound you want.

[Ifrit]

Originally Posted by hughesmr

Has anyone A/B mic'ed a grand this way using diffuse field omnis (e.g. Schoeps MK2S)? I've done it with EW QTC1 but not my MK2S's. I have a gig coming up that I'd like to try it on, and would be interested to hear if folks have done this.

Of course I know I could EQ them, but....

Mike

I did couple years ago with MK2Ss. Worked just fine. Those are my favorite mics almost in any case.