Do the new pianos come with magnetic pickups?

[DAS19]

Well do they? and stereo outputs? Do new studios with these new pianos just use the stereo outs with the pick ups I wonder how they sound.

I went to a concert and there was no mics on the grand piano and couldnt fighure out how the sound was getting to the main board! lol

Anyway all your info would be nice this is new information to me being piano stores scare me. They are pretty much as bad as a car dealer.

[DAS19]

nobody nos?

[SonicAlbert]

Do you mean new acoustic pianos, like grand pianos? What kind of concert was it, classical, jazz? Was the piano top open or closed? Were there any mics hanging from the ceiling or on the floor near the piano?

The piano may ahve been miked, but subtly in a way that wasn't easily seen.

[cusebassman]

Do a lot of pianos actually have pickups? I'd imagine if it were in the studio, it would probably be mic'd. I've never heard a piano recorded with magnetic pickups, but I would imagine it would be akin to the difference between recording an acoustic guitar with a mic and recording it with a magnetic pickup... but I very well could be wrong.

[c7sus]

FRAP made piezo pickups back in the 70's and early 80's for piano applications.

But my gut says any acoustic piano you're hearing in a live setting is miked if it's amplified.

[DAS19]

It was a rock concert soo I dont know how they would of miced it with the wall of amps they had. Litterally there was like 16 orange amps. But who knows if they were on anyway I was asking if new acoustic pianos come wiht like a line out jack or something (ie do they have pickups).

Maybe you can still mic a piano with powerful amps around? who knows

[SonicAlbert]

Was the top up or down?

Frequently the mics will be taped into the inside of the piano, under the lid. Even with the lid open it can be done so you might not see it easily.

It's also quite common to mic a piano from underneath. The soundboard is underneath, after all. You could ahve had mics taped up under there, out of view.

If it was a rock concert, the piano was definitely miked.

[DavidK]

Sometimes, the piano is hollow and there is a synth inside, the piano is basically a prop. Its VERY expensive to take a piano on tour, they are hard to move and take care of. On top of that you would need a piano tuner EVERY night. I have seen it many times, they bring a " prop" piano and there will be a typical Roland or Korg Stage piano inside. Sneaky.

[SonicAlbert]

I think DavidK probably called it. I've heard of that prop piano trick too.

[DavidK]

I toured europe with a Piano duo with two Grands. We had to have a large truck, it was a major hassle. They would ask townspeople, kids from the local high schools, and eventually orchestra players to help. I aint moving no steenkin pianos, thats for sure. Since this was classical, the piano had to be 100% in tune, so it was a huge fiasco to do this. Normally, our soloists for the orchestra were a violinist or classical guitarist. I am sure that certain people still have nightmares about programming a two-piano concerto on the road, it is hard enough moving one, but insane traveling with two grands.

[cusebassman]

Huh... never thought about a faux-piano with an electric keyboard / synth built in, but that's a pretty shneeky idea, and you can get a damn good acoustic piano sound out of the technology we have available to us these days...

Would be pretty weird to see a classical pianist come out on stage, sit down in front of a midi controller, and go to town, heh

[rory]

Yamaha makes the Disklavier which is a digital piano and acoustic piano in one. Elton John uses them live (when he "plays"). You can combine the piano sound with synth sounds, organs, etc. Kawai also makes a pickup system, but I don't think its caught on like the Disklavier.

You just plug it in or send the signal out via midi. If it was a Yamaha, it could've been that.

[Cazzbar]

this casts a giant cloud over all the 'real' pianos i've ever seen on stage!

[ido1957]

Originally Posted by DavidK

Sometimes, the piano is hollow and there is a synth inside, the piano is basically a prop. Its VERY expensive to take a piano on tour, they are hard to move and take care of. On top of that you would need a piano tuner EVERY night. I have seen it many times, they bring a " prop" piano and there will be a typical Roland or Korg Stage piano inside. Sneaky.

That is definitely a sneaky, but brilliant idea. I would imagine venues like our Winspear Center (Concert Hall) would have a grand piano dedicated to them so it can be used as required and tuned by the resident technician.

Originally Posted by DavidK

I aint moving no steenkin pianos, thats for sure.

You would probably have chronic back problems if you had helped out moving those grand pianos.....that's what roadies are for, or townies....

[DavidK]

Originally Posted by ido1957

That is definitely a sneaky, but brilliant idea. I would imagine venues like our Winspear Center (Concert Hall) would have a grand piano dedicated to them so it can be used as required and tuned by the resident technician.

They assumedly have several. I dont know if they would allow a touring show to use them, especially a rock band. Ours are off limits to anyone except the house groups. One of our halls has grand pianos in the dressing rooms.

The "entertainers" do the prop piano bit. People like Donny Osmond. I think Collin Raye (country guy) did that. There is a guy named Jim Brickman who is a new agey pianist. He did some guest cameo on some gig I did, and they brought out this WEIRD-looking thing. It looked like a harpsichord combined with a coffin. I dont think there was anything in it except a synth.

[ido1957]

Originally Posted by DavidK

They assumedly have several. I dont know if they would allow a touring show to use them, especially a rock band. Ours are off limits to anyone except the house groups. One of our halls has grand pianos in the dressing rooms.

Here are a few pictures of our concert hall. It is a multi purpose stage area with room for orchestra (main stage), choir (above and to the sides) and has a big pipe organ against the wall in the center. So it looks like it is a much smaller venue than one that would have a pit and then perfomers on stage. Seems a little weeny but maybe the chairs in front are removeable....We do get rock bands there but not often and no headbangers. I wonder if they freak over the kids coming in there in such a classy place.....potential for destruction is there.....I mean just look at their messy bedrooms....

[DavidK]

Originally Posted by ido1957

Here are a few pictures of our concert hall.

I dont see no steenkin pictures.

I know the conductor there, Bill Eddins. VERY bright guy, very talented with an enormous ego. Looks like a very nice hall, I googled it.

[ido1957]

Originally Posted by DavidK

I dont see no steenkin pictures.

I know the conductor there, Bill Eddins. VERY bright guy, very talented with an enormous ego. Looks like a very nice hall, I googled it.

Ooops - there ya go, there's the pictures now. Googling definitely gives better results though as these are pretty tiny....

[DAS19]

Im positive it was a real piano. I saw pictures of it up close and when this guy wants to use a stage piano he just goes and uses one becuse at some concerts he does actually use I think a bosendofer stage piano but in this case it was a bigger venue so he used his yamaha grand. maybe it was that elton john pickup system you talked about. I bet you it was becuase I know this musician and I doubt he would do that piano trick when he coulda yeiled the same results with just using his stage piano like he normally does at smaller shows.

[fraserhutch]

No one actually plays instruments anymore, do they???

[DAS19]

... cough cough *not funny* cough.

[donkeystyle]

my friend has a baby grand that has been taken apart and put in a fiber glass case and some flight cases. it has the helpinstill pickup system in it.

basically it's kind of a heavier, much better sounding cp-70.

maybe that's what it was?

[SonicAlbert]

Even if the piano was a disklavier it would have to be miked. The disklavier is a mechanical playback system, a modern version of the player piano. The hammers and strings are the same as a regular piano. External modules can be triggered though, as the keys do trigger a midi module inside.

I'm betting though, that unless is was a disklavier triggering an external module, that the mics were taped under the piano or inside the lid wher eyou couldn't see them.

[rory]

Originally Posted by SonicAlbert

Even if the piano was a disklavier it would have to be miked. The disklavier is a mechanical playback system, a modern version of the player piano. The hammers and strings are the same as a regular piano. External modules can be triggered though, as the keys do trigger a midi module inside.

I'm betting though, that unless is was a disklavier triggering an external module, that the mics were taped under the piano or inside the lid wher eyou couldn't see them.

Disklaviers don't need to be miced. They have 1/4" outputs and midi outputs. They have a bar that comes up and mutes the strings but doesn't interfere (they say) with the action. It basically turns it into a regular action digital piano. You have quite a few sounds within the "brain" of the disklavier from the factory.

[SonicAlbert]

I'm just saying they need to be miked if you want the sound of the strings, not electronic piano module.