How To Mic an Upright Piano

Aoresteen

New member
My studio is almost complete and I have decided to add an upright piano (no room or $$ for a grand piano). I have a line on a couple of uprights that look terrible (need refinishing but play & sound well) and are not too expensive. My though was to remove the top & front pannels and permanatley place two mics where the piano will sound best. Also I will remove the top and front pannels to allow for easy tunning and mic placement.

Where should the mics be placed?

And what mics would you reccomend to record an upright piano?

Thanks!
 
I often get the best results by miking the harp from the front, removing the kickboard first. I'd highly recommend having the piano professionally tuned before you recording it; it's well worth the investment. Also, check the pedals and see if they might need a little lube to keep them from squeaking too much. And finally, pull one side of the piano away from the wall a little so that there's at least a good 15-20° angle between the piano and the rear wall. This will help curb standing waves which can mess withthe sound of the piano.

As far as mic selection, I've found that no two uprights in no two rooms take to microphones the same way. My best recommendation is to expiriment with what you have and see what works for your situation; but go for something in general that gives you a decent full-range balance on the left side and the right amount of brightness for your desires on the right side. One mic each side (they don't have to be matched, IMHO), under the keyboard and facing in on a short angle towards the harp. Give the player enough room for their legs, of course, but other than that, distance L/R for best balance maybe about a foot off the harp.

An alternative, sometimes you can get a decent sound of the back of the piano. Similar miking technique, except your miking the back of the soundbar instead the front of the harp. This tends to work best when the piano is not against a wall.

Personally, I rarely care for the sound of dropping mics in from the top as much as the above options, and only use that when the other methods are not options.

G.
 
I have a console piano that is a foot away from a wall with heavy drapes in front, I usually place a pair of SDC mics just above right behind the head of the player for a binaural image. If a brighter sound is needed i will move the drapes. Have tried other mic'ing methods but they are always too boomy to sit well in a mix, or there is too much mechanical noise from the workings of the piano.
 
Southside Glen & bassbrad

Thanks. My plan is to have the piano profesionally tuned two weeks after the piano is moved into the studio to alow it to settle in to my house environment.
 
Bassbrad's post reminded me of another option that I've used in the past and can work well also: Sometimes you just gotta walk in a semi-circle around the back of the player by a few feet and listen for where in the room the piano sounds the best. Then just stick one mic there for a nice mono recording.

G.
 
Back
Top