Recording a Piano??

F

filmdude11

New member
I've searched the previous threads and haven't found too much about recording an upright piano.

I have somewhat of an idea of what I think would be best, and have played around a bit, but I would like to know the way other people do it.

I really want to record stereo. The only 2 mics I have (worth using) is the SP B1 and SM58.

So would stereo recording be best to record the nice warm sound of a piano, or should I ditch the SM58 and go with only the B1?

What about placement? For stereo, where should I place the two mics?

Any help is greatly appreciated!
Corey
 
Open the top lid of the piano, and put the B1 three feet above it facing down.

Take the kick panel off the piano, and place the Shure under the stool, pointed directly at the sound board at a spot just in front of the player's knees, center.

Then shift the B1 towards the treble (a few inches at a time) until you achieve reasonable balance between the mics.
 
filmdude11 said:
I've searched the previous threads and haven't found too much about recording an upright piano.

I have somewhat of an idea of what I think would be best, and have played around a bit, but I would like to know the way other people do it.

I really want to record stereo. The only 2 mics I have (worth using) is the SP B1 and SM58.

So would stereo recording be best to record the nice warm sound of a piano, or should I ditch the SM58 and go with only the B1?

What about placement? For stereo, where should I place the two mics?

Any help is greatly appreciated!
Corey
Click to expand...
You really should have a matched pair of mic's for stereo recording an upright or any piano.
 
Re: Re: Recording a Piano??

DJL said:
You really should have a matched pair of mic's for stereo recording an upright or any piano.
Click to expand...

If you were doing a classical recording in a hall using more distant positioning techniques, then yes. Kind of like an imitation of how your ears actually hear a piano performance in a hall - and most people's ears are somewhat matched.

But for close mics it's not that critical. Nobody's ears are three feet apart, and nobody listens to a piano with one ear a few inches from the soundboard and one ear a foot above the top strings. For those kind of unnatural mic'ing schemes, you may find you get even get better results with different mics than a stereo pair - depending on what they are.
 
Also be sure to tune the piano and pull it away from the wall. A lot of the micing technique and choice would depend on what type of sound you are going for but you haven't said.
 
Re: Re: Re: Recording a Piano??

littledog said:
If you were doing a classical recording in a hall using more distant positioning techniques, then yes. Kind of like an imitation of how your ears actually hear a piano performance in a hall - and most people's ears are somewhat matched.

But for close mics it's not that critical. Nobody's ears are three feet apart, and nobody listens to a piano with one ear a few inches from the soundboard and one ear a foot above the top strings. For those kind of unnatural mic'ing schemes, you may find you get even get better results with different mics than a stereo pair - depending on what they are.
Click to expand...
Ok then tell filmdude11 how to do it with his SM58 and B1. ;)
 
Well, just to try it out, I took the exact same 2 mics you have, A B1 and an SM58, and tried 3 different options.

I first took my own advice. I pulled the piano away from the wall and stuck the B1 about 2 feet above the piano's top opening, using it as a single overhead. Then I placed the 58 against the back of the piano, along the sound board. I got a warmer sound than I personally prefer, plus there was not enough ambiance for my taste.

Next, I placed the 58 as an overhead, about 2 feet above the opening, and placed the B1 about six feet behind me, pointing towards the piano. I got plenty of ambiance this time, and the sound was still pretty warm, but the 58 doesn't really do the job as an overhead; the highest parts of the piano and the lowest parts were pretty thin-sounding.

Finally, I put the B1 back on the overhead, but angled it slightly towards the higher end of the piano, and I put it about 3 feet above the piano this time. Then, I put the 57 down below the bench into the soundboard ala removing the pedal board, placing it slightly off-center towards the bass end by about 3 inches. I got my best sound here. It was still a warm sound, but everything was slightly "harder" sounding. The attacks sounded better, I had plenty of ambiance, and I picked up the low notes just fine. I'll try to post MP3s later if at all possible, but my computer's been acting pretty funny so I may not be able to get them up.

I will say though that none of the sounds produces a very large sound, which is my favorite kind of piano sound. If you can get a pair of overheads that have good low ends, I would try that. But maybe you don't like large sounds, that's just my preference.

Cheers!
-Brandon
 
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