Best type of mic for piano?

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kgirl72

kgirl72

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Hi all...

I have two dynamics, 1 small condenser (sounds surprisingly good) 1 large diaphragm and 2 tube mics. I have no idea what to do. I would like to record in stereo. I used one mic the other day, and it came out kind of harsh, and not as good as my keyboard, which I've heard people don't like the sound of.

Frustration, lol. Do I need boundary mics? Shure has an article that tells you how to mic, but doesn't say what kind. I'll experiment for sure, but if anyone has any tips, let me know.

It's an upright grand.

Thanks in advance!
Kirstin
 
What standard of recording are you going for, and what is your budget?

The subject of miking pianos is HUGE, and there are many different approaches. Everyone has their favorite mics, and some are definitely better than others for piano.

But really it comes down to: what are your standards, what type of music will you be recording, and what is your mic budget? Also, what mics do you currently own?
 
I just want to get a decent sound down at home. My real studio has been moved to a different location. I don't want to buy anything, cause I've put so much into this hobby already! I mean, I will buy in the future, just not right now. I DID buy another mic stand though, lol.


Let's just say I'm recording into a Samson Zoom mrs-8 multitrack. It actually sounds pretty good. I want to be able to try and post the recordings, when I get it right.

What I've been doing is micing from the soundboard. Maybe one on the treble, and one on the bass? Maybe a tube for the treble, as it seems a little bright to me, compared to my other recordings? Maybe I shouldn't be micing from the soundboard. I just got it tuned and have all the panels off the piano.

My mics:

Sennheiser something or other dynamic (don't know the name)
An old RE11 that someone gave me. Probably crap.
Shure Beta87A
StudioProjects C3
StudioProjects T3
Rode NTK.
I forgot about the FatHead ribbon mic I have.

One other really old Shure small diaphragm that I wouldn't use if you paid me lol. Can't remember the model.

I plan on vocal and piano and that's about it. I suck at drums, so I don't bother.

I've read that pzm's are good, but again, I just can't spend anymore. I'm broke! But, it would be nice to have decent recordings, and not have to retrack in my studio.

Hope that helps some.
 
I wouldn't do a stereo take unless I have two mics of the same model (even better if they are matched pair).
I would brobably use the Rode NTK in your case, or maybe the ribbon.
I'm going to use a Behringer B2-Pro to record one soon, only becouse I don't want a stereo take, but if I wanted one, I would probably use my Rode NT5 as spaced pair.
Cheers! :)
 
Bummer, I really wanted stereo sound out of the piano. It just sounds better. I'll try the ntk though. I used the C3 and that is probably why it sounds harsh.
 
You don't have to use just two mics on the piano, you can record with 3 or 4 if you want. As I mentioned before, there a *so* many ways to mic a piano.

Perhaps your C3 and T3 sound similar enough to use as a stereo pair? If you adjust their position?

Ideally, you would use a stereo pair to record piano. I used to own a pair of Shure KSM32's, which sounded very nice on piano. Now I own a pair of AKG C414 BULS which are matched pretty close. They sound very good, I personally like them better than the KSM32's.

But using the mics you have at your disposal there, I'd first play around with the C3 and T3 as the main stereo pair, and then use the Rode NTK as a third mic to kind of tie the StudioProject mics together.
 
Thanks SonicAlbert et al,

Apl those mics are cheap, huh? Sounds pretty good on piano, though I have no clue how they used them.
 
SonicAlbert said:
You don't have to use just two mics on the piano, you can record with 3 or 4 if you want. As I mentioned before, there a *so* many ways to mic a piano.

Perhaps your C3 and T3 sound similar enough to use as a stereo pair? If you adjust their position?

Ideally, you would use a stereo pair to record piano. I used to own a pair of Shure KSM32's, which sounded very nice on piano. Now I own a pair of AKG C414 BULS which are matched pretty close. They sound very good, I personally like them better than the KSM32's.

But using the mics you have at your disposal there, I'd first play around with the C3 and T3 as the main stereo pair, and then use the Rode NTK as a third mic to kind of tie the StudioProject mics together.
Click to expand...

Where would you put the NTK? In the middle? I've been micing the soundboard, as I read in some Shure thing that it is the most natural. Maybe that's not what I want. As far as the C3 and the T3, I really like the T3 better; it's got a tube, and just sounds better at least on my voice. I would bet the T3 and the NTK sound better together...but that's just a hunch.

Apl, I ordered those mics. At $50 a matched pair, I couldn't really pass it up. Better than the $500 mics I tend to like to buy. :D Middle of the road, I know. If they don't sound good, I have a 7 day trial period. Not sure how it works, but I'm gonna email him.

Thanks again everyone, and if anyone else has any ideas, please chime on in!
Kirstin
 
I used my Rode NT2a's for my piano. Stereo over the top.

They are pretty transparent, and a bit airy, so my piano was a bit 'brighter' than it is live. But they work pretty well.
 
I bought the Behringer C2 matched pair. They cost 50-60$ (per pair) and they sound great for the price. They compare to my Rode NT5.
You might want to consider them if you want some stereo recordings, especially since they are sold as a matched pair for that ridiculous price.
You might also try adding some more mikes and panning them differently. Like one or two for close miking the piano and two as ambience mikes panned to get a more open and natural sound.
 
But I don't have that many mic stands, lol. No, seriously, good info there, THANK YOU!
 
My pleasure! :) I'm just a little surprised that you have that many fancy mikes and not enough stands :P
Anyway, I don't know if you are aware of stereo bars
You can set up a stereo take with only one stand. The behringer C2 pair also comes with one of those.
Back to the mikes, depending of how much you are going to record, you could consider renting some mikes. If you are going to record just one piece and you need it to sound incredible, I would probably rent a pair of AKG 414 mikes and record it in stereo, but if you are going to be recording a lot, it's going to cost you a lot.
Circumstances are everything :)
 
I have no personal encounter with them, but from what everybody says:

stay away from Behringer!
 
Yeah, I've heard that too, lol. Still I have a pair of Behringer monitors...but that's IT, I swear. LOL. And Sonic Albert, I'll try micing with more, if I can figure out how. I could just buy more stands, but since I just bought those mics and some shockmounts for them, I don't know right now. I spend way more than I should.

Sounds like a good idea though!
 
Well, not everything Behringer makes is crap. I've had success with their Feedback Destroyer Pro using it live for stage monitors and, umm, that's about it. :eek: I did purchase a couple of their XM8500 dynamics in a pinch back in 2002, and wouldn't dare use them live or for recording. This is only one example of a mic of theirs, but the sound of them suffices for band practice only - at least for me.

If the C2's are anything like the Samson CO2's sonically, don't bother with them. You have a couple mics to experiment with - maybe think of Albert's idea. Just start placing the mics you have and see what you come up with. For me, experimentation had led to some interesting sonic solutions.
 
Experimentation sux. LOL. You guys are supposed to have the definitive answer! I did purchase those mics apl mentioned, so we'll give those a whirl, since they are a matched pair. Might have a little self-noise I won't like, but we'll see. For now, though, I'm stuck with two mics. Unless I want to carry around the third mic stand in my 'real' studio, which I really don't. I just need to find a sweet spot. I don't think I'm going to find a pristine recording out of all of this...I wish!
 
kgirl72 said:
Experimentation sux. LOL. You guys are supposed to have the definitive answer! I did purchase those mics apl mentioned, so we'll give those a whirl, since they are a matched pair. Might have a little self-noise I won't like, but we'll see. For now, though, I'm stuck with two mics. Unless I want to carry around the third mic stand in my 'real' studio, which I really don't. I just need to find a sweet spot. I don't think I'm going to find a pristine recording out of all of this...I wish!
Click to expand...

You can use two mic stands, or Naiant also sells a stereo bar. Did you get clips or mounts for those?
 
Hee hee, I can't *afford* any of it, but I still buy it. Apl, I got two mics, and two of the shockmounts. Rather have those than the clips.
 
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