Help with Piano Recording

[midnightrecords]

I need some help. I finally built my home studio, and started working with my first official client. It's kind of exciting for me. For one of the songs, we are recording a live piano in a church. I'm using a stereo pair of Rode NT5s connected to an MBox 2, which is connected to my powerbook. I set NT5s up in XY configuration and tried different positions. The sound I like was with them set right at the back end of the piano pointing towards the hammers with some auralex foam behind the mic to cut down on "some" of the reflections. The sound is Awesome. However, it picks up a significant amount of the knocking of the pedal and some of the sound of the damper head moving off the string (slightly). The piano is on hardwood floors. Are there any tips you can give me to help me out? I can't loose my first job

 

[Juggernaut]

It's a piano. It's mechanical. It makes noises.

Sorry if that was not much help, but it's the truth. You could back up the mics further, but then risk loosing "That Sound" that you've achieve. Also some believe that the hammer and pedal noises are part of the sound of the instrument.

(Another option might be to see if you can get a piano technician to work on the action of the piano to try and reduce mechanical noises as much as possible)

 

[midnightrecords]

I know it's mechanical and there will be some of those noises. I was just hoping for some tips in terms of reducing some of that noise. Maybe in terms of mic placement etc. Thank you.

 

[rayc]

You are pointing the mics at the source of the noise after all.
Aside from asking the pianist to go gently with the pedal, getting another mechanically smoother piano or using an electronic one you could use your search engine for tips OR use the search fascility in this forum for the same.

 

[Scott Signal]

Noise is an issue

I have to concur....I've mic'd piano a number of times and have struggled with the "mechanical" noises inherent to the instrument. I'm not sure you're really gonna be able to get around that. I would explore mic placement further and see if you can find a way to eliminate it as much as possible...but as the other member pointed out you risk losing the nice sound you had. I was able to use some AT 4041's during one session pointed away from the player at about a 35% angle to each other and got a nice mix of the piano itself and the reflection off the control room glass, avoiding some of the hammer noise...but if you're recording in a church this might not be possible. You should let us know what you discover.