Micing an upright...

[Roel]

So I bought a piano... Finally. Still waiting untill they deliver the damn thing. It's a used yamaha U3... btw...

So, how do I mic it? I only have limited options, for now it's a C3000b and a C419, SM57 and a cheapo SM58 copy... I have only one quality preamp and one compressor, both in my voice channel (symetrix 528e). The room is our livingroom, no idea how it will sound since the piano hasn't been delivered yet.

So, how would you do it? If I buy more mics, it would be 2 of those cheap behringer measurement mics. Since I'm pretty broke now... Sigh. No more toys for me for the next few years...

 

[Wil Davis]

Well, I would use PZMs (who'd have thought it... :> ) - check out the "Harvey Gerst Mega Mic-Thread" (available from all good recording bulletin-boards...)

- Wil

Old Chinese Proverb:
Foolish man lets wife play on upright-piano -
Wise man lets wife play on upright organ...

 

[Roel]

Old Chinese Proverb:
Foolish man lets wife play on upright-piano -
Wise man lets wife play on upright organ...

What does that mean??

Haven't got pzm's, and haven't got money to buy 'em... Unless they are really cheap.

So, how's I do it with what I gots?

 

[The Green Hornet]

Yo Roel:

What you doing way out there in Belgium?

Well, anyway, I would tape a mic to the soundboard of the piano, maybe two mics: one towards the low end and one towards the high end.

Then, I give it a try. Try all the mics you have and see what gets the best results.

Or, tape the mics to the inside of the piano if you don't get a good read on the soundboard.

I'm just kind of inventing which is what I do all of the time in my studio.

Cheers and have a Tuborg.
Green Hornet [Yeah, I know that Tuborg is Danish but I don't know any Belgium beers]

 

[Roel]

On the soundboard? Would that mean, rearranging my mom's livingroom, putting the piano off the wall, and mic it from behind? (Which might be a bad idea since the wall is part of what gives an upright it's sound... dunno...)

I was thinking the C3000 for the bass and that clip-on for the highs. But I only gots one preamp. Darn. So I'd have to use the VS1880's preamps which yikes.... I'll try it soon, from the inside. I'm really not planning on moving the monster...

The C419 has a way to recording an upright on it's application notes... One for the lower strings, one upper...

And no beer for me... Don't like it. Me whisky-man... Aaah...

 

[The Green Hornet]

Yo Roel:

As far as only one mic pre, you could use one of those dual patch 1/4 plugs in and out [might need two of them] to run two lines into your mic pre. Since both will be going into the piano somewhere, should be no problem with input/output volume.

The soundboard on the piano is that board inside where all the hammers rest. Steinway was known for their soundboards as the wood came from some weird tree that only grows in Europe someplace -- I read about it once or heard it in a lecture.

Yeah, you're right....I don't drink much beer....prefer the Gordon's Gin Martini.

Green Hornet

 

[Roel]

Hmmm... Doesn't that give problems with phantom power? One of the mics got a phantom power adaptor...

I'm thinking of using the mic pre just for one channel, and one of the bad VS1880 micpres for the other channel.

And maybe get a pair of ecm8000's. Closemic with those and the C3000b as a room mic maybe... Need some mics as overhead anyways...

 

[Downside Studio]

Would that mean, rearranging my mom's livingroom

Hey Roel, how's live?

So I understand you're still living with your mom? Well, got the solution. Just keep playing the piano for several hours each night untill she gets really mad. The ntry to explain you have to play such a lot to get a good sound since you only have one good mic (C3000B although I don't agree it's a good mic, but it's the best you've got). After a week or two she will be begging you to buy anothermic on her expence. Works for sure.

Now on the other hand. If you have no money, but bought yourself a piano.....is it really worth recording?


On a personal note...how's live overthere....still waiting to do some nice recordings with you. I have had a rather abnormal busy couple of months behind me. In a couple of weeks things are getting normal. You know where to find me.

 

[Roel]

I'm partly living with my parents. I rent a room in Leuven, and that's where I live during the week. But I can't put a piano in here...

And the piano really is the reason I haven't got any money left. And my studies next year, but mainly the piano. (It's a second hand Yamaha U3, paid about 4500 euro's for it, but it is in perfect shape, and sounds better than some new U3's!!)

Still haven't found a band that would be worth investing your time in. My own band is mainly for fun, we kinda rock, ut commercial potential would be zero. The band I send you mp3's from has been recording at Artsound in helchteren, and I'll be assisting them with mixing somewhere in may.

And I'm busy as hell. I'm currently looking for a school for next year. I'll be studying music (theory/composition), now in the middle of going to all opendoors etc. Then I have to prepare my entrance exam, we're recording a budget demo with my band, and I've got some more projects running (rap in some extreme dialect, pretty nasty and funny, and me and a friend are attempting to write a soundtrack for a nonexisting movie, the script has been written by a friend of ours.)

So VERY busy. Another friend of mine has sent in a song for the demopoll at stubru. I haven't heard anything from them in a while. They have some commercial potential, as far as their sound is concerned, but they are absolutely hopeless as far as songwriting is concerned. Not much fun to work with... (I tried... oh boy...)

But I'm still looking around. If I find a band that is suited, I'll get in touch!