Options for recording piano with an sm57 and at4047?

[mellotron]

It's an upright, which makes it tougher than miking a grand? Should I angle the piano so it's not parallel with a wall?

The room's about 9x15x12. All sides are parallel. The doorway is really wide and opens into a foyer with a high ceiling ~20 ft.

I'm considering using a softsynth instead so I don't have to worry about acoustics being muddy, but don't know if a free VST would be worth it.

I don't know if miking a piano with only one mic would work. Is recording a condenser and a dynamic simultaneously a no-no? I understand it would mess up the EQ.

 

[Massive Master]

This is what I'd do on the spot --

Pop the top, put the condenser over the open top maybe 1-2 feet above and 3/4 the way to the right (high) angled slightly to the left (lows). Roll some lows off.

Put the 57 on a short stand (6" off the floor) and mic the back of the soundboard a little left (low) side of center, only an inch or two off the board. Roll some highs off.

Start there. If you're lucky, it'll just work. You're trying to capture "subtle" and hammers and overtones with the condenser, impact with the dynamic.


Granted - Some pianos sound better mic'd differently. This is just a decent way that's worked in the past on most uprights I've mic'd up in a hurry.

 

[avieth]

I'd take it in to the foyer with the 20 foot ceiling! Put the at4047 a meter above the player, with the lid open and the sm57 very close to the soundboard like Master said. Then in the mix I'd double the signal captured by the 4047 and pan one hard left and one hard right, with the sm57 signal dead center.

It would sound so majestic. Maybe that's not what you're going for though.

 

[Massive Master]

Doubling the 4047 and panning one hard left and one hard right will be exactly the same as leaving the one in the center... Well, louder, but still a mono, single source...

 

[cello_pudding]

this is almost exactly how i do my piano (when i had a piano)

I tried sdc's, but mine were too tinny. i tried an sdc and ldc..no dice.

i was like...dynamic? i guess let's try...it turned out the 57 had a tighter bass sound, and had a good high end to make it cut through

i did basically what massive suggested, only i took off the top and the bottom.

there should be a metal thing to push up on underneath the keys, and the bottom board will come off.

i mic'd up the bass strings with the 57, and the ldc like massive said. i pointed mine more towards the middle/high section, as i played mostly there, and my ldc is also bright too.

but this is only if the piano is integral in the recording.

if you're just playing a small melody, you may want to do something completely different.