Pianos.

[andydeedpoll]

thanks for that, corban. i did get some quite 'heavy' sounds when i but the B1 close to the back of the piano, towards the higher strings, and when my SE1A comes (hopefully tomorrow) i'll try putting further back in the room.

I can see what you mean about the muddier sounds - and anything but a poppy piano sound would be good!

thanks,

Andy

 

[leddy]

Most important is the sound of the piano, does is sound good, is it perfectly in tune?

+1

A bad piano is a bad piano. An upright piano seldom sounds like a good piano to me. The only acceptable results I get are opening the top and micing down into the piano near where the hammers hit. I use a spaced pair of small condensers. Micing the soundboard only usually does not sound good. YMMV.

 

[prestomation]

My mother owns a fabulous 7ft ~1896 Stultz & Bower grand that I've recorded a few times. I've seriously never played anything like it.

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/7/prestontamkin_music.htm

It's in that song, and featured solo at the end.

I miced it with a pair of SP B1's going through a Behringer board(i know, i know..). I think it sounds pretty good

 

[giraffe]

i don't really have a lot of experiance with upright, but in the few times i've needed to mic one the most useable sound (not to be confused with a "good" sound) seems to come from (i'll probably get jumped for this) the top, with the top open. watch out for that crappy hammer slap you'll get if you're too close.

it's worked for me.

 

[corban]

I'll second or third the comments about micing from the top. At churches I've been to they always mic the back, and it always sounds horrid, but I've had some very decent sounds come with little effort from going through the top.

 

[jason_tsh]

sorry if I've missed this

I'm extremely tired, so I'm sorry if someone's already said this:
You might get a much more faithful and less boxy sound if you use an omnidirectional mic, for example the B3 instead of a B1. In a review I read of the B3 (can't remember where) it had exactly the same problem as you, in that the piano sounded really boxy. The B3 is the same as the B1 in cardoid mode apparently. The reviewer switched the B3 to omni, and voila, it sounded great.