Recording Acoustic Piano/Grand vs. Upright

  • Thread starter Thread starter Sleddog72
  • Start date Start date
S

Sleddog72

New member
HI...

Don't know where this goes. But this is "other" for sure...I want to make a room strictly for piano recording. Now, obviously I would love to shave a buck here and there. If I heard a recorded track of an upright piano vs. a grand piano would there be a remarkable difference...let me go further...I can't afford a grand....possibly a baby....but the difference between that and an upright is huge....but would i really be disappointed in the recording sound of an upright? anyone ever recorded acoustic piano? any tips? suggestions?
 
anyone miked acoustic piano and the difference between grand style vs upright style
 
i've mic'ed my upright and gotten great sounds out of it. but i prefer upright to grand just because it fits my music better. i'm using it in a rock mix.

there is definitely a distinct difference between the sound of upright and grand (although i've never recorded a grand). if you need that grand piano sound then you might not get it out of an upright.
 
actually yeah that helps...i ws a master class and i heard a student on a grand and also a different time on an upright...there is a difference in a live ambience...i didnt think it would catch on the mics though. ok this is great thanks very much...and ill check into that other thing posted.
 
Depends on context. In a rock mix, a upright would possibly be fine.

For classical, acoustic, or some pop, you'd probably want a grand.
 
I find it's simply easier to mic a grand. You have to work harder with an upright. One thing you can try is to remove the front panel under the keys, and set up a spaced pair behind the pianist. Shure has some pictures of this in the guide on their site. Another good spot for a rock/honky-tonk sound is from behind the piano. In either case, get the piano away from the wall, out into the room.

You can try opening the top, but I wouldn't place a mic there, I've always been disappointed with that approach.
 
Sleddog,
mshiularious is pretty much on the spot.
I've mic'd both types for performance & for recording.
They sound different obviously.
For a start the grand can be opened & is LOUDER when this is done & because of its construction a lot of volume will come out of an opened upright top too but can be very muddy.
In my experience, & like speakers, an upright closer to a wall will have emphasised bass but will become cleraer as it's moved away.
You could end up using as much space locating an upright correctly as placing a grand.
Grands, parlours & baby grands are relatively easy to mic - you can adjust mic position to great effect too.
Uprights have a narrower window to mic the strings in.
Usually there's a difference in soundboard size & string length as well that have an effect on sound.
A parlour grand is a good compromise in size & sound.
What the player is comfortable with counts for a LOT in the end.
They call uprights Honky Tonks for a reason too!
Cheers
rayC
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top