Recording Acoustic Piano (in a hall?)

  • Thread starter Thread starter Alexbt
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Alexbt

Alexbt

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Hi all,

I have tentative plans to do some recording work on a really nice piano in the recitial hall at my college. The room has superb acoustics.

The piano is not going to be the only instrument in the mix, so I'm wondering how I should go about micing this.

The room has 2 condenser mics suspended from the ceiling already to record. They are moderately close to the stage.

My initial plan was to use those, and also have some mics on stage (piano opened, 2-3 mics on stands pointed into the piano.

My soundcard has only 2 XLR inputs.

I don't know if I should be going left and right out of the ceiling mics, and then using a mixing board to add the onstage mics to it, or if I should have one channel be stage mics and the other be ceiling mics.

Suggestions, comments?
 
:rolleyes: Yo Alex:

Set up and record a few bars and note the mic placements, which ones used, etc.

Then, do it again using a different configuration.

Then, do it again and move the piano around. Maybe three times with this one.

After each audition, note the results and quality you get. Pick the best one and you're off to the races.

Green Hornet :D
 
Move the piano?

It's just going to be placed centerstage... the stage is enclosed from behind and the sides with custom soundsheilding.

The ceiling mics also aren't movable... they have been optimally placed for recording in this particular hall.

I suppose I could play around with the placement of the on-stage mics...

Also note that I probably won't have very much time with this room or instrument. I think I will only be recording one song on it.
 
You said the ceiling mics are, and I quote, "optimally placed for recording in this particular hall"

Well if thats the case, enough said use the two mics into your sound card and your done.

If they are not your best choice, your going to have to take the time to find the position. No one on this board is going to be able to tell you exactly what to do with the mics. We don't know the piano, the room, or even the mics you are going to use. Maybe with a little more info we could give you some starting points, but bottom line is you have to find the right setup, and then listen to how that sounds and make sure you have everything perfect within that setup.

But make sure you have that piano tuned the day of the recording.
 
Well, I don't really know what the ceiling mics are or what they sound like.

This is mostly like a trial and see if it sounds good... a one shot deal.
 
Well if the room sounds as good as you say it does, and they have used those mics before. Try them first. Put one mic in one of your outputs, and the other in the other output. When you mix down, try some panning, you could get some real nice stereo happening, depending on how the mics are hung.

If there's too much reverb that way, put some SDC closer to the piano. The more room sound you want, the further you put the mics from the piano.



But I'll say it again, Have the piano tuned the day you are recording. Even if you think the piano is in tune, it will make a difference. Trust me, my day job is as a piano technician, (Hence the In Tune Audio)
 
It would certainly be a challenge to get it tuned, but I believe they may have someone on staff to do it.

I heard a recording just today through those mics, and it was an impressive recording. It was not of just the piano, but our choral group.

The only problem was that the mics were too sensitive and too close to the stage to get a good choral recording. This setting, would be good for piano recording, and getting the sound that I am looking for.
 
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