Recording Enviroment...

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ianplegg

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Hi All,

I'm currently recording an upright piano and vocals in my living room! Therefore I don't have a recording studio but is it possible to record as if I were in a studio???

The subject of acoustics is pretty vast I know but I presume a recording studio will have a flat a response as possible because it's properly designed. So, in a living room how do you obtain a flat response... is it really a case of egg boxes on the wall? :-)

Cheers and thank you,

Ian
 
You can probably be able to do the vocals fine, but the piano will be a killer...
 
i dont think you will have alot of trouble recording in your living room at all. as long as it is carpeted, and maybe has some furniture (like a couch or 2). your big problem is making sure the house is quiet so turn off the phone, and the furnace and get rid of anything else that makes noise (kids and spouses included). oh and make sure things that rattle (like figurines and such) are taken care of. most living rooms are actually fairly nice sounding rooms. good luck!

Matt
 
Also depends what kind of mics U are using, and how far from the piano U decide to put them. If you put the mics right in the piano then room acoustics practically won't matter at all, but if U are recording from say... 1 foot above the top of the piano then room acoustics will make a little difference, all depends on where U put the mics and how wide the pattern is on your mic =)

Just move em around till U like the sound :D

Sabith
 
No Problem....

Use an extra mic stand, and hang a heavy blanket over it behind the mic (UNIDIRECTIONAL) pointing at the piano, you will still get a little room sound, but it will be managable.

Depending on what other tracks you add, you may need a bit of reverb on the overall mix to tie all the sounds together.

Most living rooms make a great place to record, better than a small bedroom because of the early reflections from close walls.

Dom Franco:)
 
Recording piano in a living room should be fine.

Maybe use 2 mics, one pointed toward the low notes, and one pointed at the high notes, of the piano sound box.

Play, monitor your signal in headppones, EQ, do a test recording, listen back, adjust if necessary. Continue adjusting and test recordings, until recorded piano track sound is optimal.

Don't worry about having all the trappings of a 'real' pro studio.

There have been some very good, and even some great recordings, that were done in living rooms.

Didn't John record Imagine in his living room? And Paul recorded the "McCartney" album in his living room, too.

I've recorded piano in my living room, too. No problem.
 
The piano will give you the most trouble. You could put the mic(s) right inside the piano. Have you thought of using a PZM mic, either in the piano, or on one of the walls? You didn't say whether or not you were recording stereo. If you're tracking, and will mix later, then the point is moot, but if you're recording live, then you are basically recording the room. I've found that in difficult situations, where conventional micing is difficult (in a restaurant, for instance) a pair of PZMs taped discretely to the wall can produce great results.

- Wil
 
Micing the piano from behind can be good too. Although I wouldn't be too quick to eliminate the room sound by close micing. An acoustic instrument like a piano sounds like it does because it reacts with its acoustic environment.
 
I've also put the mic nearly inside the piano, because my upright's upper front surface is hinged at the top, and swings out at the bottom, about 3". I've gotten two mics [hi/lo] up into the piano, through this opening.

There's a variety of things that may work, like piezo mics, micing from the back, etc. Any of these techniques are fine. They will give satisfactory results.

I typically just stay with the simplest method. Two mics, placed just left & right, on either side of me, up close to the piano, and angled into the center, just a little. I place the mic stands so they clear the front of the keyboard by about 1"-2", just far enough away, that if I shift on the piano bench a little, the mic won't bump into the piano. This technique gives me satisfactory results. It picks up mostly the sound of the piano, and a little of the sound of the room.

I love the piano. It's one of my favorite instruments. All the notes are just layed out in front of you. Myself, not being a great pianist, I think piano playing is lots of fun, and sounds cool, too.

Recording piano is cool. Good luck, and happy recording.
 
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