Recording Piano

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omereilam

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Hi all,

I'm looking for a pair of condenser mics to record my Kawai K8 acoustic piano. My budget is around 150-200$, so I was wondering what would be my best option.
I've read some mixed reviews about the Samson CO2, and also some interesting things about the Audio Technica AT2041SP pack.

Thanks much!
omer
 
You might want to consider several mics.
One to catch the low end and another for the highs at least.
It can be hard to get a satisfactory sound through the whole of a pianos spectrum.
I've used cheap condensors. Large and small diaphragm but it took a lot of experimenting to get the sound we wanted. Mind you that was a grand paino in a small room. Even harder to ge rid of some of the pianos mechanical noise.
There are some more knowledable on the subject than me here. So i'd take what i say eith a pinch.
I hope you find whats best for you and welcome aboard the good ship HMS HR.
 
You might find a pair of AT 3035's for $200 (or close to it)
 
You could go about this several ways. I have mic'd a piano several times, but I dont remember the piano. I used a friend's cad mic and it was just right outside the piano with the lid open slightly. It sounded pretty good, but of course, it was helped by the entire ensemble and the hall we were in.

Ideally, you would want to mic three parts of the piano. Low, mid, and high.
With your budget, you probably cant do it, but it doesnt mean you cant get a good sound.
Try messing with mic placement, it could really improve your recording.

Kawais are pretty nice. I have played on a few and I liked them.

Check out CAD mics. They are cheap and not too bad.

If you want to go over budget, the akg c14 is a decent mic. Its got switchable polar patterns like the 414.
 
It seems that Sweetwater have sold out of the AKG C2000b going for $99 each, a pair of those would have done the trick. However there is a day or 3 left on the big mic sale so have a look.

Don't buy a AT2041SP pack as you would be better off with a pair of AT2020's than having a 2020 and a 2021.

I have tried to stay within the budget, but really a $200 budget is very restrictive, but you should be able to get good results with a pair of AT2020's.

Alan.
 
Try out the MXL V67G, it seems like a good microphone for piano recording.
 
You need at least two mics to get a good sound from an upright. Good article here:

Recording Techniques For Upright Piano

IMO, SDCs work best for piano, which pretty much rules out almost every mic listed in this thread so far.

If I were you, I would either get a pair of SDC omni mics or a good cardioid pair with an extended low end (e.g. AT4021, which is way out of your price range).

In your price range, there aren't very many choices that are very good for piano. The only mics that immediately spring to mind are the ones that Jon builds (http://http://www.naiant.com/).

You might also be able to get by with a pair of AT2021 mics on piano, but I have not tried them personally, so I can't say how well they would do.

Incidentally, the AT2020 and AT2021 are, IIRC, basically the same guts in a different body. They should behave very similarly. However, I would buy two of the same mic, not a mixed pack with one of each like the AT2041 pack.
 
You don't have much of a budget for recording an acoustic piano and expecting high quality results. A good sounding room will go a long ways towards this. But at your budget level I would look into a PZM or a boundary type mic. A quick search and you'll find the now-discontinued ATM87A on blow-out prices in a few spots. This is a very good mic with great build quality and just the style of mic to reproduce an uprights soundboard. You can mount them on a wall or build a nice plexi panel to fit up to a mic stand. A boundary mic or a PZM is also one of the best kik drum mics in a poor room. A good room too....just wanted to add that. The ATM listed @ $200 street. Check the sales and be amazed at how this type of mic technology works for what you need.
 
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