Spot Micing Piano and Harp

[Chip Hitchens]

I’ve been asked to record a classical choir this weekend, and just found out that there is also going to be a piano and harp.

I had planned all along to mic the choir with an ORTF pair of small diaphragm condensers, and I expect [i.e., hope] that they’ll also pick up the piano and harp, but I imagine that since I’m multitracking, I might as well also spot mic the piano and harp, just in case.

Any ideas on how I should do that? After my stereo pair, I’m down to only two condensers, a CAD M177 and a rather crappy CAD SDC. I’ve got plenty of SM57s, but I don’t think they’re going to help me here. Most of the theory that I can dig up on micing a piano or harp pertains to micing them as solo instruments in stereo, outside the near field. If you had one cardoid to mic a piano or harp, where would you point it?

I’ve attempted to include a crude drawing of the stage area (it’s in a large, old school church).

 

[Downside Studio]

Let your ears do the work....stick you face inside the piano and listen when de dude plays...(with the hatch open )

Find the spot where you think with one ear...he..this sounds ok to me....stick the mic in and get your ear out!

 

[Chip Hitchens]

I'd love to be able to do that, but unfortunately I'm not going to have much of a chance to experiment. This is one of those deals where I show up, throw up the mics, and they start playing. Any ideas for a safe place to start?

I wish I had an omni that I could stick right next the the thing and not have to worry about proximity effect, but I'm afraid that I'm going to have to back off too much with my cardoids and lose isolation. You think I can put a mic between the choir and the piano, even though that will be on the side of the piano that doesn't have the hatch?

 

[starch]

You should be able to spot mic the piano and harp with just one mic each, unless you specificall want stereo. On piano, I would start by listening to the sound coming from the end farthest from the player. I have generally been able to pick up a good all around sound from here. A small diaphram condenser might not be bad there, and you can try to close the lid to the lowest setting to minimize bleed. If this isn't working try putting a mic about mid piano at the center of the curve. Place the mic just about at the opening and point at the cover (this will pick up the reflected sound from the cover and minimize the low end response)

For the harp, maybe try micing the strings from down below the player pointed up at the instrument. I don't have a lot of experience with harps (tracked once, not in live situation so totally different) Maybe someone else can guide you on this.

Hope something here helps. Good luck!