Recording live piano for the first time soon, any tips?

[TheBotquax]

Sooooo, in a week or two, I'll be getting a piano and I'm already dying to record it and put it into a song or two. The problem is, I'm not really sure how to approach recording a live piano though. Any suggestions on which mics I should use/how to place them/eqing/comp? I have a couple sm57s, and a few good quality condensers to work with here. Be aware that, like most bedroom producers, most of the stuff I've recorded had been through amp modeling and drum samples, so I'm a big n00b when it comes to actually micing things.

 

[DivusPennae]

what room are you recording in? do you have a lot of space? I will tell you right now, there are almost literally a million different ways you can mic a piano, it all depends on the room and what you're trying to go for.

If you want a more "pop" sound to the piano you'll wanna close mic inside the lid, but this will have a very different sound color which you'll likely have to treat with EQ more excessively. On the other hand you can mic from outside the piano, and you can either use stereo bars or separate stands. I've done mic systems with each mic at different heights, different distances from the piano, near the keyboard end or near the tail end, you name it. There are a lot more options outside of the mixing console this way, but it takes practice and a bit of experimentation. Where you place the mics in relation to the piano can have a significant difference in tone.

I've worked with fairly high-end studio mics at my school to mic pianos, but generally you'd probably be better off with the condensers (if you have a pair of the same kind of mic, great. If you have a matched stereo pair, even better). At the same time, if you have the time to experiment and the space (and the mic inputs), set up a bunch of mic systems with different mics and positions to see what you like the best, the SM57s could end up working in your favor with the room you're micing.

Of course, if the room is shit, you might just be better off close-micing the piano and fiddling with it in the mix.

I'm not particularly practiced with piano myself as I've only done it a few times, but the theory is pretty sound; I'm sure you could google around for some piano mic diagrams and mic configurations if you really wanna get technical with it.

 

[Chris Finster]

I have extensive exp doing this. I usually place a spaced pair of condensers about 5-8in above the hammers. If you want some room tone you can blend in a third mic thats about a foot away and pointing down at the strings. What kina piano? like a baby grand?

If its an upright the answer will be quite different...let me know.

 

[MF_Kitten]

some tips? well, get a wide and airy sound by not getting too close. Remember that usually when you listen to a piano, you're at a distance from the action. Even the pianist is at a distance. If it's a classical piano, try two condenser mics capturing the piano from the pianist's perspective. over the shoulders, kinda. Maybe a bit higher, pointing a bit down. You can also try a pair further out into the room to capture the warm mids that reverberate into the room, and mix that in a little. You can also put a couple mics really close to the strings to capture the crispness of the harmonics, and mix that in a little. Your imagination is the limit!

 

[KingAenarion]

Best sounds I've heard for a piano are the following.

In any piano and ORTF pair behind the players ears are splendid.

I always track a room pair as well just because.

If its any sort of grand, a Blumlein setup inside the piano near the middle is incredible, but you need two decent Figure 8s for this.

You can so use an XY pair over the hammers.

A PZM underneath the piano on a shelf is a wicked smooth sound as well.


Another great sound that works well for Rock sounds is a small diaphragm inside one of the soundboard holes and a large diaphragm mi over the lower strings


If it's an upright a mid/side in te middle close can work well. As can an XY pair.



Experiment with your piano for the best sound, but most of what you want to be doing is stereo micing techniques.


What microphones do you have available and what is the piano?

 

[Baelzebeard]

On a grand/baby grand I've had good results with an x/y pair of condensers at the curve opposite the lid hinges with one mic pointed roughly at the center of the bass strings, and the other pointed towards the hammers on the higher half of the strings.

But like everybody else said, experiment until you find something that works. Every instrument and mic combo has it's own particular idiosyncracies.

If you've got lots of mics/channels, just stick mics all over it and find out what thrills you, it could surprise you.