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1.Pop/rock. The closer the mics are to the hammers,
the more percussive the resulting sound will be. For this |
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reason, pop/rock recordings where the piano needs to cut |
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through other tracks are often achieved by |
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the hammers. Start by placing a matched pair of cardioid | 1a | |||
mics face down about six inches above the hammers and | ||||
1 | ||||
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about | 2 | |||
to place them so close to the hammers vertically that the | ||||
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pickup area is restricted to only part of the required range |
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of notes. Experiment with the distance between mics until |
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you get the desired balance of wide stereo imagery and | 3 | |||
even response across the entire range.You may also need | ||||
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to angle the mics slightly away from each other in order to | The placement of stereo mics on a piano | |||
improve | separation. Experiment with distance | from the | ||
depends in part upon musical style | ||||
hammers | to achieve the desired balance of | percussive |
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attack and full body. You can also try moving the bass mic further down the harp away from the hammers to achieve a bigger, warmer sound (see position 1a in the diagram).
2.Pop ballad/jazz. The jazz and pop ballad genres typically require the fuller, sound attained by positioning the mics further away from the hammers. Place a matched pair of cardioids at a 45 degree angle in the deepest part of the curved side of the instrument, with one mic facing the performer and the other facing across the harp. Start with a separation of three to six inches, decreasing the angle if you move the mics further apart. Its also perfectly valid to try an
3.Classical or solo piano. Classical and solo piano often benefits from distance miking that includes more of the ambience of a concert setting. Experiment with placing the mics four to eight feet from the curved side of the piano and at heights from five to twelve feet. Factors leading to the establishment of optimal positioning include the size and model of the piano, the acoustic space and amount of that acoustic space you wish to capture.The closer the mics are to each other, the more intimate the sound. Conversely, moving them further apart makes the piano sound larger.As always, cardioids will focus the sound more on the instrument, while omni will really open up the room (assuming that it has desirable acoustics.)
Some engineers like adding another microphone under the piano facing up to the soundboard to capture the warm, mellow sound of the resonating wood. If you have enough condenser mics at your disposal, try a combination of
The prescribed use of multiple microphones on a grand piano leaves any of these scenarios extremely susceptible to phase problems. Be sure to check for phase anomalies and mono
compatibility in any of these stereo miking positions.
Drums
There are as many ways to mic drum kits as there are drummers and engineers. Professional recordings are invariably made with enough mics to achieve separation and control over each of the key elements. This luxury is not always available, so well explore some
Choosing & Using Microphones | 28 |