With only a single mic available, experiment to get the best overall balance of all the elements of the kit
6'

1.Pop/rock. The closer the mics are to the hammers,

the more percussive the resulting sound will be. For this

 

reason, pop/rock recordings where the piano needs to cut

 

through other tracks are often achieved by close-miking

 

the hammers. Start by placing a matched pair of cardioid

1a

mics face down about six inches above the hammers and

1

 

about one-third from each respective end. Be careful not

2

to place them so close to the hammers vertically that the

 

pickup area is restricted to only part of the required range

 

of notes. Experiment with the distance between mics until

 

you get the desired balance of wide stereo imagery and

3

even response across the entire range.You may also need

 

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

 

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. It￿s also perfectly valid to try an X-Y or other coincident configuration at this position. The vertical position should be about halfway between the strings and the open lid.

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 close-miked stereo pair on top, a single mic on the underside, and a matched pair for distance-miking to capture the sound of the hall.

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 we￿ll explore some distance-miking options as well as close-miking techniques. In all cases, care should go into things like tuning the drums, choice of sticks and other topics that are beyond the scope of this discussion.

Distance-Miking Drums. The more mics you have, the greater the control you have over the balance, stereo placement, EQ and effects for each component of the kit. We￿ll work our way up from a single mic through multiple mics.

Choosing & Using Microphones

28

Page 28
Image 28
M-Audio Microphone manual Drums