Tips for recording upright piano needed.

[skiltrip]

I'd like some tips/ideas on mics to use and mic placement for micing my upright piano. The stickler is, I cannot move it away from the wall, so micing the soundboard is out of the question (room size keeps me from swinging the piano out, plus is could very well damage the carpet that's underneath it).

So I'll need to mic the player's side of the piano. In the past I've done little but flip the lid open, and place a pair of SDC's over it. I know I can do better than this though.

Mics I have available to me are...
(1) AT4033
(1) Bluebird
(2) AT Pro37r
(1) AT4041
(1) SM58
(1) MXL2001

[A.David.MacKinnon]

You're really tying your hands if you can't mic the back. I've tried just about everything with uprights and I always go back to it.
If moving the piano is out of the question can you get a PZM taped to the wall behind it? If that can't be done I'd try an SDC above the piano pointing at the space between the piano and the wall. Get it as far in there as you can.

If you're micing from the front you'll probably want a combination of placements. Micing the inside of the case can sound good but you'll often get tons of mechanical noise. Micing from the players perspective is often unfocused and distant sounding. A blend of both might solve some of the problems associated with each.
Try it with the top and bottom panels on and off to see which is better.

I also had decent luck using 2 omni SCDs on the harp. Take the lid and top panel off the piano. Put the mics at either end of the harp (bass and treble side), get them as close as you can to the harp without touching it.

[skiltrip]

You're really tying your hands if you can't mic the back. I've tried just about everything with uprights and I always go back to it.
If moving the piano is out of the question can you get a PZM taped to the wall behind it? If that can't be done I'd try an SDC above the piano pointing at the space between the piano and the wall. Get it as far in there as you can.

If you're micing from the front you'll probably want a combination of placements. Micing the inside of the case can sound good but you'll often get tons of mechanical noise. Micing from the players perspective is often unfocused and distant sounding. A blend of both might solve some of the problems associated with each.
Try it with the top and bottom panels on and off to see which is better.

I also had decent luck using 2 omni SCDs on the harp. Take the lid and top panel off the piano. Put the mics at either end of the harp (bass and treble side), get them as close as you can to the harp without touching it.

Thank you. Yeah it is unfortunately I can't have the piano facing the other direction. I'll do my best using some of the things you suggested.

[A.David.MacKinnon]

You can often get away with just pulling one side away from the wall enough to get a boom arm and mic in there. A foot or two on one end is all you need.
It's not a good as getting the piano into the middle of the room but it works and often gets better results than you can get micing the front.

[drumstud]

I just did a recording of the upright in my house. I opened the lid and did the Blumlein Fat Head ribbons with my JC 1272s. KILLER! Then I also put two ksm27s in the room. Lots to work with and it sounded soooooo good.

[DoghouseNYC]

Taking the piano apart as much as you can is often a good idea. In addition to the top, and front, you can usually pull off the bottom (in front of the player's knees). I also like the back of the piano if possible, but sometimes just getting some distance from the instrument is cool too.

If it's any help to you, I have an article on it here: www.doghouseNYC.com/articles/upright.htm.

best, Nathan

[oldguitars]

I am not sure what size upright (spinnet or full upright), but don't forget about the area below the keys and above the pedals. Most pianos you can remove that cover and have good access to most of the string length without the noise of the action. Just make sure the pedals are squeak free and not too noisy. I used to put a packing blanket over the pedal mechanism inside the bottom.

[acoosticzoo]

Hi,

Use MS. Recording

In your situation, I'd place the mic judge above the head of the player, and point the Mid mic angled down point just at the top edge of the piano body. You will then be able to capture a sound that's close to what the player is experiencing.


MS is great for Mono compatibility, and will be better suited than spaced pair in this situation as your recording room isn't large enough.

Record without any compression or EQ with the highest setting, 24bit.

A decent mixing engineer will be able to breath life into this recording if you do it this way.

If you like I can take a listen to your recordings and give you a hand.

[billkahler]

I keep hearing about micing from the back but on my Yamaha U3, I really have had better luck taking off the front panel and putting up a couple mics about where my ears are. Closer mics equal more hammers, and farther back the sound is a little mellower. If you check out the song "Inside" by James Casto, you can hear this piano and I really think it sounds like a grand on a hardwood floor instead of an upright on carpet. (Jamescasto.com or on itunes.)

[drumsound]

Taking the piano apart as much as you can is often a good idea. In addition to the top, and front, you can usually pull off the bottom (in front of the player's knees). I also like the back of the piano if possible, but sometimes just getting some distance from the instrument is cool too.

If it's any help to you, I have an article on it here: www.doghouseNYC.com/articles/upright.htm.

best, Nathan

You can really open up the sound but taking the piano apart, and often get better bass response, good if a solo recording, or even big solo intro or other sections.

[IanWalker]

In our studio we have a pair of PZMs mounted (gaff tape) inside the front of the piano, basically at eye level of the player, probably 4 feet apart.

Not going to sound like a baby grand or anything, but its vibey, no setup required (they live in there), and it captures this piano pretty well. Works really well for indie rock, indie-folk and the like. You get hammer sound, but in a good way - kind of tickey-tackey.

Trying to find some decent examples, but can't find any online right now - least not ones where you can actually hear the piano in the mix.