MXL V67g - Recording Piano; Grand Piano Setup; Upright Piano Setup

Recording Piano
The
piano
is
one
of
the
most
chal-
lenging
instruments
to
record,
and
many problems stem from the quality
and maintenance of the instrument
itself. You'll obtain the best results
by using an instrument that has just
been tuned and is in good mechanical
Condition.
Grand Piano: For the upper strings
position
the
microphone
approximately
8 inches from
the piano hammers (to
reduce
mechanical
noise)
and
8
-
11
inches
above
the
strings,
with
the
Pan
position
set
to
left
of
center.
For
the
lower
strings,
position
the
micro-
phone
toward
the
far
end
(away
from
the
keyboard)
roughly
6-
12
inches
from the
end
and
8
-
11
inches
above
the
strings,
with
the
Pan
position
set
to right of center. Position the piano's
The piano is generaly recorded using
the close miking technique. Ide-
ally,
you'll
want
a
minimum
of
two
microphones. Usually the microphone
capturing
the higher strings is assigned
to the left channel and the microphone
capturing the lower strings is assigned
to the right channel in the final stereo
mix, though the stereo spread generally
is not hard left and right. While a single
microphone
can
be
used,
the
lower
and
upper
extremities
of
the
instrument
will
likely be compromised.
lid at full stick. (see Fig. 4A) lf you are
using
a
single
microphone,
position
the
microphone
approximately
8
inches
from the piano hammers (to reduce
mechanical noise) and 8 - 11 inches
above the strings - centered over the
piano's
mid
point.
Pan
position
should
be centered and the piano's lid should
be at full stick.
Fig. 4A
Top View
Front View
*or
a
slngle
mic
here
or a single mic here
Opright
Piano:
With
an
uoridaht
piano,
the
two
microphones
are
gener
auy
placed
either
just
over
the
top
of
the
piano
with
the
top
open,
or
you
ve
the
piano's
front
panel
beneath
the
keyboard
and
place
the
microphones below.
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