Piano miking technique research

To mic up a piano, we should first understand what is the role of the piano in the recording as the miking techniques are different for each situation. For example, while classical piano performance often requires a natural blend of ambiance, with different characteristics of different composers; pop and jazz music requires the piano sound to cut through other instruments while playing.

Mics positioning:
1. Spaced paired position
Generally, position a pair of small diaphragm condenser mics inside the piano will record a bright sound, and this position also helps with isolation, where it can be improve by lowering the piano lid. The mics should be set directly above the hammers of the piano if plenty of attacks are needed, and around 8 inches from the hammer to reduce the mechanical sound from the piano. The 3:1 rule where the mics are at least three times farther from one another than each is from the sound source should be kept in mind to avoid out of phase recordings.


2. Blumlein pair
To produce a recording of a natural sound of the piano, Blumlein pair can be used in a controlled environment such as studios. It uses 2 bi-directional mics that are placed as closed as with each others, and with 90 degrees from each others. This position should produce a 360 degree image of sound coming from the piano and the room.


3. Single mic 
A large diaphragm condenser mic with omnidirectional pattern can be used if we only use a single mic to mic up the piano. The mic should be around 8 inches from the hammer, and centered over the piano's mid point.

Mic choice:
Because piano has a wide frequency range (from 26Hz to above 20kHz), so condensers and ribbon mics are preferred over dynamic mics as dynamic mics are not able to record the high frequency of the piano as well as condenser mics. In addition, dynamic mics also tends to blur out the attack of the piano playing.

Our group's plan:
To get the sound of (a) jazz and (b) classical music.

(a) Jazz: The mics will be placed inside the piano to capture the bright sound of the piano and give more attacks to the recording.
(b) Classical music: Two omnidirectional mics will be placed on the side or front of the piano in XY position. The distance between the mics and piano will be adjusted to get the ambiance that classical music requires.

Notes:
1. Moving the piano to a bigger space (To get a fuller sound)
2. Keep in mind for the 3:1 rule to avoid out of phase.

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