How to Record a Piano

By eHow Arts & Entertainment Editor

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An acoustic piano is a beautiful instrument, both in look and sound. It can be difficult, though, to turn that beautiful acoustic sound into a beautiful recording. Pianos tend to be notoriously hard to record, but with some experimentation and patience, you can get a great sounding piano recording.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

Step1

Spend some time listening to the piano. Have someone play it while you walk around and listen to the piano from different angles. Make mental or physical notes about where the piano sounds muddy, thin, boomy or just right.

Step2

Decide on some mics. You can use just one mic or up to 3 to get a good sounding piano. Try to stick to condenser mics. Some good large-diaphragm condenser mics are the AKG 414 and the AudioTechnica 4050. Small-diaphragm condenser mics such as the Neumann KM 64 and Earthworks also work well on pianos.

Step3

Mic your piano. A good place to start is a spaced stereo pair inside the piano. Place the mics at the G that is an octave lower than middle-C and at the G that is an octave above middle-C. Being closer to the hammers will give you more attack, while moving back some will give you a more even sound.

Step4

Set up a room mic. An omni mic set up at the end of the piano or out to the side can capture some nice sound. Another alternative to having mics inside the piano is to set up a mid-side or X/Y stereo pair off to the side of the piano.

Step5

Move your mics around. The likelihood is that your first setup is not going to give you the sound you want. Adjust the mics until you get the right balance. Remember always to check for phase and to make sure your stereo mics sound good in mono.

Step6

Use compression, EQ and effects sparingly and tastefully. You can get a great, pop sounding piano with a little compression, but be careful not to overdo it. Also, you can EQ to reflect the sound of the piano better, but your first option should be to adjust mics. Reverb and other effects can add to the sound, but should be used in moderation.

Tips & Warnings

Make sure your piano is in tune. A tuned piano will make recording much easier.
If you have access to a pair of PZM mics, tape them underneath the lid of the piano, close the piano and record like that. This can result in a great sound that is not heard very often.