grand or upright piano, keep in mind that the sounding
board and not the hammers and strings is the source of
most of the sound. With a good piano, there may be
surprisingly little difference in the sound picked up
from various areas of the sounding board. A commonly
mic’ed point is where the bass and treble strings cross,
Fig. 16-180. Variations such as micing from beneath (or
in the case of an upright, in back of) the sounding board,
inserting microphones into the circular holes in the
harp, or using various types of piano pickups can all be
tried. Each piano is different, and each player will also
have a large effect on the sound, so a variety of tech-
niques should be tried.
The PZMicrophones can be used in recording piano.
They can be placed on the inside of the piano lid and the
lid closed for improved isolation.
As in all percussive instruments, the peak level
produced by a piano can be far greater than the level
shown on the volume unit (VU) meter. Peaks 20 dB
above the meter reading are common. Since just about
everybody knows what a piano sounds like, and since
the instrument is so frequently featured in musical
pieces, any distortion will be very obvious to the
listener. Even a distortion that only occurs on the peaks
can be evident as a dulling of the piano attack, a kind of
audio blurriness. The peaks can really strain the
dynamic range of microphones, preamps, and storage
medium. If condenser microphones are used, be sure the
pads are switched on even if the level seems moderate.
Also, some engineers routinely record piano at a some-
what lower than normal level to avoid tape saturation.
Obtaining satisfactory isolation while still getting a
good sound can be a problem with the piano. Isolation
can be achieved with a booth, of course, but careful
micing and some baffling can often work almost as
well. One technique used in many studios is to place the
microphone in the piano and then close the lid as much
as possible. Often the short-stick position of the lid
works well. Then carpeting or other dense, heavy,
absorbent material is draped over the piano. With a
good arrangement of other instruments and reasonably
balanced volumes, very little leakage should exist.
Another technique requires that microphones be
mounted inside the piano, usually suspended from the
lid, in such a way that the lid can be completely closed.
The PZM type of microphone is particularly well suited
for this approach.
Of course, a much better sound is obtained with the
lid open and with perhaps a little more distance between
the sounding board and the microphones. Sometimes
removing the lid and suspending the microphones above
the piano work well. (Most pianos have pins in the
Figure 16-180. Piano mic’ing.C. Distant mic’ing.A. Single microphone or coincident pair (typical).B. Spaced microphone (typical).E. PZM mic’ing lid closed
(placement similar to B).D. Overhead mic’ing (piano lid removed).