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April 10, 2018 By WikiAdmin — Leave a Comment

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The Sound Board

While a piano may look like a harp on the inside, it is actually much more like a guitar. While
the hammer hitting the strings makes the tone, the sound board is what amplifies and
resonates the tone. On a grand piano the sound comes from the giant sound board on the
bottom. On an Upright piano, the sound resonates in a sound board on its back.

The Moving Parts

People o en forget that music is not the only sound that comes out of a piano. Not only the
strings, but all the moving parts, including the pedals, hammers and keys also make noise. In
particular, the pedals can make a loud thumping noise that is resonated by the sound board.
Depending on how good the pianist is and the quality of the piano, this noise may be
unnoticeable or annoyingly loud, and how you place the microphone can drastically change
the loudness of these sounds to good e ect or bad.

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Microphone placement

Ways to Mic a Piano

Depending on the setting, the type of piano, and the sound you want, there are di erent ways
to mic a piano.

Mic the Room

If you are recording just a piano, placing your microphones in the room at a distance from the
piano may be your best option. Micing the room reduces the noise of the moving parts and
gives the piano a “natural” sound. However you will lose attack. If the piano lacks attack,
move the mic’s in towards the piano or combine close micing and room micing to e ect.

However, if you are recording a singer who plays the piano or a piano in a band, you will lose
the ability to change the level of the piano in a multi-track mix.

To Mic the piano’s room, first take into account the acoustics of the room. In general a smaller,
boxy room would be less ideal, and a larger more di use room that has non parallel walls or
angles that di use the sound will be more pleasurable. If you decide you want to try a room
setup then spend some time moving the mic around the room to find the “sweet spot.”
Preferably, if the pianist is hard on the pedals, keeping the mic at a distance from the piano is a
good idea. To learn about how the room could be a ecting the sound of your recording check
out Studio Acoustics.

A good place to start for a mono room mic would be 4-8 out from the piano, and 4-8 in the
air, keeping in mind that if it is a grand piano then changing the top deflector board will not
only change the apparent loudness but also the amount of reflections both from the board
and the other surfaces of the room.

Using a stereo mic pair is also a good idea. To garner the most “accurate” portrayal of the
piano’s sound, two high quality omni-directional microphones placed in an AB pattern is a
good first try. This will help to give the listener a sense of the space the piano is playing in. The
AB Stereo Microphone Technique, XY Stereo Microphone Technique and the Mid-Side
Microphone Technique could all work depending on what you want.

Mic’ing the Piano Directly

Placing multiple Microphones close to the piano can help you gain a better control of the
sound during the mixing process, and also gives you much better attack. An AB pattern about
6″ o the strings of the grand piano with one mic on the lower strings and one higher can get a
good tone with a nice amount of attack. However, you are more likely to mic up the noise from
the moving parts of the piano.

Where To Put the Microphones

Below the Piano

Placing microphones below the piano allows you to mic the soundboard. Try moving the mic
around sound board to find the sound you are looking for.

A Stereo pair underneath the piano should work well, but you can also try placing three mics
at the extremes of the sound board in order to have control of the volumes of the lows, mids
and highs.

In the Piano

By in the Piano, I mean under the hood. Don’t try sticking mics into the sound holes. Place an
XY pair at the edge of the lid, aimed in towards the center of the hammers.

By the Pianist

If you place the mics by the pianist, you will get more of what the pianist hears.

Mix and Match

If you have enough microphones and enough channels, you could mic the piano in several
di erent ways and then LISTEN, as no manner of tutorial is ever going to replace a set of good
ears and taking the time to try move the microphones around and grab a good sound. Another
tip is to go into the room with the piano and listen to how it sounds in di erent parts of the
room, and the move your mikes and then when you listen you can try and capture what you
just heard.

Grand Piano
Tonal Bal
Microphone Placement Comments
ance

12 inches above middle strings, 8 inches horizontally fro Natural, Less pickup of ambience and leakage than 3 feet front. Move microp
m the hammers with lid o or at full stick. (Diagram positi well-bal hones(s) farther from hammers to reduce attack and mechanical noi

on #1) anced. ses. Good coincident-stereo placement.

Natural,
well-bal Place one microphone over bass strings and one over treble strings f
8 inches above treble strings, as above. (Diagram position
anced, sl or stereo. Phase cancellations may occur if the recording is heard in
#2)
ightly bri mono.

ght.

Thin, dul
l, hard, c Very good isolation. Sometimes sounds good for rock music. Boost
Aiming into sound holes. (Diagram position #3)
onstricte mid-bass and treble for more natural sound.
d.

Muddy,

6 inches over middle strings, 8 inches from hammers, wit boomy, Improves isolation. Bass roll-o and some treble boost required for
h lid on short stick. (Diagram position #4) dull, lack more natural sound.

s attack.

Next to the underside of raised lid, centered on lid.(Diagr Bassy, fu

Unobtrusive placement.
am position #5) ll.

Underneath the piano, aiming up at the soundboard. (Di Bassy, d

Unobtrusive placement.
agram position #6) ull, full.

Surface-mount microphone mounted on underside of li

Bright, w
d over lower treble stirngs, horizontally, close to hammer Excellent isolation. Experiment with lid height and microphone place
ell-balan
s for brighter sound, futher from hammers for more mell ment on piano lid for desired sounds.
ced.
ow sound. (Diagram position #7)

Bright, w
Two surface-mount microphones positioned on the clos Excellent isolation. Moving “low” mic away from keyboard six inches
ell-balan
ed lid, under the edge at its keyboard edge, approximatel provides truer reproduction of the bass strings while reducing damp
ced, stro
y 2/3 of the distance from middle A to each end of the key er noise. By splaying these two mics outward slightly, the overlap in t
ng attac
board. (Diagram position #8) he middle registers can be minimized.
k.

Surface-mount microphones placed vertically on the insi
Full, nat
de of the frame, or rim, of the piano, at or near the apex o
ural.
f the piano’s curved wall.(Diagram position #9)
Excellent isolation. Minimizes hammer and damper noise. Best if use
d in conjunction with two surface-mount microphones mounted to
closed lid, as above.

Upright Piano
Microphone Placement Tonal Balance Comments

Natural (but lacks dee

Good placement when only one microphone is
Just over open top, above treble strings. (Diagram position #1) p bass), picks up ham
used.
mer attack.

Slightly full or tubby, p

Just over open top, above bass strings. (Diagram position #2) icks up hammer attac Mike bass and treble strings for stereo.
k.

Inside top near the bass and treble strings. (Diagram position # Natural, picks up ham Minimizes feedback and leakage. Use two micro

3) mer attack. phones for stereo.

Full, slightly tubby, no Use this placement with the following placemen
8 inches from bass side of soundboard. (Diagram position #4)
hammer attack. t for stereo.

Thin, constricted, no h Use this placement with the preceding placeme

8 inches from treble side of soundboard. (Diagram position #5)
ammer attack. nt for stereo.

Aiming at hammers from front, several inches away (remove fro Bright, picks up hamm
Mike bass and treble strings for stereo.
nt panel) (Diagram position #6) er attack.

1 foot from center of soundboard on hard floor or one-foot-sq Minimize pickup of floor vibrations by mountin
Natural, good presenc
uare plate on carpeted floor, aiming at piano (soundboard shou g microphone in low-profile shock-mounted mi
e.
ld face into room.) crophone stand.

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