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Gear / Technical Help => Microphones & Setup => Topic started by: Teen Wolf Blitzer on March 28, 2016, 07:59:38 PM
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I will be filming this gal tomorrow night. Grand Piano. Best method to mic it? Will also grab a board feed.
http://www.hollybowling.com/music/
Is a stereo pair good or do you want them micing different areas? That type of thing. Thanks for any help!
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My favorite by far is spaced omnis. This only works well if:
1. The lid is fully open.
2. The room sounds good.
3. You have the luxury of placing wherever you want.
4. It's a solo piano performance, or if it isn't, this one pair of mics is also going to do a good job capturing the entire band / orchestra / etc.
Space mics 50cm apart, and go back maybe 8-10 feet from the piano, up high.
Equally and surprisingly good is the classic "Decca tail" technique, where you put your spaced omnis on stage on a low-height stand (just above the height of the piano) and maybe 4-6 ft away from the tail end of the piano, slightly downstage but mostly pointing back towards the pianist. This is only an option for an entirely solo performance.
If you are going to have audience noise or restricted placement, the first option probably won't work. You could actually do the same tall stand, but with DIN or ORTF cardiods and get a good recording. This would also be a good choice if you need to go closer, and in that case you can go with the "peeking into the curve" placement.
If the lid is going to be closed, you could do stage lip cardiods pointing up at the underside of the piano and get something pretty good, or better yet spaced PZMs (or omnis with boundary mounts if you have that type of thing).
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My "go to" method for a concert grand is 20cm spaced omnis at around ear height (or a little higher) and about 2 metres in front of the piano.
Though I will vary this according to the room, the piano, the pianist and the music.
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My "go to" method for a concert grand is 20cm spaced omnis at around ear height (or a little higher) and about 2 metres in front of the piano.
Though I will vary this according to the room, the piano, the pianist and the music.
Wow, that's a closer spacing than I ever felt comfortable with. I would love to hear a sample of that spacing to get an idea of the stereo imaging with them that close. I'm assuming you're using your Gefell's for this?
Is "ear height" that of the seated pianist or a standing listener? And with our without APE spheres?
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My "go to" method for a concert grand is 20cm spaced omnis at around ear height (or a little higher) and about 2 metres in front of the piano.
Though I will vary this according to the room, the piano, the pianist and the music.
Wow, that's a closer spacing than I ever felt comfortable with. I would love to hear a sample of that spacing to get an idea of the stereo imaging with them that close. I'm assuming you're using your Gefell's for this?
Is "ear height" that of the seated pianist or a standing listener? And with our without APE spheres?
Actually the last piano recording I did was a few years ago and the mics were Sennheiser MKH 20 or Neumann KM 183-D or KM 130-D.
My next one will be with the Gefell M 221, but without the APE spheres at that sort of distance as it's in the nearfield.
Oh - and "ear height" is me standing - so about six feet up.