Skip to main content

How to Record a Baby Grand

Recording a baby grand piano requires careful microphone placement.

Recording a baby grand piano presents challenges due to the large area of space the instrument occupies and the range of frequencies from 26 hertz to well over 20,000 hertz. The proper microphone and setup must be used to capture these delicate frequencies in an accurate and appropriate way. With a baby grand piano, close-miking is not recommended due to the drier sound of the instrument. For this reason, using an ambient miking technique will provide you with the best recording.

Step 1

Attach the five microphones to the microphone stands. Adjust the microphone stands so that each stand holds an equal height of 6 feet.

Step 2

Open the lid of the piano to its highest position. This will help improve the sonorous quality of the sound.

Step 3

Place one microphone 5 feet from the center of the piano and facing the back of the performer. Position the microphone slightly to the right of the players back to avoid recording the muted vibrations which will be blocked by the performers body. Tilt the microphone head so that a direct line is formed between the piano keys and the front of the microphone.

Step 4

Position the second microphone on the side of the piano with the lid open. Direct the microphone to face the hammers of the inside of the piano. Place this microphone 5 feet from the center of the piano.

Step 5

Position two additional microphones equally apart from each other around the piano. Space them so that they are each facing the inside of the piano and are 5 feet from the center of the piano. Place the final microphone at the foot of the piano.

Step 6

Set the final microphone on the back of the piano, where the hinges of the lid appear. Again, set it 5 feet from the center of the piano.

Step 7

Attach the microphone cables to your mixing board and set up your computer to record the audio depending on the audio recording program you are using. In most cases, you simply need to plug the mixing board into the sound card microphone input of the computer and press record in the audio program.

Tips

When you have completed setting up the mics, they should form an oval around the piano.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sunday Stories: The Power of Audiation in Music Composition

Happy Sunday! Today, let’s explore the transformative power of audiation in music composition and share an inspiring story about a composer who mastered this skill. Audiation, the ability to hear and understand music in your mind, is a crucial tool for composers, enabling them to bring their musical ideas to life with greater detail and precision. What is Audiation? Audiation is the process of hearing and comprehending music in your mind without any external sound. It is similar to thinking in a language, where you can understand and manipulate words and sentences internally.  For composers, audiation is an essential skill that allows them to imagine, develop, and refine their musical ideas before they are played or written down 1 . The Benefits of Audiation for Composers 1. Enhanced Musical Understanding Audiation helps composers develop a deeper understanding of music. By hearing and analyzing music internally, they can grasp the relationships between different musical elements, ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Similarities of Classical and Baroque Music

Music has evolved through the centuries and undergone drastic changes. One of the most significant transitions was from the Baroque to the Classical period of music. In this paragraph, I will compare and contrast some of the main features of these two styles, such as ensembles, instrumentation, and counterpoint study. The Baroque and Classical periods of music have many similarities. While the style of music changed drastically, certain key elements remained the same between the two styles. Composers in the Classical period sought to simplify music and create clearly audible musical lines. In contrast, composers from the Baroque period were interested in creating complex and highly ornamented musical lines. The Baroque period occurs from approximately 1600 to 1750, and the Classical period extends from 1750 to 1820. Ensembles Ensembles are groups of musicians that perform together. Both the Baroque and the Classical period had similar types of ensembles, such as operas, orchestras, str...
Post a Comment
Read more

List of Musical Techniques and Their Meanings

Musical techniques are the building blocks of any basic music training. These techniques allow performers to improve their coordination and develop accuracy through repetitive daily exercises. Musical techniques progressively build upon previously learned techniques. Scales Scales form the basis for other musical techniques. Student may study major and minor scales as well as modern scales, such as the whole-tone and octatonic scales. A scale consists of patterns of half steps and whole steps. These whole steps and half-step arrangements will be different for each scale. Scales are musical techniques that can help a performer to play faster and more accurately, and make learning new pieces easier. Chords Chords require knowledge of major and minor scales. Chords come in several different forms that affect the sound. Triads consist of three notes spaced a third apart and classified as major, minor, augmented and diminished chords. Seventh chords build on triads and have an additional no...
Post a Comment
Read more