Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum best microphones for recording piano?

I wondered what experiences forum members might have had with different microphones for recording grand pianos, and which ones they found were best.

I have been looking at a pair of AKG 414's, and also an Oktava MK-012-01 stereo-pair.

I'd rather not use a stereo single body microphone because I want more flexibility in mic placement.

Thanks in advance for any input.

Phillip

I have been looking for a pair of mics too. I wonder if anyone has any comment on the models mentioned by the original poster and this one: Rode NT5 Small Diaphragm Condenser Microphones (Matched Pair). They are about $400 a pair.

I just saw/heard a demo of some kind of Zoom microphone, but I haven't been able to follow up on details as yet. It seemed pretty good from the youtube video. Has anyone searched the forums to see if there are previous threads on this?

One of the nicest recordings I've heard on the forums here is by a user using M-Audio Pulsar II mics. They run about $275/pr. I believe they were used in this YouTube recording http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0f0wR0qx6w and in this post. These sound quite exceptional, to me, especially for the price.

I don't own any of these yet, but I've made it clear to my family that they would make a great Father's Day gift.

Larry -

I think I agree with you. The sound is quite nice. Shame he doesn't have a better webcam to complete the package.

Joe

.

Shure has put together a few lengthy "tutorials" on mikes/placement for various instruments. They can be found on the Shure website. I recently purchased 2 Shure SM81s for recording recitals and so far I have been very happy with them.

AKG C-414 is an awesome microphone. I've used them before and the quality is professional. There are two versions, the B-ULS (silver color) and a gold-colored version that highlights certain frequencies (designed for singers, I believe). Altogether, the C-414 delivers a warm yet puristic sound.

Make sure you have an outstanding microphone preamp, otherwise your great microphones won't help you a bit. I used a Focusrite green line preamp and loved it. But there are so many out there.

I've heard DPA's are excellent as well for capturing realism though I have no first hand experience with them. There are many brands that project home studios use that are more affordable and get good reviews. I have numerous microphones from Octava (Russian), Studio Projects (http://www.studioprojects.com), and Rode (already mentioned) that do a pretty good job. A decent preamp is a must too! Besides picking quiet and detailed mics, mic placement, gain staging and clean power sources are probably more important than the actual mics used.

jm2c,
Ryan

It all depends on what you want and what the application is and your budget because every microphone is different. I have a friend who swears by Earthworks' microphones, but I don't like them... never mind that these are $1000 mics.

As for the mics you've asked about, I'd choose the 414s because the Oktava mic you listed is a small-diaphragm condenser, which I don't like for recording piano (purely a matter of taste). However, the 414 is total overkill if you plan on doing recording at home unless you happen to have a concert grand and a nice recording space. The 414 is also a waste if you plan on listening to your recordings through iPod earbuds or average computer speakers.

I have used M-Audio Nova mics for the past four years in a variety of applications from a capella choir to full-blown orchestra with piano in a 1250 seat recital hall. They are only $100 each, but sound on par with more expensive mics. Personally, I preferred the recordings that I made with these mics over recordings that my school's recording department made. I'd also try any microphone by Rode, especially the NT1-A. Other good options are the Shure KSM 44 or anything by Neumann. Blue is another interesting company, but most of its mics look rather fragile.

Anyway, I recommend getting the Rode NT1-A ($229 each) and pocket the money you didn't spend on the 414.

This may sound strange, but I always use Shure SM55's... the Elvis Microphone. I've tried plenty of others, but nothing compares to the clarity of the 55.

I've been lurking hoping someone would describe their experience with the Kawai PR-1 Acoustic Piano recording system.

http://kawaius.com/main_links/grands_09/PR-1/pr-1.html

I could only find it available on UK sites, 500 to 600 British pounds (probably about $1000 US).

Hey Dave,

Nice playing, nice piano, nice recording!

To my ears, the DPA microphones are really transparent sounding. (I wonder how they stack up against Earthworks?) It sounded to me as if you had them placed behind where the music rack would have been if you had it on the piano, one pointing a bit left and place left of c4, the other right,placed right of c5, maybe 6 to 12 inches above the strings. Am I close on your placement?

Thanks for your post and your recording.

I have been using a pair of Rode NT5's and the Zoom H4 with excellent results. Mics placed under the lid of the piano, here are a few recent examples:


Dick Hyman plays Fats Waller on the LX:
http://www.box.net/shared/3ql8orkf2m
http://www.box.net/shared/hutjvzm757

Steve Allen "The Shadow Of Your Smile" on the LX http://www.box.net/shared/a7kkghvxti

From the movie "Sleepless in Seattle" http://www.box.net/shared/gdl2r08xy2

Steve Allen on the LX: http://www.box.net/shared/gmr3y5scmj

I have been getting very positive feedback from customers who purchased Kawai's PR-1.
They were sold to a few Universities and professional pianist.
It is user friendly and the recording quality is excellent. The best part is that has been designed for acoustic piano recording.

"To my ears, the DPA microphones are really transparent sounding. (I wonder how they stack up against Earthworks?)"

Seeker,
If you're interested, I'll dig up some of my recordings using a pair of Earthworks Mics.

.

I just ordered a pair of Rode NT1-A mics because they had a crazy promotion going just in August where if you buy one you get an M1, M2 or M3 for $1. So I'm going to get an M2 and an M3 as well as the NT1-A's. I'll post what I get out of them once they're here.

Right now I have one mic that I like, a Sterling Audio tube mic, ST66. I've been using it in stereo with a CAD GXL-2400, sometimes with a GXL-1200 under the piano also. The CADs are just not very good though so I'm planning on using the NT1-A's with the ST66.

I'll be interested to know what you think of the NT1A.