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Miking Techniques

Grand Piano
Grand pianos tend to be at least of an acceptable quality. However, there is a large frequency range covered and different sounds expected out of different styles of music. There are a lot of different ways top producers and sound engineers get their desired sound. Experimentation with mic placement is key. If you use your ears as a guide while the player is playing, you can move your head around to different places on the soundboard and listen for desired frequency ranges. Because of its large size, a miking distance of 2 to 6 feet will pick up the best representation of the full frequency tone. However, close miking techniques may also be desired to accent certain sounds, or in live situations to cutback on leakage from other instruments. For live situations, often a single boundary mic is attached to the upper lid. In another arrangement, two mics are used 6 to 12 inches away from the strings. One is placed midway between the length of the strings on the treble side. The other is placed over the bass side, where the two rows of bass strings overlap each other(about mid length of the strings). A single mic or stereo pair may be place at the very back of the soundboard away from the player over the middle strings, between the soundboard and the open lid. Also, a single mic may be place outside of the piano in front of the s curve, close up pointing inside the instrument, or farther away pointing to the open lid. This is good for the solo classical piano, or as an accent mic in an orchestra situation. You can also use a stereo pair of mics in this situation. Finally, if a bright rhythmic sound is desired you can mike directly over the hammers, right in front of the player at a distance of 4 to 10 inches from the strings. A single mic or stereo coincident pair can be used for this. This last is a popular sound, or accent sound used for pop or rock music. It would probably be a little too percusive for classical music, unless the piece being played is a modern composition where this sound is desired. Also, you can try different combinations of these techniques when recording to achieve an overall sound.