Recording - May 2015 - 31

Large-diameter mics (1" capsule diameter) sound great when pointed right at
the sound source, but as the source moves
off to the side they sound darker and
darker. We are trying to record the piano
plus the lovely reverb coming from all
around, so we want a small diameter
capsule, which will keep the reverb bright
and lively. Dual-diaphragm mics get more
omnidirectional at lower frequencies, and
are usually large diameter anyway. Using
a large diameter, dual diaphragm mic
like a Neumann U 87 or RØDE NT1 is
probably going to sound muddy as heck.
If your hall has a pleasing reverb, use a
small diameter, single diaphragm omnidirectional mic like a Neumann KM183, an
Oktava 012 (with the omni capsule), or
something from the Earthworks TC or QTC
series. If your room has too much reverb,
use a pair of cardioids like the Neumann
KM184, Oktava 012 cardioid, Earthworks
SR40, or even the affordable RØDE M5 or
NT5. You can always add reverb later.
My favorite stereo configuration in this
setting is a spaced pair of omnis about 3
feet apart and 6 feet away, centered in
front of the piano, and at a height that
bisects the angle between the soundboard and the lid, as shown in Figure 1.
Aim the mics at the soundboard, because
even omnis are a little brighter on axis.
Pan the mics hard left and right and listen closely. If the piano sounds too far
away, move the mics closer, lowering them
proportionally as you go. If the piano
sounds too wide, move the mics closer
together, and vice versa. When you get it
right, this is the way to make a recorded

this you are gradually approaching mono,
and may hear that hollow effect. I almost
never worry about this for classical recording,
as pretty much every serious listener will be
hearing it in stereo. (More on this in a bit.)
For jazz piano recording this kind of
distant placement doesn't cut it. You need
a closer sound, but one that still sounds
natural. You are now going to work in a
recording studio, small room, or perhaps
a jazz club.
I prefer a 7-foot grand for anything other
than classical. I still enjoy the sound of a
spaced pair for jazz, but I make adjustments. First of all, I am probably going to
be right at the edge of the instrument. I will
usually use cardioids instead of omnis
because I don't really want to pick up the
room, just the instrument, and I don't want
to pick up bleed from other nearby instruments. But that's my preference-some
great recordings have been made with
omnis up close, and in fact the Earthworks
PianoMic is designed to make this arrangement easy to set up and reproduce.
I have used small diameter, single
diaphragm condensers at this distance, but
sometimes it sounds a bit muddy because
single diaphragm mics exhibit more noticeable proximity effect than dual diaphragm
mics, boosting lows and low mids as you get
closer. This is why I never use them on hi-hat!
Try it-record your voice 6 inches from
a mic like a U 47 and a mic like a
KM 184, you'll be surprised at the difference. For close placement, dual
diaphragm mics will sound much cleaner
in the lows. As usual, I recommend a
reading of Unique Directional Properties

2

piano sound as realistic as possible. You
might even try it for a rock ballad!
Mono compatibility
When two mics are spaced away from
each other, the sound arrives at each mic
at a slightly different time. If a recording
like this is summed to mono, phase differences between the mics often result in an
unpleasant, hollow sound.
Your recording might be heard in mono if
it becomes a ringtone or is broadcast over
AM radio. Or maybe you recorded a rock
ballad and decided after the fact that the
piano is too wide, so you pan the sides of the
image in towards the center a bit. As you do

of Dual-Diaphragm Microphones by Torio
and Segota, available at aes.org.
At this closer distance we should not be
parallel with the straight back of the instrument, but somewhere in between that and
parallel with the hammers. The best thing
to do is stick your head right up where you
think the mics are going to be and move
around until you find a nicely centered
stereo image. This usually ends up being
about 45 degrees for me. Move your
head up and down as well and you will
notice tonal differences. You don't want to
get too close to the lid or you will get too
much of the reflections there. I usually find
a sweet spot about halfway between the
RECORDING May 2015

31
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Recording - May 2015

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