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Topic: Microphone for recording a Kawai K-3 Acoustic Piano. (Read 12043 times) previous topic - next topic
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Microphone for recording a Kawai K-3 Acoustic Piano.

Hi all!

I have a Kawai K-3 Acoustic Vertical Piano, http://www.kawaius.com/main_links/vertical_09/k3.html
I want to record them in order to upload some videos on youtube, i have an interface E-MU 0404 USB 2.0 with nice ADC.

I'm looking for something around u$s 150 to u$s 200 max

I am looking for a pair of condenser mics, what is the best deal in these price range?

Something like Audio Technica AT2021 what about it? or anothers?

Anyone? I need some opinions and recommendations.

Thanks a lot!

Microphone for recording a Kawai K-3 Acoustic Piano.

Reply #1 –
The AT2021 should be fine.  I don't own that mic, but Audio Technica is known for good low-cost mics. (In the "studio mic" category, the AT2021 is low-cost.)

I know there are special mics (and mounting kits) for recording pianos (usually grand pianos), but the ones I've seen in catalogs are expensive (more than $1000 for a pair).    I don't know what the characteristics of these mics are....

The "default" studio mic is usually a large-diaphram condenser (i.e. the AT2020).  These are used for vocals and almost everything else.    The AT2021 is a small-diaphram condenser, which typically has a "brighter" more "crispy" sound.  These small diaphram condensers are often used for cymbals, acoustic guitar, and wherever you need good high-frequency performance.

But, I think people get too hung-up on using the "right" microphone.  As long as you have a decent mic, you can adjust the freqency balance with EQ in post-production.  If you own a studio full of mics...  fine, use the "right" one.  But in a home-studio,  you can do a good job as long as the mic isn't terrible...

I think pianos are slightly tricky to record.  You'll have to experiment with mic positioning, and you might do some research to see what's generally done in the studio.    Mic placement and room acoustics are a  BIG factors...  Acoustics are probably more important than mic selection.  (Performance and instrument quality are important too!  ) 

Quote
I want to record them in order to upload some videos on youtube...
YouTube is probably going to transcode your audio/video depending on what format you upload.    I'm not sure what their best audio format is, but the audio might be degraded.





 

Microphone for recording a Kawai K-3 Acoustic Piano.

Reply #2 –
I'd suggest a cheap large diaphragm condenser from one of the budget brands like Behringer or Samson - I'm not familiar with the market in North America; there may well be other comparable brands worth looking at.

There are two reasons for my recommendation. First is that if you're target is Youtube most people listening to the result will be doing so on their computer's on-board speakers which are not likely to show any shortcomings the "cheap" mics might have (though many people are surprised at how good mics like this can be). Secondly, if you think you might want to take recording more seriously starting out with cheap gear is a good way to learn the basics and gives you a sound basis for deciding what to look for if you want to get better gear later on without having to spend too much to start with. With that in mind you could even start out with one mic and record in mono. Again, people listening on "computer speakers" or laptops probably won't notice it's not stereo, it avoids a lot of potential phase issues and you can always use a plugin to create psuedo stereo if you want to