| Recording an acoustic piano
Recording an acoustic piano is not an easy task especially if you are
recording in a room with other instruments playing. You will need to do some
research about the right types of microphones to use and exactly where and
how to position them to get the best results.
If you have ever tried to record an acoustic piano with a microphone
designed for vocals you may have achieved less than desirable results. An
acoustic piano creates a wide range of frequencies and the right microphones
are very important. For the best results you will need a pair of studio
condenser microphones so that you can do a stereo recording of your
instrument. You can position each microphone approximately a foot to foot
and a half away from the piano to do your recording. Some people also place
microphones inside the piano to help prevent the mics from picking up sounds
of any other insurance in the room.
Once you're able to achieve good results recording your piano the work of
mastering your audio files begins. Mastering is the postproduction part of
the process in which the recorded sounds are mixed to achieve the best
possible sound to create your master recording from. Your master is the
source from which all copies of your recordings will be reproduced.
With today's technology it is possible to get great results mastering your
own recordings at home on your computer. Audio postproduction is an art and
if you are not able to get the results you're looking for and your budget
allows for it, you may want to have the mastering done by a skilled
professional. Whether you do the final mixing yourself or use the services
of a professional sound engineer will depend both upon your level of skill
and any budgetary constraints.
When your final masters are completed you may wish to reproduce your
recordings and there are a number of ways to do this as well. You can either
do it yourself at home with a CD duplicator or you can hire it out to any
one of a number of different companies that specialize in
CD duplication. If you outsource
the reproduction of your recordings you may be able to complete the entire
process online by uploading your files to a company without the need to ever
ship your original masters.
Learning how to record an acoustic piano, master the recordings, and
reproduce copies is both an art and a science. Using the proper microphones
and positioning them correctly is the biggest piece of the puzzle when it
comes to making the initial recording so be sure to conduct some research
before going out and buying microphones to make sure you're getting the best
quality mics for your specific requirements. |
