The Grand Piano is amongst the hardest instruments to record. Full of dynamics and ambience, it is also one of the most versatile instruments. Used on a wide array of musical genres, there is truly an endless library of piano sounds. Getting the perfect sound for the project is no easy task. This requires skill, high quality recording equipment, and perhaps most importantly, a great sounding room.
The first consideration when recording an acoustic grand piano is simply the type of music are you working on? A jazz piano sound will be completely different than a classical piano, which will be completely different than a pop piano, etc. This tends to determine how much natural ambience you will be blending into the sound. For example, a solo classical piece would generally use more natural ambience than a percussive jazz piano recording to fill up the space.
The next step is microphone choice, and placement/setup. This again will vary depending on the music/room. For an open, classical piano recording an A-B stereo microphone setup using 2 omni directional condensers is a great place to start! The stereo setup in the centre, in the front of the piano (slightly further back than the opening of the lid), gives the listener a sense of being sat in the audience as the piano is being played. On the other hand, to capture a more percussive piano sound, more suited for jazz, you will want to place the microphones closer, possibly inside the lid. My go-to is a spaced pair of cardioid microphones placed over the strings inside the lid. One over the bass strings, positioned at an angle towards the hammers/pianist, and the other over the treble strings, slightly higher, but angled the same as the lower mic. The sound captured by this technique is a very detailed, very percussive piano sound.
There are many other techniques used to record an acoustic grand piano, but this is a good place to start. We will get more specific and in depth with choosing the right microphones next time!
