Also love API! Cut my teeth on a Frank DeMedio custom API board, not surprised things sound a little in your face in the midranges because that's how they sound at least compared NEVE. But they're super musical to work with, moving a knob is like moving a microphone on those things much more "real"
Sidenote, is it possible to flip the phase of headphones in your studio? The reason I ask is I found with my vintage mics ,especially ribbons, that the headphones sound can be out of phase and for acoustic instruments or vocals the performer can get a wrong impression of the sound of producing unless it's heard properly, of course.
It sounds nicely detailed and for sure good enough commercialy but I cant help but think theres some low frequency information thats cancelling out with the two pairs so close.
I think that best possible piano recording needs 88 mikes Seperate under where hammer strikes. With equalizer for each notes. Because of vibration caused by striking. So engineer can after recording shut off Vibration from notes which are not played. This depends on how hard you strike each cord. So this can be controlled with 88 mikes with 88 seperates recording tracks for each notes. So after recording is done, go back check each track to delete or not. What do you think?
How do you record and mix piano differently as a backing instrument for a vocalist? Also, what if you have a singing pianist who wants to record vocals and piano at the same time and how do you handle mic placement?
One would guess you mix more of the room sound of the piano than the "close up" instrument sound, so you get a good blend of brightness from the piano and the vocalist. Because the vocalist would be the focus rather than the instrument.
Greetings Josh! Any experience with surround? Any experience using AMS/Neve? Sounded a bit too bright at times, seemed to lack a certain low end or warmth? Or perhaps the consequence of listening via my iPhone? But very informative, thank you for sharing!🙂
The mics I can recognize are: 1 Neumann TLM 103 (Condenser), 2 Royer R 121 (Ribbon), 2 Neumann U87 (Condenser), 2 Coles 4038 (Ribbon), and I´m not quite sure about the small diaphragm mics there are using but I think does are 2 Telefunken M60 Fet (Condenser). Please let me know If I am wrong. Excellent video by the way. Thank you very much for the tips!
Yikes. Bro there is more to phase alignment than flipping the polarity! Polarity flips the phase 180 degrees. What about every point between? I use LittleLabs IBPs on all piano mics. And when you spoke about panning mics towards the center that’s when you get move phase interactions. Ay yay. You obviously aren’t a pianist From the pianists perspective the low end is more on the left. The idea of hard panning is unnatural. And moving low end info to the center is highly questionable IMO. I have worked extensively with Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, McCoy Tyner etc. We have some experience with pianos. But do what you want to I’m just offering experience.
Nice nice nice! Just getting started listening but one small comment the narrator voice is a little hot compared to the piano at least at the beginning, understandable since all the mics are a different volumes it would be difficult to balance. I like to have my ears wide open for listening to Sound samples and sometimes things like that can cause them to shut down a little. Worst examples are RUclips clips that start with a hugely loud intro bumps and then want you to listen to find points and sound quality right after that.
What is an advantage of using digital outboard reverb? ...Oh, he's using it for monitoring. ..OH, he's using the tape too. Okay, I guess that makes sense. (Typed this as I was listening)
interesting the way the engineer refers to the recording as where he 'creates the sound' and yet I thought the real sound is being created on the other side of the glass! His job is to capture it and tonally sculpt it whilst retaining the essence of the performance.
Pretty interesting, thanks for this. But too much talking, not enough listening. Also talking is too loud relative to the music. I also wouldn't mind more shots of Josh's settings. Good stuff though...
This sound engineer appears to be a nice guy, explaining his strategy well, and his equipment is top-notch with many options. However, the end result sounds poor to me; it is not like a high-class concert grand but more like an electric keyboard. So what's going on here? Either that Yamaha just sounds very close to a keyboard (that wouldn't surprise me), the room is really bad, or the sound production went through so many steps that all the natural beauty was lost? Or is it RUclips that compresses and degrades the sound? I am listening with good headphones.
When he drops in that TLM 49 in mono, it's just magic
What great pair of engineer and musician.
Yes , I own a Neuman TLM 103 and have just recorded a Steinway 9' grand with a stereo pair . What a sound!! Thanks for your wisdom
Also love API! Cut my teeth on a Frank DeMedio custom API board, not surprised things sound a little in your face in the midranges because that's how they sound at least compared NEVE. But they're super musical to work with, moving a knob is like moving a microphone on those things much more "real"
JG you’re the man!!! I’m always so proud of you and proud to know you.
Super nice! Thank you for all the info!
Very informative. Thank you.
Some great tips and professionally produced. Thanks, SOS and Josh.
On a writes electric piano, how do I mic it with out getting sound from my fingering of the keyboard…..
Sidenote, is it possible to flip the phase of headphones in your studio? The reason I ask is I found with my vintage mics ,especially ribbons, that the headphones sound can be out of phase and for acoustic instruments or vocals the performer can get a wrong impression of the sound of producing unless it's heard properly, of course.
It sounds nicely detailed and for sure good enough commercialy but I cant help but think theres some low frequency information thats cancelling out with the two pairs so close.
discussion of phase, and cancellation effects, but no discussion of time alignment of the different mic arrays?
I think that best possible piano recording needs 88 mikes Seperate under where hammer strikes.
With equalizer for each notes.
Because of vibration caused by striking.
So engineer can after recording shut off
Vibration from notes which are not played. This depends on how hard you strike each cord. So this can be controlled with 88 mikes with 88 seperates recording tracks for each notes. So after recording is done, go back check each track to delete or not.
What do you think?
Interesting technique. Thanks for sharing. How do you involve the pianist in the sound, if you do? Have you ever tried the Earthworks PM-40?
How do you record and mix piano differently as a backing instrument for a vocalist? Also, what if you have a singing pianist who wants to record vocals and piano at the same time and how do you handle mic placement?
One would guess you mix more of the room sound of the piano than the "close up" instrument sound, so you get a good blend of brightness from the piano and the vocalist. Because the vocalist would be the focus rather than the instrument.
Greetings Josh!
Any experience with surround?
Any experience using AMS/Neve?
Sounded a bit too bright at times,
seemed to lack a certain low end or warmth?
Or perhaps the consequence of listening via my iPhone?
But very informative, thank you for sharing!🙂
Try DPA
What mic stands are you using?
The mics I can recognize are: 1 Neumann TLM 103 (Condenser), 2 Royer R 121 (Ribbon), 2 Neumann U87 (Condenser), 2 Coles 4038 (Ribbon), and I´m not quite sure about the small diaphragm mics there are using but I think does are 2 Telefunken M60 Fet (Condenser). Please let me know If I am wrong. Excellent video by the way. Thank you very much for the tips!
Yikes. Bro there is more to phase alignment than flipping the polarity! Polarity flips the phase 180 degrees. What about every point between? I use LittleLabs IBPs on all piano mics. And when you spoke about panning mics towards the center that’s when you get move phase interactions. Ay yay.
You obviously aren’t a pianist From the pianists perspective the low end is more on the left. The idea of hard panning is unnatural. And moving low end info to the center is highly questionable IMO. I have worked extensively with Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, McCoy Tyner etc.
We have some experience with pianos. But do what you want to I’m just offering experience.
I noticed that it's not much resonance or bass frequencies on the lowest octaves.
Nice nice nice! Just getting started listening but one small comment the narrator voice is a little hot compared to the piano at least at the beginning, understandable since all the mics are a different volumes it would be difficult to balance.
I like to have my ears wide open for listening to Sound samples and sometimes things like that can cause them to shut down a little.
Worst examples are RUclips clips that start with a hugely loud intro bumps and then want you to listen to find points and sound quality right after that.
"Kinda make the sound"-lol, so true
What is an advantage of using digital outboard reverb? ...Oh, he's using it for monitoring. ..OH, he's using the tape too. Okay, I guess that makes sense. (Typed this as I was listening)
interesting the way the engineer refers to the recording as where he 'creates the sound' and yet I thought the real sound is being created on the other side of the glass! His job is to capture it and tonally sculpt it whilst retaining the essence of the performance.
I could not disagree more. Yikes. Nasty nasty piano sound.
I don't know how you guys like that piano. Hammers are way too hard.
Pretty interesting, thanks for this. But too much talking, not enough listening. Also talking is too loud relative to the music. I also wouldn't mind more shots of Josh's settings. Good stuff though...
This sound engineer appears to be a nice guy, explaining his strategy well, and his equipment is top-notch with many options. However, the end result sounds poor to me; it is not like a high-class concert grand but more like an electric keyboard. So what's going on here? Either that Yamaha just sounds very close to a keyboard (that wouldn't surprise me), the room is really bad, or the sound production went through so many steps that all the natural beauty was lost? Or is it RUclips that compresses and degrades the sound? I am listening with good headphones.
All that money to sound that shit ? omg
Piano is horribly out of tune
This video died when he started adding EQ in the recording stage. Just no.
He‘s recording analog directly to tape! So think, think, think.