Mobile recording rig and piano
 Inside mic boom setup
Mic placement inside piano
Sample MP3's
Room Mic Samples
M1290 | AT4050 | CX112 | SE-GEMINI | SCX-1C | SCX25 | TLM-103
Close Mic Samples
M1290 | AT4050 | CX112 | SE-GEMINI | SCX-1C | SCX25 | TLM-103
Final rig install
Final mic install (room and inside pairs)
Audix/Piano Installation Samples
SCX25 = 0db; CX112
= -10db
SCX25 = 0db; CX112
= -7.5db |
Piano Microphone Tests and Evaluations
For the room mic test, I placed all the mic's 4 ft away from the side of the
piano. The height was 5 ft and the width between the stereo pairs was about 4
ft. All the mic's captured the same performance. For the inside piano takes,
I placed the mic's as shown in the pictures at about the middle distance of the
length of the stings. Since I could not get all the mic's close to the same position
during one performance, I had to record 2 sets at a time over 4 very similar
but separate performances: AT4050 & M1290,
TLM103 & SCX25,
SCX1 & CX112, and Gemini. Proper care was taken to position them in the same
spot.
Room Mic Evaluation
As I listen to all the different room mic pairs (with the ability to jump between
them instantly), I noticed such subtle differences that I really do not have
much to say. The micro series M1290 did have a little mid boost that brought
clarity to the individual notes. Otherwise it is a personal preference.
Inside Mic Evaluation
I notice less low end and more clarity to the M1290 above all the others. The
SCX1C added a little more low. The TLM103 seem to have a bit more low mids
than the other mic's in general. It isn't really a pleasant characteristic.
It seems the SCX25 has a touch more presence than the CX112. Take into consideration,
when you are doing close miking inside the piano, proximity effect lessens
the need for extreme low end. Most of your large diaphragms might need a roll-off
on. Hence, the M1290, SCX1C and the SCX25 make sense. Take a listen.
Signal Chain:
All microphones were connected via Monster Cable Performer 500 mic cables
through two Digimax for 14 similar microphone preamps connected via light pipe
to Alesis HD24. From there the files were extracted into Nuendo and edited
for the final MP3's.
The Final Installation:
My client, who was generous enough to let us conduct the mic shootout on his
concert grand, had me design an audiophiles dream recording system to record
his piano. The final install included two dual channel Anthony Demaria Labs
ADL600 Discrete high voltage mic preamps, a Presonus CL44 Quad compressor,
Monster Pro 3500 conditioner, and all Monster Interconnects and SP1000 mic
cables. For Microphones we installed the SCX25A-mp matched pair stereo piano
mic kit which used Dflex mounts instead of stands. These were mounted directly
inside the piano. For the room mic's we used the CX112-mp matched stereo
pair mounted on strait stands about 3 feet from the piano. We recorded a
few things to CD.
Take a listen. The first sample has the room mics
10db under the inside mics. The second sample, which is what the client decided
to permanently use, the room mics were 7.5 db under the inside mics.
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