Jazz Pop Piano

These days' female jazz/pop singers and pianists dominate the charts.
Norah Jones and Dianna Krall are 2 of the best. Here we acknowledge
that the lead vocal is the most important element but is immediately
followed by the grand piano. Everything else plays a supportive role.
One thing in common is that these types of artists are highly skilled
pianist and will use the entire piano both musically and dynamically.
These types of artists sometimes record their lead vocals while they
are playing piano, which makes capturing the best performance very
challenging and trade offs are sometimes required. When performing
place a piece of 4' x 4' foam, a foot thick right on top of where
the sheet music tray sits. I actually remove the tray for it usually
produces sympathetic noises. This gives me great isolation between the
vocal mic and the piano mics. Because there playing at times maximizing
the full range of the piano I'll use large diaphragm condensers for
their ability to capture low end. I'll place them about 12"-16"
above the strings so I can get more of the sound board resonance and
16"-24" apart for the range of playing will be wider. Because the
higher strings on a piano do not have dampers they will sustain. If the
top end mic is not positioned to capture this range it will sound
distant and reverb like (basically a little higher and wider pick-up
than pop piano). I will leave the lid fully open for I don't want to
choke the sound. If I need more low end from the piano I'll introduce
a third mic over the lower range in an effort to capture the sonic
fullness of the piano. I will add this mic in to both left and right
channels and use it more for sonic purposes than musical purposes. I
will always rely on the full stereo imaging coming from the other 2
mics. If I have to roll off the mid to high frequency range of the 3rd
mic to achieve accurate stereo imaging I'll do it.
With EQ you will need to make sure the top end of the piano does not
interfere with the presence of the lead vocal. If the piano is to
bright you will invariably have to bring down its overall level. When
you do this you also lower the music element of the piano. All of a
sudden your vocalist sounds barren for they are musically out there
exposed on their own and even though the piano can be heard clearly it
will not contain enough of the harmonic information from the low
mid-range to support the lead vocal. Even though the levels of the
piano and vocalist are close they are quite detached musically. "Be
Aware"

With Compression/limiting and EQ I tend to use it minimally. As with
all piano EQ and dynamic control what you do to one channel you do
exactly to the other.

Jazz Piano

With traditional Jazz pianists like Oscar Peterson and Keith Jarrett
you will get performances that are highly complex in dynamics and
musical content. These types of
pianists are always improvising on the spot where they are literally
are all over the vast range of the keyboard with incredible speed with
dramatic dynamic changes. These random changes in performing are
happening all the time and you need to prepare yourself to capture this
type of performing. Experiment with mic positions and different
condenser mics. Of all pianists, jazz players are the most articulate
when it comes to meeting their needs. They "speak our technical
language". I usually use pencil condensers like the B&K (DAP) 4000
series. They can handle a lot of level without distorting and can
translate the percussive nature of jazz playing. As I said previously
small diaphragm condensers capture very fast transients more accurately
than large diaphragm. I'll often place the 2 mics slightly higher in
the range and factor in a 3rd low end mic assigned to both left and
right. If the room has good ambient characteristics I'll pull the
mics further back and get an overall sound from the piano. With Jazz
it's nice to get the articulation and the resonance of the piano. For
dynamic control I'll get the player to play very loud and I'll
still back off the level to allow for more headroom. With traditional
jazz playing you do not want to be in a position to have to reset
levels to prevent distortion. If any EQ is required it's usually in
the high end just too add a little shimmer to the sound. With dynamic
control, it will be used rarely for the dynamics are often exaggerated
to highlight the performance. If any limiting is required it will be
for getting more level on a CD, but only if it is not that noticeable.

Classical Piano

In recording classical piano factoring in a good recording ambience is
very important to the overall sound. Recordings by the greatest
classical pianist were mostly done in good concert halls and large
studios.

The conventional and traditional way to record piano is to set up 2-3
large diaphragm condensers at different angles approx 8ft-12ft away
facing the piano. The mics are angled similar to the angle of the piano
lid opening and are usually set up high (6ft-12ft). Large diaphragm
condensers are used to capture the low end of the piano and are often
used in an omni pattern to allow the acoustics of the space to be used
and mics used in an omni have a flatter frequency response than mics in
cardioid patterns.

The distance between the mics and the piano dictates the ratio between
the direct sound and the ambient sound. The goal of this type of
recording is to place the piano and the mics in a strategic place for
optimum clarity and room ambience. However I find this type of pick up
limiting.

If the tempo changes dramatically from adagio (slow) to allegro (fast)
the piano sound can vary. If you found a mic position that suited an
overall good pick up, you might discover that the piano sounds detached
and dry with the slower moving pieces and quite muddy at faster tempos.

What is perceived to be happening is that this type of pick up has dead
spots in it, where once the ambience completely decays you hear dead
air between the notes. The opposite happens when the tempo picks up and
is quick. The piano begins to sound muddy and reverberant, for the
decay is hanging over too much into the next note. This can be very
apparent in there are sudden dynamic changes where the piano goes from
a loud dynamic and quick tempo to a softer dynamic and slower tempo in
a short period of time. The piano sound appears to have too much reverb
in amplitude and decay time. Other than taking the time to find
suitable mic positions and piano placement and risking losing a good
basic mic position and piano placement most often the people involved
will settle for a basic good all round position. I find this limiting.

I was very fortunate to work with Glenn Gould the greatest classical
pianist of the 20th century who was very much into sound innovation.
With his recordings I would find a good position for the placement of
the piano, usually in the center of the room away from any close walls.
Next I would place 3 large diaphragm condensers approx 8ft-12ft from
the piano in cardioid pick up patterns. With this placement I would
strive for a sound that would be clear and balanced if the music was at
a quick tempo (Allegro). Next I would place a stereo mic or 2 matching
condensers between 12ft-18ft from the piano in omni to capture a medium
reverb time that would include early reflections. Next, I would set up
another stereo mic or 2 matched condensers approx 20ft-30ft from the
piano for a reverb effect. This would allow for smooth decay times if
the tempo was slow (adagio) and avoid any dead air.

With this type of pick up I have maximum control over the recording
situation. With 3 different mic setups at various distances I can
change the piano sound from a clear distinct sound to a very warm and
reverberant sound without changing the mic positions and having to
constantly go back into the studio to alter mic and piano positions.
With Glenn I would preview and mark the score where changes would be
required if I was recording to a 2 track final mix or record to a
multi-track and have control when I was mixing.



Microphones
B&K 4000 series, Neumann M149, 87, U-67, U-47, Akg stereo C-24
Excellent transient response, quiet, flat frequency response



Pre-amps
GML, Millenia, Neve, --any high quality pre that is quiet and good
transient response


EQ
Neve, GML, API, Manly; --4 band, quiet, no colouration effect; more
edge around 3khz-5khz bell curve wide "Q"; presence 10khz and up
shelving; low end fullness 80hz-150hz


Limiting
Very little, not perceivable when inserted, fast attack and fast
release
times


Compression
Usually for pop; level control, creating more attack to the sound
Med attack-medium release