Disklavier

Carol,

Dont bother with the sounds in the computer cards as they are no where near good as the sounds in the Xg or the new high end�yamaha keyboards.

I was told RODE mics are good value for money.

all the best

Budds

(melbourne)

>From: "Carol Beigel"
>Reply-To: disklavier@yahoogroups.com
>To:
>Subject: Re: [disklavier] audio recordings of piano music
>Date: Mon, 6 Jun 2005 23:41:06 -0400
>
>Thanks to everyone who has responded to my inquiry
>about digital audio recordings.��You have been very
>helpful.��I want to clear up exactly what I want to do.
>
>First of all, I have no intention of trying to make
>professional quality recordings.��I just spent 4 days
>in one of those million-dollar plus recording studios
>doing some of the most exacting work of my career.
>There were two sound engineers, a producer, the
>pianist, and me the piano technician.��I think the four
>microphones used for this recording cost more than my
>car!��They were recording piano teaching methods,
>phrasing and dynamics, etc. so using audio samples
>would not have worked!��My job was to make the piano
>perfect, so I was glad to be working with a Yamaha C7;
>the tuning had to be perfect, and the voicing and
>action had to be dead even, and absolutely no pedal or
>action noises!��Every time I work for these folks, I
>end up taking a day before the recording sessions just
>to prep the piano.��This involves taking the whole
>thing a part and tightening all the hundreds of screws
>in the action and case; cleaning all the key pins;
>leveling the strings; and dissassembling the pedal lyre
>to tighten the wedges that hold the parts together so
>they don't squeak!��Then the piano is tuned and voiced
>every two hours during the recording sessions.��No way
>am I going to ever duplicate that fabulous studio or do
>that kind of prep for what I want to do.
>
>I want a VERY portable setup that does a better job
>than a cheap little boombox with a built-in mic
>recording on audio cassette tape.��I want to record my
>Dad playing a piano in a nursing home with his duet
>partner playing on an old Hammond organ.��I want to
>make better quality audio recordings of family events
>for someone who will not be able to see the pictures in
>the future.��I would also like to be able to tell
>people how little Jenny or Johnny can record their
>piano recital pieces to a CD for grandma; or better
>yet, be able to recommend a reasonable set-up to the
>music teachers who want to do this.
>
>Perhaps the biggest use I have seen with home recording
>equipment, or the perceived better recording done in
>church, is to produce an audition tape for a college
>interview.��I personally do not want to get involved in
>these things, and I always point out that for what they
>have invested in all those years of piano lessons,
>music and the piano, that they should just go to a
>recording studio and have the tape made professionally.
>
>I am taking to heart the advice about microphones being
>"too" good.��I am thinking I still want 2, so I will
>definitely buy one condenser mic, and perhaps one of a
>different type as well.��Any advice on specific mics is
>appreciated.��I know mics need power, and I guess that
>is what a pre amp does.��The MBox has 48V phantom power
>so I assume that is what powers the mics.
>
>All the recording engineers recommend the MBox and yet
>that one has the most problems on people's home
>computers.��I will very carefully check the specs, and
>there seem to be a LOT of them, to make sure my laptop
>has a fast enough and the right brand of processor.��If
>the MBox won't run on my Compaq Evo, then I will need
>alternate suggestions about the audio to digital
>converter interface.
>
>Thanks again for all your advice.��I know this is a
>subject dear to many, and there is much software and
>equipment to choose from!��Some of the worst recordings
>I ever heard were done with home equipment; and yet
>some really, really good ones as well!��Just remember,
>my setup needs to be portable.
>
>BTW, I have had my father record on my Disklavier, so I
>have the MIDI files.��I will see which way to a CD
>turns out better - either recording the DKV piano
>playing the MIDI files through the MBox, or using the
>sampled sounds on either the XG sounds on the DKV, or
>whatever comes out of the soundcard on my��computer.
>Are the sampled sounds better on the XG daughter board,
>or the same as on the built-in sounds on the
>motherboard of my computer?
>
>Thanks ever so much.
>
>Carol
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Peter Phillips"
>To:
>Sent: Monday, June 06, 2005 10:14 PM
>Subject: [disklavier] audio recordings of piano music
>
>
> > Hi Carol and all
> > I recently made a CD of piano performances of my DKV
>for my mother. The
> > resulting recording quality has been widely praised
>by quite a few people,
> > and I have even sold a few of the CDs. Here's the
>setup I used:
> > . microphone - AKG D65S, mono (about $100)
> > . position - placed in curve of grand piano, pointing
>towards music desk
> > (critical to get the right placement)
> > . room - 4 x 5 metre, nothing special, piano sitting
>on vinyl covered floor
> > . pre-amp - one I built myself from a magazine design
> > . storage medium/processing - computer, via Cool Edit
>Pro, small amount of
> > reverb, but not much else.
> >
> > Since making this recording I have researched other
>microphones and
> > researched the topic of recording pianos in
>particular. An often repeated
> > opinion is that using a very high quality microphone
>can result in
> > recording all the clicks and mechanical noises made
>by a piano. That is,
> > don't always go for the highest quality. As well, a
>stereo mic is not
> > necessarily twice as good as a mono mic.
> >
> > Carol: I'm happy to mail you a copy of the audio CD
>for your appraisal.
> > Then you can judge whether my setup would suit you.
> >
> > From Australia - Peter Phillips
> > From Peter Phillips, Electronic Editorials NSW. Phone
>(02) 9773 4734,
> > mobile 0418 407 607, fax (02) 9773 9943. Website at
> > http://members.optushome.com.au/eleced/index.htm
> >
>