[pianotech] mp3 recordings - How

[Mark Schecter]

I'd like to suggest a few ideas regarding audio files, MP3s, and 
recording techniques, in hopes of helping people get good recorded 
results with a minimum of trial and error.

* Audio files: Most recording software, regardless of hardware platform, 
allows some choice as to output file format, i.e. uncompressed such as 
.wav, or AIFF (Apple); and compressed such as MP3, AAC (Apple), and a 
few other less universal formats. I would suggest that the original file 
format that you record into be as high-fidelity as possible, and then in 
a separate step, convert it to a compression format. This is preferable 
to recording the original in MP3, from which there is no way to recover 
any lost fidelity. Higher sample rate/bit rate is better, i.e. 48kHz 
beats 44.1kHz, and more bits (per sample word) is better, i.e. 24 bits 
beats 16 bits. So to be specific, I would suggest originals be in .wav 
or .aiff or better format, as this is 16 bit 44.1kHz, or the same as 
CDs. From that you can down-sample/convert it to any compressed format 
as many different times as you want until you find the right balance 
between fidelity and size. iTunes does this conversion easily on either 
Mac or PC.

* MP3s: This is a compression protocol that gives the user a range of 
bit rates to choose from, depending on how small or large the resulting 
file can be. If you choose a low bit rate/small file, you do sacrifice 
substantial fidelity in exchange for smallness. But if you use higher 
bit rates, like 192K-256K or more bits/second, the fidelity is quite 
decent. I would suggest people start there, try a few rates, see how it 
sounds, and then perhaps we could agree on a format/bit rate to all use 
for the sake of uniformity. (Or not ...)

* Recording techniques: (These are just suggestions, based on what I've 
seen excellent recording engineers doing. There are many other 
possibilities which I don't mean to discount. I just want to help people 
get good results quickly.)

While there are no hard and fast rules, there is such a thing as too 
close-miking. Almost nobody (besides David Andersen - hi DA!) listens to 
a piano with their ears inside the rim of the piano. Getting too close 
has two primary effects that I prefer to avoid: 1. Excess dynamic range, 
and 2. Excess local details/anomalies. Skipping any long discussion of 
these two things for now, I would suggest the following as ballparking 
guidelines:

Position the microphone(s) (or the recorder if the mics are built-in) 
somewhere within the limits of the two zones described as follows. 1. 
For the closer end of the range, position the mic directly above the 
rim, at about half the distance between the top of the rim and the edge 
of the lid, somewhere in the curve, pointing somewhere between at the 
soundboard and at the lid. You will get a more balanced sound if the lid 
is all the way up, but try the short stick too. An alternative position 
for the closer range is higher, a few inches below the plane of the open 
lid, and one to three feet outside the outline of the rim. If you're 
using two mics on separate stands, separate them by three to eight feet, 
but at the same distance from the lid.

2. The more distant position would be somewhere up to about twenty feet 
distant from the curve of the rim, depending on what the size of the 
room will allow, and how much room sound vs direct sound you want to 
hear. Height about eye/ear level. Location within the following 
triangle: 1. Project a line from the middle of the length of the lid at 
right angle to the straight side of the piano. 2. Project a line from 
the bass end of the pinblock through the treble end of the bass bridge. 
These two lines form a triangle within which you can emphasize bass by 
moving toward the tail of the piano, or a more natural balance by moving 
toward the right-angle line.

By the way, I second Dale's choice of the H4n as a viable and affordable 
device that allows all of the possiblities above, and others as well, 
such as recording four tracks simultaneously, and using two external 
mics along with or instead of the two built-in mics.

There are volumes more to say about all this, already written by others 
much more knowledgable than myself, but I hope this helps people get 
started.

~Mark Schecter

On 6/2/12 5:14 AM, Mark Dierauf wrote:
> That's quite a nice sound for a inexpensive handheld unit, isn't it? I'm
> not hearing much from the high treble, so I'd recommend getting a couple
> of stand-alone mics and stands so you can play around with placement and
> balance to get a more representative sound. The piano sounds great -
> I'll bet your customer is one happy camper!