The Stereo Bus Blog - Daily Music Production Tips

This post is a continuation of my instrument series and describes the standard variations of recording piano, both grand and upright styles.

Ahhh piano.  One of the quintessential instruments that almost everyone knows the sound of.  Like the snare drum that I featured in my last how-to, the piano is a complex instrument with many timbres and qualities.  The piano also has many sound sources that should be considered and respected when chosing the miking arrangement.
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This post focuses on the use of piezo sensors and pickups in pro audio applications.

Most people don’t think of piezo technology very often. Basically, piezoelectric sensors involve using mechanical vibrations against the sensor to create a signal. It’s a unique way to generate sound and signal, meaning that it can be used in applications where traditional sound capturing devices don’t work well. In fact, sometimes piezo sensors are called contact microphones. Some common applications include acoustic guitar pickups and drum triggers, but there really is no reason why you couldn’t use piezo sensors anywhere that produces vibration (and therefore, sound).

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This post is going to focus on using compression on sends vs. compression on inserts in order to retain fidelity while adding punch.

Throwing up an insert on a track is an obvious way to control the dynamics of the track or to add punch. Unfortunately, sometimes adding compression to the sound itself dulls the high-end or introduces undesirable distortions, such as in the case of overhead cymbals or piano. One way to achieve the effect of punch or sustain without compromising the fidelity is send a copy of the signal to stereo send/aux with the desired compression effect on its insert and blend to taste.

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