Record piano recital

I am new to this. I am trying to record my daughter's piano recital. The first time, I just used the build-in microphone. The sound quality was awful. I tried a couple of different microphones subsequently, and I always placed the microphone right next the the piano. The sound was even worse. It was very quiet. the microphones I used were those people usually use for karaoke, quite good quality for vocals. I also tried to use iMic from Griffin, with no luck.
I appreciate if anyone has any suggestion as what kind of microphone I should use, or maybe point out what I might have done wrong.
Thanks.

Trying to mike an acoustic piano in a live situation is something that the best sound engineers have wanted to tear their hair out, at least in the past. If possible, it would be cool to pick up a decent USB mixer, that should offers phantom power or pre-amp, hook the mike into the XLR inputs and you should be able to get an acceptable recording. I have seen USB mixers under $100. That may be the way to go

Similar Messages

How do i record a piano recital, audio event on a macbook?

how do i record a piano recital audio only on my macbook?

ggeidel wrote:
sounds like i need a good external microphone. understood.
is garageband the way to go?
have not used it ... yet ... no time like today
You need an external microphone interface, 'good' microphones require more than a 1/8th socket can provide. Look for USB microphone preamplifiers on Google.
This is the Blue Icicle, it can be bought for about $40, it is my favorite cheap preamp. XLR balanced input (all good mics use this connection method) and USB out, get 2 if you are planning on stereo, or go to the Blue website for more info.

What hardware and software should I use to A/V record a piano recital?

If anyone could help me, it would be much appreciated.
Here are more details: I have a MacBook Pro, external FireWire hard drives, access to an HD video camera, and good mics. I'm not worried about the video part, but since this is a piano recital, I need the best possible audio quality, within reason. I was thinking about buying an "Alesis MultiMix 8 FireWire" mixer, and recording all 4 channels I'll need directly onto the computer. What software should I use? What about hardware? There won't be much audio editing afterwards, so I don't exactly need the best editor, just a solid way to record it. Also, how would I mix the audio in with the video to make sure it aligns up properly? Perhaps I should use Final Cut Pro for video and Soundtrack or Logic for recording audio? Thank you for any help you can give me!

The crucial point in piano(any) recording is which microphones you use and where you put them.
I generally have the best results with Schoeps "ORTF Stereo Microphone MSTC 64 U"
http://www.schoeps.de/E-2004/ortf-stereo.html#mstc64
They are pretty expensive so don't buy but rent (or borrow) them. It's not that much for one day.
It's a general way to go for professional recording. Thus you'll always have the best equipement for the lowest cost. Also, the rental shop can be a good help in that they might give you hints for your specific need.
Put the mics at about 1-3 meters from the half open piano(for a concert model). Never inside! Specially if it's piano solo. Distance depends on the hall's acoustics, instrument model, music style etc...
I would record on the camcorder. Some of them have four audio tracks. The audio recorder, whatever audio card, DAT, camcorder ... MUST HAVE XLR inputs and phantom power. You should rent here also.
These are the main points.
JMD

Is it possible to remove phone ring from piano recital video clip in Final Cut Pro?

Hi.
I edit all videos in Final Cut Pro. My last video clip is a piano recital. And there is a phone rining during biutiful piano performance. Anybody knows how to remove it without removing this part of music?

Looks like you're using FCPX so this is the wrong forum, pop over to the FCPX forum and ask there, although I think the answer will be, always keep phones on silent at piano recitals.
DM

Where to put microphone to record piano?

I'm going to record a pianist playing a grand piano. Where is the best place to put a Blue Snowball mic connected to my MacBook--behind the pianist but facing the piano, on the lid with the lid down, or somewhere else? Thanks!

Hi,
I'm going to record a pianist playing a grand piano. Where is the best place to put a Blue Snowball mic connected to my MacBook--behind the pianist but facing the piano, on the lid with the lid down, or somewhere else? Thanks!
Normally, to mike a grand, you would use +at least+ 2 mikes.
But, if you have to work with one, you really need to do a series of short recordings with it placed in different places, that you can listen to and pick the best one from.
You need to keep track of which recording matches which placement.
Perhaps, an open lid w/ the mike placed above it, pointed down towards the strings, might be a place to start.
(It really depends on the piano, the style of music, and the pianist which placement will work best.)
WH

Change recorded piano tuned to 443Hz to 440hz?

I,ve tried to use the pitch shifter/time stretch in the audio window... but it just sounds terrible.
I tried this part of sample editor b4 but the "cents" just don't seem to be correct. It should be lowered around 10 cents, no?
Am I missing something?
(Never had this problem in Cubase or Nuendo, winge winge).
Thanks for any help.
This will be my last question 2 night...I promise.

Thanks
Of course,
so..
4 cents = 1 Hz
Will tinker again tommorrow and follow up post.
Many greetings to my ex-hometown.

Recording a live piano performance with GB and iMac internal mic

I am a complete novice with GB. My iMac sits six feet away from my piano, and in a few days my piano teacher will play a concert on it. I am into digital photography, but have no video recording equipment. Can I record this performance using GB and my iMac internal mic, and, if so, how? I would understand completely if you refer me to an article or other secondary source where this is covered.

You will certainly benefit from the mic upgrade. Be aware that most "studio mics" require a microphone preamplifier to bring the level up to something that your computer will be able to see (as well as to provide power if the mic requires it). If the connector is the type that looks like a headphone plug which will fit in your computer input, you are probably ok.
The recording quality will normally be determined by the format and settings instead of the application you are using to record. Stick to 16 (or 24) bit, stereo .aif files and you should be fine. The standard for CD recording is 44.1kHz.
For some information and advice on recording piano, there is an article on my website here: http://doghouseNYC.com/articles/piano1.htm
Good luck!

Best way to record multiple midi passes?

I am new to X (but a long time midi composer with Logic). I have a Logic Pro X newbie question, and would really appreciate some feedback:
I like to record midi in multiple passes. Example: I'll record piano chords in one pass. Then duplicate the track and add a pass of individual piano notes. And so on. I'll often end up with 4 or more midi passes, nicely vertically arranged in the Arrange window (of the old Logic Pro). I'll often glue them together to consolidate things, but I'll also mute the ones I don't use, in case I want to revisit those later.
I would really prefer to continue to work in this manner.
But with Logic Pro X, I only see a "New Track with Duplicate Settings" option. Is this creating a completely new instance of the audio instrument, and therefore burning through my processing power/memory? I get the impression that this is what is happening.
Anyhow, if someone could guide me in the right direction to get me back to my preferred workflow, I would greatly appreciate it!
Thanks so much,
David

Thank you for your response -- very much appreciated.
I have, in fact, already been taking advantage of this feature, and -- for what it does -- it is quite cool -- with one big exception:
"Create Tracks and Mute when Cycling" - in my very strong opinion this should result in tracks that are muted with the exception of the last pass. Instead, when I'm done cycling, it presents all passes, unmuted. If I want each pass muted as I cycle, it makes perfect sense that I do not intend to hear the parts together when I've finished cycle recording. Do you not agree?
Regarding my original issue with Logic Pro X: I don't see an option to create duplicate tracks (without instantiating a new instance of the instrument, which chews up my computer's memory and processing). Let me explain:
My intent is to record a midi pass. Hit stop. Then record another pass on a duplicate track below it (i.e., the exact same virtual instrument -- and NOT a new instance of the virtual instrument). Yes, I see that -- per above -- in Cycle mode Logic will create a duplicate track. But how do I create a duplicate track that uses the exact same instance of the virtual instrument?
Getting to the meat of my question: does the button called "New Track with Duplicate Settings" in fact create a new track with the very same instance of the virtual instrument, or is it a new instance of the virtual instrument, thereby chewing more memory and processing? Because I tried it earlier today, and discovered that on my "New Track with Duplicate Settings", recording sustain pedal on the new track had zero effect on the first track. Which to me means that these are 2 completely separate instances of a virtual instrument.
And by the way, my computer is starting to hiccup during sample playback, which -- to me -- further supports my suspician that these are 2 different instances of a virtual instrument. Which is a serious problem for me.
Any ideas? I really appreciate it.
David

R600: MXP or FXP

Just purchased an R600 camcorder (consumer entry level). Shooting AVCHD there is a choice between MXP and FXP. I understand that the tradeoff is between quality and file size and that storage is cheap, but I wonder whether it makes sense for shoot at the higher bit rate if I'm unlikely to burn Blu Ray disks and would just like high quality YouTube posts to share with family. (My son's piano recital, e.g., is next event to be recorded.) The cost of the larger file to me is transfer time and sluggishness in editing, or maybe even that is not a concern. Advice is welcome. Thanks in advance.

If storage is not an issue and the editing software can handle the file without being sluggish I would shoot at the highest resolution possible. Downconverting the video, to me, is the better option as upconverting the video to a higher resolution is not practical. I'm not convinced that it is even possible since the additional file information is simply not there. This may result in a higher quality video even when it is exported as something other than a Blu-ray file. I would only shoot with a smaller file size if I knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that I would never want or need the higher quality video. I'm not saying the FXP quality wouldn't be good enough for what you want to do.

Bounced MP3 file do not play in iTunes

Hi guys!
I'm a new Logic Express 9 user (and a complete novice in recording!). I just managed to connect my Roland RD-700SX piano to my Macbook Pro (USB connection). I managed to use Logic Express 9 to record a simple song that I played on the piano. If I understand it correctly, the flow of data and subsequent "creation" of sound is as follows:
- upon recording: piano keyboard (acting as controller) --> Logic Express (receiving MIDI-data from keyboard) --> sound generator inside the piano (receiving MIDI-data from Logic Express) --> speakers
- upon playback: Logic Express (sending the recorded MIDI data) --> sound generator inside the piano (receiving recorded MIDI-data from Logic Express) --> speakers
I then bounced the file to an MP3 (following the directions in the "Exploring Logic Express 9" manual).
Upon playing the MP3 file in iTunes, there is no sound. I can see that the file was compressed (the MP3 file is about a quarter of the original uncompressed file).
Why is there no sound after bouncing the file? Does it have something to do with the fact that the "playback" within Logic Express 9 is sending the MIDI data to the piano's sound generator, and therefore does not actually hold the "audio" data, but a mere projection of that data? If the latter, how can I record the "audio" that I hear when playing the recording in Logic Express? If not possible to record the exact same audio (which is based on a top-range grand piano pre-installed in the RD-700SX), is there a way to use the MIDI-data in the project file and record "audio" based on the instruments that came with Logic Express?
Thanks!

Hi man,
my sympathy for RD700sx users is unbroken
You gave the answer yourself: "Why is there no sound after bouncing the file? Does it have something to do with the fact that the "playback" within Logic Express 9 is sending the MIDI data to the piano's sound generator, and therefore does not actually hold the "audio" data, but a mere projection of that data?"
That's exactly what happens. You didn't record any audio in Logic, but only MIDI data streamed from and to your digital piano.
To have your song bounced, you must record the RD700SX' sounds into an audio track. To do this, it is not sufficient to connect the keyboard via USB, because it hasn't got an integrated audio interface.
Instead, go get yourself an audio interface (or, in case of missing funds, connect it with a suitable adapter cable directly to you Mac's inputs, you'll want to use the headphone jack of the RD700 as output perhaps). Then, aim a audio track for recording and hit record. The Mac will stream the MIDI data to your RD700, which in return will feed the audio track with audio (resulting in a visible waveform). Now this can be bounced.
Alternatively, you can use the MIDI data you've recorded to feed software instrument tracks which will produce audio as well.
Fox

IMovie 11' keeps audio I deleted in GarageBand Movie Track, How do I get rid of it?!

Hey all,
Here is what I did excatly . . . Operating a Mac Book Pro 2013, OS 10.9.1 Maverick
I recorded a guitar recital with an HD camera that picked up sound. I simultaneasly recorded the recital with nice mics straight into GarageBand. I imported the video into Garageband and DELETED the audio that imported with the movie (Movie Track in Garageband) and replaced it with the audio I recorded straight into Garage Band. I synced up the audio with the movie and voila, I exported it as a Quicktime Movie to then import into iMovie 11'. The Quicktime Movie I export from GarageBand sounds exactly right, the oringinal audio is gone and is perfectly replaced by the recorded audio.
Before iMovie 11' I would import it in and cut up the event to make into smaller projects of each student performing and share it with their parents. In iMovie 11' the ORIGINAL sound imports along with the GarageBand tracks. Why is it doing this?! Please help if you can

You cannot edit clips in Events in iMovie 10, only clips in project timelines. If you want to split long clips you have to do it before importing, for example uing Quicktime 10 or 7.
I don't know exactly what Garage Band does when you substitute audio track but evidently the original audio is still present. I would deal with this within iMovie. Import the video (after splitting into pieces if necessary) and import the sound track you recorded that you want to use. Put the video into a project timeline. Then put the audio track you want below the clip so you have two audio tracks. Use the old audio to help with synchronisation (comparing the waveforms). When this is done detach the old audio from the clip and trash it. Voila!
Geoff.

Logic Pro on a MacBook Pro 17 - Will it Run Okay?

I am getting ready to purchase a new Mac so I can record piano music and then add a bunch of midi instruments. I currently have an early MacBook Pro 17 maxed out at 2 GB RAM and I am having problems with it overheating when I run Finale Notation software with instrument playback.
I have ruled out the iMac because I have heard that it can get hot and make a lot of fan noise. And it only has one Firewire port, no Express 34 port like the new MacBook Pro which allows me to have a separate firewire bus for a possible external hard drive, while the other port is used for sound input.
I would like to stick with the MacBook Pro because of its portability, but I don't want to max it out with too much demand on the CPU and have to start over again. I was planning to get it configured with the maximum of 8GB RAM and the faster CPU and hard drive.
The other option is the Mac Pro Quadcore desktop, but before going here, I wonder if anyone is using the MacBook Pro 17 successfully in some sort of music studio situation.

I have ruled out the iMac because I have heard that it can get hot and make a lot of fan noise. And it only has one Firewire port, no Express 34 port like the new MacBook Pro which allows me to have a separate firewire bus for a possible external hard drive, while the other port is used for sound input.
The noisy fan problem of imac's was at its worst with certain earlier G5 models, I'm sure it's not as big an issue now. But regarding fan noise, there is one common issue to both the iMac and MacBook Pro. Both of those machines will be right in front of you at eye-level when working, which means the actual working parts of the computer that can make noise are in between your speakers, not just a silent screen. This can be a slight nuisance under certain conditions. If you are listening softly when working, and your computer is working hard, then whatever fan noise there is will be right up there at ear level. It's not a big issue, but it's a different story with a desktop computer because you can put the box somewhat out of the way, or even totally isolate it, so noise is never a problem at all. You can do a similar thing with a laptop too, if you use it in 'closed lid mode' and put it out of the way, connected to an external monitor and bluetooth keyboard and mouse. But doing that means you obviously don't get the benefit of dual displays.
In any case, the fan noise of my MBP 17" is not a major bother for me when working. And yes they're plenty powerful enough to do most kinds of music work.

MAJOR BUG. I'm unable to save my song

Hello all,
Hopefully someone is aware of this devastating bug and has some advice.
Simply, I have been recording piano/midi, with an apple loop in the background.
When I attempt to save, sometimes, it says the song "main writing template"
cannot be saved. I can't "save as" or do a regular save.
WHYYYYY?! I revert to earlier versions of the song and am able to load it.
But after working for an hour or so, it suddenly isn't able to be saved.
Needless to say, this problem has crippled my studio. I tried trashing
the logic prefs to no avail. Any help provided would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

hope you fixed it by now, but just thought I'd share what's been working for me. When it won't allow you to save, go to audio preferences, and disable your sound card, and apply changes. All your plugins will be crossed out. I can nearly always then save the project, quit, open the file again, and then re-engage the sound card, and you're away. Hope this works - it was driving me crazy as well.

Erroneous "insufficient disk space" error with WaveStudio 7

This has been bugging me for over 2 years. I get the "Insufficient disk space" error with Vista x32 and x64 and now with Windows 7 x64 when I've edited a wav file and then try to save it. I have plenty of disk space.
I've searched till I'm blue in the face but cannot find an answer and am tired of the lame work-around. I know how to copy and paste the entire edited wav into another file and then save it. It's annoying, but it works. What gets me is why is this not fixed?
Running CTWave.exe as administrator does not work. Running in Windows XP SP3 compatibility mode does not work.
I have been a faithful Creative Labs user for more years than I care to remember, but this one is shaking my faith. Is there anybody who can explain why this happens, or offer a fix?
Many thanks and keep on rockin',
Dave

You may wish to try these steps in order to solve your issue:
1. Make sure your computer has the latest Java runtime. To do this, just google search "Download Java", go to the first URL and download that free software. This step should solve most of the "insufficient disk space" problems.
2. If step 1 failed to work, you can open "My computer", right click on the hard disk you were trying to write your files into. From the "File System" tab, check to see it's "NTFS" but not "FAT32".
3. If the above two steps do not work, try creating a new partition from your primary hard disk. To do this, click "Start" -> then right click "My Computer" -> "Manage" -> "Disk Management" -> Make sure you shrink a new volume for at least 50 GB to 100 GB free disk space, again please have the NTFS file system. Once you successfully created this new partition, do a format then try writing your music files onto this Disk.
4. I think the above 3 steps are able to solve your issue. However, there's a bug I found sometime back when Win 7 first released. You can try creating a "temp" folder in your primary system drive, writing any files in there should have no problem as long as disk space is sufficient.
5. I certainly do not hope that error was caused by your anti-virus programme, but if all failed, you may want to consider temporarily disable your anti-virus software, and if everything works fine, you might want to switch to a new anti-virus programme.
Cheers.
Originally Posted by bghcomposer
Dave, I also have this problem. I recently bought new components for a new computer and put it together myself. I took Audigy 2zs Platinum Pro out of my old computer (if it ain't broke, don't fix it!) and put it in the new one. After getting the drivers and programs downloaded and installed, I too, have an "insufficient disk space" error. It also won't record - where it would work wonderfully on my other computer!
As a music teacher, I record piano parts for the students to sing to, but I can no longer do that! This would be a great fix! Hope someone responds with an answer!
Brian

What is the difference between garageband, mainstage, logicpro and logicstudio?

Not sure if this question is in the right place. Move it please if its not
I want to record Piano, Vocals and then do the bass and drum parts using my keyboard but using like software or plugins
I see mac provides garageband, i have that and played around with it a bit. Seems straight forward
But what is mainstage, logicpro and logicstudio?
Like what would you use them for?
Which one is best to get and who is more likely to use each one??
Thanks for helping me understand this

They really are just the next step up for garageband software. They allow you to do more, and do things at a higher level. It gives you more options to do stuff with the music. If you want to upgrade to those that is fine, just make sure that you know what you are doing so I would spend time in garageband and become very good at the software and then move up to the others when you want to put more into your music.

Record piano recital

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