Concert Advice

[Pete Cofrancesco]

I went to the meeting yesterday and it was decided the stage manager will put two condenser mics on a boom inside the piano above the strings. Things were complicated by them wanting to close the lid half way through the performance but that would hit the boomed mics and would have to use a boundary mic inside but they finally settled on full stick to half stick, which will still be tricky to do in the dark but will give better audio than the boundary mic. Anyways I'm glad I got your input because I was able to understand and be a part of the decision made. It also turns out he won't be singing so a combination of wireless lav and dynamic mic will be use for his narration.

[Jim Andrada]

Good luck

Let us know how it comes out.

[Jim Andrada]

By the way, you can get magnetic mic stands that will work on the metal frame of a piano and have a gooseneck so you can position the mic's above the strings without having to worry about the lid hitting the mic's when the lid gets closed. Only worry would be how much the sound will change depending on lid position.

Some makers (like DPA) sell the magnetic stands for their own microphones but I think I've seen something that has a regular 5/8" threaded stud on the end. I think it was called Stage Ninja or something like that.

[Pete Cofrancesco]

He won't be playing when its closed. It's so the view of the slideshow won't be blocked by the piano lid.

[Greg Miller]

Don't forget to turn off the bubble machine before they start the slide show.

[Jim Andrada]

@Pete

Thanks - I get it!

@Greg

Are you old enough to remember Liberace? (I guess there aren't too many of us left - they closed the Liberace museum in Vegas recently)

[Greg Miller]

A Liberace museum!? How disgusting.

Actually, when I mentioned bubbles, I was thinking of Lawrence Welk.

[Pete Cofrancesco]

I laughed although I'm not old enough to have watched them air. I remember seeing infomercials a while back though.

[Jim Andrada]

Yeah, Lawrence Welk had occurred to me when you mentioned the bubbles. I have to admit I sort of liked the accordionist he had on his show (Myron Florin, I think).
.
Actually I'm thinking of getting a couple of those magnetic goosenecks I found at Markertek. Curious to see how our pianos would sound with the Schoeps mics inside (lid closed) compared with the little DPA boundary mic on the lid. Still not sure I would like the effect for classical, but for the price of the goosenecks it might be worth giving it a try and there's always a time when that kind of thing can come in handy.

Edit - I ordered a pair of the goosenecks. I'll let you know how they work out

[Christian Brown]

You may also consider Audix D-Flex clips for miking inside pianos.

I frequently make bridges of gaff tape instead of using clips.

[Jim Andrada]

Hi Christian

I thought of that - but no way "the boss" would allow a clip or sticky tape anywhere near her Bechstein - she'll only go along with the magnet if I'm sure to put a thin layer of felt between it and the metal frame.

The DPA mic is adhered to the underside of the lid with something that's sort of like blue modeling clay, just a bit stickier. Had to test the removability on all kinds of surfaces (including a lacquered table) for months before she'd even consider it.

I had a friend who's also a piano tuner over and he played a few notes on her piano and she chewed him out loudly for touching it.

Oh - did I mention that she's a bit protective of her piano?

Not so much for the Yamaha that her students use, though.

[Greg Miller]

Jim,

Why not just use a couple of these
and some #6 wood screws?

{Just kidding}

[Jim Andrada]

I was thinking of attaching them with a nail gun!

[Greg Miller]

I recommend the ones that use 22 shots, set off by a hammer. Be sure to wear goggles. Probably steel toes, too, in case the nail completely penetrates the case and exits with some net downward velocity.

(Actually, I was once eating in a restaurant while contractors were attaching styrofoam boards to the exterior of the building, preparatory for a stucco "Dryvit" finish. Apparently their nailer pressure was set a bit too high, because one of the nails came blasting in through the wall, flew past another customer's head, and landed on the floor. Not exactly conducive to a fine dining experience.)

[Jim Andrada]

Well, OT but I once nailed my finger to the wood - fortunately only a short brad that came through a quarter inch further than I had thought it would.. But it was an OUCH!