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After using the H2 recorder to record our band, I thought I would try recording an acoustic piano at home. I placed the H2 on its little pedestal and put it on top of the piano. It's a stereo file as I recorded from both sides of the H2 (mic on each side). Seems to me that the bass end of the piano is stronger than the treble. Afterwards I brought the WAV file into RealBand, adding the Classic Compressor, PG 5Band EQ, Classic Limiter and then lastly PG PEAK LIMIT. On the track itself, I added a touch of reverb before it passes through these other plugins. I welcome your comments on the SOUND and what I might could do differently to improve the sound of the piano piece. Is the mic too close? Or whatever??? I'd like to hear your feedback on the quality of the recording and how to improve it. My playing, of course......... ain't no improving on that. I'm too old to get any better (in my opinion). ha ha ha. Too old to learn much more. Thanks Everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CLICK HERE FOR MUSIC
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Ray you might not want to have the H2 on the piano as it may pick up the vibrations as well as the sound. Maybe hang it from a mic stand or something where it isolates the sound and see if it helps. Just a thought, Wyndham
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Hey Raymundo !!! Wow, that recorder works great. I can even hear the clock ticking in the background. Your Pianer playing is gorgeous. Is this another original song? It is beautiful. You can adjust the bass eq on that thing when recording, fyi  That recorder did an awesome job of capturing. It definitely sounds full and in stereo. I enjoyed listening to ya again. Thanks for sharing your talent with us, this song was beautiful Ray. More please? Trax
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Journeyman
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Hey Ray. Sounds really good to me. Your playing really touches my heart. occ
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"Afterwards I brought the WAV file into RealBand, adding the Classic Compressor, PG 5Band EQ, Classic Limiter and then lastly PG PEAK LIMIT. On the track itself, I added a touch of reverb before it passes through these other plugins. " ...
Knowing this, it is very hard to guess what the original sound was, and which victories you won when doing the FX, and which ones didn't work so well.
Any device like this will likely pick up the stronger lower notes more than the upper, so I'd favor the upper side to begin with. And yes- don't have it actually touching the piano body because the resonance will transfer to the device....
glad to see you around and being active again Ray
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
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**Move the H2 away from the piano. The contact of it is transferring energy from the piano case to the mics.
However, that is a pretty good recording of what your piano really sounds like, give or take the extra low-mids that are being transferred from piano case to H2 rather than through the compressible medium of the air.
Upright piano, sometimes you can record it better by removing the top and bottom plates so more of the string sounds gets out into the room.
But either way, you shouldn't place the recording mics directly on top of the piano. If that's the only place you've got, at least try isolating by using a foam rubber pad of at least 2" thickness between H2 and piano top.
--Mac
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Guys, thanks very much for your critiques!!!
Yeppers, I know now and should have known that the mic should NOT be sitting on the piano. I've got a boom stand and the adapter to swing the mic above the piano. The piano is not an upright, but it is a studio model... and yes, I can actually open the top lid and I probably should do that.
I went back to the original file and tweaked it again... which now I think sounds better. Here's what I did: in the output inserts I used PG 5BAND EQ in first slot (setting=smiley face); classic limiter in 3rd slot and PG Peak Limit in 4th slot. In the 5BAND EQ i probably should pull that bass down a bit...
I guess what I should do is: post the original file, post the one I just modified and allow you hearing experts to judge the differences. Yep, I think I should do that and I will. But at some point, I will record another tune and get that mic up off the piano. I knew better than that!!!
THANKS again, everyone. I'll repost once I get the files set out and will give you a new link to find the different files. THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!
By the way Eddie, that song is an old revival tune: "Reach Out and Touch the Lord"
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Just move the mic up the piano by trial and error to get the EQ the way you want?
John Conley
Musica est vita
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Close mic'ing a piano takes mics that can be separated. On an upright it is still an almost impossibility without diassembling the frontboards from the piano. That is because the mic on the bass string side needs to be positioned about halfway down the bass strings but the mic on the treble side needs to be over the hammers.
The two mics on the H2 are designed to capture a stereo image from **out in front** of the soundstage.
Try placing the zoom on the stand behind you in the room, especially if your upright is the typical "against the wall" scenario as in most homes. This will also pickup the sound of the room, which may or may not be a good thing. A well cushioned living room with curtains, rugs and upholstered couches and chairs can often turn in a very good acoustic soundstage, though. Sounds even better if the room has bookcases in it, which can often act as ersatz Helmolz traps for you. Hard ceiling is usually the bad culprit in these settings, but can often be lived with, so try recording that way to see what you get.
--Mac
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Beautiful, Ray  Thank you for sharing It takes me back to my school days I can hear the clock too and (which is worse) I can hear you breathing... NOI but have you been to the doc lately about your lungs? You are really wheezing there
Follow That Dream Sam Karaoke King -------------------- Turning that corner again - I have to keep following that dream, no matter what
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Mac, this mic can also be set up where it will pick up sound from both sides of the mic (basically 2 mics in one casing)........... I think the book calls it "surround"............. That's what I used today.
2 track STEREO surround.... and when it loads into RB, you can tell a difference between the 2 tracks. They are not mirror images of one another.
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sorry, you can hear me wheezing, Sam.
I had Pulmonary Function Tests on Friday and preliminary results indicate I have ILD - Interstitial Lung Disease (meaning lots of scarring)........ and it is NOT a good thing.
Probably will be referred to a Pulmonary Specialist within the next few weeks.
Life Happens!
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Oh God, Ray! I'm so sorry Better to get it checked out and sorted as soon as poss tho, eh? Your piano playing is so beautiful It brings tears to my eyes Life happens? In my experience, sh*t happens. My g/f is opening up a whole legal can of worms here trying to build a case against a 'butcher' (my Mother's words) who operated on my guts in 2006. You would NOT want to know the personal details - suffice to say that it has cost me at least one serious relationship. The quality of my life has been seriously compromised as a result of this operation. If my girl pulls this one off, I could stand to make quite a sizeable amount of capital from medical negligence - let's see how Austria takes this one when some serious money is thrown at it 
Follow That Dream Sam Karaoke King -------------------- Turning that corner again - I have to keep following that dream, no matter what
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Quote:
Mac, this mic can also be set up where it will pick up sound from both sides of the mic (basically 2 mics in one casing)........... I think the book calls it "surround"............. That's what I used today.
2 track STEREO surround.... and when it loads into RB, you can tell a difference between the 2 tracks. They are not mirror images of one another.
I know what the mic positioning and internal wiring does.
It still needs to be away from that close proximity to the piano in order to work right, though.
--Mac
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