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[Tim McCulloch]

 

LOL




I'd be willing to bet that they would accept a pair of 57's for crowd mics as long as they get 2 matching piano setups....

The heck with the mouse/mice, I want that pristine RE series mic...

[Geoff Doane]

The heck with the mouse/mice, I want that pristine RE series mic...

I think I'd go for the solid chunk of Acoustifoam™.  I have half a dozen PL11s (the ecomony version of the RE11) which only get used once or twice a year for Elementary school choir concerts.  I don't need any more Variable-D mics with no bottom end!

GTD

[g'bye, Dick Rees]

I'm leaning toward some large diaphragm condensers.

I'd lean the other way......

LDC's are nice for some things, but you'll get generally equal results with and find many more applications for good SDC's.

IME, the "mic in (by) the hole" is about as good as it gets, followed by the SM91 or other good PZM taped under the lid.  But......I wouldn't want to be the one to put gaff tape on a Steinway finish.  If you can find some of the tape that is rated safe for dance floors/basketball courts, then maybe so.

There are other, better options, but they require double your budget......per piano.  Four nice ribbon mics (2/piano) would amaze them.

[Mac Kerr]

Received a rider today for a "dueling pianos act"

SNIP

The event is taking place in an old walmart converted into a recreations center. I'll be providing a 3-way trap-and-sub system. (Horrible venue for this, i know)

Use whatever you can get away with. In that venue, when 2 people start playing 2 Steinways, the reverb is going to drown out the rest of the performance. I have done almost the identical gig, but with 2 Bosendorfers. What a waste.

Most "piano for 4 hands" acts are awful. When we performed Steve Reich's music for multiple pianos (2 9' Steinways) the playing was so precise that you would listen to the music in the overtones that were phasing against each other. I don't think that is what  you will be dealing with at the old Walmart. With Steve we used a couple of Sennheiser MKH30s, one over the low strings away from the hammers, the other over the mid/hi strings nearer the hammers. Sometimes the low mic was an AKG 414. Stick your head in the piano while someone plays and listen for the sweet spot for each.

Mac

[g'bye, Dick Rees]

Use whatever you can get away with. In that venue, when 2 people start playing 2 Steinways, the reverb is going to drown out the rest of the performance. I have done almost the identical gig, but with 2 Bosendorfers. What a waste.

Most "piano for 4 hands" acts are awful. When we performed Steve Reich's music for multiple pianos (2 9' Steinways) the playing was so precise that you would listen to the music in the overtones that were phasing against each other. I don't think that is what  you will be dealing with at the old Walmart. With Steve we used a couple of Sennheiser MKH30s, one over the low strings away from the hammers, the other over the mid/hi strings nearer the hammers. Sometimes the low mic was an AKG 414. Stick your head in the piano while someone plays and listen for the sweet spot for each.

Mac

Mac...

Best I've heard on a quality big grand (lid closed as in the OP) was a pair of Peluso ribbons, one high, one low, placed just under the point where the lid folded back on itself, rather close to being just inside the hammers.  This was the setup that David Oakes used for a re-creation of the 1959 T Monk concert @ Town Hall.  I had splits for a live broadcast and the ribbons were amazing in their dynamics.  There was also a Schoertler system installed for the evening but we ended up not using it at all.

[Mac Kerr]

Best I've heard on a quality big grand (lid closed as in the OP) was a pair of Peluso ribbons, one high, one low, placed just under the point where the lid folded back on itself, rather close to being just inside the hammers.  This was the setup that David Oakes used for a re-creation of the 1959 T Monk concert @ Town Hall.  I had splits for a live broadcast and the ribbons were amazing in their dynamics.  There was also a Schoertler system installed for the evening but we ended up not using it at all.

If you ever get the chance to use the MKH30s don't pass it up.

Near the hinge is a pretty traditional mic position. Steve liked a real solid low end, and listening to the instrument got us the position at the other end of the harp. YMMV®.

Mac

[g'bye, Dick Rees]

If you ever get the chance to use the MKH30s don't pass it up.

Near the hinge is a pretty traditional mic position. Steve liked a real solid low end, and listening to the instrument got us the position at the other end of the harp. YMMV®.

Mac

I love the MKH series.  Got to be about as good as it gets.  The ribbons, however, being "velocity" mics did seem to me to pick up more nuance in the attack and overall dynamics.  Of course, with "dueling pianos" such subtlety is right out the window.

[Jason Moore]

I'd lean the other way......

LDC's are nice for some things, but you'll get generally equal results with and find many more applications for good SDC's.

IME, the "mic in (by) the hole" is about as good as it gets, followed by the SM91 or other good PZM taped under the lid.  But......I wouldn't want to be the one to put gaff tape on a Steinway finish.  If you can find some of the tape that is rated safe for dance floors/basketball courts, then maybe so.

There are other, better options, but they require double your budget......per piano.  Four nice ribbon mics (2/piano) would amaze them.

Dick Rees,
What is the actual rating of the tape you mention? I'm really nervous of any kind of tape on this pair of rented steinways.  However, i've dealt with the ONLY local rental house and i'm kind of leaning towards duct tape, the really shiny stuff!!! hahaha, i kid.
Thanks for the input, keep 'em coming.

[Christian Tepfer]

Use whatever you can get away with. In that venue, when 2 people start playing 2 Steinways, the reverb is going to drown out the rest of the performance. I have done almost the identical gig, but with 2 Bosendorfers. What a waste.

Most "piano for 4 hands" acts are awful. When we performed Steve Reich's music for multiple pianos (2 9' Steinways) the playing was so precise that you would listen to the music in the overtones that were phasing against each other. I don't think that is what  you will be dealing with at the old Walmart. With Steve we used a couple of Sennheiser MKH30s, one over the low strings away from the hammers, the other over the mid/hi strings nearer the hammers. Sometimes the low mic was an AKG 414. Stick your head in the piano while someone plays and listen for the sweet spot for each.

Mac

I would also say: keep it simple.

I have a regular Boogie Woogie gig with 2 grands, after some experimenting (doing this for about 10 years now):

- each piano gets 2 SDCs for low mids and high mids/highs, just like described above.
This is essential, when you don't have more microphones, just do that and try to make the sound direct, compared with the room.

- extra for lows: C414/214 taped above the very low strings, also finding the sweet spot is essential here
- extra for monitors: SM57 pointed to the first "hole". For me this works better than the "mouse" version, I sometimes use this mic when I have to get the grands real loud (depending on playing style and show dynamics). YMMV.

I'm not using PZMs on that gig anymore, although they can do the trick. I never tape PZMs to the lid, some kind of ethics hold me back on that one. Plus when taping 414s I use the best Gaffa tape I can get.

The Shure SM81 are actually a favorite of mine.

[Tim Weaver]

FWIW, I've used gaff tape a bunch of times on steinway pianos. We had 9 steinways of different sizes at my last job.I've used everything from Neumann U87's down to a wireless Lav on those pianos. Nearly always taping the cables and or mics onto something.

As long as you remove the tape after the gig there will be no problem. I've never damaged the finish by doing this.

The lampies, however, did bring in an electric right over one of the 7 foot grands and burned a hole in the lid with a leko....

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