Inside the Studio – Recording Piano: The Instrument Is Only Half the Story

The first time I stood in front of a truly great piano in a recording studio, I learned an important lesson. I had convinced myself that if you put microphones in front of a world-class instrument, magic would automatically happen. The piano was magnificent—beautifully maintained, perfectly tuned and capable of producing an incredible range of tone and emotion. Yet when I listened back to the recording, it didn’t quite deliver what I expected.

The problem wasn’t the piano. The problem was my assumption that the instrument alone determined the sound.

Recording piano is a lot like photography. You can put the most beautiful subject in front of a camera and still create an uninspiring image. The subject matters, but so do the lens, the lighting, the environment and the person making decisions behind the camera. Piano recording works the same way.

One of the biggest misconceptions among newer engineers is that the piano itself is responsible for the final result. Certainly, the instrument plays a major role, but the recording process becomes an extension of the instrument. The room, the microphones, the preamps, the player and the artistic intent all become part of the sound. In many ways, the recording chain becomes another set of strings, hammers and soundboards.

The tool becomes part of the instrument.