I got a little tascam field recorder today, so I figured I’d give it a test run on the new piano. I used the built in XY mics on tht tascam along with 2 other mics.
I just did a quick test just to see what it sounded like and to see if it would ever be worth using a real piano in place of just using MIDI. I’m still not sure. It’s fun to play, and there is something a little more raw feeling about a real piano recording. Maybe it’s just that some of the notes aren’t quite in tune. The pedal noises are sure a lot louder.
ahhh yum…
arpeggioitis… there is such an inherent sweetness to be found in a ‘real’ piano… the shimmy, the shimmer and way that she sings and yes, still some tuning stuff but it becomes irrelevant to me with the beauty of touch and the translation… o… I do love the piano and yours is a sweet beast for sure…
hmph,
jealous sigh…
Wow, nice sound and playing! I’m sure some might prefer samples for certain tracks but I think they’d have trouble getting the velocity and pedal detail you can get with this. Working with mic placement, room sound etc. will give your samples some good competition.
Holy shit! I didn’t know you could play like that! I loved the expression in that piece and the range of dynamics. I admire your piano skills and at the same time I’m kind of pissed off that your playing is so far ahead of my own Grade 4 level playing skills. Piano was the first instrument I ever played, but I ended up becoming a guitarist because I loved rock music. But damn, I love the feel of that classical style.
I’d be interested in hearing a comparison using a MIDI piano. That would be the only way to tell for sure which one I’d prefer.
The only “real” midi piano I’ve ever heard is Omnishpere’s Keyscape. (I don’t own it, just watched a lot of YouTube videos about it). I think Midi can perfectly replicate the notes of a piano, and depending on your VST, can get the articulations quite accurate, but I’ve never heard a VST replicate that “thump” that you can get playing a real piano.
Your playing is excellent and the recording sounds good, even with the pedal noises.
When I recorded my cousin’s piano recital last year, I also used my Tascam setup to capture the room and it REALLY picked up the pedal noises. They were loud enough that I didn’t even bother adding it to the final mix. lol
I think I’ll end up doing an A/B where I do the same song on the piano and on MIDI. It won’t be a perfect test, but it should at least be interesting, at least for my own uses.
I can’t ignore the convenience and benefits of MIDI though. There is often a bit of a “too good” sound that most sampled pianos tend to have. They are usually freshly tuned and put tons of time and thought into the mic positions and all that stuff. It translates to really pristine sounding pianos, but I think it loses some of the rawness of real pianos.
There’s sort of a natural resonance that seems to not be captured in the samples libraries I’ve used. And you don’t get those weird hits where the hammer hits the string at just the right time and you get those funky overtones. There is more variability in each note hit in a real piano that I haven’t seen done in samples.
But sometimes samples are just the right sound. I can’t give it up. If convenience was the only factor, I’d still not be able to give it up.
Fair enough, personally I can’t think of a single time where I’ve used a MIDI piano that I wouldn’t put your piano setup in its place given the choice. Except maybe live situations. It’s probably a bit of a struggle chucking a joanna in the back of the car and then carrying it up three flights of stairs at the venue.
I’ll have to do a proper (as proper as I can) A/B test. And if samples lose by a mile, that means I’m going to have to install a permanent snake from my office to the piano room. So I do have some ulterior motives to hoping samples sound just as good.
Wow! Nice Boz! I think those little imperfections and odd resonances make it sound more “real”. There is no substitute for the “character” of a real piano. Granted, the recording doesn’t have the clarity of a sample library, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Looking forward to your test! (Maybe you can do a “blind” test with a poll and let us vote or something?)
Sounds beautiful to me. I can hear all the “air” from inside the instrument, and yes those few little notes not quite in perfect tune, but to me that just adds to the pleasure. Felt like I was there in the room.
I didn’t know you could play like that! I loved the expression in that piece and the range of dynamics. I admire your piano skills and at the same time I’m kind of pissed off that your playing is so far ahead of my own Grade 4 level playing skills. Piano was the first instrument I ever played, but I ended up becoming a guitarist because I loved rock music. But damn, I love the feel of that classical style.
