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So many people are recording and posting these days that I though it would be nice to have one thread where we could each list how and what we're doing, this could be come a good resource for future AB recorders. Here are the categories I thought of, please let me know if there should be more. For mic, please include whether you do open air (this would include built-in, because the sound goes through the air) or direct line from digital to computer (i.e. not open-air.) I think each person should try to be as detailed (and yet concise as possible.

1) Type of piano
2) Type of mic
3) Mic placement
4) Hardware (other than mic. i.e. computer or other device? pre-amp for the mics? etc)
5) Recording software
6) Editing possibilities
7) Final file type (MP3? WAV? Other)
8) What you'd like to change or add for better finished product:
9) Recording location:

If each person would be so kind as to C&P the above, and then just answer the questions next to each number, that would make a great resource. I'll start.

1) Type of piano: acoustic Yamaha upright, record with lid open.
2) Type of mic: open-air, Audio-technica condensor mic for digital purposes
3) Mic placement: behind me and as much to the right side of the keyboard as my mic cord will allow. The mic ends up being almost a meter from the piano
4) Hardware: Computer's mic jack, one mic, no pre-amp
5) Recording software: Audacity
6) Editing possibilities: C&P, adding tracks. (I haven't used the noise reduction or other options)
7) Final file type: AUD music file (which is huge) and then MP3 file.
8) What you'd like to change or add for better finished product: A second mic and a pre-amp to allow both mics to be used simultaneously and allow for more level control.
9) Recording location: my living room

1) Type of piano: Kohler and Campbell vertical, lid open
2) Type of mic: toy karaoke mic (working on an upgrade, will post edit later)
3) Mic placement: still playing with: have done on the lid, or next to the piano about a foot from the piano.
4) Hardware (other than mic. i.e. computer or other device? None-mic goes right into the front of the computer using the standard mini-plug
5) Recording software: Audacity. Have done both 16 and 32 bit, haven't distinguished between the two.
6) Editing possibilities: cutting out, adding tracks. I think possibly editing out certain wavelengths.
7) Final file type (MP3? WAV? Other). AUD file exported to mp3
8) What you'd like to change or add for better finished product: better microphone. Agree with ShiroKuro: 2 mics with level control would be nice. Trying a recording on the treble side of the piano.
9) Recording location: family room

1) Type of piano: Roland Digital
2) Type of mic: Direct output to PC microphone input
3) Mic placement: N/A
4) Hardware (other than mic. i.e. computer or other device? pre-amp for the mics? etc):none
5) Recording software:Freecorder
6) Editing possibilities: None unless imported to another program
7) Final file type (MP3? WAV? Other):MP3
8) What you'd like to change or add for better finished product: Nothing..except for better playing
9) Recording location:Livingroom - headphones and direct input eliminates 'noise'

1) Type of piano - Casio PX100
2) Type of mic - N/A
3) Mic placement - N/A
4) Hardware (other than mic. i.e. computer or other device? pre-amp for the mics? etc) - Direct Connect from the piano headset jack to my laptop microphone jack with mini stereo cable (the PX100 has no regular "Out" jack)
5) Recording software - Audacity
6) Editing possibilities - I guess, haven't figured them out yet
7) Final file type (MP3? WAV? Other)- AUD to MP3
8) What you'd like to change or add for better finished product: - record someone besides myself so that the finished product sounds more like music
9) Recording location: -living room (right next to my fireplace)

1) Type of piano - Yamaha P120s
2) Type of mic - N/A
3) Mic placement - N/A
4) Hardware - RCA stereo out jacks
- MIDI In/Out
5) Recording software - Creative Wave Studio
- Creative Cakewalk Express
6) Editing possibilities - Wave Studio is a .wav/.mp3 editor it supports recording, cut/paste and some audio effects like panning, fading, volume increase/decrease
- Cakewalk Express is a MIDI Recorder/Editor it allows you to create and edit MIDI tracks - I haven't done much with this yet
7) Final file type (MP3? WAV? Other)- .mp3
8) What you'd like to change or add for better finished product:
9) Recording location: Basement home office

Type of piano: Roland KR-7
2) Type of mic: n/a
3) Mic placement: n/a
4) Hardware:
Patch chord from digital piano's output jacks into a single mini plug going into computers microphone input.
5) Recording software: Audacity
6) Editing possibilities: unsure
7) Final file type: AUD music file (which is huge) and then MP3 file.
8) What you'd like to change or add for better finished product:
stero instead of double mono.
9) Recording location: studio in home.

--------------------

1) Type of piano: Weinbach 170 grand, all the way open
2) Type of mic: open-air, wand-style mic (it was here, so I used it)
3) Mic placement: Hanging from the stick of the piano lid
4) Hardware: Laptop's mic jack, one mic, no pre-amp
5) Recording software: Audacity
6) Editing possibilities: so far just blanking out dead air at the beginning and end! And using the amplify and normalize functions.
7) Final file type: MP3 file.
8) What you'd like to change or add for better finished product: A second mic and a pre-amp, but not bad enough to go spend the money!
9) Recording location: my living room

Here's a link to the one recording I did in February:
Chopin B minor prelude

Now I need to go play with the equipment some more!

1) Type of piano: Pramberger JP185
2) Type of mic: shure dynamic mics (2)
3) Mic placement: on stands next to the open lid
4) Hardware: Tascam 4 track casette recorder, no pre-amp, an AV - USB thingamajig
5) Recording software: Nothing special
6) Editing possibilities: the same as adagio
7) Final file type: MP3 file.
8) What you'd like to change or add for better finished product: Okay I got a Tascam US122 for Christmas and I just ordered 2 condenser mics (AT2020s) that should arrive tomorrow. The tascam came with a copy of Cubase so I can't wait to play with it all. Of course my playing will still be the same so probably won't get huge improvements in recordings
9) Recording location: my living room

Cathy

2. I'm a work in progress, as I just bought a microphone yesterday and haven't done anything else toward the Great Recording Adventure. The microphone is a "Samson C01U USB studio condenser microphone". I know nothing about it and just got it because the guy at the music store said "that's what you need right here" with such an authoritative voice I couldn't help but believe him. The box says I can "plug in, start recording, no extra gear needed."

I haven't opened it yet, so if anybody here knows any reason why it wasn't a good choice for me, let me know and I can return it.

I was interested in this mic, but decided that I don't need any more toys right now. I have bought myself a bunch of presents while shopping for others!

The only warning I have for you: I saw it at my local music store while buying a guitar for my son, and it was spendy, but I had already seen it on the web for $79.97. If you paid more than that, return it and buy it cheaper! (The guitar was a good deal, though. I'd checked those out, too.)

Have fun,
Michele

Thanks for the heads up. The list price on the microphone was $239 (!!!!), but it was "on sale" for only $99. Ha! Guess I'll have to decide whether the $20 is worth the hassle of returning it and ordering it online. I'm lazy, so I'll probably just swallow the higher price and pride myself on supporting local businesses. :rolleyes:

We are ALL waiting for the Monica recordings with baited breath! :p

Hope you have great lung endurance, then. I'm going out of town next week and won't get the chance to start figuring it out until after that. And then I'll probably want to wait until after my next tuning appointment on the 21st so that the piano will sound its best. And then I'll probably think of some other compelling excuse!

My Yamaha PSR220 (soon to be a digital piano) connected to my MIDI interface. Load The Grand2 as VST instrument in Cubase SX3 and set local=off on the keybord. Set the metronome/time signature to what I', playing and start recording.

Advantages: no noise or quality loss from cables, pre-amps and stuff like that. Final size is a few kbs per recording. I can change the sound after recording by changing the VST parameters. No problems with using mics (one aint' enough, two creates phase problems etc) and I can 'update' the recording if a better piano simulation is released by re-inputting the MIDI recording.

Fun stuff.

For the $20, I'd probably support my local business, too. But when I saw it at my local store, it was over $150. That would make me return it!

I paid just a little bit over internet price for the guitar, and that was fine, because the luthier at the store eliminated a couple string buzzes for us. It's good to support the local stores, or there won't be any place to get our hands on things! I don't think I would ever buy a musical instrument that I couldn't try first.

Here's a recording a friend of mine made a few years back of my wife playing an early blues tune at a ragtime festival. He used a dat recorder with a home brew mic built from some omni capusules he picked up at Radio Shack... probably comparable to Earth Works omni mics like the TC20's:

http://www.rtpress.com/mp3/St%20Louis%20Blues.mp3

Howard

Hope you have great lung endurance, then. I'm going out of town next week and won't get the chance to start figuring it out until after that. And then I'll probably want to wait until after my next tuning appointment on the 21st so that the piano will sound its best. And then I'll probably think of some other compelling excuse!

Monica;

I'm giving you until the end of January to get this done. After that point, I will personally fly down to Kentucky, kidnap you, lock you in a cage, and poke you with sticks until you agree to post some recordings!

1) Type of piano:1919 M&H A
2) Type of mic: 2 Groove Tube GT55's
3) Mic placement: outside in the curve
4) Hardware: Presonus Inspire PreAmp Firewire
5) Recording software: CubaseLE (also have SoundForge)
6) Editing possibilities:
7) Final file type MP3? WAV?: either one
8) What you'd like to change or add for better finished product:
9) Recording location: Living Room

Santa just brought the mics and preamp. Ordered cables and boom stands (stands on back order)
Can't wait to get the beast tuned and start recording.

As luck would have it, my motherboard southbridge decided to go south just before X'mas and Asus is fixing under warrenty, but it won't be back till after the NewYear...all I can do is practice till then.

BTW.. Monica, Santa did bring that temp/Rh logger and I have it placed on the harp. Cost me $88 thru Omega.com. Data is in a text file and can either be viewed in their software or imported into Excel (in my case).

Cool! How's it working for you? More important, are you getting appreciably different values than the gauge you were using before?

Also, when you say you placed it "on the harp" do you mean literally sitting on the strings??? Doesn't that create resonances or get bounced off when you play?

super-hunky: okay, okay...I will make sincere efforts to record something by the end of January. But you have to remember that I required multiple, patient step-by-step posts from Bob Muir just to LISTEN to an audio clip. The odds of me successfully posting a recording are very slim!

No it's placed next to the tuning pins on the right side-just above the pinblock, placed a piece of foam. Right now I have it logging every 5 mins for a total of 59 days of info. Much easier than manually recording or heaven for bid, at my age, trying to remember.

On posting recordings...maybe you could email it to someone and they could just give you the link to put in your post.