… overall I’m happy with the sound I’m getting out of the piano and the recording levels and microphone positions. I added a fifth microphone as a trial – this was an AKG radio microphone specifically designed for woodwind and brass instruments in live performance but one that is also good enough for studio recording – and I placed it directly over the bass strings to see if I could get a better bass sound. When I mixed it in with the others I didn’t really notice a significant difference in the overall bass sound, and given that I don’t want to artificially enhance any part of the sound spectrum (WYHIWYG) I decided not to use it.
The other adjustment I had to make was in my own playing. When Wayne hammered the hammers, as it were, the result was a slightly softer tone coupled with an equivalent softer action – this was quite deliberate since I wanted the hammers more even (no grooves caused by over vigorous playing) so as to get more sensitivity in the dolce and una corda pedals. Consequently the sound coming out of the piano is a bit different to what it was before, and I must admit, after having played for quite a while to re-establish some form of equilibrium between my ears and my fingers, now very even and controllable over the entire range. I really did think that there was no way the instrument could sound better than it did before but somehow Wayne has done just that. It really is very close to piano perfection – the dynamic range is still there, the notes are very crisp and clean and my fingers are appreciating the extra flexibility in sound that is now possible.
So I will need to go back and re-record what I have done so far. That’s not because what I have done so far is not good – I certainly don’t think that is the case. I want to ensure consistency in sound for all the pieces I plan to record, and now that I am much more confident about my ability to record properly (even though as I have said before I am finding it much more difficult than I thought it would be because I’m being very much more self-critical than I have been in the past) it is critical that I take advantage of the piano as it currently sounds.
I’m hoping to record at least two tracks each day – and that will enable me to complete the two CDs I have planned within the next month. A bit ambitious, yes, but I feel that I really need to push myself because I know that if I’m sufficiently motivated I will do as good as job as I am capable of doing, and that is all I can demand of myself at any time.
And it wasn’t even a new year’s resolution, either.