Mic Archive

Instrument

Piano

Also called grand piano, upright piano.

Range
A0–C8
Overtones to
about 2.7 kHz
Peaks up close
up to 132.7 dB SPL
Sources
6 (4 independent)

Recommended mics

Mics sources recommend

23 setups from 6 sources, 4 of them independent of any mic maker. Each mic shows how many sources name it for that role, and how many of those are independent. Listed alphabetically: there is no ranking.

Studio

Close

  • AKG C414 B-ULS1 independent source
  • DPA 2006 Twin Diaphragm Omni maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
  • DPA 4006A maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
  • DPA 40071 independent source
  • DPA 4011 (earlier version of the DPA 4011A)2 independent sources
  • DPA 4041-SP maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
  • Neumann KM 841 independent source
  • Schoeps MK 41 independent source
  • Sennheiser MKH 201 independent source
  • Sennheiser MKH 800 Twin1 independent source
  • Soundfield, coincident cardioid pair (Soundfield coincident cardioid pair)1 independent source

Named, no placement given

Main pair or array

  • DPA 40091 independent source
The 13 setups behind this: placement and quotes
  • Close 2 × Schoeps MK 4 or DPA 4011 (earlier version of the DPA 4011A)
    grand, ORTF pair inside the lid
    "Two inside, two out. Often in an ORTF configuration inside with small diaphragm condensers. I love Schoeps MK4s." (Todd Whitelock) ... "...and I love DPA 4011s, but the piano will dictate which ones to use based on how bright or dark it sounds." (Todd Whitelock)1
  • Close Sennheiser MKH 800 Twin
    grand, outside the lid, full stick
    Whitelock: the MKH 800 Twin gives "a fader pattern selector of how much rear ambience you want".1
  • Close 2 × DPA 4006A
    grand, A/B pair outside, 30 cm apart (matched pair)
    An A/B placement with a pair of omnis just outside the piano, 30 cm (12 in) apart, is "a particularly good starting position".2
  • Close 2 × DPA 4041-SP
    grand, A/B pair outside (matched pair)
    3532-SP Stereo Kit with matched 4041-SP omnis is named alongside the 4006A kit as an excellent choice for solo piano.2
  • Close 2 × DPA 2006 Twin Diaphragm Omni
    grand, A/B pair outside, budget (pair)
    A good, affordable solution is a stereo pair of 2006 Twin Diaphragm Omnidirectional mics.2
  • Named, no placement given Neumann M 149
    grand, favourite of Al Schmitt
    The Neumann M149 multi-pattern tube mic is "a favourite of Al Schmitt" (SOS, discussed in the main article).3
  • Close 2 × DPA 4011 (earlier version of the DPA 4011A)
    grand, X-Y pair inside the piano (B&K 4011)
    Ed Cherney and others chose cardioid 4011s for XY coincident miking inside the piano (paraphrase).3
  • Close 2 × DPA 4007
    grand, X-Y inside (Jay Newland) (B&K 4007)
    Jay Newland (Norah Jones records) selected the 4007s for XY miking inside the piano (paraphrase).3
  • Main pair or array 2 × DPA 4009
    grand, ambient spaced pair (B&K 4009)
    Richard King (Sony classical): a preference for a spaced pair of omnidirectional 4009s for ambient stereo.3
  • Close Neumann KM 84
    grand, close
    The Neumann KM84 "is another recurring favourite", numbering Tony Visconti among its fans.3
  • Named, no placement given Rode NT55
    grand, test sessions
    SOS used six identical NT55s to compare omni and cardioid techniques; the mic itself is not rated.3
  • Close Sennheiser MKH 20 or AKG C414 B-ULS
    grand, close to the hammers
    "I've used Sennheiser MKH20s close to the hammers in a grand piano on several occasions and not had distortion problems." ... "I've also used AKG C414B-ULS mics (rated at 140dB SPL) without the pad."4
  • Close 2 × Soundfield, coincident cardioid pair (Soundfield coincident cardioid pair)
    grand, at the tail end, 18 in away, 12 in above
    With the lid fully open, the mic about 18 in from the tail end and 12 in above the body gave a well-balanced, neutral sound (small room).5

On stage

Close

  • DPA 2012 Compact Cardioid maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
  • DPA 4011 (earlier version of the DPA 4011A) maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
  • boundary / PZM (surface-mount (boundary) mics under the lid)1 source, 0 independent
  • mic 12 in above the middle strings, 8 in from the hammers, lid off or at full stick1 source, 0 independent

Inside

Clip-on

Built-in pickup

  • DPA 4060 maker's advice1 source, 0 independent

Main pair or array

  • just over the open top, above treble and bass strings1 source, 0 independent

Named, no placement given

The 9 setups behind this: placement and quotes
  • Close 2 × DPA 4011 (earlier version of the DPA 4011A)
    stage or pit piano, A/B, X-Y or ORTF in the arch
    4011 Cardioid or 2012 Compact Cardioid mics are useful in stage or orchestra pit scenarios.2
  • Close DPA 2012 Compact Cardioid
    stage or pit piano
    4011 Cardioid or 2012 Compact Cardioid mics are useful in stage or orchestra pit scenarios.2
  • Inside 2 × DPA 4015 / 2015 Wide Cardioid
    stage piano, inside on the frame at each end
    A wide A/B set-up with wide cardioids on magnet mounts inside delivers "an extraordinarily rich and wide stereo image".2
  • Clip-on DPA 4099 CORE+ Piano Stereo Kit
    stage piano, clip on the frame (DPK4099)
    The DPK4099 CORE+, DPK2015 and DPK4011 Piano Stereo Kits are good choices where the piano is part of the overall mix.2
  • Built-in pickup DPA 4060
    hidden mics, in or near sound holes (upright), or hung over the strings (miniature omni)
    Miniature omni mics can sit on magnetic mounts at the sound holes or hang 30-40 cm over the strings (paraphrase).2
  • Close boundary / PZM (surface-mount (boundary) mics under the lid)
    grand, underside of lid
    Surface-mount microphone on the underside of the lid: bright, well-balanced, excellent isolation.6
  • Close mic 12 in above the middle strings, 8 in from the hammers, lid off or at full stick
    grand, close
    12 inches above middle strings, 8 inches horizontally from hammers: natural, well-balanced; less ambience and leakage.6
  • Main pair or array 2 × just over the open top, above treble and bass strings
    upright, over the open top, stereo pair
    Upright: just over open top above treble strings is natural but lacks deep bass; mic bass and treble for stereo.6
  • Named, no placement given Shure KSM44 or Shure KSM32 or Shure KSM27 or Shure KSM141 or Shure KSM137 or Shure KSM109 or Shure SM81 or Shure Beta 91 (earlier version of the Shure Beta 91A) or Shure PG81 or Shure SM94 or Shure MX202
    listed for piano / organ
    Listed under "Piano / Organ" in the Shure Microphone Selection Guide (no argument given).6

Studio and stage

Close

  • Beyerdynamic Opus 511 independent source
The 1 setup behind this: placement and quotes
  • Close Beyerdynamic Opus 51
    grand, on the lid or inside
    Boundary mics such as the Opus 51 "are often used in piano-recording applications" for their well-behaved hemispherical patterns.3

Range

A0 to C827.5 Hz – 4.19 kHz

Standard 88 keys.

BassA0–B2wound strings, one or two per note; rich in inharmonic partials
Middle (tenor)C3–B5plain strings, three per note; warm
TrebleC6–C8short sustain; the top notes have no dampers

Boundaries are approximate: where wound strings, bichords and trichords change varies between pianos (estimate).

Overtones reach about 2.7 kHz (the highest harmonic within 40 dB of the strongest, at a moderate level; louder playing reaches higher)7.

The sound

The hammer excites many partials; stiff strings make them progressively sharp (inharmonicity), which is why pianos are tuned with stretched octaves. Harder strikes give more high partials.

Where the sound goes

In the far field (above 5 m) the piano acts as a point source (6 dB per doubling); close above the soundboard it behaves like a plane source, so there is almost no proximity effect and omnis or cardioids both work. The lid angle projects sound toward the audience; the stage-height lid on a modern stage is lower.11,2

Recording it

With a piano nearly filling a home room, Paul White used a single Soundfield coincident cardioid mic at the tail end, 18 in away and 12 in above the body, and added hall reverb.5

Playing techniques

Estimate: Not found in the sources checked (general practice): Prepared piano.

Frequency areas

Problems to watch

Pedal noise and squeaks, damper noise in small rooms, mic or lid reflections (phase), a "hole in the middle" with widely spaced close omnis.3,2,5

How loud

Sound pressure level measurements as published. Different kinds of figure (a playing level, a peak, a dose at the player's ear) can't be compared with each other, and neither can figures at different distances.

Playing level
80 dB(A)at 2 m; piano, scale passage played mezzoforte8
70–90 dB(A)at 2 m; piano, range the pianist controls in a scale passage8
60–90 dBat 3 m; normal piano practice secondary9
70–105 dBat 3 m; loud piano secondary9
84–103 dB'Piano Fortissimo' (normal practice listed as 60-70) secondary10
Peaks
130 dB or moreclose to the hammers; grand piano, transients close to the hammers11
130 dB or moreat 0.2 m; concert grand, under 8 in (20 cm) above the strings4
132.7 dB(C)dosimeter on the shoulder; pianist in a Portuguese orchestra, group rehearsal (Rodrigues et al.)12
Dynamic range
12 dBsingle-string test, p to ff estimate11
Player's exposure (dosimeter)
86.2 dB(A)dosimeter on the shoulder; pianist in a Portuguese orchestra, group rehearsal, repertoire B (Rodrigues et al.)12

DPA: transients above 130 dB SPL close to the hammers; above the soundboard the field approaches a plane source, so the SPL is nearly constant over the strings. Robjohns: more than 130 dB SPL peak under 8 in (20 cm) above the strings, with another paper claiming 136 dB above the hammers; falling about 6 dB per doubling of distance for the first transient; he says mics rated above 130 dB SPL cope. DPA's single-string test: about 6 dB between p and mf, and again mf and ff. No source found for the level at 1 m.11,4

Sources

  1. Audiofanzine: Todd Whitelock on Jazz Engineering (Mike Levine, 2016)engineer · en.audiofanzine.com
  2. DPA Mic University: How to mic a pianomanufacturer · dpamicrophones.com
  3. Sound On Sound: The SOS Guide To Capturing A Great Acoustic Piano Sound (Mike Senior, 2008)magazine · soundonsound.com
  4. Sound On Sound: Q. How loud is a concert grand piano? (Hugh Robjohns, 2025)magazine · soundonsound.com
  5. Sound On Sound: Recording Piano & Harpsichord (Paul White, 2005)magazine · soundonsound.com
  6. Shure: Microphone Techniques for Live Sound Reinforcementmanufacturer · 2007 · music.arts.uci.edu
  7. Salamander Grand Piano v3 (Alexander Holm; Yamaha C5, two AKG C414 in AB ~12 cm above strings), CC BY 3.0; own FFT analysisgithub.com
  8. UNSW: Fletcher and Beebe, Chapter 8 Harpsichord and Clavichord (in The Science of String Instruments)Neville H. Fletcher, Carey Beebe · academic · 2010 · newt.phys.unsw.edu.au
  9. Representative noise levels table with orchestra noise guidance (UK Sound Advice material)eclass-b.uoa.gr
  10. Decibel (Loudness) Comparison Chart, hearingconservation.orghearingconservation.org
  11. DPA Mic University, Piano sound fields and miking implicationsmanufacturer · dpamicrophones.com
  12. IPP repository: Rodrigues et al., Musicians noise exposure in a Portuguese orchestra - a case studyMatilde A. Rodrigues, Pedro Alves, Luis Ferreira, Paula Neves, Livia Aguiar, Manuela Silva · academic · recipp.ipp.pt
  13. Wikipedia: Piano (stringing, inharmonicity and stretch tuning, pedals)reference · en.wikipedia.org
  14. iZotope: EQ Cheat SheetNick Messitte · magazine · 2023 · izotope.com