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David French 22 July 2005

I just finished recording the best pianist I have had the pleasure of working with. He's a doctoral candidate and this recording should seal the deal. I really went all out on this one and I think i've discovered the secret to this piano's sound. Apparently, all of the midrange nastiness comes out of the center of the piano; the farther apart I moved the mics, the more the tone improved in both channels. I guess this is a '"Duh!" to the rest of you, but to me, it's a discovery. Go figure. Anyway, here's the recording.

Claude Debusy - XII: Minstrels, from Twelve Preludes, Book One

For this recording, I did something a little different. After finding my favorite positions for the mics (omnis), which ended up being 5' out, 5'5" high, and 4' apart, I put up two more pair, as close together as possible, and recorded them all to their own tracks. You will hear only one now, the one I selected as my favorite. I would like to post the three clips in WAV format, but I don't have enough server space. If someone would care to host them on their website, I would be much obliged. In case this ever does happen, I will not be revealing the models I used until people state their favorite. This should be fun. 8)

Please critique me to the ground on this one. Be extra picky. I think you guys are too easy on me. I know there's something wrong with this one; I just need help understanding what it is.

Thanks yet again for the incredible resource all of you provide. :D

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Comments

DavidSpearritt Tue, 08/09/2005 - 13:28

Well, I am happy with my assessment. But am somewhat shocked at the sound of the Neumann. Our KM130's certainly do not sound like those 183's. The gain and balance of C was quite different to the others, it was louder and not centred. Same preamp for all? The preamp was in good condition, all channels the same?

Thanks for the opportunity to compare, David. Its important and rare to be able to get such a consistent setup to test.

Zilla Tue, 08/09/2005 - 15:41

DavidSpearritt wrote: ...C is too brassy and uncouth...

David French wrote: C: Neumann KM-183

DavidSpearritt wrote: ...am somewhat shocked at the sound of the Neumann. Our KM130's certainly do not sound like those 183's.

Yeah, the 183 (and 184) are not the same thing as the original KM100 series Neumann's. Where the 130/140 are fast, open, and full bodied; the 183/184 are edgy, thin, and one dimensional. Your "brassy and uncouth" description is on par with my experience with these mics.

The 183/184 are great for some pop work, but I found I could not use them much for classical applications.

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