How do you mix a piano? - Global Insight

Mixing Piano: 10 Steps to a Mind-Blowing Tone

Step 1: GIRATS! ( or Get It Right at the Source)
Step 2: Take the School Bus.
Step 3: Check Your Phase.
Step 4: Get Your Balance Right.
Step 4.5: Never Solo.
Step 5: Cut Your Lows.
Step 6: Find the Nasty Stuff with EQ.
Step 7: Rein It in with Compression.

Simply so, how do you mix a live piano?

Mixing Piano: 10 Steps to a Mind-Blowing Tone

Step 1: GIRATS! ( or Get It Right at the Source)
Step 2: Take the School Bus.
Step 3: Check Your Phase.
Step 4: Get Your Balance Right.
Step 4.5: Never Solo.
Step 5: Cut Your Lows.
Step 6: Find the Nasty Stuff with EQ.
Step 7: Rein It in with Compression.

Also Know, how do you brighten up a piano? Hammer Iron To Brighten The Tone

Another technique piano technicians will use is a combination of damp hammer and heat. Often referred to as a hammer iron, you can use the tool to brighten up the tone. The iron is shaped to the hammers so that it can distribute an even amount of heat to the felt.

Just so, how do you compress a piano?

If you're wanting to preserve much of the dynamic range of your piano track, it's best to try a smoother compression. Try setting the threshold to around -7dB, the ratio at 3:1, the attack at 10ms and the release at around 1,000ms. If you want to make it more aggressive, drop the threshold down and make the ratio 2:1.

What goes well with piano?

Other instruments that compete with the piano are those that play multiple notes at a time, such as other keyboard instruments, guitars, harps, etc. That leaves the treble instruments in the various families, and these all work well - trumpet, flute, violin all make good duet instruments with piano.

Related Question Answers

Where do you pan a piano in mix?

Suggested Panning Positions

Instrument	Comment
Acoustic Guitar	If the acoustic guitar has been double tracked or recorded in stereo pan the two tracks hard left and hard right
Piano	For a stereo recording of the piano, pan the two tracks left and right. If recorded in mono try panning just off centre.

How do I make my piano less bright?

On many newer pianos in homes the hammers can be reshaped to be as good as new. Reshaping the hammers would take away much of the bright harsh sound and give the piano a more mellow controllable sound. A tuner can tune a piano with reshaped hammers better as it is not so bright and piercing on the ears.

How do you mix piano and vocals?

Re: Mixing Piano and Vocals

Keep the piano in stereo and the voice in the center. Narrow the panning of the piano if it sounds too wide. Try a mono reverb on the voice to see if it makes it sound better.

How do you make a piano stand out in mix?

EQ and compression can always help. Make it brighter with subtractive EQ – Get rid of the low-end and any muddiness in the low-mids while increasing the volume of the piano can make the piano stand out in the mix without fighting with any of the lower frequency instruments.

How do you add punch to a mix?

Reduce the threshold so it's below the average audio level and increase the percentage slider to add more punch. To add punch to a specific instrument in the mix such as the kick or snare, use the frequency filter to isolate its frequency range.

Why does my piano sound tinny?

For example, a piano can sound tinny simply because it is out of tune — something that no amount of voicing can correct. An inability to play softly may be caused by a poorly regulated action, which can make the touch difficult to control.

How do you EQ vocals?

Best EQ Settings for Vocals

Roll off the low-end starting around 90 Hz.
Reduce the mud around 250 Hz.
Add a high shelf around 9 kHz & a high roll off around 18 kHz.
Add a presence boost around 5 kHz.
Boost the core around 1 kHz to 2 kHz.
Reduce sibilance around 5 kHz to 8 kHz.

How long do piano hammers last?

In domestic pianos that have moderate, regular use, the hammers could still be effective after 40-50 years. Concert pianos which must maintain tonal perfection may need new hammers after 15-20 years.

What is the tone Colour of a piano?

A mellow tone has fewer upper harmonics, with stronger fundamental or “true” tones. A beautiful mellow sound is one that still has a spectrum of tonal color (harmonics), and that articulate the note in a rich and resonating way. Terms to positively describe a mellow piano tone include sweet, round, dark, and rich.

What does voicing a piano mean?

Piano voicing is the process of adjusting the density of the felts covering the hammers striking the string to produce a warmer or brighter tone. In this video, we will see how a piano is voiced and hear what a difference it can make to the piano's overall sound.

What is bright piano?

A bright piano is normally a description of a sound which heavily emphasizes the top of the EQ range. In a percussive hammer, there is a very dramatic rise and fall in the volume as the hammer hits the string, but the longer 'dying off' sound is much quicker and softer than the initial hit.

Can you turn a piano on its side?

Most piano are moved by tilting it — especially grand pianos. Although you can move a piano on its side or back when moving, it's not suggested to keep it that way for any longer than you need to. So keep your pianos upright if you can, especially when transporting it.

What is regulating a piano?

To regulate a piano is to adjust all of the parts so that they operate uniformly and efficiently. The greatest difference between a new and a used piano is that the parts in the used piano have become worn and no adjustments have been made to compensate for the wear.

How much does it cost to voice a piano?

Voicing: Cost ranges from $95 to $200 depending on needs: Changing or restoring the beauty of your piano's tone through a combination of hammer voicing (adjusting or reconditioning the hammer felts), piano action adjustments, and string leveling.

What EQ frequency is vocals?

Male vocals will tend to have their fundamental frequencies between 100–300 Hz, while the fundamental frequencies of a female vocal will usually fall between 200–400 Hz.

What is an EQ?

An equalizer (also called an “EQ”) is an audio filter that isolates certain frequencies and either boosts them, lowers them, or leaves them unchanged. Equalizers are found on a wide array of electronic devices.

How do you EQ strings in a mix?

A small boost with a narrow Q at around 100Hz to 150Hz will add some bottom to the instrument. A cut around 205Hz will remove any low-mid muddiness. To add some body or fullness to high strings make a boost around 380Hz, use a wider Q factor. Most of the loud peaks you'll need to cut are around 2.5kHz, 4.6kHz and 7kHz.

How do you EQ kick a drum?

Kick Drum EQ

50 – 100 Hz – Boost to add low-end punch.
150 – 250 Hz – If you're worried about boosting the low-end too much because you think the kick drum is already pretty thick, try cutting in this area.
300 – 600 Hz – Here you find the infamous cardboard sound.

How do you EQ all instruments?

An EQ Cheat Sheet for 14 Common Instruments

Bass Guitar. 50 – 80 Hz: Bottom.
Kick Drum. 50 – 60 Hz: Bottom.
Snare. 120 – 240 Hz: Fatness.
Rack Toms. 240 – 500 Hz: Fullness/Body.
Floor Toms. 80 Hz: Fullness/Boom.
Hi-Hat and Cymbals. 200 Hz: Clang.
Electric Guitar. 80 Hz and below: Muddiness.
Acoustic Guitar. 80 Hz: Fullness.