Real piano. Sample piano. Oh boy.
Gone are the days when piano in a can sounded like this. There are lots of great options these days and if you’re expecting a shootout that’s not what’s happening here. This is a 1926 Mason and Hamlin Double A piano.
It’s six foot two and it’s a beast. It came with me from New York. It’s recorded some of the greatest pianists in the world.
My kids would be the first one to tell you it’s my baby. But there are still plenty of times when I turn to a virtual instrument and you might be surprised to know it doesn’t really have anything to do with sound quality. For me it has more to do with the performance than it does with the quality or the character of the instrument.
It’s in the weight of the hammers. It’s in the vibration of the wood. There’s a synergy that happens with an instrument like this and it makes me play differently.
So if it’s a generic part. If I’m expecting to edit or do a lot of revisions. Then I’m all about MIDI.
But here’s the important bit. If that track needs to feel like it came from me I’ll set and balance the mics. Maybe I’ll tweak the tuning and I’ll go deep because that’s my connection to the instrument.
But for a lot of keyboard players that’s not necessarily true. I think that’s pretty cool. Leave me a comment.
Let me know what you think.
