RØDE - NT5

Thanks all , helpful input. I’ve since sanity-checked this and I’ve pivoted away from stage dynamics and moving towards a small-diaphragm condenser, mounted overhead; Cardioid SDC, like sE Electronics sE8, or the Rode NT5 At that distance it gives me a natural tone without cranking gain, and I can exploit the rear null by aiming it into the corner/window area.

I would actually recommend getting two mics — an SM58 for vocals and an SDC for acoustic. The SM58 will run you about $100. Another good option would be SM57 with a pop filte. I'll take either of those for vocals over a $300 condenser any day. There's lot of good SDC mic options for around $200, like the NT5 or Lewitt LCT 140.

I've owned 3 rode mic, the nt5, nt55, nt1, rode NTK. I didnt like any of them. I even made a comparison video. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jl9q0w8VO90](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jl9q0w8VO90) I recommend ditching condenser mics like rode mics, as they're specialist mics, and they have a tendency to be molded completely by the preamp's tone... means shitty preamp... shitty mic sound. After a long time, I think dynamic mics have a real bonus to them is that you can use them on anything vocals or acoustic guitar. They are cheaper than condenser mics and they are transformer based which means you don't get something that is shrill and full of sibilance. It also retains its own sound regardless of the preamp you use. their 1 minus point is that they need a lot of gain to drive, so puny interface preamp just wont cut it but that can be fixed with an in line mic preamp like triton fethead. this is my 2 cents. i strongly recommend steering clear of condenser mics in the beginning part of recording, they are mostly suitable for specialist situations, exact mic placements and very crucial high quality preamp pairing. if you have to go with rode, the nt5 was my favorite.

It sounds like you only have 1 mic/1 input available at any given time. The part I don't like about that is that you might be missing out on the possibility of a stereo image on the piano. If you were to ask me(and probably ONLY me), I'd say 2 of those Beta 58s or even the Beta 87s would be just fine on a piano, BUT YES... it WOULD pick up a lot of the clack and clunk from the keys.... however, some people like that. Even if you only had 1 mic for the piano, those Betas sound pretty good. If you are looking for an upgrade on mics that will give you a studio sound with less "condenser" sensitivity, I would recommend Ribbon Mics like the sE Electronics X1R. These mics are not too expensive at all, and they sound like a dream (especially for how inexpensive they are). However, they are definitely not as "bright" as a condenser mic. The other thing I'd say is that even a standard SM58 sounds decent for vocals in a studio setting, however if it is true that you only have the one input, then regardless of mic choice; I'd recommend recording the piano first AND THEN the vocals. I certainly would not recommend using a single mic to record both the vocals AND the piano at the same time. As for the other mics you mentioned... The SM7b is AWESOME on female vocals, but it IS pretty pricey even for how good it sounds(at least in my opinion) and the Rode NT1 is simply a horrible choice all together. I'd rather one of the Betas on a piano before the NT1. You'd definitely be better off with a Ribbon mic (or 2, since you should be going for stereo image anyway) OR even an NT5 before that NT1. In any case.... Those fluid performances CAN still be recorded independently from each other, especially if you are like me because I cannot fathom doing an entire performance without a click for at least the main portion of it.

KM 184. I have borrowed some a couple times, everything I put them next to that is a fraction of the price on acoustic string instruments sounds better. Even the Rode NT5 but especially the Miktek C5.

So one thing to keep in mind (if you aren't already aware) is condenser microphones need a power source, either phantom power or a battery if the mic accepts that. You need to make sure your equipment has phantom power before choosing a condenser. Akg c1000s can accept a battery or phantom power, you can easily find a used one for $100. They are very durable for a small diaphragm condenser, so used one should be ok. I dropped one on concrete once, it was fine. They are not worth the $400 new price! There are much better condensers for $400. If you have phantom power maybe try a rode nt5 or something similar. I think those go for about $200. Or better yet, you should look at [podcastage](https://youtube.com/@podcastage?si=DlimVQ4HTKJ5n3VX). He demos like every mic known to man, and tests all of them on his voice and acoustic guitar. He's got better advice than I could ever offer.

I'm not a professional and I dont necessarily record per se, but I stream a lot of classical music (and other kinds of music) from our church regularly. My absolute favourite whenever I can get away with it is 2 small condensers (I use Rode NT5 matched pair) in ORTF. You can probably mic the (grand?) piano and get away with it somewhat, but it'll of course bleed into the "vocal" track as well, thats why I would rather focus on getting the stereo micing on point. Optionally, I guess some large omni pattern condenser mic in a right place (if it needs to be just one and you dont want wide stereo that you would likely obviously get if the piano was to the side of the mics) could get you pretty far, but I think you'd need alot of trial and error to get the place right. If you have the luxury of trying those places out without having to hurry (like a soundcheck and then the concert afterwards...) and you can take your time with this recording, it can probably work. A lot of acoustically great halls actually have the sweet spot pretty far back, so the 6-10ft is not a problem per se. Basically find the place where shit sounds good and balanced to your ears, then plant the ORTF there as it kinda mimics the human ears

I use Rode NT5 MP

Did you compare them side by side with others? You'll see that those numbers are totally unreal. Even the Rodes NT5 or M5 have lower self noise

That's the standard recommendation for a budget, but in the end you get what you pay for. I also have a Tascam DR40X, but I always use it with a pair of electret mini capsules from [micbooster.com](http://micbooster.com) that give me much more freedom of placing those mics and catch a sound that reflects the actual piano a lot closer. Listen to this one, it's from a live concert at the Konzerthaus in Vienna and the capsules were simply placed at the edge of the stage at about 2 meters apart and two meters away from the piano, later synchronized with the video by means of a nice free piece of software: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLFbsv6ZUIE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLFbsv6ZUIE) Over the years I have found that the best bang for the buck for solo piano recordings is a pair of cardioid condenser microphones in NOS-configuration (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NOS\_stereo\_technique), connected to a somewhat decent audio interface. It gives you a lot higher dynamic range and with little experimentation you can quickly find the best position of the set up in relation to any piano in any location. Those are three different pianos in my studio, all of them recorded with the same set up of microphones, just different angles and distances to the pianos: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnEmZcxi7Ms](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnEmZcxi7Ms) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZWOYsfkiWU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZWOYsfkiWU) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ujz8picviDM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ujz8picviDM) Those are Røde NT5 mics, but cheaper Behringers will probably do almost as good a job - and Neumanns I cannot afford.