Today's questions come from an inSync reader who apparently had just read through our Piano Miking Summit.

"OK... so, we've cussed and discussed the different ways of miking a Grand Piano. Now, how do you recommend miking an upright (a.k.a. cabinet) piano? Many lower budget studios I've come across do not have grands, only the cabinet style. Sometimes the standard XY just doesn't get the sound you're looking for. Any suggestions?"

Uprights are challenging because there's generally no easy way to get at the strings. With a grand all you have to do is open the lid and you hear the articulation of the hammers hitting the strings. Miking the back of the soundboard, as you often do with an upright, can produce a somewhat honky sort of mid-rangy sound. Microphone selection and equalization are one way to help it along, but nothing is going to make it sound like a grand.

For this one I would like to open it up to our readers. We'll have a mini-Summit as a follow up to our Piano Miking Summit. We'll post the responses in inSync and add them to the Piano Miking Summit Web page. So send in your experiences and ideas for miking an upright piano and lets all learn something.