Home recording on a grand piano?

Question

I am a pianist looking to buy a home condenser mic, (I'm probably buying the MXL 990 w/ shockmount) How should I position the mic on the piano? Would the shockmount do any good? (What is the purpose of a shockmount
?)

Answer 1

The shockmount is to isolate the mic. from vibrations other than the sound waves - usually for vocals rather than instruments.
I think you should try the following and see which you like:
- open the lid a little and place your mic.ouside the piano just near the opening
- open the lid wide and place your mic. in the middle of the strings
- open the lid wide and set the mic a little way off, (condensers are generally happy working at a distance)
Hope this helps