There are two main types of acoustic piano; grand and upright. Both offer different playing and listening experiences, and both have slightly different requirements when it comes to recording. For uprights, you’ll likely benefit from using closer mic placement (more on this later) whereas with grand pianos there is often joy to be found in capturing at least some of the wider, ambient sounds. As with any recording discipline, the room the instrument is situated in will also have a huge bearing on the recorded sound.

As a basic rule of thumb, bigger rooms are better for recording acoustic piano because of the sheer amount of sound waves produced by the instrument. In a small, boxy room these waves will bounce off surfaces continually and will create a muddied recorded sound as a result. In a larger room you have more room to manoeuvre, both physically and with the placement of your microphones.

Again, the techniques for grand and upright pianos will vary slightly. For upright pianos, try removing the top lid and front panel to expose the strings. You can then experiment with two condenser microphones, placed slightly above the player at either end of the instrument. This ensures a good balance of frequency pickup, while also providing a stereo output.

The process is slightly more open to interpretation for grand pianos, on account of the extra variables at play. For starters, grand pianos have a lid which can be opened or closed to achieve certain sounds. A fully open lid will reverberate enormously and fill a room, but can lack definition. Closing the lid fully, on the other hand, means the soundwaves have nowhere to go and will result in a muddled sound. Experiment here with different lid heights until you find the sound you’re after.

Use the 3:1 rule of microphone placement

Whichever technique you use, it’s important to remember the ‘3 to 1’ rule when using multiple microphones. Essentially, you want to make sure there is three times the distance between the farthest and closest mic and the sound source, in order to negate any phase cancellation issues. There’s plenty of information on the web if you want to read more on that but it basically means: If the first mic is 1 foot from the sound source (piano or amp) the second mic should be placed 3 foot from the first mic. Of course you may like the sound of mics out of phase, so experiment.

Finally, it’s important to get certain things in order before you even start setting up microphones. Tiny things which may not seem important can have huge (negative!) effects on your recording. As with any instrument, you must make sure it is completely in tune before you record. Also check things like the seat and floor around the piano for unwanted creaks or noises as these are nigh on impossible to remove afterwards.

As obvious as it sounds, the first step to getting a good recording is to set the right ambience. If the vibe is off and you’re in an environment where you can’t relax, you’re already off to a less than ideal start. Once you’re feeling comfortable, make sure your headphone levels are nice and you’ll be ready to go.

2. Hack your bedroom

In order to accomplish a great lead vocal sound in a non-professional environment, it’s a good idea to record in a neutral, dry room. You’ll want to avoid cavernous rooms with reflections and reverberated sound because it will affect the quality and the control later in the mixing process. Keep in mind that there’s no way to go back to "dry" from a "wet" sound, so make sure the room has a controlled sound, leaning towards dry (not "dead" though).

A bedroom works well because your mattress, blankets, cupboard and even curtains are all good sound absorbers. In any case, you can build a simple vocal booth using old blankets, curtains, mattresses and pillows. You could even add a few rough wood panels to create a more natural sound. Remember, the most important thing to avoid is those reflections and echoes typical of hard floors, empty rooms and large rooms.

3. Position your mic and pop filter correctly

Place the mic diaphragm facing your lips (sometimes off axis, if necessary). Listen with your headphones for the subtle differences. Try close (two or three inches) or mid-distance (one foot) mic’ing, depending on which sound works best for your track. Always use a pop filter in front of the mic to tame your “P” and “T” sounds. If you don’t own a pop filter, you can make one from scratchwith a sock or stocking cap stretched over a wire hanger. 

4. Get the right mic levels

After the mic warms up for a few minutes, quickly get the level into the preamp and on the DAW. Vocals should be safely below the red to avoid distortion from levels that are too hot (also known as  “clipping” or “peaking”). Learn more about proper mic'ing techniques here.

5. Do several takes

Warm up singing through the entire song two or three times before going into detailed spots. Relax and have fun the whole way through – you’re making music, after all! Record everything and properly label all the tracks and takes for easy reference later.

If you’re not pleased with your performance after multiple takes, take a break and step away from the song. Sometimes overdoing it can put strain on your performance and your voice. Instead of letting frustration build, coming back to it with a fresh start the next day might be your best move.

6. Be careful with your vocal editing

Today’s software offers incredible control over recorded tracks for editing. If you have some experience with plugins and editing tools, that’s great, but don’t overuse them or become too dependent.

When you’re doing vocal comping, try to use big portions of a given take so that you don’t ruin the vibe and original nature of the performance. Fill in only the less solid parts from other vocal takes. Make sure you focus on the performance, not the pitch. Use parts that aren’t just sung “well,” but that also have personality.

Autotune and Melodyne are great tools, but don't overdo them (unless you’re intentionally going for that mainstream pop/artificial effects sound in the production). Only fix the faulty words or sections – don't put the tuning plugin on the whole track.

7. Know when (and when not) to process your vocal sound

Skilled engineers and producers have figured out how to achieve a convincing sound for vocals after years of experience and dozens of albums. While that level of experience can’t quite be replicated in your home recordings if you’re just starting out, there are many high quality plugins for DAWs nowadays that will allow you to get pretty darn close, as long as you have patience and a good ear.

For starters, you don’t need to use EQ if you have a really good preamp. If you’re recording jazz, folk or classical, do not use compression. For pop or rock, try using 2-4 dB compression and a slow attack (to preserve a more natural vocal sound), and see if you like it. Feel free to use hard compression to your taste and at your own risk!

A few effects plugins you may want to equip yourself with include:

Play around with these effects and see how they influence the vibe of the song and the production. It’s all about experimenting until you find the right sound!