Alleroed, Denmark (October 30, 2014)—For his album The Chopin Variations with violinist Judy Kang and cellist Rubin Kodheli, pianist and composer Chad Lawson used a DPA d:dicate 4011A cardioid stereo kit to record his Steinway piano.
Lawson wanted a mic solution that would illustrate the internal workings of his Steinway for this latest album, which was recorded in his home studio. “I have used many great microphones in major recording studios, and the pair of DPA 4011As really did the job by capturing every nuance of each note, giving me the exact sound I was looking to portray,” says Lawson. “I was trying to find a way to really highlight a certain sound, in addition to the movement of the piano action itself, and I found the 4011As simply recreated the entire life of the performance.”
Lawson experimented by placing the stereo pair over the hammers, just close enough to deliver a sense of the mechanical workings of the piano, but far enough away for the listener to hear the full, albeit muted, frequency range of the instrument. “I worked with several placements for the microphones, especially concerning the stereo field. DPA’s microphones are so accurate that I simply placed one mic over the treble strings and one over the bass section,” continues Lawson.
The Chopin Variations, Lawson’s fourth album, debuted on iTunes Classical at #1 before its official release.
DPA Microphones
www.dpamicrophones.com
