Easy to Use High Definition Microphone Ideally Suited for Worship Facilities, Live Performance Venues and Recording Studios
Milford, NH, November 17, 2008—Earthworks, manufacturer of High Definition Microphones™, announced that its PianoMic™ System is available in retail markets on a worldwide basis. The PianoMic™ System, winner of multiple industry awards including the prestigious Mix Foundation’s TEC Award for Outstanding Technical Achievement, is ideally suited for both live sound reinforcement and recording applications.
The Earthworks PianoMicâ„¢ System is a high definition microphone system which makes it nearly effortless to achieve extremely high quality results while miking a piano–one of the more technically demanding instruments to capture given its vast frequency range and complex acoustical nature. The PianoMicâ„¢ System, which easily mounts inside the piano with no stands or booms, utilizes two specially designed random incidence omni microphones, which have a uniform frequency and polar response superior to conventional microphones.
The PianoMicâ„¢ System is unobtrusive and offers the same pristine audio quality with the piano lid open or closed. Additionally, its ability to deliver substantially more gain before feedback means that it is ideally suited to live performance venues, like houses of worship and concert halls. Recording studios appreciate its predictably outstanding sonic performance, reduced setup time and the ability to have an incredible piano sound with the piano lid closed.
Larry Blakely, Director of Product Development for Earthworks, commented: “Our PianoMic™ System was developed as a direct response to the needs of our customers. They asked for a more balanced and higher quality piano sound that was able to deliver more gain before feedback while picking up minimal sounds from other instruments outside the piano and would sound great with the piano lid either open or closed. They also asked for a system that was simple to set up and could be discreetly hidden from view.�
“These requirements were extremely demanding but not insurmountable by Earthworks’ product design team,â€? Blakely adds. “The resulting PianoMicâ„¢ System is an entirely new approach that is far superior to other piano miking methods and will change the way people think about reproducing the piano–whether live or in the studio. It breaks all the old rules in piano miking.â€?
One of the most notable characteristics of the PianoMicâ„¢ System is its even polar and frequency response across the entire frequency range. Unlike conventional omni microphones, which can vary by as much as 20dB off-axis at higher frequencies, the near perfect polar response of the PianoMicâ„¢ System performs equally well even when positioned at 90 or 180 degrees off-axis. This incredibly accurate off-axis response makes it ideal for the piano, given the way sounds are dispersed and reflected throughout the instrument.
Since its introduction, many live performance venues, recording studios and international recording artists have adopted the PianoMic™ System. Among recent users are Dave Grusin, an internationally acclaimed composer and pianist, who used the PianoMic™ System during a live performance in Tokyo with the New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra. Logan Patton, FOH engineer for Dave Grusin said: “I was amazed at how Earthworks’ PianoMic™ translated the sound of the piano with such faithful accuracy –it has both even response and great sensitivity, and unbelievable gain before feedback. Its ease of operation has simplified the miking of the acoustic piano as well as improved the sound. Worrying about mic placement, sound, and reliability is now a thing of the past.�
“Monitor engineers will also appreciate the PianoMic™, as the sound can easily be as good in the monitors as it is in the house,� he continues. “I’ve used almost every microphone and piano pickup on the market, and the PianoMic™ is hands-down the best microphone I have ever used on piano; it is a real game changer.�
Franklin Denham, minister of music at Highland Baptist Church in Meridian, MS, said: “It has always been a struggle to get a high-quality piano sound where we could hear the full range of the piano with balanced quality and sound level. When we use the PianoMic™, the singers can hear the full range of the piano in their monitors; there is a substantial increase in sound level, and feedback is no longer a problem. For us, the Earthworks PianoMic™ is a dream come true.�
A traditional approach to recording the piano has often involved placing two condenser mics directly over the strings. This approach can be fundamentally flawed, since the very poor polar response of conventional microphones tends to have a “flashlight effect� on what it is able to pick up sonically, accenting certain notes and diminishing others. The PianoMic™ System, with its patented technologies, consistently and accurately represents each part of the piano’s frequency output.
To learn more about the PianoMicâ„¢ System, visit www.EarthworksAudio.com, you can download audio samples at the following URL: http://www.earthworksaudio.com/79d.html. To contact an Earthworks sales representative by phone, call (603 654-6427, ext 14) or email ([email protected])
About Earthworks
Earthworks is a New Hampshire, U.S.A. based company that is dedicated to quality and sonic excellence. Each Earthworks product is hand made with great care, meticulous attention to detail and a strong emphasis on quality. Earthworks prides itself in making only the very best in professional audio equipment and it is all made right here in the U.S.A.
