<p>Hi, For those who have auditioned for Piano Performance, which recording video device did you use for pre-audition purposes? I am still trying to figure out what to buy. Thank for your help.</p>
<p>I guess there are no pianists on this board.</p>
<p>All right, I guess I have to take up the challenge as the parent of a pianist. We have recorded using an old Sony camcorder for the picture, and a Marantz handheld audio recorder for its better sound. I tell D to play the thickest and loudest part of the piece she wants to record and set the levels accordingly on the audio recorder. I then set up the Marantz recorder a few feet away from the open piano, then run back and turn on the video recorder, then give the signal that it’s time to start. My husband splices the sound and picture together after the recording is finished. This is not ideal because it relies on Daddy to get the thing put together on the PC (although I think it is easier to put the sound and picture together on a Mac). We are seriously considering some kind of Zoom recorder for the future, so that D can record herself whenever she likes, and sound and video are automatically recorded together. There seem to be several Zooms and I don’t know which one is best for us.</p>
<p>Recordings like this, done in the living room, did the trick for many of her prescreens. Of course if you have access to a nine-foot piano in a concert hall with professional recording, that is the best of all. For most schools we sent a couple of living room recordings, a couple of concert hall recordings, and a recording done at the piano teacher’s house. But one school required all the recordings to be done in the same session - so that was done in the living room, and she passed the prescreening.</p>
<p>Pianists are few and far between here. Good luck!</p>
<p>Thank you!</p>
<p>An iPhone (or even a computer/laptop) with a separate lavaliere microphone does wonders for this kind of recording. Whatever you do, I would try to use an external microphone, as it will reproduce the sound. Any device will simply digitize what comes in and store it, so the device matters much less than the microphone.</p>
<p>Sometimes, especially if you are hoping for scholarship money, a living room recording beats the concert grand on a stage, hands down. If you know what I mean. </p>
<p>There are some good, easy options for recording pre screens. The Zoom Q3HD is a great video recorder that has great sound as well, Zoom products in general record really, really well and they aren’t that expensive. </p>
<p>I think jb1968 is implying that you will earn a large scholarship if you demonstrated need by presenting a home made tape. Unfortunately, the world doesn’t work that way. Those monitoring the prescreening recordings are not the same as those who award merit scholarship. And those in charge of straight up financial aid are often a third set of eyes (and not ears.) That said, you probably don’t need to spend thousands on a professional recording. It won’t hurt to have one, but it is probably overkill. I’ve heard anecdotally that some schools have prescreening panels that are dismissive of prescreens that are not professional quality recordings, but I don’t know if there is any truth to it. </p>
<p>That was meant to be a little tongue in cheek. I guess I need to put smiley faces when I do that. When students finally get together at a school and start comparing notes, the processes involved with awarding scholarships, whether for schools or summer camps become less opaque. The same would apply to their parents and the byzantine processes used by schools for determining “need”, it they ever compared notes. </p>
<p>But back to the subject of recording, I record people all the time in big studios with giant mixing boards and impressive looking fifty year old German mics and I think it’s no place for a child, and we are talking about children here. Okay, a lot of these players can do well under the pressure of a concerto competition or a chamber music competition or seating in their state orchestra, but professional recording studios usually freak even those kids out. It’s sort of like one of us middle aged parents standing in front a bathroom mirror under harsh florescent lights with our glasses on and then having someone take our picture. Yikes. </p>
<p>Clearly recorded ( no buzzes, echoes, loud hums ) and well-lit will probably do it. They might have a problem if the screeners can’t hear the performer- like if the piano is way louder than the violin, but other than that? One prof told me most of the recordings she sees are either in the family living room or in the studio of the child’s teacher. </p>
<p>There are so many factors that go into why one place takes someone and another equally regarded place doesn’t, I don’t think that unless you mess it up beyond intelligibility, a living room recording is going to make your kid fail the prescreen. I think that on the student end, whether they are going to get in or not was decided during those countless, endless hours of hard practicing and a little financial, emotional and genetic help from their parents. Smiley face not needed. </p>
<p>This shouldn’t be that hard. I have a variety of thoughts for you.
It’s a bit challenging because i have no idea where you live and cities have better resources.</p>
<p>Is it possible your piano teacher or school has access to digital recording technology and might allow you to use their piano and equipment ? if not consider your church or a local church (Many music directors long to offer such help to young artists)</p>
<p>If you end up doing it on your own consider talking to some people in town who have smaller recording studios … a couple of mikes and stands, a small audio to digital converter, and a laptop can do a fantastic job for not a lot of money.no need for the mega studio or to invest in gear if you won’t use it again.</p>
<p>If you do want to invest in the gear, and you have a computer, Google “sweetwater usb audio interfaces” these are devices that turn the signal from a microphone into a digital signal that can be recorded at very high quality on a computer. Feel free to call a sales rep, they are immensely helpful and will do right by you, they always have for me.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone! I was thinking of recording it at home so that DS can record as many times as necessary without the pressure of time constraints. So I would like to invest in a device with a good sound quality. After all, it’s all about how it sounds.</p>
<p>It’s more about how it feels and it almost always feels better without pressure or time constraints. Good choice!</p>
<p>This may be a bit late, but I’m a pianist, and I just finished my pre-screening recordings! I had the same problem. I ended up going with a personal recording device as well - it’s just more flexible. </p>
<p>I bought the Zoom Q4 (it has video and audio combined - I’m not techy enough to attempt using fancy equipment), and the audio is decent. Of course, it doesn’t have a $1000 mic or anything like that, but it does the job pretty well. I would definitely recommend it, if you’re looking for something convenient and (relatively) cheap.</p>
<p>elpiano, can you give some details on how you recorded? In a large or small room? Up close or far away? I understand the ability to zoom in is limited, and you are limited to only 3 input levels. Did these affect the way you recorded?
I have been very curious to find out how this device works for recording the piano especially, as it is a different animal than the other instruments.</p>
<p>Sure! I recorded in a reasonably large room, around 600 square feet, with a high ceiling. Even though there was tile flooring and a lot of reflective surfaces like glass, etc., there wasn’t excessive reverb in the audio. </p>
<p>There is no zoom feature (which I find ironic, the brand name being what it is), but I set up the device about 10 feet from the piano, which was just about far enough to get the entire instrument into the video. It does have a wide-screen feature, which probably helped with that.</p>
<p>You’re also correct in that there are only 3 input levels. I found it satisfactory for my needs (again, not being techy, I don’t know what I would even do with more options). I used one level for a soft, lyrical piece and another for a loud, ground-shakin’ piece.</p>
<p>You can attach external mics to it as well if you’re worried about the sound quality- I almost did (the employee that helped me was a great salesman), but when I got home and tested it out, I felt that the on-board mics were good enough. Of course, if you really want superb audio and can borrow an appropriate external mic from a friend, by all means, go for it.</p>
<p>Hope I helped!</p>
<p>Do you think you could use the Zoom to record from the back of a concert hall too? Just curious if the camera will allow for that.
Thanks for your information and good luck. Let us know how it goes!</p>
<p>Yes, you can record from the back of the hall. The sound will still be fine but the video picture will be small.</p>
<p>Thanks, SpiritManager. In that case it sounds like for prescreening purposes that you would need to record up close as they will want to see the pianist’s hands on the keyboard. So the Zoom H4 might be a good tool for recording prescreens/lessons, but perhaps less useful for recording actual performances when a camera is limited to the back row of a hall.</p>
<p>We have had to do audition pieces for other reasons, and the key thing in my mind is that your teacher come and support your student. It is worth paying for an extra lesson or two. It can get stressful if the first few takes don’t go well. Also, I don’t think the musician should ever have to worry about the technical part of the recording–which microphone, which level on the Zoom etc. The musician should focus on the performance. </p>
<p>Yes, the musician should never have to worry about the technical end of recording- well said. Having the teacher there is an individual choice. My kid played much better without the teacher around, and with what the teacher was charging, the more relaxed attitude of doing it ourselves went right out the window. I don’t think we even let the teacher choose the final take, but our daughter ended up in the school her teacher had been telling her since middle school that she belonged in,so everyone was happy at the end. </p>