Audacity Forum

<<<I got sound (the "clip" light illuminated, so I knew I was getting a signal.)>>>

That's a valid diagnostic test, but you didn't leave them on, did you? During the show, those lights tell you the amplifier channel is turning your show into popcorn.

Koz

Hey Steve -- I'm using the Beta 1.3 version. I tried going into Preferences, and when the USB cable is being used (from the mixer to the laptop), I choose it for "Playback" and "Recording." However, it seems to force the sound into mono.

Hey Koz. Didn't leave them on. Only did it to check the signal.

Aside from any nuts and bolts type issues that have been discussed, here are a few other things I think are worth mentioning.

Your headphone signal is different from your monitors in a couple important ways. Firstly, it exists without entering the air. This means that any phase cancellation issues are going to be entirely different in the cans. Your headphones also are going to sound more 'direct' in general than your monitors.

Right and left channels of piano are rarely "true stereo". You may find that one channel tends to give you a more appropriate tone for your mix.

But in my opinion, one of the most critical things to keep in mind is that the piano has a very broad spectrum. Your mix, with all its cool drums, bass, etc, probably doesn't really need the full range of the piano. In fact, as those low and low-mid frequencies build up, it is quite likely that the piano will seem dull. Instead of boosting the top of the piano, I would suggest cutting the bottom. You probably don't need anything below 80-100Hz (roughly). The buildup in the 300Hz range will also tend to obscure the brightness of the instrument. A broad notch of a few dB thereabouts can do a lot to make this better.

Although not directly relevant to your dilemma, there are a few articles on recording (acoustic) piano on our studio website. There may be some concepts in there that shed some light on this tricky business. http://www.doghouseNYC.com/articles/piano1.htm

Jim Robbins wrote:Hey Steve -- I'm using the Beta 1.3 version. I tried going into Preferences, and when the USB cable is being used (from the mixer to the laptop), I choose it for "Playback" and "Recording." However, it seems to force the sound into mono.

Are you using Vista? Apparently Vista will commonly set USB audio devices to mono (on the assumption that it is a mono microphone I suppose). There is a setting in the Windows Control Panel to change the default recording setting for the USB device from mono to stereo. I'm using Linux, so I'm not able to give more precise details at the moment, but hopefully you will be able to find it.

Thanks, DogHouse. I like the idea of cutting some of the low frequencies. My mixer has a high-pass filter. Would that work?

Jim Robbins wrote:Thanks, DogHouse. I like the idea of cutting some of the low frequencies. My mixer has a high-pass filter. Would that work?

Yep. But it may require more sculpting. Keyboard piano sounds are designed to sound good in the showroom. I find they rarely sit in a mix without some adjustment.

Steve -- that was the trick!!!

Listen to this new sample -- panned out and stereo (finally):
Old sample (mono and dull):http://www.snapdrive.net/files/372235/s ... 0piano.mp3
New sample (stereo and panned)http://www.snapdrive.net/files/372235/s ... stereo.mp3

P.S.. I didn't even use any extra EQ. However, there's a bit of hum. But the overall sound is much better!

Thanks again guys, for sticking with me on this!

You're welcome.
If you have the time, perhaps you could post a note describing where you found the setting - could be useful for other users.

FOR RECORDING KEYBOARDS FROM A MIXER using USB INTO YOUR LAPTOP: (if using Windows Vista)
In Windows Vista, go to Control Panel.
Under "Sound" go to "Manage Audio Devices"
Click the USB device/mixer you're using (it won't show up unless it's plugged in to your latop)
click the "Recording" tab.
Click your USB device/mixer again.
Click the "Advanced" tab.
Under that tab, there's a pull-down menu. Choose the "2-channel, 16 bit, 48,000Hz-DVD quality" option.