A study of microphone placement in the Grand Piano recording : Seeking the appropriate musically sound

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K11897
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 61010:Perceptual information processing-related
• Research Institution: Nagoya University of Arts
• Principal Investigator: Nagae Kazuya 名古屋芸術大学, 芸術学部, 教授 (50440665)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 録音 / 録音技術 / ピアノ / 音色 / 録音教育 / 音楽録音 / マイク配置 / 音響放射特性

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study is a joint research project between Japanese and German art universities to create a "comparative sound source" to study the microphone placement for piano recordings, and to conduct listening experiments with this sound source to see "how the recorded timbre changes with different microphone placements". Comparative sound sources were recorded and released so that six types of piano could be compared at 24 microphone positions. Listening experiments were conducted with 77 participants, focusing on one type of piano, 10 microphone positions and two pieces of music. The experimental results showed that, even if the piece played and the performer differ, it is possible to judge the difference in the recorded sound impression by the difference in microphone position between the keyboard side and the bridge side, as well as the height of the microphone. But the evaluation word expressing the timbre impression tended to differ depending on the experimental environment.

Free Research Field

音楽録音技術

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

これまで、ピアノのマイク配置の違いによって収録される音色がどのように異なるかを比較できる音源は存在してこなかったが、今回、6台のピアノ・24のマイク位置の音を比較試聴できる音源を制作しWebで公開できた。これらは目に見えない音を人間の聴力でその違いを聴き分けられる資料となったわけでその学術的意義は高いと言える。また、聴取実験からは、評価が異なったものの、マイク位置の違いで収録される音の印象の違いを人間が判断できることが科学的に解明できたわけで「マイクを用いメディアを通じて音楽を伝えること」が当たり前となった現代において、社会的に影響を与える研究となったと確信している。