How you record piano depends on what you are playing. A digital piano or keyboard records cleanest over MIDI or a direct line connection, while an acoustic piano needs microphones and a quiet room. Knowing how to record piano well comes down to choosing the right path and capturing a clean stereo image.
This guide covers digital pianos, MIDI, and miking an acoustic upright or grand, plus the level and placement tips that keep your recordings clear and natural.
Choosing your recording method
Before reaching for a microphone, work out which signal path your instrument actually supports. The wrong choice makes the whole session harder than it needs to be, so it pays to decide first.
- Digital piano or keyboard: record over MIDI or the stereo line out. You never need a microphone, and the room makes no difference to the sound.
- Stage piano or synth with onboard sounds you love: take the line out so you commit to those exact tones.
- Acoustic upright or grand: microphones are the only option, and the quality of your room becomes part of the recording.
If you can choose, a digital instrument is the easiest to capture cleanly. An acoustic piano rewards effort but demands a quiet, decent-sounding space and careful mic placement.
Recording a digital piano or keyboard
If your instrument is digital, you have two clean options that skip microphones entirely. The same signal paths apply whether you are tracking a stage piano or any other board, so the broader guide on how to record a keyboard is worth a look too.
- Audio out: run a stereo line out from the keyboard into your interface’s line inputs. You capture the keyboard’s own sounds exactly as they are.
- USB / MIDI: connect over USB and record MIDI into your DAW. MIDI stores the performance as note data, so you can change the piano sound, fix wrong notes, and edit timing after the fact.
For audio out, set the keyboard volume sensibly and use the line input on your interface. If you need a refresher on connections and gain, our guide on how to set up an audio interface walks through it.
A digital piano usually outputs a stereo pair, so take both the left and right outputs rather than a single cable. A mono capture of a stereo instrument flattens the natural spread of low notes on the left and high notes on the right, which is much of what makes a piano feel wide and lifelike.
Why MIDI is the most flexible choice
Recording MIDI separates the performance from the sound. You can swap a basic onboard piano for a high-quality software instrument, quantise timing, adjust velocity, and re-render at higher quality later. If you are setting this up for the first time, our walkthrough on how to record a MIDI keyboard covers the connection and DAW side in detail. The catch is latency: if there is a delay between pressing a key and hearing it, your timing suffers. Keep your buffer low and read our explainer on audio latency to set it up properly.
It is also worth capturing the sustain pedal, which transmits as its own MIDI message. Without it, a pedalled performance plays back disconnected and stilted, because every note cuts off the moment you lift a key. Most keyboards send pedal data automatically, but check that it is arriving in your DAW before you commit to a take.
Miking an acoustic upright piano
An upright is the trickiest to record because the room and the piano’s back panel both colour the sound. A reliable starting point is a stereo pair of small-diaphragm condensers over the open top, one toward the bass strings and one toward the treble.
You can also remove the front panel and place mics near the hammers for a more present, attack-heavy sound. This is essentially close miking, and the closer you go the more detail and bite you get; pulling back captures more body and room.
Miking an acoustic grand piano
A grand gives you room to work. A spaced or XY pair of condensers inside the lid, roughly over the bass and treble strings, captures a balanced stereo image. Raise or lower the lid and move the mics to balance attack against warmth. For a more distant, classical sound, place a pair further back in a good-sounding room.
Condensers suit piano because of their detail and extended high end. If you are weighing mic types, see large-diaphragm vs small-diaphragm condensers and our overview of condenser vs dynamic microphones.
Levels, stereo and the room
Piano has a wide dynamic range, so set conservative input levels and leave headroom for loud passages — our gain staging guide explains the targets. Keep your stereo pair consistent in distance to avoid phase issues; if you are new to working with a matched pair, our rundown of stereo recording techniques covers spaced and XY setups. Treat the room if reflections muddy the sound; acoustic treatment helps any miked acoustic instrument. For more techniques, browse the recording techniques hub.
Common mistakes to avoid
Most disappointing piano recordings come down to a handful of avoidable errors rather than the wrong gear.
- Placing the two mics at different distances: when one mic is closer than the other, their signals arrive out of step and the stereo image smears or thins out. Keep the pair symmetrical and check in mono for any hollow, phasey sound.
- Setting levels for the quiet passages: piano can jump from a whisper to a fortissimo chord in a bar. Set your gain against the loudest part of the piece, not the softest, or the peaks will clip.
- Ignoring the room: microphones capture the space as well as the strings. A small, reflective, or noisy room prints those problems into every take, and no amount of mixing fully removes them.
- Forgetting the sustain pedal on MIDI takes: a beautifully played part can sound wrong on playback simply because the pedal data never recorded.
Frequently asked questions
Should I record a digital piano with MIDI or audio?
Record MIDI if you want to edit notes, timing, and swap sounds later, and you have a software instrument you prefer. Record audio out if you like the keyboard’s built-in sounds and want to commit to them with no latency concerns.
How many microphones do I need to record an acoustic piano?
Two is the standard, giving you a stereo image — one mic toward the bass strings and one toward the treble. You can record usable mono piano with a single well-placed mic, but stereo sounds noticeably wider and more natural.
What microphones are best for recording piano?
Condenser microphones suit piano because of their detail and extended high frequencies. Small-diaphragm condensers in a matched pair are a common, reliable choice; large-diaphragm condensers work too and tend to sound a touch warmer.
Can I record an acoustic piano with one microphone?
Yes, and a single well-placed condenser can sound perfectly good for demos or solo passages. You simply lose the stereo width, so the result feels more centred and intimate than a stereo pair. If the part needs to sit in a busy mix, mono can even be the easier option to balance.
