The task of miking an acoustic piano is never easy and the issue only compounds itself when it comes to live sound reinforcement.
Gaff tape never seems to hold throughout the performance while mic stands get bumped and, in the process, so does the piano sound.
Add in ambient noise from the crowd, stage, and surrounding instruments and, from there, it’s frequently a downhill slide.
That’s why Andrew McMahon, pianist and lead vocalist for Jack’s Mannequin, trusts the Earthworks PM40 PianoMic system to capture his piano sound.
Jack’s Mannequin is a rock band that was formed in 2004 which began as a side project of Something Corporate frontman Andrew McMahon, and comprises guitarist Bobby Anderson, bassist Jon Sullivan, and drummer Jay McMillan.
With a hectic schedule, McMahon was searching for a means of miking the piano that would provide greater consistency of sound while being easy to implement.
Since February, when he started using the PM40, the challenge of getting the right piano sound has become far more manageable.
“I’ve been traveling with uprights and grand pianos for nearly ten years,” McMahon said.
“It has always been a struggle to find quality miking solutions for the piano—especially considering regular nightclub gigs where the backline tends to be fairly close to the piano.”
In addition to a vastly improved sound that evenly presents the piano from the lower octaves all the way through the highest notes, McMahon found that the PM40’s specially designed telescoping bar, which spans the piano over the strings and is supported at the ends by the piano case, beats anything else he previously encountered.
“The ease of installation is huge.” he says. “The PM40’s ability to really capture the true nature of the piano is without equal.”
“We use a combination of miking elements as well as MIDI to create the entire piano sound,” said McMahon. “With that said, it was the final addition of the Earthworks PM40 that really left me and my sound crew feeling like we’d finally tamed the beast!”
“The addition of the PM40 to my piano sound has, without a doubt, solved so many of the problems that my sound team and I have battled for years on the road. It’s so nice to hit the stage knowing that my sound will be consistent and true.”
