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NEWS
Randy Waldman chooses the PM40
2010.06.07
With
a schedule that encompasses arranging, producing, recording, and live
performance, pianist/arranger/conductor Randy Waldman has no interest
in struggling with musical equipment that compromises the creative
process. This is particularly true when it comes to miking the piano.
Having grown weary of the seemingly endless string of challenges
involved in getting a good, consistent piano sound, Waldman found the
solution was much easier than he ever imagined once he auditioned the
Earthworks PM40 PianoMic System.
Waldman’s
biography reads like a Who’s Who of the music and entertainment
business. He won a Grammy® Award for co-arranging Barbara’s
Streisand’s “Somewhere” and he’s performed on and/or arranged
numerous recording projects for artists such as Aretha Franklin,
Celine Dion, and Michael Jackson. His performances can be found on
soundtracks for leading films including Without
A Trace,
Titanic,
and Ice
Age (to
name but a few) and he routinely serves as a
pianist, conductor, and arranger for live concerts.
With a track record like this, it’s safe to assume Waldman knows a
bit about miking the piano.
The
process of miking the piano has been an ongoing challenge for years
and Waldman certainly experienced his share of frustrations, as he
explained. “Miking
the entire keyboard evenly—without certain notes or areas being
louder or softer than other areas—is a huge issue,” says Waldman.
“Similarly, sound
leakage from outside the piano is another consideration that makes
capturing the instrument so difficult. I really hadn’t found what I
considered to be a workable solution until I discovered the
Earthworks PM40.”
“What
I like most about the PM40 is its ease of installation,” Waldman
continued. “When I walk into a live concert situation, I would say
99% of the time, the piano is already miked. Since piano miking
generally takes a fairly long time, most sound crews aren’t willing
to experiment because they have a million other responsibilities to
attend to. With the PM40, however, the mics are so easy to place
that, most of the time; the crew is open to the idea. I set the PM40
in place, angle the mics and hand them the plugs. Once the crew hears
the system, the sound sells itself.”
In terms of its sound quality, Waldman offered the following. “The PM40 delivers even, natural sound across the entire range of the instrument, and since I can close the lid, there’s considerably less of the usual bleed from other instruments on stage. Equally noteworthy, I never have to worry about the mics falling into the piano. I also get plenty of positive feedback from the sound crews when they hear the system for the first time. Their comments are almost always the same, ‘You can hear the entire piano keyboard evenly.’ The PM40 is a really well thought out system for piano miking.”
On April 17th, Waldman will perform in concert with Natalie Cole, Josh Groban, and Barry Manilow at the legendary Ahmanson Theater in Los Angeles and he has every intention of using his PM40 PianoMic system. “I wouldn’t want to be without it,” he says. “I’m also looking forward to using the new PM40T Touring PianoMic System, as this is designed for portable use. Once you get accustomed to the sound quality and ease of using the Earthworks setup, you really don’t want to be without it.”