Recording?

[newkidintown]

Wow, it's been forever since I've been on here!

Anyway, I was wondering what the best way to go about recording a grand piano would be. (I assume this would go here, since it involves equipment and such...) I don't want to spend much money, and this is just to post stuff on youtube or give recordings to family members, nothing big. However, Garage Band, Photo Booth, and most video cameras just aren't cutting it (mainly, the piano always sounds like it's buzzing, and anything below mezzoforte isn't picked up).

Thanks in advance!

[hfmadopter]

Do you have a separate external microphone for your camcorder ? The built in microphones won't cut it, as you say. The best recordings of course will be with a professional stereo recording system with a couple of mics and software but often people can make due quite well by adding a decent external mic to the camcorder. There are various models, contact a decent video supply company like B+H Photo and Video for instance. Look to spend between $150- $400 and also to edit the sound channel..   https://www.bhphotovideo.com/

[pianoman53]

If you want a decent sound, you could go for the Zoom series.

[ronde_des_sylphes]

If it's for creating youtube video recordings, I recommend you get a fairly cheap recorder, like Zoom or Edirol (I've used the R-09HR; it's not prohibitively expensive), then record using both the video recorder and the audio recorder. The internal mic on the Edirol is ok, though you will get higher quality results if you buy an external mic. Camcorder audio is artificially limited in range by the camcorder itself, hence the advice to record audio with a dedicated recorder.

Subsequently, using Windows Movie Maker or similar software (for example Sony Vegas, which is better, but not free), import the video recorder (which will be a video stream and an audio stream) and audio recorder tracks, align the audio streams in both so that they match up, then mute the audio from the video recorder, and export to WMV or other video format. It's easy enough once you get the hang of it.

[indianajo]

Piano is one of the most difficult instruments to record because of the wide frequency band and the high dynamic range of the hammer impacts.  RCA Colombia and Telefunken didn't pretend to get it right until about 1956 when the Neumann condensor microphone came out.  I think Telefunken had their own condensor mikes if you can trust the translations on LP notes.  You still hear 1958 classical recordings on WFMT etc because these mikes are good enough.  
The recording process isn't the problem for amateurs, and aren't with your camcorder.  The microphone is. Although a camcorder probably has auto level set which compresses the loud and soft parts unduly.  
If you can't afford Neumann microphones (beater Nashville junk is going for $1200 with no stereo match).  I posted the question on diyaudio.com and got told to buy a pair of AudioTech 4033 or 4050 microphones and tape them to the bottom of the soundboard of the grand. I don't have a grand so it was an interesting response but not real useful.  A single unmatched 4033 without shock mount went for $400 in Nashville, recently.  The price of a pair is over my head for a hobby and they are  made in a country I don't want to work in, either.  
But after 40 years of looking for a pair of quality mikes, I found one, on craigslist, last year.  Shure KSM27, made right over in Evansville, IN.  $80.  There was a pair of KSM27 in Kingsport, TN for $350 last year, was the next lowest I have found.  It doesn't distort, sounds really good. Has a slight vocal emphasis (treble rise) but it is not obnoxious.  You see these mikes used a lot as a group mike for string bands on Jubilee and Woodsongs television shows.  Any of these condensor mikes requires a pro mixer to produce the 48v phantom power for the mike.  I don't even have a mike cable shock mount or stand, I just plug the connector in the mixer over on the organ across the room and play the piano right at it.  Now if I can just find a way to get from 1/4" magnetic tape master to U-tube - - - Or a way to fool the auto gain on the DVD recorder.