recording accoustic/electric piano

[SDL]

I know there have been threads on this subject but I would like to ask a specific question.  I have a Yamaha P250 which is a top of the range stage piano with grand piano (graded) action.  I want to record from my piano onto MP3.  I know I can record internally on the piano, although Im not sure how at the moment as Ive never read the manual!    Anyway, I have a question for a dual purpose and would be grateful if someone could advise.  I practice on my yamaha but I perform in concerts on accoustic grand pianos (we don't have the room or the noise reduction space for a grand piano and an upright piano would also interfere with our surrounding rooms and the neighbours).  I want to record my practice from my P250 but I also want to record my concert in September so I can upload to MP3.  I don't have a PC as yet but will have sometime this year as I sold my last one.  Whats my best solution?

Thanks

[xvimbi]

Recording your P250 is not a problem whatsoever. Do read the manual. It tells you exactly how to hook it up to a computer. It even comes with software. There are many programs out there that let you record music easily. I use Apple computers (can't speak for Windows machines, which I won't touch with a 10-foot pole). There is a program called GarageBand that is excellent in every respect (given it's price).

Recording an acoustic is a completely different ballgame. It requires professional input to get decent results. Depending on where you perform, they may already have experience with that at that particular venue. One can also hire people who record for you. It's not cheap, but a pair of good microphones plus some other gadgets around it will also cost a small fortune. There are cheaper, low-tech solutions, but one can hear that they are.

[SDL]

Hey thanks.  Have you got a P250?  I forgot about the software and no idea where it is either since Ive mainly used my piano as a piano.  If I have lost it can you get the software from somewhere?  What does it do?

My friend records her practice (accoustic piano) on a mini-disc and microphone and says its really good.  However, I was thinking of an mp3 player/recorder to do the same.  Can you recommend one?

Thanks

[buddy]

Hi, I have a P-250 and it has great sound but I find it difficult when recording.  It does not have a lot of features that make correcting mistakes easy.  I called yamaha and they are great at talking you through things but even they say the editing capabilities are not great.  Now I wish that I had looked into the motif.  The software basically gives you the capabilitity to hook your computer up, the usb or midi connection and some song data-not much else.

[xvimbi]

I've got a PF-500, which is pretty much identical to a P-250 in terms of functionality. It does have the quantize feature, but I don't mess around with it. I use GarageBand if I want to record something (which is very rare.) Anyway, it does allow you to cut and paste and do all kinds of things. Then I export the piece to iTunes as mp3. There are various such programs for the Mac, and I am sure even more so for the Windows platform. The easiest is probably to run the line-out of your P250 into the microphone-in (line-in) on your computer. You may not even need an amplifier (such as the iMic). I think it would then be best to do the fine-tuning in stand-alone software on the computer.

[buddy]

when I am playing a classical piece and recording on garage band, I find it difficult to correct mistakes.  Do you re-record by section or do you know how to correct minor mistakes?  What am I doing wrongt?

[xvimbi]

when I am playing a classical piece and recording on garage band, I find it difficult to correct mistakes.  Do you re-record by section or do you know how to correct minor mistakes?  What am I doing wrongt?

If you are talking about splicing, I don't do that. That is way too involved. I'd rather record several times until I am satisfied. If you record MIDI, however, you can easily adjust the duration, velocity and pitch of any note.