If you need to record an acoustic piano then you will realise that it is one of the most difficult instruments to capture the the sound from. This is in part due to the very wide dynamic range of the piano which ranges from 26Hz (the fundamental frequency of the lowest note) and extending well beyond the 20kHz upper limit of the audible spectrum. This will immediatly rule out most dymaic mics as they as just not up to the task. Condenser microphones should be used.
Before we get into the details on how to record a piano, let's talk about some prerequisites. First off, you are going to need to find a piano that you can record. Maybe you can record a friend's, a local school, church, etc... If you have options, you want to find the best sounding piano you can. Upright piano's generally don't record as well as grand pianos. When you find a piano that you want to record, you need to make sure it is in tune, otherwise it needs to get tuned. Once you have found the piano, you want to checkout the room it's in. Ideally you want the piano to be in a great sounding space when you record it. If you don't like the acoustics of the space you are in, think about putting up some foam, blankets, etc... to improve the room.
You are going to need some equipment to record the piano well. The major thing you will need is a nice pair of studio condensor microphones to do a stereo recording of the piano. A matched pair is ideal. Even if you have two microphones of the same model (and they aren't perfectly matched at the manufacturer) that is great.
The AKG C414 mic is quite popular for piano recording (although it is not by any means a cheap microphone). It is also awesome on all sorts of other sources like guitar, vocals, drums, and more. Get two of them and you will be set for a LONG time.
Spend some time listening to the piano. Have someone play it while you walk around and listen to the piano from different angles. Make mental or physical notes about where the piano sounds muddy, thin, boomy or just right.
Decide on some mics. You can use just one mic or up to 3 to get a good sounding piano.
Mic your piano. A good place to start is a spaced stereo pair inside the piano. Place the mics at the G that is an octave lower than middle-C and at the G that is an octave above middle-C. Being closer to the hammers will give you more attack, while moving back some will give you a more even sound.
Set up a room mic. An omni mic set up at the end of the piano or out to the side can capture some nice sound. Another alternative to having mics inside the piano is to set up a mid-side or X/Y stereo pair off to the side of the piano.
Use compression, EQ and effects sparingly and tastefully. You can get a great, pop sounding piano with a little compression, but be careful not to overdo it. Also, you can EQ to reflect the sound of the piano better, but your first option should be to adjust mics. Reverb and other effects can add to the sound, but should be used in moderation.
To get a more airy type of sound from your piano recording, you can try a spaced pair of mics outside of the piano. You can experiment with how high you want them, how far you want the spacing, etc...
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