Introduction
Welcome to the website. This website serves a dual purpose in explaining to players what’s involved if your going to record for the instructional music series and also information about recording to have a CD or audio file made that I can mix and master. The six articles accessed from menu will explain in detail what’s involved but let me give you the rundown and summarize it. I’m developing an instructional music series where I video record musicians playing songs and/or teaching their instrument. These recordings will be streamed on my website theverybestpianoinstruction.com. The two articles with their explanatory titles “Invitation to Record” and “Taking Part in the Project” cover the details. The next two articles “Making a Recording” and “Making a Performance Video” are services I can provide for either trade for the above work or payment. If you are interested in getting a recording done I encourage you to read about Neumann U67 microphone described below. The fifth article “Royalty Payments” is about getting paid on a percentage of the sales rather than by the hour or session. The last article “Getting Paid” is about your options for receiving compensation and how your sales will be verified if your being paid royalties. The video “Our Competition” looks at some of the other online instructional piano sites specifically the overhead shot of the keyboard which, and I hope you agree, shows how our system with the shadows is easier to follow. The video is meant to be informative in a comical way and begins by me acting surprised the camera is rolling when I’m caught paging thru a copy of Juggs Magazine. Please don’t watch it if something like this offends your sensibilities.
Let me warn you; Microsoft Word’s word count is over 9,000 on these combined articles and the time to read them all is close to 50 minutes so take the advice of any credible high school English Teacher and skip and skim what doesn’t apply and you’ll be back to what you were doing in no time. I want to thank my son Spencer who recently became a pilot and edited these articles and whose grammar, writing skills, common sense and keen red pen probably saved you 3 minutes.
Access the songs for free;
The songs and courses on the The Very Best Piano Instruction website are for sale but by scrolling down the homepage you can try one course and two songs for free. This provides the opportunity to familiarize yourself with the videos and notation.
Neumann Vitage U67 Microphone;
I’ve made the exception of including this equipment description in the introductory section to announce the purchase of a vintage Neumann U67 large diaphragm multi-pattern tube microphone. The microphone is one of the most widely sought-after pieces of equipment in professional studios around the world. They were first introduced in 1960 and manufactured into the early 70’s with the reissue coming out in 2018. What makes this particular microphone so special is that it was modified by Klaus Heyne from German Masterworks and who is considered the most renowned and revered mic modifiers in the industry. No two mic capsules sound the same, he says, which explains the story I read about a recording studio that owned thirteen Neumann 87i’s with only one being coveted because it was exceptionally better than the other twelve and also used the most. Another story is Barbara Streisand insisted on using the same serial numbered microphone when recording. Klaus Heyne makes adjustments to, and as I understand it, the capsule’s tension, and in his words, so the microphone sounds elegant, is emotionally attractive, has sex appeal and elicits sensual excitement.
Comparing the original to the 2018 reissue;
Mr Heyne’s assessment of the U67 2018 reissue was that it did not touch the pleasure centers. The microphone was anemic and small compared to the original with the overall character as pedestrian. He said it sounded lifeless in the high frequencies and chocked and hard in the mid range with the bass region starved. This description could apply to many microphones on the market today and also the twelve Nuemann 87i’s described above. According to Mr. Heyne the best way to describe the sound quality of the the U67 reissue: Imagine you had a triple layer pop screen between the mic and sound source: everything sounds a bit more distant, slower, and less lively with a bit of mid range compression and lack of an airy layer on top.
Buying and using the microphone;
A year ago I was in the market for a U67 and contacted Mr. Heyne and at the time he had available only a matched pair for $24,000.00, which I did not buy. Again, in the market a year later, I contacted him and he had nothing affordable but I asked if he remembered or would be willing to give his opinion on a U67 I saw for sale on reverb.com that was advertised as “modified by Klaus Heyne”. He wrote back saying “That mic was one of the best modifications I have ever done. It would very hard to match this with a second stock U67 under any circumstances. And the $8,900.00 price you had mentioned is ridiculously cheap. Make sure it comes directly from Thomas without a middleman involved having a chance to pilfer parts”. I thanked Mr. Heyne for his help and now am recording with this beautiful U67 microphone. Nothing prepared me for the feelings elicited when listening to a recording using this microphone. I was completely shocked by how wonderful this mic sounded and also by the difference between mics when I did a shootout performed over the piano strings with the U67, M149, 87i and Blue Cactus. The sonic difference between mics and the beauty of the U67 are inexplicable and will be buying another Klause Heyne U67 when it becomes available. I read of a studio owner who said if you owned a vintage Neumann U67 musicians would be lining up to record with you. The sonic characteristics of the microphone as Mr. Heyney described them has made the new instructional recordings, I am pleased to say, extraordinary and will do the same for your recordings if you choose to have me produce for you a CD or audio file. This should give us all an advantage and be a great enjoyment.