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piano from “your song” by elton john | ToneDB

your song

elton john

piano

85% ai confidence

Tone Profile

A warm, natural, and resonant acoustic grand piano sound, characteristic of early 70s studio recordings.

Signal Chain

Instrument: Studio Grand Piano (likely Steinway or Bösendorfer)

Amp: Acoustic

Microphone: Neumann U87 (Stereo Pair)

Processing: Trident A-Range Console Preamp/EQ, Subtle Studio Compression (e.g., Urei 1176), EMT 140 Plate Reverb

Other: Recorded at Trident Studios, London. Standard close/ambient stereo micing technique.

Recording Notes

  • Recorded in a professional studio environment (Trident Studios).
  • Focus on capturing the natural acoustic sound of the grand piano.
  • Likely utilized the studio's high-quality console preamps and EQ.
  • Subtle use of compression and reverb added during mixing by Gus Dudgeon.
  • Stereo micing captures the width and depth of the instrument.

Recreation Tips

  • Use a high-quality sampled grand piano library (Steinway or Bösendorfer models are ideal).
  • Emulate stereo condenser microphones (like U87s) placed relatively close to the hammers/strings and potentially an ambient pair.
  • Apply subtle EQ to enhance warmth and clarity – perhaps a gentle boost around 100-200 Hz and a slight cut in the mids if needed.
  • Use light compression with a slow attack to gently control dynamics without squashing the sound.
  • Add a high-quality plate reverb emulation with a moderate decay time, blended subtly.
  • Pay attention to playing dynamics, as the original performance is expressive.

Sources