piano from “love story” by taylor swift | ToneDB
love story
taylor swift
piano
75% ai confidence
Tone Profile
A bright, clear, and dynamic acoustic grand piano sound, characteristic of polished pop-country production.
Signal Chain
Instrument: Yamaha C7 Grand Piano (Likely)
Microphone: Neumann U87 (Pair, Likely) or AKG C414 (Pair, Likely)
Processing: Neve 1073 Preamp (Likely), Subtractive EQ (Mid-range cut), Additive EQ (High-shelf boost), Light Compression (e.g., Urei 1176 or LA-2A style), Studio Reverb (Plate or Hall)
Other: Recorded in a professional studio environment (e.g., Blackbird Studio). Stereo miking technique (spaced pair or ORTF) over the hammers/strings.
Recording Notes
- The piano sound is clean and well-recorded, suggesting a high-quality instrument and studio.
- Stereo miking captures the width of the grand piano.
- Processing focuses on clarity, brightness, and controlled dynamics suitable for a pop mix.
- Reverb adds space without washing out the piano's definition.
Recreation Tips
- Use a high-quality grand piano sample library (Yamaha C7 or similar bright model preferred).
- Apply EQ: Boost high frequencies (around 5-10kHz) for brightness, gently cut low-mids (around 200-400Hz) to reduce muddiness.
- Use light compression (ratio 2:1 or 3:1, slow attack, medium release) to even out dynamics slightly.
- Add a clean plate or medium hall reverb plugin with a decay time of around 1.5-2 seconds.
- Ensure velocity sensitivity is enabled on your MIDI controller for expressive playing.
Recommended Gear
- Spectrasonics Keyscape - Yamaha C7(VST Instrument)
- Native Instruments Ivory II Grand Pianos - Studio Grands(VST Instrument)
- FabFilter Pro-Q 3(Plugin (EQ))
- Waves CLA-2A Compressor / Limiter(Plugin (Compressor))
- Valhalla Plate(Plugin (Reverb))
- Yamaha C7 Grand Piano(Piano)
- Neumann U87 Ai Set Stereo(Mic)