The Piano, which just wrapped its third season, is an acclaimed UK reality competition that invites undiscovered, amateur pianists to perform emotionally charged music amid the bustling sounds of some of the country's busiest train stations. The concept of the show was borne from the practice of commuters sitting down to play the upright pianos commonly found in England's train depots. Capturing those heartfelt moments with high-quality sound in unpredictable public spaces requires precision, creativity and exceptional gear. With this in mind, Award-winning Sound Supervisor and Founder of Audio Dept UK, Richard Meredith, turned to his trusted toolkit, led by DPA Microphones, for the recordings, as well as Wisycom wireless RF solutions.
The show's premise is so pure it's just people sitting down at a public piano and expressing themselves, explains Meredith. It's a very soft competition format. They play a piece of their choice in the middle of a busy station, right on the concourse, with people coming and going. The commuters become the audience, whether they intend to or not. The technical brief from the production team was to keep things low-key and let the realness shine through. To accomplish that, we needed compact, high-performance equipment that works subtly in the background while delivering outstanding sound. That's where DPA and Wisycom came in.
With an upright Steinway piano arguably serving as the star of the show, Meredith knew it was critical to capture its sound most naturally. He mounted two DPA 4099 Instrument Microphones directly inside the pianos for a low noise floor, high dynamic range and practical versatility. We chose the 4099s because they just work. No rehearsal. No fuss. They can handle anything from delicate ballads to high-energy, percussive playing, he explains. Unusually, we kept the lid of the piano closed to reduce station noise, even though it made the sound a little constrained. This allowed the pianists to play within that noisy concourse. The 4099 was perfect for isolating the piano's tone from the outside space. It gave us a beautiful, focused sound separated from the high ambience of the station. It let the music breathe without losing detail.
One of the biggest audio challenges the production team faced was subtle amplification to the live audiences. We realized the piano wasn't loud enough in some stations, so I designed a battery-powered PA system hidden under the stage and fed it with a Wisycom wireless system, Meredith explains. To ensure robust transmission in the congested RF environments, Meredith deployed Wisycom MTK980 Wireless Rack Transmitters and Portable Receivers.
In addition to the passersby in the stations, the performers' family and friends attend the performances alongside host Claudia Winkleman. Behind the scenes, professional mentors Mika and Jon Batiste judge the musicians to determine who is best suited to moving along to the finale. When it came to miking this selection of participants, Meredith relied on DPA's new 2061 Lavalier Microphones. The 2061s, coupled with Wisycom MTP61 Wireless Transmitters, were able to capture even the quietest moments nervous whispers, emotional reactions without any noise issues, he says. They handled everything from subtle dialogue to joyful outbursts, and we barely needed to touch the EQ. Their noise floor is very low, and the clarity is stunning.
Boom mics are a no-go in stations. Long metal poles and electric cables near platforms don't mix, so the entire show is wireless, which is very much in my wheelhouse, continues Meredith. Wisycom's wide tuning range and reliability are second to none. We were dealing with complex RF conditions, but Wisycom never let us down. That peace of mind is priceless on a fast-moving shoot like this one.
Meredith also praised the simplicity and efficiency of his setup, which was essential given the show's scaled-back production approach. We had to be agile there wasn't room for a big sound crew with all this complex rigging, he explains. With DPA and Wisycom, we were able to keep things minimal but still maintain maximum quality. The real magic of The Piano' is in those quiet, unguarded moments.
Following the judging round of each episode, the show culminated in a public concert at The Glasshouse in Gateshead, a venue as visually stunning as it is acoustically distinguished. Here, Meredith moved from capturing performances in public to producing a refined live recording with a full audience. For a more open, cinematic sound, Meredith rigged two Steinway grands with a pair of DPA 4099s, along with a pair of 4011s, which were chosen for their tonal accuracy and visual discretion. These are massive instruments, Meredith says. We benefitted greatly from the four mics per piano, which gave us a full range of sound. The 4011s took us to another level.
The 4011s were a dream for capturing the full dynamic range and spatial depth of the instrument, along with extra depth and an ultra-extended lower end, he explains. I wanted something discreet as the cameras constantly feature close-ups and utilizing the extension cables helped keep everything virtually unnoticeable on camera. The combination of the DPA 4099 and 4011 mics accommodated a wide range of styles and the broad tone of the piano in a very compact and discreet way.
The string accompaniment for the finale performances were also miked using 4099s, while the host, mentors and other speakers were outfitted with the 2061. Again, Wisycom wireless was utilized for the production with Wisycom MTP61 transmitters feeding MCR54 receivers in an MRK16 rack.
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The Piano, which just wrapped its third season, is an acclaimed UK reality competition that invites undiscovered, amateur pianists to perform emotionally charged music amid the bustling sounds of some of the country's busiest train stations. The concept of the show was borne from the practice of commuters sitting down to play the upright pianos commonly found in England's train depots. Capturing those heartfelt moments with high-quality sound in unpredictable public spaces requires precision, creativity and exceptional gear. With this in mind, Award-winning Sound Supervisor and Founder of Audio Dept UK, Richard Meredith, turned to his trusted toolkit, led by DPA Microphones, for the recordings, as well as Wisycom wireless RF solutions.
