Recording Techniques for Trumpet and Piano

Musicians today are expected to produce their own quality recordings for auditions. Recording your own audition tape is a task that takes practice and some general knowledge of microphones, cameras, digital audio workstations, and non-linear editors to produce a quality product. This paper will detail different monophonic and stereophonic recording techniques for trumpet and piano to show how to make quality recordings with recording products spanning a variety of price points. Comparisons of different recording techniques and microphone placements based on instrument resonance will be the primary data analysis methods. The recording session revealed that all the standard techniques and portable audio devices were viable when recording trumpet and piano. All techniques performed well in some ways, with some performing exceptionally in all aspects, which alludes to the state of audio technology in 2024.