Pallas Thanks for this video.

What I do is more like what she does with her Behringer mixer, except I'm going it all on the Zoom and then just moving the file to the computer (via the Zoom's SD card). Then I mix, add the video, etc., just like she does.

What I couldn't tell was whether running the mics directly to the iPhone (via the Focusrite) allows for any mixing options after. There's the convenience of the audio being attached to the video already, but does it result in single mono audio, or does the iPhone capture the two mics (via the Focusrite) as two mono audio tracks or a single stereo track?

I suppose if you do a lot of trial and error and find a sound that you like without having to edit, mix, master, etc., then it's a moot point, but I always like the option of messing around with the audio, especially the levels between the two (or more) mics. Thus my Zoom.

EDIT: I keep forgetting that the Zoom has its own built in interface, so it can plug directly into a phone, laptop, etc. I haven't really experimented with it much yet, but I need to answer my own question above about a Zoom + phone combo.

Enthusiastic but mediocre amateur.

      TC3 I have used the zoom connected directly to my phone/iPad - it records in stereo but there are no controls on the zoom that will work to modify the sound. That said, the sound came out very nice on my video. I don't do a lot of processing after recording anyway so that part doesn't matter to me that much....

        I have a Zoom h4n, along with focusrite and presonus preamps, Audio Technica and SE electronics mics (among others). For less than $1000, I'd skip the Zoom, unless you plan to do field recording, which is what I use mine for. My suggestion is a 4 input preamp (Behringer, Focusrite, Presonus, etc) along with a pair of small diaphragm condensers (spend the money here) like my SE8's, and a pair of large diaphragm condensers (spend less money here) like AT2020's. Don't get me wrong, Zoom makes great products, its just that you'd be stuck with the mics that come with it (other than the two inputs)

          dore_m By 4 input preamp you mean 4 XLR inputs (as opposed to 2 XLR + 2 Line input), right? Like Focusrite Scarlett 18i8 or Behringer UC404HD?

            dore_m I use the Zoom H4n with it's built in mics plus I added two Rhode N5's. The sound is not bad, but then no one ever really sees the video except for me - I use it to watch what I'm doing in order to improve....

              @iternabe that's right. 4 XLR inputs. For me, in retrospect, the audio interfaces at this level are pretty similar in quality - I'd spend the money on the Mics. Audio processing tools are very sophisticated nowadays - you just need a low noise preamp, and I think most offerings are similar. I did buy a used Tascam and a used Zoom H4n before settling on a Zoom H4n Pro. The former two were crazy noisy. Check the noise specs before purchasing, but I think most new stuff nowadays is fairly decent, especially if they are usb interfaces, and not dedicated "handy" recorders.

                @danno858 are you sure it's not a H4n pro? Rode NT5's are probably pretty good I bet.

                  dore_m yes, I have heard about noise floor in handheld field recorders being too high, too. TASCAM seems to be the worst. The best is the bigger SONY but it’s crazy expensive.

                    Correction: I said H4n before; I have the Pro version.

                    Enthusiastic but mediocre amateur.

                    dore_m yes it is a pro. I left that part out I bought it because it wasn’t super expensive. The NT 5s are good - I could have spent a lot more but I’ll wait until my piano is finished being rebuilt next year. Then it will deserve much better mics

                      I use a Blue Yeti USB mic as input plugged into my Mac running GarageBand. Sound output through Edifer bluetooth speakers. It works OK, but I'm not entirely happy with the sound. I've lived with it because I only record to get the perspective of a listener, which does in fact reveal a lot that I cannot hear when playing. I'm not recording for other people to listen to me play; it's just for my edification.

                      Garage Band comes with a bunch of equalizers, and I use the Grand Piano one with some modifications. The Yeti mic is on the cardioid setting, and the gain is turned down to zero, as even a little gain results in clipping. (The Edifer speakers aren't great, either, producing a muffled though accurate sound.)

                      Any suggestions for improving my current set-up or another one that's equally simple?

                        AaronSF Edifier speakers are good for general use. I am not sure they can be considered accurate, though. Good quality studio monitors are designed for fidelity. It’s a big decision to buy them, because of size, and cost.

                        Alternatively, you can start with using a good pair of open back headphone. I have several pairs of Sennheisers. The HD600 is most accurate and neutral, but its high impedance requires a headphone amp. The HD558 (or 598) has lower impedance, and is quite good, too. When you EQ, judging the result through the headphone will make sure you are adjusting for good sound, not adjusting to compensate for deficiency in your speaker.

                        Also, have your tried moving the mic farther away? That should give you better headroom to avoid clipping.

                            iternabe Thanks for your response. I appreciate it.

                            My set-up is designed so I can use it in conjunction with my practice, hence I didn't mention headphones. I have some Grado 325sx's, and yes, the sound is much improved through them, but as I'm listening while practicing, turning the recording on and off, stopping at problem areas and working on them, then listening some more, etc., I find the Edifer speakers more suitable to my purposes. I'm not recording for other people to listen to, just for me to approximate what a listener might hear so I can see where I hesitate, where my articulation is uneven, how consistent my tempi are, where I'm using too much rubato, etc.

                            I have tried placing the Yeti mic in lots of different places, in and out of the piano, and the best placement so far has been inside the piano about 1/2 back from the front, in between the treble and upper treble. Putting it outside the piano has always resulted in inferior sound.

                            I know better speakers would help, but it's a balance between the convenience of a blue-tooth & usb setup on the one hand, and a more complicated arrangement of better mics and better speakers. My current arrangement is light-years better than the crappy Tascam recorder I was using!

                            I'm also relatively naive about the intricacies of GarageBand. I know it is overkill for what I'm doing, but I don't really know of a simpler alternative. For instance, I can adjust the gain a little in GarageBand to improve the sound, whereas adjusting gain at the Yeti even a little results in clipping. (I'll try listening through my Grados and seeing if I can adjust the gain better.)
                            And as I said I have tweaked the equalizer to maximize piano sound.

                            I can live with my set-up fine, but all the responses here made me think maybe someone has a way I could tweak things or do something different without going whole hog into sound engineering. 🙃

                                AaronSF To upgrade your speakers without sacrifice convenience, maybe consider a pair of powered studio monitors plus an external bluetooth module/streamer like Kali Audio MV-BT or WiiM Pro?

                                    iternabe Thanks for these excellent recommendation. I've briefly looked at these components, and this may be the answer for me. I'll look into them in more depth now.

                                      4 months later

                                      @Pallas I don't know if you have finalized your recording setup or not. Just want to report a recent upgrade that worked really well for me.

                                      I typically record digitally from the output of Pianoteq. But I did set up a large condenser microphone (Marantz MPM-3000). It picks up the metronome, room reverb, and ambient sound. It's a superb vocal microphone, but worked only okay for the piano. And it's mono.

                                      Last week I acquired a pair of Behringer C-2 ($50, Sweetwater via eBay), and a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 4th Gen ($140 used via Guitar Center). They worked superbly well. Other than the ambient sound being picked up by the mic, the piano sound between the mic recording and digital output from Pianoteq is almost indistinguishable to my untrained ear.

                                      The Berhinger C-2s are small condenser microphone more suitable to pickup sounds from musical instruments. Condenser mic (without built-in amp) need 48v power. That's why an audio interface with at least 2 XLR inputs and can supply 48v to both is needed. Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 is a popular amateur choice for that. The 3rd gen will work just fine. But the 4th gen has improved signal to noise ratio.

                                      A portable field recorder that has XLR input and 48v can work with the C-2 as well. But since I record to a computer, using an audio interface and merge the audio and video in realtime is real convenient.