piano from “bennie and the jets” by elton john | ToneDB
bennie and the jets
elton john
piano
Tone Profile
The piano sound is a bright, slightly distorted, and percussive. It has a rock and roll edge with a touch of glam.
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The Story
"Bennie and the Jets" was recorded with a Steinway Model D piano at Strawberry Studios in France, with Ken Scott engineering and Gus Dudgeon producing. The distinctive gritty piano sound was achieved by running the signal through a Fender Blender fuzz pedal, which added the characteristic distortion and edge. The piano was close-miked with a Neumann U87 to capture a direct, immediate sound, with additional processing including API 550A EQ to emphasize the high frequencies and compression to create the punchy, rock-oriented character.
Production Credits
Producer: Gus Dudgeon
Engineer: Ken Scott
Recorded at: Strawberry Studios, France
Signal Chain
Instrument: Steinway Model DShop on Reverb
Microphone: Neumann U87Shop on Reverb
Processing: Fender BlenderShop on Reverb, API 550AShop on Reverb
Recreation Tips
- Start with a bright piano sound, preferably from a grand piano.
- Experiment with different distortion pedals to find one that provides a similar level of grit and sustain.
- Use an EQ to boost the high frequencies and cut any unwanted low-end rumble.
- Apply compression to even out the dynamics and add punch.
Original Gear
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Substitutions & Recommendations
Alternative to: Fender Blender fuzz pedal
Provides controllable distortion that can add grit to piano without overwhelming fuzz, similar harmonic saturation
Alternative to: Fender Blender fuzz pedal
Classic distortion with filtering capability that can replicate the controlled fuzz character on piano
Alternative to: API 550A EQ
Exact digital recreation of the original hardware EQ used on the recording for authentic frequency shaping
Alternative to: Neumann U87 microphone
Large diaphragm condenser with similar bright character and detail capture for close piano miking
Alternative to: Steinway Model D piano
Sampled grand piano with multiple mic positions and processing options to recreate the bright, direct piano sound
Sources
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