Recording an Accordion

Since I have no clue myself, I tried Google.
 
Some worthy recording and mixing tips from SOS: http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jul10/articles/qa0710_5.htm
 
 

They have special "bellows" microphones for accordians that are designed to pick up the sound where it matters most (near the reeds or pipes or whatever the hell are in those bloody things). The accordian player in my old band had a couple lower cost ones. Not sure what kind of mics they are or how they are inserted but they attach directly to the instrument so you have little wires sticking out both sides.
 
If you can rent or borrow some of those and then mic the room in stereo that would be cool. Otherwise probably just some higher range dynamic mics (like maybe sm57's?) or not so sensitive ribbons up close on either side pointed at the bellows then a stereo pair out in the room would probably work best.
 
The problem with condensers up close is you're gonna end up with all sorts of key and button clicks/tapping and bellows wind noise (that WHOOSH sound as the accordian gets pushed in and out). So you want definition but not THAT type of definition.
 
The room mics would be important because really the accordian is designed to throw sound and envelop the room. Like the two parts (bass buttons and melody keys) are supposed to work as one to kind of be it's own little two peice band.
 
It's a tricky instrument for sure.
 
I actually kind of want to try out one of those crazy Roland V-Accordians. They are supposedly really nice and exactly like (or better than) the real thing and because it's MIDI you don't have to worry about micing nonsense.
 
Cheers.

Just make them record it outside ;-)

I actually kind of want to try out one of those crazy Roland V-Accordians. They are supposedly really nice and exactly like (or better than) the real thing and because it's MIDI you don't have to worry about micing nonsense.

 
I recorded the same group a couple years later with one of those also.  Surprisingly good sounding instrument.  Needs a good amp for a clean sound. 
 
An acoustic nightmare in this room, but I tried by best.  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doXu6aqcfFM

I play diatonic accordion (the Cajun and TexMex style instrument), which is a lot smaller than a piano accordion but has the same issues from a recording/sound engineering point of view.
 
Many of the clip-on or velcro-on microphones are very prone to overload. They also often have very cheap capsules indeed. The AKG ones on stems are good, but pickup pattern area might be a problem depending on the size of the instrument.
 
The best solution I've found for recording is a pair or single mic out in front a few feet away, where someone sitting and listening to the instrument might be. Using a close microphone per "end" can result in quite a lot of cross-talk and phasing issues and pick up an awful lot of mechanical noise and air swooshes. Plus a mic on the left (bass) end has the problem that the sound source keeps moving.
 
There's also the problem of balancing the two ends. The instrument's balance and tone can sound quite different to the person playing it and a person four feet away, so be prepared to have to deal with that.
 
Whatever you do, don't fall into the trap of panning the two ends of the instrument differently if you can avoid it, leave it as a mono source or very near it.

If it's any consolation, amplfying the things to compete with a loud electric band and drummer without PA or foldback howling away is even harder.....

And the reeds push out an awful lot of upper-mid frequencies which condensors can make sound brittle or harsh unless tamed by eq.