Live Choir recording

[Giampy Car]

Hi,
is there anybody witch can tell me where to get informations about live choir recording?
I need informations regarding witch configuration (ex. A-B stereo, X-Y stereo, Decca tree,....) is better for (small rooms low reverber, large rooms- high reverber, a capella songs, and so on..)

[Han]

First read this thread: http://gearslutz.com/board/showthrea...5&pagenumber=1

and come back with more questions.

Hope this helps.

[Dom Franco]

Two high quality condensor mikes at the edge of the stage about 20 feet apart. At least 10 feet in front of the choir will help to avoid any individual voices to stand out too much.

This also gets some ambient room sound, and audience response. In a nice auditorium it sounds beautiful.

When played back pan left and right mics about 9 oclock and 3 oclock and play with balance to sound evenly matched.

Dom

[Massive Master]

I end up getting thrown into this a lot - This will depend on the number of tracks & desk channels you have available -

If you're recoding direct to two track (or mixing from recorded tracks)...

These all assume that X-Y sets would be located and center-aimed AT center, and Spaced pairs would be at around the 3/4 mark SR & SL aimed slightly onstage, but not to dead center, from either side.

[2] X-Y panned hard if they're in an arc - Spaced pair panned 9 & 3 if straight.

[3] Spaced pair panned hard and one mic at around 4-6dB lower than the spaced pair in the center, panned to the center.

[4] (my personal favorite) Spaced pair panned hard with a bit of low rolloff. X-Y in the center also panned hard (no low rolloff).

Depending on your mic selection, small diaphragms in the middle (X-Y sets) large diaphragms towards the wings.

If the stage is a sprung-wood type, try to use shock mounts - Hell, even if it's NOT sprung, use them if you can anyway.

John Scrip - www.massivemastering.com

[Han]

Dom, if you put two mics twenty feet apart, you'll end up with a stereo image with a huge hole in the center, even if you use omnis.

This choir recording isn't very easy, I guess you guys haven't read the thread on Gearslutz.

Much depends on the room and the number of persons, I once recorded a choir of 245 persons.

If the room sounds very good, you may have great results with an MS pair or an AB pair of omnis. If the room doesn't sound very good, an ORTF pair of great SDC's can shine. Put them behind the conductor at some 12' high. I have recorded a choir in a church with an ORTF pair at 40' high and it sounded great.

If you have plenty of tracks, use an AB, MS and an ORTF set of mics, perhaps with a number of spot mics.

XY has never pleased me, for I don't like the stereo image of it.

Placement of an AB pair is tricky, you need quite some time to get them right, unless you are happy with mediocre results.

For a Decca tree, you will need three Neumann M50 mics.