microphone for a choir

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raven46

raven46

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at present a local chruch choir of 10 singers (2 rows of 5) are being mic'd indivudally and all the mic stands look very clumsy and take up a lot of room

i am looking into getting 2 mics to cover all singers, am i right in thinking the correct mic for the job is called omnidirectional

can someone please suggest some good mics up to 500euro per mic

this is not primarily for recording but for live sessions
 
raven46 said:
at present a local chruch choir of 10 singers (2 rows of 5) are being mic'd indivudally and all the mic stands look very clumsy and take up a lot of room

i am looking into getting 2 mics to cover all singers, am i right in thinking the correct mic for the job is called omnidirectional

can someone please suggest some good mics up to 500euro per mic

this is not primarily for recording but for live sessions
Click to expand...

ORTF pairs rule on choirs, IMO. I've had great results using a pair of DPA 4011s (a bit above your price band). A pair of AKG 451s would be suitable, and closer to your price band. But an ORTF pair behind the conductor is always a winner for me!

I personally try to avoid omnis for this use as you pick up too much audience noise.
 
raven46 said:
this is not primarily for recording but for live sessions
Click to expand...

When you say 'for live sessions' do you mean you want sound reinforcement (PA) for the choir? If so, your main problem is going to be acoustic feedback. Try a coincident pair of hypercardioids crossed at 90 degrees or, if you can stretch to one, a M-S stereo mic. Place it as close as you can while still keeping all singers on mic. Often, above the conductors head is good.
 
For 2 rows of 5 singers, one mic is plenty. Hang a small condenser about two feet above the back row, and 2 feet in front of the front row. Usually cardioids are used, but omnis can also work depending on the acoustic environment, and the required gain before feedback. Choir members will argue one mic isn't enough, especially if they are used to using 10. So put up a couple of their old mics, and mute them!

I always run a low cut on live choir mics, keeps noise from the organ blower out! Also, for cardioid mics a cut somewhere in the 2-3kHz range is very helpful to reduce feedback, as cardioid mics frequently have a boost in that range, which also always seems feedback-prone to me. But don't go crazy, that range is important for intelligibility of speech (if your choir has good diction!). -2 to -3dB should be plenty.
 
For reinforcement micing there's those lavalier types that hang from the ceiling. I've seen many a church use those. Generally one for each voice of the choir (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass). Or more or less depending on the size of the choir and the stage. More of a permanent fixture though, so if you're looking for something temporary or mobile, probably not the best choice. Something like a Shure MX202. Not my area per say so there's probably better options out there.

http://www.shure.com/ProAudio/Products/WiredMicrophones/us_pro_MX202B-C_content
 
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