Condensers in a Live Setting!

  • Thread starter Thread starter guitaristic
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guitaristic

guitaristic

prophet of Dave
Hello all,

I'm posting this in the Newbie forum because I'm basically a noob when it comes to micing up live events :D


So I've got this thing coming up where I need to be micing a children's choir (about 30 kids...they stand in like a rectangle formation three rows deep). They'll be on a stage singing along to a soundtrack that will most likely be blasting out of 4 different monitors--left, middle, right, and one on the ceiling about 20 feet above the madness. The L and R floor monitors will be about 5 feet away from the kids while the M will be about 3 feet in front of them.

I know pencil condensers are usually the recommended route for choirs, but the only SDCs I've got are 2 CAD CM 217's, from the infamous CAD 7-piece drum mic kit. Should I use those?

I've also got:

CAD m179
Sennheiser MK4
MXL v67g
M-Audio Sputnik (though I'd rather not use that...kids and shiny objects, you know)

Should I use a pair of those LDCs instead? Also, any suggestions on how to place them? Above or in front or both? :D Is avoiding feedback going to be a different animal with these condensers as opposed to normal dynamics?

I really only need 2 mics for this gig...at least I think so...
 
Hey Jon - I'll be doing several choir groups this weekend will 90 members in each and all I use are 2 SDC's about a third of the way in from each side, up and aimed at the center row, about 4 feet back and I get sterling results.
You should be fine with your CAD's - Though I use 2 Earthworks microphones. :p

Your worst enemy will be the monitors - DON"T put the singers through them! Just the play back and you should be fine.
 
moresound said:
Hey Jon - I'll be doing several choir groups this weekend will 90 members in each and all I use are 2 SDC's about a third of the way in from each side, up and aimed at the center row, about 4 feet back and I get sterling results.
You should be fine with your CAD's - Though I use 2 Earthworks microphones. :p

Your worst enemy will be the monitors - DON"T put the singers through them! Just the play back and you should be fine.
Click to expand...

Thanks Henry! :)

Ok cool I was thinking along those lines! I will definitely let ya know how it turns out!

Good luck with your measly 90 member choirs! ;)
 
On a side note I use a Neumann something or other as my live vocal mic. It's a condenser...
 
Armistice said:
On a side note I use a Neumann something or other as my live vocal mic. It's a condenser...
Click to expand...

Cool! Like one of the handheld ones right? Aren't those a bit more directional than a normal SDC though?
 
You need to borrow a few microphones for this event?
 
moresound said:
Your worst enemy will be the monitors - DON"T put the singers through them! Just the play back and you should be fine.
Click to expand...

Yep. Distant mics, distant monitors, quiet singers, there's no way you're going to get any useful volume out of the wedges, and it would only make the kids more self conscious and quiet anyway.
 
guitaristic said:
Cool! Like one of the handheld ones right? Aren't those a bit more directional than a normal SDC though?
Click to expand...

Yeah, it's a KMS105 - wouldn't have bought such an expensive mic myself, but it was a present. Works very much like your standard dynamic vocal mic in terms of directionality.

Our typical gig is as one of several acts on a bill, PA/mics supplied, and the first thing we do is unplug the dusty and grungy old SM58s that are there and plug in our own mics - this one, and my co-band-person's Sennheiser 903, and we're always being told we're so much clearer than the other acts...

Just have to remind sound dude to give me phantom power...:)
 
moresound said:
How did it go?
Click to expand...

It went really well thanks to your advice! Heard the recording of the kids later on too (they split the signal for both live and recording) and it sounded great! My crappy CAD mics really pulled through! :laughings:
 
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