Impressive looking moderately priced choir mic.

[Innovations]

I am looking for some ideas for a pair of microphones that look impressive.

I am issuing recommendations for the choir area of a new church. The church has maybe a dozen different singing groups almost all of which are amateurs. The usual way of micing a choir is to use spaced pairs of tiny cardiod condensers hung from the ceiling about three feet in front of the first row and about 2-3 feet above the heads of the back row and pointed at the back row (so that the fact that the front row is closest is offset by the fact that they are slightly off axis) and let the choral voices blend naturally.

The current facility's choir area has a pair of tiny condensers overhead, but they are so badly positioned (behind the second row and pointed down) that the various choir directors ignore them and put together their own Rube Golberg arrangements of mic stands and SM58s that has hot spots, bad balance and very often feedback problems.

So my concern is that if the new choir area has those tiny condenser mics overhead, even if now properly placed for good sound, the groups, out of habit, will ignore them and again create their own crazy, unbalanced, and feedback prone mic contraptions.

So what I am looking for is something that will have them think...wow, what a cool mic hanging up there, I bet it is really good, let's just let it pick up our singing. Obviously though it has to actually deliver on its looks, and being a church can't cost a fortune.

 

[Weasel9992]

I worked in audio system design for years, and I've done lots and lots of work for churches. What you're describing is pretty much the norm, and there really aren't any fantastic solutions. The hanging choir mics suck even when they're positioned correctly, and the better mics (like a Shure SM81) aren't really designed to be hung and cost a mint (relatively speaking). The best solution acoustically are a couple or a few LDC's on stands, but most churches don't like the aesthetic.

If it were me I'd think about something like the SM81. It hangs pretty easily, is pretty easy on the eyes and sounds really good. You can get them for about $700 a pair now...not too bad.

Frank

 

[antichef]

My neighbor's daughter is an aspiring opera singer, and I went to see her at a smallish, beautifully built recital hall at a local university. About 20 feet up, they had two Neumann KM84s hung together to do stereo recording. They did *not* look impressive - they looked like dinky little things

 

[Innovations]

I worked in audio system design for years, and I've done lots and lots of work for churches. What you're describing is pretty much the norm, and there really aren't any fantastic solutions. The hanging choir mics suck even when they're positioned correctly, and the better mics (like a Shure SM81) aren't really designed to be hung and cost a mint (relatively speaking). The best solution acoustically are a couple or a few LDC's on stands, but most churches don't like the aesthetic.

If it were me I'd think about something like the SM81. It hangs pretty easily, is pretty easy on the eyes and sounds really good. You can get them for about $700 a pair now...not too bad.

Frank

The problem isn't the aesthetic, it is that when on stands there is always the chance of somebody knocking one over, particularly with the children's or youth choirs. The other problem with stands is that you are trusting the amateurs to not do something stupid with positioning and make for an awfull sound or terrible feedback. So I'm pretty set on having the primary choir microphones be hung so the other choir's can't screw it up too badly.

 

[pohaku]

The problem is, unless you want to go with something like a Crown SASS-P MkII (nice, "interesting looking", but unfortunately not inexpensive), you are probably best off with a pair of decent SD mics (like the Beyer MC930 or the AT-4051b), but these don't look "exciting". I too would love a pair of KM84s for this purpose, but at @$1000 a copy, they are probably a bit pricey for many churches. Not to mention that you can only buy them used. Of course a pair of Schoeps in nextel grey would be even more boring.

 

[Weasel9992]

The problem isn't the aesthetic, it is that when on stands there is always the chance of somebody knocking one over, particularly with the children's or youth choirs. The other problem with stands is that you are trusting the amateurs to not do something stupid with positioning and make for an awfull sound or terrible feedback. So I'm pretty set on having the primary choir microphones be hung so the other choir's can't screw it up too badly.

Oh yeah, I hear you. Usually this works best when there's a technical director in place to make sure everything gets put where it's supposed to be and then stays put.

Frank

 

[Innovations]

A couple of the possibilities that I am seeing are the Blue Bluebird or possibly that old standby the MXL V67G or maybe the new V67Q XY stereo mic.

 

[Shadow_7]

You could always position what you have correctly, then place some impressive looking, but cheap and not working cosmetic mics. Or coat the existing ones in gold leaf or something. Just saying you don't really have to spend a mint or replace what's already there to make things work. Assuming that the existing stuff can be made to work of course.

I have some SM-81's that I got used and they're good mics. I'm still left wondering what's better though. I wanted a Crown Sass-P MK II, but didn't want to spend that kind of cash. And I needed the flexibility of two mics, instead of one stereo mic. More of a want really, I'm not currently doing anything other than stereo recording, which the crown does well. So I'm still debating where to go from here myself. The shures are good, but a little finicky outdoors and in proximity. And don't come with the needed accessories to use them well. Shock mounts, windscreens of substance, et cetera.

 

[Innovations]

You could always position what you have correctly, then place some impressive looking, but cheap and not working cosmetic mics. Or coat the existing ones in gold leaf or something. Just saying you don't really have to spend a mint or replace what's already there to make things work. Assuming that the existing stuff can be made to work of course.

I have some SM-81's that I got used and they're good mics. I'm still left wondering what's better though. I wanted a Crown Sass-P MK II, but didn't want to spend that kind of cash. And I needed the flexibility of two mics, instead of one stereo mic. More of a want really, I'm not currently doing anything other than stereo recording, which the crown does well. So I'm still debating where to go from here myself. The shures are good, but a little finicky outdoors and in proximity. And don't come with the needed accessories to use them well. Shock mounts, windscreens of substance, et cetera.

well, it is a whole new facility, so there is no question of what is there already. There is a quote on the table for a configuration that includes the typical kind of tiny condenser mics but I know the psychology of the volunteers.

 

[tmix]

What about PZMs on clear plexi?
You can make them large enough to catch their attention , but yet not be too intrusive looking to the congregation.

Works well, but may not have the "impressive look".
Hang a non functioning big chinese import gold plated something or other in front.
(ahhh, I see others made the same suggestion...sorry)