Live Choir Recording

[jbarn]

Over the next several months, I've been tapped to do live concert recordings for a couple of local choirs. The venues are okay, reasonable room and crowd noise isn't a problem.

Any comments/tips/suggestions on getting the best possible sound out of these concerts? I don't have a hugely well-equipped studio, but I was planning on keeping this digital for recording: A good condenser stereo pair on a mast into Protools (or possibly Peak, since it's just a stereo pair) via an MBOX.

Any advice is much appreciated, especially when it comes to mics; I have a pretty decent cabinet to draw on, and I'd very much like to know what people favor for live ensemble recording.

 

[Son of Mixerman]

Too many options to list depending on the space and place of the song leader/conductor. Try a Decca tree if the spaced pair above and behind the podium doesn't work. You might have to move the mics around to cature which part of the space the mic likes the most. Rooms can help you or hurt you.

SoMm

 

[jbarn]

SoMm, thanks for the advice. For at least a few of these concerts, I may not have a chance to test mic placement with a full ensemble before the real concert, although I'll certainly have a good bit of time to suss out the room. Thoughts on the best strategy for recording without a rehearsal in a situation like this are also most welcome.

 

[Son of Mixerman]

Without a rehearsal of at least 3 song, your going to get what your going to get. Another mic technique would be the Mid-Side technique, this would be easier to remix if the stereo balance was a little off. Sometimes choirs get nervous when they know they are being recorded and sometimes if they don't know your recording they sing better. If you are going to move mic get rolling mic stands. One trick Ive learned when setting up mics is to have a small PA with 3 speakers located at center, left and right and play some music that is similar, then on a the other mixer set-up for recording pan the mics to pic up the appropriate speaker playback. (separate pa to prevent feedback loops it could be rented). This way I get some feedback from the room and mic problems can be presorted out, like phase and such.

SoMm