Choir

Chamber choir

A small or medium choir of roughly 8 to 40 singers, usually classical or sacred music in concert (Riemann 1900, via Wikipedia).¹

Part of the Choir family; that family's advice shows here too.

Sources: 10 (7 independent)

Recommended mics

Mics sources recommend

21 setups from 10 sources, 7 of them independent of any mic maker. Each mic shows how many sources name it for that role, and how many of those are independent. Listed alphabetically: there is no ranking.

Studio

Main pair or array

DPA ST4006A stereo pair (variant of the DPA 4006A) maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
Neumann M 501 source, 0 independent
Royer SF-12 maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
Royer SF-24 maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
Sanken COS-11D1 independent source
Shure KSM1411 independent source
Telefunken ELA M 260 with TK61 omni capsule1 independent source
Telefunken M60 FET1 independent source
M/S or X/Y coincident pair1 independent source
two directional mics, 17 cm apart, 110 degrees (ORTF)1 independent source
two or three omnis spaced across the front1 independent source

Spot

DPA ST4011A stereo pair (variant of the DPA 4011A) maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
Royer SF-121 independent source

Close

AKG C451 B1 independent source
Beyerdynamic MC 9501 independent source
Line Audio CM31 independent source
Rode NT41 independent source
Rode NT51 independent source
Telefunken TF511 independent source
figure-of-eight pair (Tony Faulkner phased array)1 independent source

Room

baffled omni pair1 independent source
omni/cardioid room mics1 independent source

Distant

AKG C4141 independent source
DPA 4006 (earlier version of the DPA 4006A)1 independent source

Clip-on

DPA headset microphone1 independent source

The 20 setups behind this: placement and quotes

Main pair or array 2 × DPA ST4006A stereo pair (variant of the DPA 4006A)
main pair, natural room blend
Use A-B stereo so recordings of a choir blend with the timbre of the recording space (generic choir guidance).²
Spot 2 × DPA ST4011A stereo pair (variant of the DPA 4011A)
spot pair for a section
ORTF "ideal as a spot pair for supporting a choir section" (generic choir guidance).²
Main pair or array Sanken COS-11D
main, single mono omni taped to a stand around 3.0 m high near the focal point of the choir's curve, capsule tilted down about 45 degrees; maybe lower to about 2.0 m to control reverb
Bruce Watson: one COS-11D "somewhere around 3.0 m" high; "Go with mono sound"; "Resist, mightily, the urge to make this complicated" (paraphrase)³
Main pair or array 2 × Shure KSM141
pair, stereo main pair if stereo is needed
Bruce Watson: a stereo pair of Shure KSM141s if stereo were necessary (paraphrase)³
Close Rode NT4 or Line Audio CM3 or Rode NT5 or Beyerdynamic MC 950 or AKG C451 B or Rode NT55
pair, single-point stereo (ORTF, X/Y or M/S) on one tall stand in the centre, just ahead of or behind the conductor, well above the singers' heads
Richard Crowley on the Rode NT4: "I like mine a lot. One of my favorites."; "we typically like to position choir microphones significantly ABOVE the singers heads" ... Richard Crowley recommends a Line Audio CM3 cardioid pair (paraphrase); "we typically like to position choir microphones significantly ABOVE the singers heads" ... Richard Crowley lists a Rode NT5 matched pair (paraphrase); "we typically like to position choir microphones significantly ABOVE the singers heads" ... Richard Crowley lists a Beyerdynamic MC-950 pair (paraphrase); "we typically like to position choir microphones significantly ABOVE the singers heads" ... Richard Crowley lists an AKG C 451 B pair (paraphrase); "we typically like to position choir microphones significantly ABOVE the singers heads" ... Richard Crowley lists a Rode NT55 matched pair (paraphrase); "we typically like to position choir microphones significantly ABOVE the singers heads"³
Main pair or array 2 × M/S or X/Y coincident pair
pair, coincident main pair
Jon Fairhurst: "M+S and X-Y are the safest approaches"; "M+S is the safer of the two"³
Main pair or array 3 × Neumann M 50
main tree above and behind conductor (orchestra/opera, 10-12 ft up)
Decca settled on omnidirectional M50 mics for the tree under Kenneth Wilkinson in 1955 (orchestral practice, not choir-specific).⁴
Main pair or array 3 × Telefunken ELA M 260 with TK61 omni capsule
main, modified tree of seven mics laid out for 7.1 (L-C-R front, two sides, two rear), in a church
Seven primary microphones correspond to the 7.1 monitors; main capture on M 260s with TK61 omni capsules in a modified tree (paraphrase)⁵
Main pair or array 2 × Telefunken M60 FET
main, height layer: coincident with the L-R and Ls-Rs mics but aimed upward at the ceiling
M60s with hypercardioid capsules aimed upward, coincident with the L-R and Ls-Rs mics, for height and ceiling reflections (paraphrase)⁵
Close 2 × Telefunken TF51
pair, NOS behind the conductor, 30 cm apart and 90 degrees
Matched TF51s in NOS behind the conductor, 30 cm apart and 90 degrees, approximating a listener's head (paraphrase)⁵
Spot Royer SF-12
spot, used when the chorus stood toward the back of the altar under the organ pipes
Royer SF12 as a spot mic for less high-frequency detail when the chorus was under the organ pipes (paraphrase)⁵
Main pair or array 2 × two directional mics, 17 cm apart, 110 degrees (ORTF)
main pair
ORTF is "more pleasing with unaccompanied choir" than X-Y (generic choir guidance).⁶
Main pair or array 3 × two or three omnis spaced across the front
main pair or three-mic array
Spaced omnis, about 3 ft apart to start, for larger groups (generic choir guidance).⁶
Room omni/cardioid room mics
room, 'far' position about 10 m back from the choir (32-voice chamber choir in All Saints Church, Tooting), with closer cardioid and omni positions
"the 'far' mic position 10 metres or so back from the choir"; "the closer cardioid and omni mics capture the space's full-bodied sonic character"⁷
Distant 2 × AKG C414
pair, about 3 m above and 2 m behind the conductor (live King's College-style choir, Sydney Opera House)
Peter: 414s as a stereo pair about 3 m above and 2 m behind the conductor; "Much less reverberation, and a lot more detail of the voices" (paraphrase)⁸
Distant 2 × DPA 4006 (earlier version of the DPA 4006A)
pair, about 15 ft from a two- or three-row group across the nave, moved in small steps by ear
Two DPA 4006s about 15 feet from a two- or three-row group across the nave (paraphrase)⁸
Room 2 × baffled omni pair
pair, as close as 5 ft for solo pieces and up to 50 ft for plainsong, in big stone rooms
Scott Dorsey: a pair of baffled omnis, as close as 5 feet for solo pieces and up to 50 feet for plainsong (paraphrase)⁸
Close 2 × figure-of-eight pair (Tony Faulkner phased array)
pair, two figure-8s pointed forward about 12-18 in apart, for reach from a distance
Paul Stamler recalls Faulkner's phased array: two figure-8 mics pointed forward at a small spacing, about 12-18 inches (paraphrase)⁸
Clip-on DPA headset microphone
close, one headset per singer (10 singers), placed on the side of the face away from the middle of the ensemble, in the controlled Rymer auditorium
"Headset microphones from DPA were chosen to allow us to isolate each singer's voice"; "position the microphones on the opposite side of the singer's face"⁹
Main pair or array Choir advice Royer SF-24 or Royer SF-12
stereo pair for vocal groups
"The SF12 and SF-24 are especially useful for recording vocal groups in stereo."¹⁰

Setting not stated

Main pair or array

ORTF pair, about 3 m back and at the same height1 independent source

The 1 setup behind this: placement and quotes

Main pair or array 2 × ORTF pair, about 3 m back and at the same height
main pair, small choir in a reverberant church
For a 30-person choir, mostly a cappella, start ORTF about three metres back at the same height; err towards miking close (Robjohns).¹¹

Advised against

Main pair or array 2 × coincident X/Y cardioid pair
pair, X/Y main pair in a reverberant cathedral
Bruce Watson: "XY is seldom the answer in a decent acoustical space"³
Main pair or array 2 × AKG C414 XLII
pair, as main pair
Bruce Watson on the C414 XLII: "They work well for spot mics, not so well as main pair mics"³
Main pair or array 2 × omnidirectional pair
pair, omni main pair in a very reverberant cathedral
Richard Crowley says he "almost never" uses omnis and finds them fiddly in that kind of space (paraphrase)³
Close Sennheiser MKH 416
distant, shotgun on the choir in a live space
Rick Reineke on the 416: "reverb would be a freak'n nightmare" (paraphrase)³
Main pair or array Telefunken ELA M 260 with APE spheres
main, tree mics with spheres fitted
Metcalfe preferred the bare omni capsules over the APE spheres, which over-emphasised articulation (paraphrase)⁵

Where the sound comes from

voices: Many incoherent voices whose intensities add; a few loud voices dominate fortissimo.¹²

Each voice is close to omnidirectional below about 1 kHz.¹³
Above about 1 kHz each voice is more directional, towards the front.¹³

Layout

No chamber-choir-specific source found. The generic unaccompanied-choir advice applies: ORTF or spaced omni main pair (a 30-voice, mostly a cappella choir in a stone church: ORTF pair of Rode NT5s about 3 m back, same height, Robjohns); Decca tree from orchestral practice for larger groups; section spots only if the room needs help. DPA suggests A-B omnis to blend a choir with the room, and ORTF cardioids as a section spot pair.^11,6,2,4

Recording it

Main pair above and behind the conductor, high enough that the rows are equidistant; 3-4 m high in one engineer's practice, raised before it is moved back if the sound is too dry.
Pairs: X-Y (mono compatible, good for overdubs), ORTF (wider, 'more pleasing with unaccompanied choir'), spaced omnis from about 0.9 m apart, three mics left-centre-right for a deep block, or M/S.
Err towards too close: reverb can be added later, not removed. The higher and further back the pair, the more room.
Spot mics per section 0.9-1.2 m away and about 0.3 m above head height; delay the spots to match the main pair.
Flip the polarity of one channel of each pair to check for cancellation.^{6,14,15,11,16,2}

On stage

Small-diaphragm cardioid or supercardioid condensers on stands or hanging, about 45 cm in front of the first row and 45 cm above the back row's heads; or '2x2': 2 ft in front, 2 ft above the tallest singer, for up to 20 singers.
About one mic per 6 m of singers; 30-45 voices need two or three.
Keep neighbouring mics at least three times as far apart as each is from its singers (3:1); with few mics it can't always be met.
Aim a supercardioid at the back row: the front row is then about 60 degrees off axis and the back row 1.4 times further away.
Gain before feedback drops fast as mics cover more singers: in DPA's example for 12 singers, six mics lose 17 dB and three mics 25.5 dB against one mic per singer.^17,18,2,19

Problems to watch

Feedback with monitors behind the choir.
Hearing loops pick up dynamic mics and cables: use condensers and route cables away.
Comb filtering from too many open mics.^2,20

How loud

Sound pressure level measurements as published. Different kinds of figure (a playing level, a peak, a dose at the player's ear) can't be compared with each other, and neither can figures at different distances.

Playing level
50–90 dB	at 20 m; 64-voice ensemble, model: about 90 dB at high frequencies at maximum, about 50 dB at low frequencies at minimum¹²
Dynamic range

Nothing specific. With few singers per part, the dynamic range can be widened by dropping singers: each halving of singers adds 3 dB of range (Titze).¹²

Sources

Wikipedia, Chamber choirreference · en.wikipedia.org
DPA Mic University: How to mic a choirmanufacturer · dpamicrophones.com
DV Info Net forum: Urgent Help: Advice Recording a Choir (16 Members) in a Cathedral 9 Second Echo (Sep 2015)forum · dvinfo.net
Josephson Engineering: The Decca Treemanufacturer · josephson.com
Mix: Professor Scott Metcalfe Records Choir With Array of Telefunken Mics (David Goggin, Oct 2023, Voce Chamber Choir)magazine · mixonline.com
Recording Magazine: Choir Recording And A Primer On Mid/Sidemagazine · recordingmag.com
Sound On Sound: Soniccouture All Saints Choir review (Dave Stewart, Aug 2020, New London Chamber Choir)magazine · soundonsound.com
Tom's Guide forum (rec.audio.pro archive): Recording Techniques used on King's Choir (Apr 2005)forum · forums.tomsguide.com
University of York Architexture: Recording a choireducational · architexture.york.ac.uk
Royer Labs FAQ: Which Royer mic would you recommend for recording vocals?manufacturer · royerlabs.com
Sound On Sound: Q. What kind of mic setup should I use to record a choir?Hugh Robjohns · magazine · soundonsound.com
Titze and Maxfield: choir dynamic range model (JASA 142(4), 2464-2468)academic · 2017 · pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Katz and d'Alessandro: voice directivity measurements (ICA 2007)academic · 2007 · groupeaa.lisn.upsaclay.fr
DV Info Net forum: Audio Micing Church Choirforum · dvinfo.net
Sound On Sound: Session Notes, Recording A ChoirMike Senior · magazine · soundonsound.com
Production Expert: Capturing Choral Charisma, Part 3 of 3Denis Kilty · magazine · 2013-12 · production-expert.com
ProSoundWeb: Church Sound, Effective Microphone Strategies For ChoirsBruce Bartlett · educational · prosoundweb.com
SoundPro: How To Mic a Choir, Best Mics & Placement Tipsretailer · soundpro.com
Audio-Technica: ES933 datasheet (hanging choir mic)manufacturer · fullcompass.com
ProSoundWeb: Choir Mic Techniques, Rising To The Challengemagazine · prosoundweb.com