Instrument family
Choir
Advice for one choir type mostly holds for all, so it lives here: the mixed choir (SATB), women's, men's, children's and chamber choirs add only what is specific.
Also called chorus.
Members: A cappella group, Barbershop quartet, Chamber choir, Children's choir, Gospel choir, Mixed choir (SATB), Women's choir (SSAA), Men's choir (TTBB), Vocal consort.
- Sources
- 1 (0 independent)
Mics sources recommend
1 setups from 1 sources, 0 of them independent of any mic maker. Few independent sources so far, so the mics are listed without counts. Listed alphabetically: there is no ranking.
Studio
Main pair or array
- Royer SF-12 maker's advice
- Royer SF-24 maker's advice
The 1 setup behind this: placement and quotes
- Main pair or array Royer SF-24 or Royer SF-12stereo pair for vocal groups
"The SF12 and SF-24 are especially useful for recording vocal groups in stereo."
1
Where the sound comes from
- voices: Many incoherent voices whose intensities add; a few loud voices dominate fortissimo.2
Layout
- Rows on risers or steps, in a rectangle or wedge of three or more rows; the aim is that every singer is about the same distance from the mics, so a semicircle in a studio.
- Singers with shoulders lightly touching, the better singers in the centre.
- If singers stand by height, many low voices end up at the back and their low end is lost on distant mics.4,5,6
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.5,7,8,9,10,11
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.12,4,11,13
Problems to watch
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 minimum2 |
| Dynamic range | |
Sources
- Royer Labs FAQ: Which Royer mic would you recommend for recording vocals?
- Titze and Maxfield: choir dynamic range model (JASA 142(4), 2464-2468)
- Katz and d'Alessandro: voice directivity measurements (ICA 2007)
- SoundPro: How To Mic a Choir, Best Mics & Placement Tips
- Recording Magazine: Choir Recording And A Primer On Mid/Side
- ProSoundWeb: Choir Mic Techniques, Rising To The Challenge
- DV Info Net forum: Audio Micing Church Choir
- Sound On Sound: Session Notes, Recording A Choir
- Sound On Sound: Q. What kind of mic setup should I use to record a choir?
- Production Expert: Capturing Choral Charisma, Part 3 of 3
- DPA Mic University: How to mic a choir
- ProSoundWeb: Church Sound, Effective Microphone Strategies For Choirs
- Audio-Technica: ES933 datasheet (hanging choir mic)