Choir
Vocal consort
A small group with one singer on each line, singing early music or choral music at "one voice per part" (OVPP). The Hilliard Ensemble was a British male quartet devoted originally to early music. For Bach the one-per-part idea is the Rifkin hypothesis, and SATB choral works then need four singers.1,2
Part of the Choir family; that family's advice shows here too.
- Sources
- 6 (5 independent)
Mics sources recommend
9 setups from 6 sources, 5 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
- Royer SF-12 maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
- Royer SF-24 maker's advice1 source, 0 independent
- Shure SM811 independent source
- single microphone1 independent source
- two ribbons in Blumlein (crossed figure-of-eight), or two C414s1 independent source
Distant
- stereo pair (model not stated)1 independent source
Contact
- Sennheiser MKH 8001 independent source
Room
- surround pair (model not stated)1 independent source
Clip-on
- DPA headset microphone1 independent source
The 8 setups behind this: placement and quotes
- Main pair or array 2 × Shure SM81main pair, with a pencil mic about 8 ft back
"Side by side the SM81s - then maybe the pencil mic in the center about 8 feet back" (female Renaissance quartet, church).
3 - Main pair or array 2 × two ribbons in Blumlein (crossed figure-of-eight), or two C414smain pair in a church with a good reverb
In a church with lovely reverb, "Blumlein stereo with two ribbons or two 414's work for me" (forum reply).
3 - Main pair or array single microphonemain, one mic for five or fewer singers in a tight semicircle, nearly shoulder to shoulder
"It's best to use one mic for five or fewer singers and let them find their own blend"
4 - Distant 2 × stereo pair (model not stated)pair, simple stereo mic on the far side of the lectern, about 10 ft back from the altar steps in Merton College Chapel (same position still used)
"There's just one microphone that faces left and one microphone faces right"; "perhaps 10 feet back from the altar steps"
5 - Contact 2 × Sennheiser MKH 800pair, primary stereo pickup set far back from the singers and high up, as an omni pair (All Hallows, Gospel Oak)
"Set far back from the vocalists and high up in the air as an omni pair"
6 - Room 2 × surround pair (model not stated)room, surround pair six feet behind the MKH 800s and slightly farther apart
"Another pair of microphones located six feet behind the Sennheiser mics and slightly farther apart"
6 - Clip-on DPA headset microphoneclose, one headset per singer for an SATB quartet recorded in an anechoic chamber
"Much like the larger choir, we chose to use the DPA headset microphones to capture the most isolated signal"
7 - Main pair or array Choir advice 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."
8
On stage
Main pair or array
- matched pair, X-Y or ORTF, 1-2 m away and high, looking down1 independent source
The 1 setup behind this: placement and quotes
- Main pair or array 2 × matched pair, X-Y or ORTF, 1-2 m away and high, looking downmain pair on a vertical boom with T-bar
"For 4 singers, who have a good internal balance, ... classic X/Y, or if they space out, ORTF."
3
Where the sound comes from
- voices: Many incoherent voices whose intensities add; a few loud voices dominate fortissimo.9
Layout
Four or so singers close together either side of the centre, 1-2 m from a stereo pair set higher and looking down (a forum recordist). The quartet in the thread was four women singing Renaissance repertoire in a church.3
Recording it
X-Y for clarity with four singers who balance themselves; ORTF if they space out; spaced cardioids widen the image but favour the outer singers; Blumlein ribbons or two C414s in a church with a lovely, musical reverb; record X-Y and A/B together when unsure; poor reverb is better replaced with artificial reverb (forum, same recordist). Another reply: two SM81s side by side with a third pencil mic about 8 ft back.3
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.11,12,13,14
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 minimum9 |
| Dynamic range | |
Nothing found.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Hilliard Ensemble
- Wikipedia, One voice per part
- HomeRecording.com forum: Recording live Renaissance vocal quartet (Feb 2026)
- Mix: Speech and Song (Kevin Becka, Nov 2005)
- MusicWeb International Seen and Heard: Gimell interview with Peter Phillips and Steve Smith (2010, Tallis Scholars)
- ProSoundWeb: Sennheiser MKH 800 Mics Key Top-Shelf Recording Project Featuring Stile Antico At London Church (Jul 2009, engineer Brad Michel)
- University of York Architexture: Recording a choir
- 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)
- ProSoundWeb: Church Sound, Effective Microphone Strategies For Choirs
- SoundPro: How To Mic a Choir, Best Mics & Placement Tips
- DPA Mic University: How to mic a choir
- Audio-Technica: ES933 datasheet (hanging choir mic)
- ProSoundWeb: Choir Mic Techniques, Rising To The Challenge