Anyone recorded any choral stuff before?

[ExecutiveRob]

Hi!

I'm recording a 6 piece Gregorian style choir in a large church in a couple of weeks and was wondering if anyone on here's done anything similar or have any tips?

I was planning on doing all ambient miking but in stages, at increasing distances from the choir, to the back of the hall.

The only mics I have good enough to do this with are: 414, se gemini, stereo pair of c 451 B's, a single c 451 B and 2 rode nt1's.


So I was thinking 451's up front, than "fanning out" with the large diaphragm condensors in an arc, sort of middle of the hall sort of area...

Any ideas?

Cheers!

 

[KeithRT99]

maybe you could put the 414 in omni up close. then stereo ambient mics.

 

[Brett - K A L I S I A]

I'd go with the 414 in the center and the 451s on the sides, all three mics pretty close to the source, then the remaining 451 centered but a bit further, then the rodes on the sides but further.

 

[Sloan]

Put sm57's right next to their speaker cones.

 

[Sinister Mephisto]

All good ideas. Just something to keep in mind, be sure you don't record too much ambiance in your closer mics! Maybe even use a super cardioid or something. If you have a ambient mics you can always use more from them, or even use a nice convolution reverb and it will sound great, if you get a ton of reflections in your closest mic/mics you're limiting your choices later on. I didn't learn this from doing it myself, but from assisting on projects by a guy who did tons of classical/new music stuff. He used figure 8 on the session I assisted and afterward wished he had used cardioid. Just something to think about.

That, or the Nordstrom technique.

 

[ExecutiveRob]

Put sm57's right next to their speaker cones.

Yeah man! Was thinking about reamping it all afterwards through a marshall mode 4 into a behringer 4x12" to add some warmth...

Cheers for ideas guys - I always forget about trying different polar patterns with the 414.

 

[Sloan]

^ lol that would be awesome. lower the pitch to have a heeeeeelllllllllchoooooir.