Thanks for the kind words Ari...
Anyways here is a
thread with some pictures of a session I did of chant- (the first set of pictures).
In this session, I set up 3 "zones" of micing. The first was close- to capture the diction and the words. This was a very live room and the singers needed the additional clarity. The second was a midfield stereo microphone. This was used for about 70-80% of the sound. In this case, I used a blumlein pickup. The positioning was to get a good ballance of room and direct singer sound. The last zone was room only. I took a pair of omnis and placed them up really high and far back. These mics were B&K 4006s placed so that I could add as much room as I wanted.
Now if you don't have those resources, I would consider perhaps only 2 zones of micing... A main pair that caputers the natural sound of the ensemble and a second set to capture the room. With music like chant, the room plays as much of a part in the sound as the performance itself so it is important to have a good room and to make sure the recording reflects that good room.
In an ideal situation, the mic pair for the ensemble should be the best quality possible. Look at mics like Schoeps, DPA (B&K), or Sennheiser MKH. You'll probably get the cleanest sound using small diaphragms, but sometimes I use large because they give me more "character" to the sound. As for room mics, it doesn't really matter. When I do some gigs, I'll use an old pair of Shure SM-96s for room. They aren't great mics, but they do the job for that... Obviously, use the best-quality and least colored possible, but it is more important to get a main pair that is first rate.
Outboard shouldn't be needed- get it right on tape. In mastering, you may want a touch of EQ, but no compression and assuming you got the room well, probably no reverb.
--Ben