 Sharing some experience...
For live recordings, "Gospel" choirs are almost always overdubed in the studio. I hate that they do that, but it can make the live gig go so much better if they tell you up front that they have a ton of overdubs planned.
Problems with live contemporary Gospel..
1. They usually like to be so loud that you can hear the gig in the next county!
2. Lack of mic handling knowledge...so be nice and try to explain how not to grab the mic and such..
3. The choir mics are REALLY tough b/c of bleed from everything...and B3 is NOT your friend! If the "stage" area is big enough try to separate musicians as much as you can. Blankets can be used in some situations. Google "Kirk Whalum; Gospel According to Jazz Chapter 2". There are some vids up on youtube as well. There is a huge blanket on the grand piano and it sounds fantastic...but then again it is George Duke playing it!
4. If you can convince them to do headphone monitors on the musicians your life will be a lot easier too. If they don't have aviom in their church, you might be able to rent one for the day and make the band members bring their own headphones. Just remember to build the cost into the bid, or ask the church to do the rental.
Just some opinions...
Have great recordings!
Rob |