|
I cannot imagine why your choir would need monitors, unless they are singing in a different room than the paino/organ/whatever. That said, I think you want to get the mics up and in front of the choir. What I've found is that at eye level, the singers in the back get trimmed out by the heads of the singers in front.
Also, as far as stereo imaging is concerned, I have yet to find a case where I'm happier with a true X-Y pair setup compared to putting two cardiods on a boom facing away from each other. That's not to say it cannot be done, but I haven't done it. Most of the choirs I record are in straight rows--maybe that's why a boom setup (or even two mics spaced at the 1/3rd 2/3rd position straight ahead) works for me. If my choirs made a semi-circle, then perhaps X/Y would be the only way to go.
What I also found is that a Royer SF-12 (stereo coincident figure 8) worked magic for a chamber choir. The posting I read on these lists a year or so ago really nailed it: if you want the choir to sound like a bunch of clear voices, use a small diaphragm stereo condenser; if you want it to sound like a choir, nicely blended, use a pair of Royers. I put a Rode NT-4 and an SF-12 on the same stand and heard that coming through exactly.
With the 414, you might be able to use the figure 8 position to good effect. If your room is nice, you want some room in the mix. If you use the Cardiod position, you'll likely hear individual voices...
|