shotgun mounted beside a wall?

[bannerj]

Last year was my first live recording/mix of song from our chapel services. We do a contemporary/traditional mixture. The chapel seats approx 1300, built in the 30's, high high ceilings, tile floors, we do fill the room to capacity.

For congregation vocals (very important) I used two oktavas in cardioid on each corner of the stage pointing at the opposite rear corners. This worked well. I got some nice imaging of the drums as well.

I want some more options for this year. Considering

1. keeping the oktavas stage L & R
2. binural head w/ Crown PZMs, DIY at FOH
3. Avant stereo mic hung from the ceiling ten feet infront of the stage facing congregation
4. Shotguns hung....where? Can I hang them from wall mounted speakers?

In the past few months I've tried the Oktavas on 3ft arms mounted to our main house speakers. I tried several positions and am getting way too much muck from wall reflections. So, the Oktavas go back to the stage positioning.

I've never used shotguns. Will they get the same mucky reflections from the walls if I mount them to the house speakers?

Any recommendations on good shotguns for this purpose?

[Barnabas]

Shotgun mics pick up a lot of sound directly behind the microphone, so you do not want anything, including a wall, directly behind.

You will get a more natural sound form a cardioid, so I'd stay away form the shotguns.

Hanging a stereo mic at the front of the congregation should give you the most natural stereo image.

"binural head w/ Crown PZMs, DIY at FOH"
By FOH, do you mean at the front of house (in front of the congregation), or at the front of house mix position (behind the congregation)? You should get a better sound from the true front of the house (in front of the congregation).

[bannerj]

Originally Posted by Barnabas

Shotgun mics pick up a lot of sound directly behind the microphone, so you do not want anything, including a wall, directly behind.

You will get a more natural sound form a cardioid, so I'd stay away form the shotguns.

Hanging a stereo mic at the front of the congregation should give you the most natural stereo image.

"binural head w/ Crown PZMs, DIY at FOH"
By FOH, do you mean at the front of house (in front of the congregation), or at the front of house mix position (behind the congregation)? You should get a better sound from the true front of the house (in front of the congregation).

I'm confused then. I've read several posts on here where guys are using several shotguns at various positions for crowd response. Please explain why so many do use shotguns if they don't sound natural?

When I say FOH, I do mean at the mixing engineers position. My thinking is that the hung stereo and the two oktavas on stage L/R will get the best of their actual head on voices, but the binural or something similar will get a nice sound of the whole room space? No?

[MichaelPatrick]

Barnabas is right about shotguns and that there are more natural pickups for audience sounds.

Interference tubes in shotgun mics are sensitive to nearby reflections. Moving one around can annoy listeners because comb filtering caused by the movement noticeably alters tonal balance.

If you find a placement that sounds good and you don't move the microphone around it should be fine.

Omnis and boundary (plate) mics generally capture the sound of whole rooms better than directional types because they're frequency stable and they cast a wide net - every angle.

If you know where to aim a directional mic to get the best ambient sound a room may have, directional mics can work well. I've heard directional mics are often used in large gothic cathedrals, for example, because some locations are better than others for ambiance pickup.

Originally Posted by bannerj

I'm confused then. I've read several posts on here where guys are using several shotguns at various positions for crowd response. Please explain why so many do use shotguns if they don't sound natural?

When I say FOH, I do mean at the mixing engineers position. My thinking is that the hung stereo and the two oktavas on stage L/R will get the best of their actual head on voices, but the binural or something similar will get a nice sound of the whole room space? No?