Close-miking a choir?

[undertone]

Someone sent me this link because of the pretty neat way the choir imitates rain and thunder, but what struck me most is that the entire choir is close-mic'ed.

I'm no expert but it's the first time I've seen each member of a large choir close-mic'ed. Seems to me you're losing out on the natural blend of the individual voices in the acoustic space, although it's possible that they also have overheads.

I'd just like to hear from the experienced if this is commonly done.

[NorseHorse]

Because the choir is performing pop music (not necessarily "choral" music), close miking is useful for the up-front-in-your-face sound with clear articulation. After all, the music wasn't intended for performance in a cathedral. Additionally, close miking is useful for situations with lots of changing soloists / featured lines.

This is common with small-format pop acappella (10-20 members). Not that I personally like it very much, but it is the preferred sound of many ensembles. Check out Acappella U - The Collegiate A Cappella Podcast and Mouth Off: the weekly podcast about a cappella music if you want to see what's happening on the college scene.

[boojum]

I've seen the clip, too, and was amazed at how many SM58's could be gotten together in one place! ;o) Must have been some snake.

The rain- thunder part was fun and interesting. The rest, well, they are good but did not impress me as great.

[matthewd]

This is pretty unusual in my experience but totally appropriate in the circumstances. What a great performance. The stereo bars are a good idea too. You probably wouldn't want to do this for most choral music as it is all about the blend and suddenly you have a hell of a task balancing the voices whereas a good choral conductor will refine the balance in space so all you have to do is capture it ambiently. I do really like it though and have used the technique albeit on far smaller vocal ensembles than this.


Matt

[Remoteness]

As of late, more and more choir directors and producers want individual mics for their (ringer) main vocalists within the choir.

We would mic the main choir as per our normal set-up, but add anywhere from 8 to 16 additional mics and stands for key singers which then get blended into the choir sound spread.

It's kind-of a standard for us these days.

[locutus]

Originally Posted by Remoteness

As of late, more and more choir directors and producers want individual mics for their (ringer) main vocalists within the choir.

This seems to contradict the other trend we have also been discussing, with directors, etc. refusing to allow stands. 16 individual mics in addition to normal 2-6 mic choral mains, would make for a lot of stands. You aren't talking handhelds are you?
16 individual mics really seems to move away from a choral aesthetic.

[Remoteness]

I do a fair amount of Black Gospel recordings...

I have noticed that these church folk totally understand the dynamic of recording a choir properly even when a live video is also on hand.

Mic stands are part of the capture, just like camera stands are for video and light stands are for lighting.

We usually use straight stands for the "group" or "P&W" vocals, so IMO it is not too ugly looking.

Anyway, I'm just letting you folks know what's the word from my side of the table.
I place mic stands where I feel they will do the best for the recording.
If the mic stands must be moved, and the alternate placement sacrifices the sound, I make sure the client signs off on it before we move on.

[Roland]

Originally Posted by locutus

This seems to contradict the other trend we have also been discussing, with directors, etc. refusing to allow stands. 16 individual mics in addition to normal 2-6 mic choral mains, would make for a lot of stands. You aren't talking handhelds are you?
16 individual mics really seems to move away from a choral aesthetic.

I think the mic stand thing more pertains to "classical" set-up's, in the above clip it looks likely that it is being used for sound re-enforcement as well as the recording. When the client wants it there is never any objection!

Regards


Roland

[locutus]

Originally Posted by Roland

I think the mic stand thing more pertains to "classical" set-up's...

Certainly. The term "choir" can have a wide variety of contexts. I guess I presumed a context, probably based on whatever my most recent encounter was.
The expectations for live music continue to move in unrealistic directions. To the point where I wouldn't be suprised to have a classical choir director demand both to have a dozen spot mics and refuse to have visible stands.
I thought maybe Remoteness had a brilliant trans-dimensional solution, but once again plain common sense prevails. Thanks for the clarification.