Russian chamber choir recording

victrolasound · 6th November 2009

Ok, here's the deal. I have been commissioned to record a russian chamber choir. 20-25 singers of reasonable quality, some solists. Recording venue is a 19th century medium size church.

What I have available for this

2xKM84
2xGefell M300
2xKM184
4xC414B-XLS (2x matched pair)
1xC414B-TLII
1xNeumann RSM191
DAV BG8 pre
DACS Clarity Pre
Lake People F34 pre
Alesis HD24XR

and what I am thinking of using

main mics. 2x KM84 ORTF(? or M300?) into the DAV
outriggers 2x C414B-XLS in Omni into the DAV
solo 1x C414B-TLII in cardiod (1 meter from soloist) into the DAV
ambience RSM191 in M/S far end of the church into the DACS

Any further recommendations or things to watch??
I usually do close miking vocal groups or jazz bands, so any advise on classical choir recording is certainly appreciated

greeting
Henk

narcoman · 6th November 2009

give yourself choir/ambience options. So outrigger and tree for me. Good idea if you can check on monitors as well as headphones....

Roland · 6th November 2009

Personally I would use the 414XLS's as a stereo pair plus outriggers, the KM84's as an ortf pair in the centre (two centre mic options) and the 184's for the soloists. The TLII's might be a bit bright and "essee", particularly if the soloists are female. Put the Geffels down the room if you want another ambience option, the Neumann shotgun might be a bit too directional/coloured for this.

Regards

Roland

guosh · 7th November 2009

in one thread about choir recording that i started, rich (sonare) pointed out that a choir sound is very different from a vocal sound, in that there is much more blend and balance, and less presence. another thing he noted was that sibilance would be a problem, so mics with high frequency peaks should be avoided.

frankly i'm still learning about choral recording myself, but what i've learnt is that it is important to capture the ambience of the performance as it is an important part. simon eadon's recording of the cambridge singers in 'sacred flame' and arvo part's 'te deum' have become a reference for me when recording choirs

one thing i read from michael dickreiter's 'tonmeister technology' is that the formant between 2800-3000hz is especially important for the timbre of the voice, resulting in overtones that give the sound. regarding placement for the soloist, he recommends that the mic be placed around the height of the sheet music to prevent reflections from the sheet music

all the best!

6th November 2009	#1
victrolasound Gear nut Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 80 Thread Starter	Russian chamber choir recording Ok, here's the deal. I have been commissioned to record a russian chamber choir. 20-25 singers of reasonable quality, some solists. Recording venue is a 19th century medium size church. What I have available for this 2xKM84 2xGefell M300 2xKM184 4xC414B-XLS (2x matched pair) 1xC414B-TLII 1xNeumann RSM191 DAV BG8 pre DACS Clarity Pre Lake People F34 pre Alesis HD24XR and what I am thinking of using main mics. 2x KM84 ORTF(? or M300?) into the DAV outriggers 2x C414B-XLS in Omni into the DAV solo 1x C414B-TLII in cardiod (1 meter from soloist) into the DAV ambience RSM191 in M/S far end of the church into the DACS Any further recommendations or things to watch?? I usually do close miking vocal groups or jazz bands, so any advise on classical choir recording is certainly appreciated greeting Henk

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6th November 2009	#2
narcoman Lives for gear Join Date: May 2007 Location: UK Posts: 9,409	give yourself choir/ambience options. So outrigger and tree for me. Good idea if you can check on monitors as well as headphones....

6th November 2009	#3
Roland Lives for gear Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: St Leonards on Sea, England Posts: 2,068 2 Reviews written	Personally I would use the 414XLS's as a stereo pair plus outriggers, the KM84's as an ortf pair in the centre (two centre mic options) and the 184's for the soloists. The TLII's might be a bit bright and "essee", particularly if the soloists are female. Put the Geffels down the room if you want another ambience option, the Neumann shotgun might be a bit too directional/coloured for this. Regards Roland

7th November 2009	#4
guosh Gear Head Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Singapore Posts: 74	in one thread about choir recording that i started, rich (sonare) pointed out that a choir sound is very different from a vocal sound, in that there is much more blend and balance, and less presence. another thing he noted was that sibilance would be a problem, so mics with high frequency peaks should be avoided. frankly i'm still learning about choral recording myself, but what i've learnt is that it is important to capture the ambience of the performance as it is an important part. simon eadon's recording of the cambridge singers in 'sacred flame' and arvo part's 'te deum' have become a reference for me when recording choirs one thing i read from michael dickreiter's 'tonmeister technology' is that the formant between 2800-3000hz is especially important for the timbre of the voice, resulting in overtones that give the sound. regarding placement for the soloist, he recommends that the mic be placed around the height of the sheet music to prevent reflections from the sheet music all the best!