Chorus in school musical in tune, but not loud enough in mix

BouncyJones · 27th April 2010

Hi there,

I'm directing a school musical and we did our first show today. Everything went great except for the fact that the chorus is low in the mix.

The soundguy ("should I say acoustic engineer?" I'm not being facetious) has two mics that hang off a bit to the side but they're not picking up much. He doesn't seem to be too concerned about it.

So, let's say we had 200 bucks to spend on renting and using something decent by Thursday evening, what would you go for?

Here's the kind of thing I'm hoping someone will write (in terms of specificity) :

– get a crazy long boom mike and hang it over the stage and use the AKG 4200 as it naturally compresses vocals and will pick up everyone and not just the girl right next to the mic

Thank you for your time. This forum has always been good to me.

mixedupsteve · 27th April 2010

How large is the chorus? Do you want to cover the stage or just a certain area? Hanging choir mics is usually the way to go.

BouncyJones · 27th April 2010

There are 20 to 25 kids in the chorus, but sometimes only 15.

Let's talk hanging choir mics and details!

Sometimes the chorus is spread all over the stage :(

joelpatterson · 28th April 2010

Chorus spread all over stage =(/not) nice pickup and miking possibilities.

If they were in some kind of cluster, I'd hang two Avant CK-1's (with the cardioid caps) right over their precious little heads, not further than 6 or 7 feet away from the furthest singer.

Maybe you can change the blocking for the sake of the audience hearing it?

NorseHorse · 28th April 2010

Sing louder. It's a musical!

WVUtubadude · 28th April 2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by NorseHorse

Sing louder. It's a musical!

Agreed.

I've done musicals with a pair of Isomax IIs and have gotten great results.

mixedupsteve · 28th April 2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by NorseHorse

Sing louder. It's a musical!

Yep!

**Remoteness** · 2nd June 2010

Bouncy, what did you end up doing?

7rojo7 · 3rd June 2010

If it's a small stage, 3 wide cardioids at the lip of the stage, close (1/4") to the floor, if it's a wide stage, 5.

klaukholm · 4th June 2010

It is simpler than that.
I see this every day, conductors fix balance by adding volume to the line that is lost.
every now and then a great conductor comes by and changes balance by reducing everything else to let the line come through.

You have two options that are musically valid,
add more singers or reduce everything else in volume.

27th April 2010	#1
BouncyJones Gear maniac Joined: May 2006 Posts: 181 Thread Starter	Chorus in school musical in tune, but not loud enough in mix Hi there, I'm directing a school musical and we did our first show today. Everything went great except for the fact that the chorus is low in the mix. The soundguy ("should I say acoustic engineer?" I'm not being facetious) has two mics that hang off a bit to the side but they're not picking up much. He doesn't seem to be too concerned about it. So, let's say we had 200 bucks to spend on renting and using something decent by Thursday evening, what would you go for? Here's the kind of thing I'm hoping someone will write (in terms of specificity) : – get a crazy long boom mike and hang it over the stage and use the AKG 4200 as it naturally compresses vocals and will pick up everyone and not just the girl right next to the mic Thank you for your time. This forum has always been good to me.

27th April 2010	#2
mixedupsteve Lives for gear Joined: Dec 2008 Location: Chestertown MD USA Posts: 969	How large is the chorus? Do you want to cover the stage or just a certain area? Hanging choir mics is usually the way to go. __________________ Steve

28th April 2010	#4
joelpatterson Lives for gear Joined: May 2005 Location: Albany, New York Posts: 9,509	Chorus spread all over stage =(/not) nice pickup and miking possibilities. If they were in some kind of cluster, I'd hang two Avant CK-1's (with the cardioid caps) right over their precious little heads, not further than 6 or 7 feet away from the furthest singer. Maybe you can change the blocking for the sake of the audience hearing it? __________________ Mountaintop Studios ~the peak of perfection~ Petersburgh NY 12138 mountaintop@taconic.net www.joelpatterson.us

3rd June 2010	#9
7rojo7 urumita Joined: Nov 2002 Location: Spoleto, Italy Posts: 2,381	If it's a small stage, 3 wide cardioids at the lip of the stage, close (1/4") to the floor, if it's a wide stage, 5. __________________ love and light

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28th April 2010	#5
NorseHorse Lives for gear Joined: Jul 2008 Location: DC Posts: 2,095 2 Reviews written	Sing louder. It's a musical!

2nd June 2010	#8
Remoteness Super Moderator Joined: Aug 2002 Location: NYC Posts: 7,405	Bouncy, what did you end up doing?

4th June 2010	#10
klaukholm Lives for gear Joined: May 2005 Location: EU Posts: 2,431	It is simpler than that. I see this every day, conductors fix balance by adding volume to the line that is lost. every now and then a great conductor comes by and changes balance by reducing everything else to let the line come through. You have two options that are musically valid, add more singers or reduce everything else in volume.

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