Group Capture: Success With Choirs & Other Large Vocal Ensembles

An excellent method to capture a choir is with small, suspended mics such as the Countryman Isomax 2, Earthworks C30, and UniLine and Pro Series from Audio-Technica. They’re typically hung from rigging over a stage, positioned above and slightly in front of the group.

If overhead rigging isn’t available, try stringing a thin wire rope (i.e., piano wire) between two stage walls, making the wire taught with a turnbuckle. Suspend the mics from the wire and then optimize their positioning.

However, be sure to get permission from the venue before doing this, along with having a qualified person install the wire.

Although it may not always be feasible, suspending mics above the ensemble can be very effective. (Courtesy of Countryman)

Making It Work

We’ve done several shows involving choirs where floor stands weren’t desired because they would interfere with camera shots, and meanwhile, overhead rigging wasn’t available. These situations were overcome with a couple of creative approaches.

The first involved boundary mics, in our case a combination of Crown (now AKG) PCC160s joined by a couple of Audio-Technica AT871Rs placed on the floor a few feet in front of the group. It worked well, but in rehearsals, we discovered the need to carpet the risers because the mics picked up the choir’s shoe noises. We also had to reposition the bass singers more to the front so they were closer to the mics while also moving the sopranos toward the back to even things out.

Another creative technique involves the use of several SM58s placed on desk stands in front of the choir but out of the view of the cameras, joined by few shotgun mics on stands to the sides of the choir (also out of frame). Again, the choir sections might need to be moved around to balance things out.

Soloists can be individually miked with headset/earset mics (a Countryman H6 in this case) to better capture their voices. (Courtesy of Countryman)

For smaller ensembles, consider giving all members their own mics. They can be wired or wireless handhelds, or headsets/earsets and lavaliers. We frequently work with a 10-member ensemble and have found that it’s easier to equip all of them with headsets, especially because they also dance and generally move around quite a bit during performances. Clear medical tape helps hold the mics in place, while clips keep the cables from flopping around.

With this particular group we utilize Countryman E6 headworn cardioid mics with a stated maximum SPL of 136 dB, so they’re not going to distort even if somebody sings too loud. Point Source Audio, DPA, and several others provide directional headworn options also designed to handle high SPL levels.

A technique we’ve also employed with ensembles is to group two to four singers around a dynamic vocal mic on a stand. A key with this is placing people of similar height near each mic and adjusting the stand to fit.

Another is placing similar style singers next to each mic (like louder sopranos, softer altos, etc.) so the mic can be adjusted for the group as a whole.

The Earthworks C30 is another option when the choice is to put mics in the air.

With a little pre-planning and switching people around at sound check, this technique can work great. An added benefit is that soloists need only to lean into the mic. It’s proven to be particularly effective with school ensembles where students are showcased with solos on almost every song.

When In Doubt, Innovate

A colleague has come up with a nifty approach for his church choir. The sanctuary has a very high ceiling with no rigging points, and the church doesn’t want to hang mics, especially if it’s a wire rope screwed into the ornate woodwork walls and ceilings. At the same time, the church has stated that they also don’t want a bunch of mics on stands in front of the choir.

His solution? He has 12 channels available for the choir on his console, so a few of them are devoted to shotgun mics deployed in the general area but relatively out of sight. The church also has eight wireless beltpack transmitters that he’s outfitted with omni headset mics. These are placed on the bass singers and others who sing softly.

He then has really strong singers stand next to and right behind those wearing the mics, capturing all of their voices pretty well. This is enhanced by the added input from the shotguns. (The inputs from the headsets are delayed slightly to put them in sync with the inputs from the shotguns.)

While he wants to add a few more headsets to optimize this even further, I’ve heard his choir and they sound fantastic through the PA. It just goes to show that great vocal ensemble sound can be attained in a variety of ways, and don’t hesitate to try a little creativity in the pursuit.