Church Chorus Recording

[G cubed]

Ok, so yesteday I entered my first post. And like a used rubber discarded on a busy sidewalk it may have sparked some intrest, but no one's goona touch it. Time to move on on to another. I hope I'm in the right forum for this, it's a bit about da biz. Next week I'm driving out to my sister's in Pgh for Thanksgiving weekend. While out there I've been asked to record her church's chorus. Sounds simple, but here's my situation. The church is undergoing alot of renovation and space is limited. We can't used the main chapel because it's booked solid. We may be able to use a rec room in the basement, but we'll have to see if it's been filled with furniture during construction. Now, here's my M.O. The chorus consists of 8-12 people (depending on the time we arrange to get together) vox only. My space for equitment transportation is limited so what I'm taking is a mackie 1202vlz which I'm piping into soundforge 8 on a laptop. My main concern is mic arrangement. I've been playing around with a trio of AKG
d3800s on a Decca Tree I've thrown together. I kept the dimensions at 2m L to R and 1.5m out from ctr. The sound is good but, I don't know if it will physically fit the room we're recording in. My other choice is to run a SM-58 with an AT 4073 set back in an OH position while trying to set the chorus in a semicircle. I'm trying to set up the opportunity to get the best results I can, when I find out the finer details of the situation I'm getting myself into. I'd like to be able to burn a master to leave for my sister for dupe and dist. So, any takers out there? I'd really appreciate any advice based on the details I've given.

[Tim Halligan]

G,

You might have noticed that this thread is quite old, and so only gets added to sporadically...

...and really, we're not going to jump on your throat for expressing an opinion...

...but you should probably start a seperate thread for your question...or beg one of the mods to move this for you...so that greater minds than mine can be brought to bear on your problem. :D

Still...if it were me, I wouldn't be using live supercards in a Decca tree...hell...I don't think using anything other than omni LDC's even qualifies as a Decca tree.

:Roll eyes:

I'm also not clear on what you are trying to achieve with the 58/AT combo...

Can you rent or borrow another AT and go either AB or XY?

Is stereo demanded in this instance?

I mean, 8-12 people in a smallish room...I'd just arrange them in a semi-circle around the one mic - the AT - and go for it.

It's a favour right?

I can see that you want to do a good job...but I think you're over-thinking this. :lol:

The K.I.S.S. principle applies...

Hope this helps.

Welcome.

Cheers,
Tim

[clicktrack]

Hey, G-to-the-third-power..

Tim's right...your question flew totally under the radar since it was lumped in to the Favourite Live Albums thread. I've moved it out under its own thread so that you get some more visibility.

No used rubbers lyin' round these parts!



Welcome, dude....we're glad you're here. Hang tight and you'll get some answers.

Cheers
Click

[pounce]

the room and the mics is what this will be all about for you. jeez, if they could be in a good space like the main chapel would make your job a lot simpler. some omni's or a nice LDC come to mind right away, making it work with the mics you've mentioned is a little trickier.

[G cubed]

Hey folks, Thanks for getting back to me on this one.
You know Tim hit the nail right on the head when he reminded me to apply The K.I.S.S. principle. With all the confusion and my unfamiliarity with the specific situation I tended to try over thinking. Anyway, I'm just gonna grab a couple SM-58's and fly by the seat of my pants. This isn't a professional gig, it's pretty much just a favor. The church would love to release a cd of Christmas carols for fund raising purposes and I'm confident that whatever I leave them will be fine. Once again, thanks for you're quick attention and replies. I've been checking this site now for about 8 months and I'm quite entertained as well as impressed with the posts. I'm a little on the retarded side when it comes to working an interactive web site, this is the first one I've participated in. So, please bear with my inabilities in cyber speak execution.

[bunnerabb]

Paging Dr. Bob.


Paging Dr. Bob.

[Brendo]

what are the mics you have access to again?

i wonder if a wide-ass ORTF wouldn't do it. but then that leaves a hole up the guts, so a mini "decca tree" would probably work... a triangle.

honestly though, a regular ORTF? ~120 degrees between the mic bodies, mic capsules pointing out, 17 cm apart. like this:

\ /

i wouldn't even try to doubletrack them or anything silly.

also, dont bother with headphones. if they must sing to something, place a pair of speakers wired in mono with one out of phase behind the mics and turn it down as low as is still useful for the choir.... but didnt you say, all acapella?

i would give ORTF a go with a pair of anything... preferably not 58's but if its all you've got, go with it.

(been recording my church's choirs for something like 3 years now, everything from a group as small as 4 all the way up to a 100 piece choir recorded in surround in a big old hall)

[G cubed]

Hey Brendo, Thanks for the get back...unfortunately I'm not going to be able to record in the chapel. More than likely it's going to end up in an office or small room during one of the choirs practices. I've never seen the place so, I don't know what to expect. It'll be a small group (8-12), and they're acapella, so I'm going to get them in a formation around the pair of 58's. I'll try diffrent mic arrangements and see what I can come up with. Your ORTF seems good. Thanks for the tech info concerning placement. I do have a good git buddy out that way, so I may be able to get hold of some diffrent mics. What would you reccomend for this scenerio?

[G cubed]

Alright, so here it is. After the trials and tribulations of 2 weeks ago. Thanks to those of you who gave me words of advice. Let me know what you all think.