Gospel choir
- Sources
- 32 independent: not from a mic maker
What it is
A church or concert choir singing gospel music. Traditional Black gospel grew from call-and-response hymns with hand-clapping and foot-stomping, mostly unaccompanied at first (Wikipedia, Gospel music).6
Where the sound comes from
- voices: Many incoherent voices whose intensities add; a few loud voices dominate fortissimo.4
Layout
- Rows on risers or steps, in a rectangle or wedge of three or more rows; the aim is that every singer is about the same distance from the mics, so a semicircle in a studio.
- Singers with shoulders lightly touching, the better singers in the centre.
- If singers stand by height, many low voices end up at the back and their low end is lost on distant mics.7,8,9
How loud
Sound pressure level measurements as published. Different kinds of figure (a playing level, a peak, a dose at the player's ear) can't be compared with each other, and neither can figures at different distances.
| Playing level | |
|---|---|
| 50–90 dB | at 20 m; 64-voice ensemble, model: about 90 dB at high frequencies at maximum, about 50 dB at low frequencies at minimum4 |
| Dynamic range | |
Nothing. The university choir figures above are for a classical programme.
Recording it
- Main pair above and behind the conductor, high enough that the rows are equidistant; 3-4 m high in one engineer's practice, raised before it is moved back if the sound is too dry.
- Pairs: X-Y (mono compatible, good for overdubs), ORTF (wider, 'more pleasing with unaccompanied choir'), spaced omnis from about 0.9 m apart, three mics left-centre-right for a deep block, or M/S.
- Err towards too close: reverb can be added later, not removed. The higher and further back the pair, the more room.
- Spot mics per section 0.9-1.2 m away and about 0.3 m above head height; delay the spots to match the main pair.
- Flip the polarity of one channel of each pair to check for cancellation.8,10,11,12,13,14
Mics
- 7 setups from 3 sources, 2 of them independent of any mic maker.
- On top: the mics more than one source names for this instrument, in any role, the most named first. That is a count of sources, not our verdict.
- Few independent sources so far, so the full list shows no counts.
No mic is named by more than one source yet: each names its own.
All the mics sources name, by setting and role (8)
Studio and stage
The 4 setups behind this: placement and quotes
- Close 2 × X/Y cardioid pairpair, X/Y in front of a small-to-medium choir; on a flat floor raised high enough to see the back rows
"Phase problems are largely eliminated with the X-Y arrangement, and we achieve a nice stereo image"; "In gospel, the choir is arguably the most important element of the whole mix"
1 - Close Shure SM58close, one per singer for a very small choir of about 12
"if you have a very small choir of say, 12 people, and you have enough SM58s to close-mic each person" - by all means do (paraphrase)
1 - Close section micsarea, one mic per section (S, A, T, B) when the director groups singers by part, blended at FOH
"We might consider a mic for each section, to be blended by the FOH mixer"
1 - Handheld handheld soloist michandheld, soloist steps downstage to a separate handheld
Soloist uses "typically a handheld mic that can be held or left on its stand"
1
On stage
The 2 setups behind this: placement and quotes
- Handheld DPA d:facto 4018 or Shure KSM9 or Audix OM7 or Neumann KMS 104soloist, handheld (often wireless)
Article is for choirs "with traditional or gospel musical styles"; soloists should have their own mics (paraphrase).
2 - Area 2 × Neumann KM 184stand-mounted pair in front of choir
Article is for choirs "with traditional or gospel musical styles"; KM184 pair for X-Y (paraphrase).
2
Studio
The 1 setup behind this: placement and quotes
- Main pair or array Choir advice Royer SF-24 or Royer SF-12stereo pair for vocal groups
"The SF12 and SF-24 are especially useful for recording vocal groups in stereo."
3
Advised against
- Close 2 × omnidirectional micspair, omnis for choir reinforcement
"omnis are going to present problems in terms of phase and gain before feedback"
1
On stage
No gospel-specific source found. Guitar Center writes for choirs "with traditional or gospel musical styles": stand-mounted small-diaphragm pair (Neumann KM 184, Audix MicroBoom, Shure SM81, DPA 4097), or overheads (DPA 4097, Audix ADX40W, Shure MX 202), plus handheld mics for the soloists, who are usually mixed above the choir. Recording Magazine notes gospel choirs add energy to pop and rock tracks. Expect clapping and stomping noise and drums or organ on stage: bleed, not a mic choice, is the problem (my inference; no source).2,8
Problems to watch
Sources
- FOH Front of House: Miking Choirs (John McJunkin, Sound Sanctuary column, Jul 2022)
- Guitar Center: How to Mic a Choir
- Royer Labs FAQ: Which Royer mic would you recommend for recording vocals?
- Titze and Maxfield: choir dynamic range model (JASA 142(4), 2464-2468)
- Katz and d'Alessandro: voice directivity measurements (ICA 2007)
- Wikipedia, Gospel music
- SoundPro: How To Mic a Choir, Best Mics & Placement Tips
- Recording Magazine: Choir Recording And A Primer On Mid/Side
- ProSoundWeb: Choir Mic Techniques, Rising To The Challenge
- DV Info Net forum: Audio Micing Church Choir
- Sound On Sound: Session Notes, Recording A Choir
- Sound On Sound: Q. What kind of mic setup should I use to record a choir?
- Production Expert: Capturing Choral Charisma, Part 3 of 3
- DPA Mic University: How to mic a choir