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Get quick tips and tricks for achieving the best sound
Choir Miking in Worship: A Standard Approach
By Kent Margraves, Sennheiser
If you've ever had to mic up a choir in a worship sound reinforcement setting, you already know it's one of the
tougher challenges in live sound, particularly when other loud sound sources are sharing the stage. But there are
a number of good guidelines for the sound tech seeking successful choir reinforcement. Let's discuss them.
First:
- Use condensers.
- Use cardioids.
If the choir is on common risers or steps, try these placement tips:
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Use one mic for approximately every 12-18 choir members. Start approximately one-half to 2 feet higher than the
back row heads, and 2 to 2 ½ feet out from the front row, aiming the microphone axes at the mouths of the back row
or slightly lower.
Stop here if you simply needed the microphone choice and placement suggestions above. Read on for more detail on
this application.
The vast majority of pros use condensers for choir reinforcement, as opposed to dynamics or ribbons. As for
directional characteristics, cardioids are the common choice. We can aim them at the choir and point their nulls
(back side, least sensitivity) at the sounds we don't want to hear (loudspeakers, other stage sounds, etc.). So,
cardioid condensers it is. There are many to choose from, at many qualities and price points. Use the very best
you can get your hands on.
Whether hanging or placing the mics on floor stands, the ideal location and orientation are the same. And, the
finest choir mics on the planet just won't work if they are not positioned well. There is also no perfect mic
placement that works for every choir environment. But for choirs on typical steps or risers, here are some well
proven techniques:
Height:
One half to 2 feet higher than the heads of the back row singers. Carefully raising the mics higher can put each
member closer to equidistant from the mics, allowing a more natural blend.
Tilt:
Try pointing the mics' axes at the mouths of the top row singers or slightly lower.
Number of mics:
Careful here, less may be more! A 15+ voice choir or so in a reasonable sound reinforcement environment can do well
with one cardioid condenser. Use two or three for choirs of roughly 30-50 voices. Over-miking choir is an easy
error and bad sound quality is the result. If more than one mic is involved, they should never be near each other
(see 3:1 rule below), and should be spaced across the choir.
Working distance:
Start two or two and one half feet from the front row. As the mics get closer, they hear fewer voices (the ones
right in front of them) and bring a somewhat dryer, smaller group sound. When they are farther away, they hear
more of a large group sound, but at some working distance they won't allow enough gain-before-feedback in the PA.
If we are seeking a traditional choral sound, we may lean toward the slightly more distant/higher position (within
the limits of available gain-before-feedback). If we are going for more of a pop, tight backing choir sort of
sound, it's OK to work closer for extra "punch." And as we do we may even slightly increase the number of mics
used (because the closer mics effectively hear fewer voices). These varied working distances create dramatically
different sonic results, all of which may be appropriate (or not) for the application—experimentation is
recommended.
The above tips are not hard and fast rules. Finding the ideal number and location for each environment requires
practice and experience. Equally important is an understanding of the musical style and intended effect. Standing,
moving about, and listening right in front of the choir during rehearsal or sound check can help discover useful
placement. And routing the choir mics into a wireless personal monitor system (one at a time) to audition while
moving the mic through various placements is extremely useful!
Choir Miking and the 3:1 Rule
If you're familiar with the popular 3:1 rule for microphones, you may be concerned about the common choir miking
technique discussed above. That rule-of-thumb for the minimum spacing of multiple mics is designed to minimize
nasty sounding comb filtering by making it unlikely that any sound source (choir voices, in this case) is heard
in multiple mics at usable levels. The rule says that whatever the distance is between a source and its mic, no
other mic shall be within a minimum of three times that distance (from the first mic). If we follow that rule,
and a sound still gets into a second (or third) mic than the intended one, at least its level in these additional
mics will be greatly diminished (by theoretically 10 dB or more when observing the 3:1 rule). Otherwise, if two or
more microphones are positioned in a way that allows them to hear the same source (especially at distances that
differ by just a few inches or feet), audible comb filtering may occur once the mics are mixed together.
The choir members that stand nearer the mid-way point between any two mixed mics will be in a cancellation zone to
some degree. So, this type of choir miking does violate the 3:1 rule for some of the singers. But it's a compromise
that zillions of audio techs accept, or don't realize. The cancellation will be partial, and may sound hollow, but
since only a minority of the voices in certain zones is affected, it is often acceptable and not noticeable.
Sometimes, however, it is audible.
Knowing this, it might be useful to coordinate between the tech and music departments to make wise choices on the
position of choir members, based on talent and experience. Those singers that are near the mid-way point between
the microphones may not be heard quite as clearly. Want to hear or demonstrate this? Have someone talk and walk
from side-to-side in the empty choir area with the mics on, mixed together. You may notice their signal weaken a
bit (and the sound quality will suffer) in these (hopefully small) cancellation zones. The severity varies with
each set-up.
Here are a few choir miking tips in no particular order:
Choir density
Tighten up. Choirs sometimes spread out to fill up an area that is larger than they really require for aesthetic
or other reasons. This is a notable setback for the sound operator trying to achieve plenty of choir in his PA mix. Pushing the singers back closer together, using a smaller total space and potentially fewer microphones can improve choir reinforcement nicely. If modular risers are used, removing one or more end sections can help prevent spreading out and maintain choir density.
Record choir mics
Consider recording just the choir, with no accompaniment, for review purposes. Recording individual choir mics can
reveal things not as obvious during the live event, such as excessive leakage, resonances, reflections, unfortunate
"solos" (placement issues), various musical factors, etc. Recording or reviewing combinations of choir mics can
reveal cancellation effects due to comb filtering.
Recording each mic on a separate track (multi-track record system) is most useful, but recording the choir mics
summed for review is still beneficial. Reviewing any isolated choir recording may lead to decisions that may
improve mic placement.
The clap test
Open the choir mics in the PA at normal level. Convince your choir director to work handclapping into a tune
arrangement during sound check. It will quickly become obvious just how much reinforcement your choir mic layout
is really providing. Certainly, group clapping is naturally loud on its own. If the clapping is not clearly hot in
the PA, the choir miking needs work (type, placement, and/or processing). But if you find that the clapping is
very loud in the PA and the vocals are relatively weak…trust your ears and bring this up with the music department
leadership. You can only amplify what already exists! The cause may be more musical projection than technical.
Choirs do fail to "project" sometimes. If all is working well (including the choir itself), the clapping and
singing should be well reinforced.
No choir mics in the choir monitors
If you're asked to put the choir mics in the choir monitors, respectfully resist. Education is needed. This is an
impractical request, in my opinion. Many choirs rehearse and perform weekly without reinforcement and/or without
monitoring themselves—they learn to listen to each other acoustically.
You've got multiple, sensitive condenser microphones carefully cranked up for absolutely every bit of gain you can
possibly achieve. Placing any amount of in those in nearby choir monitors will quickly decrease stability,
resulting in a hollow sound and probably feedback before a usable monitoring level is achieved. It's a recipe for
bad sound. Don't do it!
If the choir members really cannot hear each other as a group, find out why. Consider reducing exceptionally loud
nearby sounds (turn down the monitor mix, reposition a drum kit further away, etc.). Or consider their acoustic
environment: group singing benefits from very quick (really small fractions of a second) reflections from nearby
surfaces, like hard flooring and walls. A lack of these elements is an inferior choral environment. If the choir
can comfortably hear themselves a capella (without accompaniment) their environment is probably OK. If not, a
qualified acoustician may be employed to investigate the choir's immediate surroundings for possible optimization.
Removing carpet and revealing hard flooring has provided a quick improvement in more than one instance in my
experience.
* See "Lose the Feedback" for a discussion on extending gain-before-feedback in choir
reinforcement.
Other Tips & Tricks Topics:
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Testimonials
What worship ministries are saying about Sennheiser...
"I also would like to thank you and Sennheiser for not only your assistance with the whole TVBD fiasco, but your support of the H.O.W. market in general. It is truly remarkable these days to have a manufacturer of the size of Sennheiser that allows its personnel to interact with the end-user not only through outlets such as CSC, but the rapid personal response to crazy tech guys like me! It is why I can recommend using your products so readily."
"I also would like to thank you and Sennheiser for not only your assistance with the whole TVBD fiasco, but your support of the H.O.W. market in general. It is truly remarkable these days to have a manufacturer of the size of Sennheiser that allows its personnel to interact with the end-user not only through outlets such as CSC, but the rapid personal response to crazy tech guys like me! It is why I can recommend using your products so readily."
Jay Ballard, Director of Technical Ministries, First Baptist Church of Plant City, Florida