Some of these points are hugely important, like the sound check and sound engineer! Thanks to you I have a checklist now. The octave switch is something new to me, it could really make a difference
Thank you; happy to hear that it was useful! Yes, the octave switch can be a lot of fun if appropriate, and since true bass singers are rare, it allows for deep notes even for mid range singers! 😀
Very much agreed with your last "if it works acoustically it works with mics." I always feel like in groups where everyone has individual mics it's so easy to lose group sense & hearing across the parts. Makes each singer focus too much on themself and forget about blending etc
Yes, using microphones in a way that supports and improves the music takes work! With acoustic performances we have the advantage of centuries of acoustic spaces being perfected, whereas with microphones we're still kind of figuring it out, unfortunately. However, this can be quite exciting too; who knows how we'll improve on them in the next hundred years? :-)
What's your take on positioning small-medium ensembles (choir) around dynamic microphones which are most common at venues. Say 6S 5A 2T 2B - to give a realistic picture of attendance :P
I'm guessing that you'll have access to fewer microphones than singers in this case? Most commonly when I've performed like this, we've had two singers per mic, mostly because it's really hard to fit more people around one, and you have to get pretty up close! I'd probably not mix voice parts on the microphones since the sound engineer will have to balance the parts, and if there's a tenor and bass sharing a mic it'll be harder to balance, but two tenors will make it easier. Ideally you'd have one mic each and the sound engineer will (should) take care of balancing, but realistically you'd have three sets of sops sharing, two sets of altos with one either attempting to make a trio or having their own mic, and one each for the tenors and basses. Commonly with London Contemporary Voices, when there's a lot of singers, we'll use overhead mics for the general choir, maybe four or eight so there's one/two per section, but doubling this with eight close dynamic mics in front for two members of each section (so one S1, one S2, one A1, one A2 and so on) to mix in with the overall choir sound and give the engineer some options for balancing. This will be more suitable for a larger group if there's equipment available 😉 I hope that's helpful!
@@KnutsMusic The two per dynamic mic is a better option, in the past 3 per mic has not worked very well imo since the middle person is mostly heard, and the voices spread across mics do not hear each other too well. The overhead+dynamic is interesting.. overheads are condenser, I presume?
It depends on what the sound engineer has/prefers; they can be any type, really, but if the sound is being amplified into the audience (which is probably the case expect if it's for a recording session), then the polar pattern and positioning of the mics will be important so there's no/minimal feedback. That being said, I'm not an expert in this field so an actual sound engineer might have some more specific preferences and advice when it comes to overheads! 😉
Some of these points are hugely important, like the sound check and sound engineer! Thanks to you I have a checklist now. The octave switch is something new to me, it could really make a difference
Thank you; happy to hear that it was useful! Yes, the octave switch can be a lot of fun if appropriate, and since true bass singers are rare, it allows for deep notes even for mid range singers! 😀
Very much agreed with your last "if it works acoustically it works with mics." I always feel like in groups where everyone has individual mics it's so easy to lose group sense & hearing across the parts. Makes each singer focus too much on themself and forget about blending etc
Yes, using microphones in a way that supports and improves the music takes work! With acoustic performances we have the advantage of centuries of acoustic spaces being perfected, whereas with microphones we're still kind of figuring it out, unfortunately. However, this can be quite exciting too; who knows how we'll improve on them in the next hundred years? :-)
What's your take on positioning small-medium ensembles (choir) around dynamic microphones which are most common at venues. Say 6S 5A 2T 2B - to give a realistic picture of attendance :P
I'm guessing that you'll have access to fewer microphones than singers in this case? Most commonly when I've performed like this, we've had two singers per mic, mostly because it's really hard to fit more people around one, and you have to get pretty up close! I'd probably not mix voice parts on the microphones since the sound engineer will have to balance the parts, and if there's a tenor and bass sharing a mic it'll be harder to balance, but two tenors will make it easier. Ideally you'd have one mic each and the sound engineer will (should) take care of balancing, but realistically you'd have three sets of sops sharing, two sets of altos with one either attempting to make a trio or having their own mic, and one each for the tenors and basses.
Commonly with London Contemporary Voices, when there's a lot of singers, we'll use overhead mics for the general choir, maybe four or eight so there's one/two per section, but doubling this with eight close dynamic mics in front for two members of each section (so one S1, one S2, one A1, one A2 and so on) to mix in with the overall choir sound and give the engineer some options for balancing. This will be more suitable for a larger group if there's equipment available 😉 I hope that's helpful!
@@KnutsMusic The two per dynamic mic is a better option, in the past 3 per mic has not worked very well imo since the middle person is mostly heard, and the voices spread across mics do not hear each other too well.
The overhead+dynamic is interesting.. overheads are condenser, I presume?
It depends on what the sound engineer has/prefers; they can be any type, really, but if the sound is being amplified into the audience (which is probably the case expect if it's for a recording session), then the polar pattern and positioning of the mics will be important so there's no/minimal feedback. That being said, I'm not an expert in this field so an actual sound engineer might have some more specific preferences and advice when it comes to overheads! 😉
You're not a beat boxer? I'm shocked!
I know, and I have so much street cred too 😂