| Making a successful recording of a choir whether it's | | | | that there is adequate power. Old churches can |
| a large male voice choir or small children's choir, | | | | sound ok but they can be very cold places in winter |
| depends on a number of crucial factors. Before I | | | | and remember it gets too dark to read music by 3 |
| begin I want to clear up a couple of common | | | | pm in winter.( I live in Yorkshire) Access used to be a |
| misunderstandings. Firstly you cannot make a | | | | problem for the mobile recording studio but today we |
| successful recording of a choir in a conventional | | | | can get a virtual recording studio on a laptop and |
| recording studio unless its got some huge live | | | | running cables to an outside van are pretty much a |
| recording rooms or is built specifically for the purpose | | | | thing of the past. but some old churches still don't |
| like Abbey road studios in London. 99 % of | | | | have mains power sockets in the nave or chancel. |
| commercial studios have small acoustically dead | | | | School Halls |
| rooms primarily for recording electric instruments. This | | | | I have made many recordings in school halls and not |
| brings us to the next great fallacy that for a room to | | | | just of school choirs. They are a good local asset and |
| be good acoustically for recording it must be flat or | | | | some school halls can sound pretty good, They |
| dead sounding with little or no ambience. This is | | | | usually share one of the most important |
| wrong. The room is your friend and the following | | | | characteristics of a good sounding venue in that they |
| article will describe what to look for when choosing a | | | | generally have a high pitched ceiling which is great for |
| good venue for recording your choir. I know because | | | | blending the sound. Quite often schools can have a |
| I have been recording choirs, orchestras and brass | | | | very nice piano and in East Riding schools I know of |
| bands for the past 20 years. | | | | three Bluthner grands, two Bechsteins, a really nice |
| To get a successful recording the best start is to | | | | Richard Lipp and a beautifully restored 7 foot Ibach . |
| search for mobile recording studios or location audio | | | | On the other hand some schools have unplayable old |
| recording in your area as these guys will be used to | | | | uprights but you can still use the venue, just bring |
| dealing with large musical groups in big ambient | | | | along your own digital Roland or Yamaha piano. |
| spaces such as town halls, churches etc. Go for | | | | 2. Preparation |
| someone with lots of experience as anyone can turn | | | | The second vital element in getting a decent |
| up with a couple of cheap mics and a laptop. | | | | recording is the preparation of the choir. |
| Location sound recording or mobile audio recording | | | | Being prepared has not only served the boy scouts |
| has its own set of rules and problems that set it | | | | well but is an invaluable piece of advice when it |
| apart from more conventional studio recording but | | | | comes to the recording session. By the day of the |
| fortunately it has one huge advantage over recording | | | | recording the choir needs to be ready to give a |
| in a studio and that is size. Live concert recording is | | | | great performance and it doesn't matter what level |
| always done in a large good sounding venue and no | | | | of accomplishment the choir is, if it is rehearsed and |
| matter what they say, size does matter and | | | | positive you can make a nice recording. This means |
| amazingly things can even be too big! | | | | organising a schedule of rehearsal running up to the |
| The whole point of location sound recording is to | | | | date of the recording so that by the day of the |
| enable a large ensemble like a choir, orchestra or | | | | recording everyone is ready. Recording sessions are |
| brass band to create a blend of the direct sound of | | | | expensive and really shouldn't be used for rehearsal |
| the group with the natural ambience or acoustics of | | | | purposes. |
| the venue. | | | | It can be a big decision to make a recording but |
| With this in mind there are really 3 separate elements | | | | there are a number of useful tips to make sure that |
| that all contribute to the finished sound of any mobile | | | | the day of the recording is a pleasant and successful |
| recording; Choice of venue, the preparation of the | | | | experience. |
| choir, and the skill and experience of the engineer. | | | | Firstly you need to look carefully at the choice of |
| Get all three of those things right and you will have a | | | | material you want to record. Always choose material |
| great sounding recording. | | | | that you know you can do well rather than |
| 1. Location | | | | attempting material that is beyond your standard. Its |
| The choice of location or venue really is a critical | | | | far better to have all the material of a good standard |
| factor in determining what the final recording will | | | | and remember your rivals will always want to hear a |
| sound like. All venues large and small have their own | | | | bad performance! |
| unique acoustic properties that interact with the | | | | Just because a CD can hold 75 minutes of music |
| performance of the musicians and some concert halls | | | | don't think that you have to fill it. |
| become famous for their great sound whilst others | | | | Decide on anything up to 15 pieces that you are |
| achieve notoriety for theirs'. | | | | confident with. A running time of anything around 45 |
| However its not to say that you have to hire a | | | | minutes to an hour is fine and even if you are |
| famous concert hall for a great recording and over | | | | wonderful after an hour the listener will want a |
| the years I have made some very fine sounding | | | | change. |
| recordings in local Methodist chapels, old churches, | | | | Choose a variety of material with some light and |
| village halls and even school halls can sound very | | | | shade so that there are different moods on the CD |
| good. As a rule of thumb you really can say that if | | | | unless of course it is your intention to produce a CD |
| the hall sounds good to sing or play in then chances | | | | of hymns or songs from the shows. |
| are it will also be a good venue for a location sound | | | | I can't stress enough the importance of the venue |
| recording. Generally with a choir you really need a | | | | and if you can do so, get a rehearsal in there so |
| space that will comfortably fit everyone in 4 or 5 | | | | there are no surprises on the day of the recording.. |
| times and with a fairly high ceiling. This space then | | | | When a choir starts singing it resonates in the room |
| begins to work for the recording, blending the voices | | | | and I have had all kinds of strange vibrations from |
| into an overall sound so that no individual parts stick | | | | buzzing light fittings and roof panels to loose window |
| out. Of course, sadly people don't come with a | | | | panes rattling in sympathy! |
| volume control and occasionally there is someone | | | | Oh and finally did I mention Practice, practice, |
| who gets to be heard above everyone else and this | | | | practice. |
| is where the recording engineer and the musical | | | | 3. The recording Engineer |
| director have a discreet word! | | | | Mobile recording really does have its own set of rules |
| Churches | | | | and I know from experience that often, really good |
| Some churches really are too big and can have a | | | | studio engineers have a difficult time with location |
| massive reverb that washes over everything though | | | | recording because they haven't got the experience |
| of course some religious music is written specifically | | | | of recording in large rooms. Experience gives you |
| for this type of location.. I have made many mobile | | | | confidence and I know that as in most jobs, you not |
| recordings in old medieval churches over the years | | | | only have to be good at your discipline you also have |
| and while they are great in that they are often the | | | | to be good at managing people. This is really true of |
| largest and least expensive venue you can get they | | | | handling a recording session with a choir of 30 or 40 |
| do have a number of things to look out for. The first | | | | people! So the engineer has to have experience in |
| is the natural reverb of the church. Whenever I walk | | | | location recording but also he needs to have some |
| into a venue for the first time I always check out | | | | pretty good equipment to make a good recording of |
| the natural reverb by making a single loud clap and | | | | a choir. Choirs inherently have a huge dynamic range |
| listening and counting for the reverb to die away. | | | | and some quality microphones are an absolute first |
| Most old churches have a nice smooth reverb | | | | starting point when considering making a recording of |
| between 2 and 3 seconds but some large churches, | | | | a choir. There are a number of different stereo |
| Minsters and Cathedrals can have huge reverbs that | | | | recording conventions that different engineers favour |
| can be a real problem. Some also have strange flutter | | | | but essentially you are looking to produce a stereo |
| echoes because of their layout where the sound | | | | picture of the choir so that you can hear the |
| bounces back directly off a wall making a repeat. | | | | different sections but not necessarily the individual |
| Other things to remember are that in winter | | | | singers. You also need to be able to effectively |
| churches can be very cold places and often have | | | | balance the accompaniment with the choir and so I |
| very little light on a Decembers afternoon. Methodist | | | | tend to mic up the piano and record it onto its own |
| chapels are often a pretty good size and can have | | | | track. That way you can get the best positions of |
| really nice acoustics but really avoid chapels or any | | | | the choir and the piano and if necessary bring up the |
| buildings with dome roofs as they can be a nightmare | | | | level of the piano at the mix back in the studio. |
| acoustically. | | | | In the next article I will be looking at the nuts and |
| Try to find a place that is not on a busy road as | | | | bolts of the recording session, the microphones and |
| traffic noise is a real problem along with the | | | | recording platform as well as talking about digital |
| occasional ambulance or motorbike. Make sure that | | | | editing and post production. |
| you can get facilities for a drink in rest periods and | | | | |