Microphones - aight, dumb question

[soundop]

ok, so its time for my schools talent show, and we just bought two sm94s, that are friggin awsome, any way we have an accepella group preforming, and there hard to hear in the back of the house, so on top of a solo mic i was thinking of putting the sm94s, or two sm58s on the outter front corners of the group, our auditorium does have oh mics but there crap, they only work for listening to my crews conversations when im in the boost (heh heh heh also gave me blackmail capablities) any way whats a better option for micing them

[themuzicman]

With the SM94's, your best bet is to get them on mic stands, and get them above the group a bit, trying to record that sound. Instrument mics are generally used best in a one on one setting, or in front and above the band.

If you have any hanging mics, they'd be better suited to this application, but other than that, this will work.

[lieperjp]

Don't really know if this is the correct application for the SM94, but here goes:

We have three pairs of SM94s that we regularly use for recording choirs, bands, etc. These are our third choice, as we have some very nice AT mics and also some great shotgun mics which we use before the 94's. Anyways... when we use them we usually place them about 20-25 feet in front of the audience on huge tripod boom stands. Note: the base is on the floor while the choir is on bleachers on a three foot high stage. I try to aim them around the middle of the choir, our TD aims for the top row. This provides an even mix of the choir without any voices sticking out. We put them in an XY pattern as well.

Otherwise, if the choir is on the floor (not on risers at all) we put the mics up very high, about 8 feet off the floor, and place the mics about 15 feet in front of the choir, also in an XY pattern. This also gives us a good, even sound.

Again, not an expert in sound, just sharing what works for us.

[mixmaster]

A Capella group, as in a choir, or as in 4 or 5 people?

If a choir, in front of the front row, pointed at the middle row. If the mics are close to the choir, you tend to hear more individual voices, but as you move back, you will pick up more ambient noise. I find the best balance is about 3 feet out, but that will also vary with the mic, I've not used the 94s in that situation. Mind the 3 to 1 rule, and you may find that the mics need to be placed closer to the Basses and Tenors, since the sopranos and altos tend to be louder.

If a small group, put the 94s back in the case. Have them stand in a semi-circle and put two vocal mics on the same stand in the middle. Point them at least 90 degrees apart, and pan slightly opposite in the mains. Let them blend themselves.

My two cents
Matt

[giwiens]

I really agree with mixmaster's post. This is the way I would do it. This method has been used in many situations and works well. Don't be afraid to move the mics back and forth a few inches during sound check and then mark on the stage where you want both the mics and the singers.