Recording a Choir Concert: What You Need for a Usable Mix

Choirs and orchestras record their concerts almost every time. What happens to the recording afterwards is another matter – often it goes into the archive and is never played again, because it simply does not sound good enough. That is rarely down to the singers. It is almost always down to how it was recorded. A handful of decisions on the day determine whether a CD can be made from it later.

Why a choir is harder to record than a band

With a band, every instrument has its own microphone, often right beside it or on the instrument itself. A choir works differently: the sound only exists because many voices are heard together in a room. You are not recording individual singers, you are recording an ensemble and the space it stands in.

That makes microphone position more important than microphone quality. A well-placed pair of modest microphones gives a better foundation than expensive microphones in the wrong spot. And unlike a band recording, a poor placement can hardly be compensated for afterwards.

The minimum: a clean main pair

The basis of any choir or orchestra recording is a stereo pair in front of the ensemble, typically two to three metres high and angled slightly downwards. This pair provides the overall picture and will carry most of the mix.

Distance is what decides it. Too close and the recording sounds dry with the front voices overly present. Too far and the reverberation of the room takes over and intelligibility disappears. In a church with a long reverb time the right distance is often considerably shorter than people assume.

Practical tip

If you can, listen back to the recording briefly during the dress rehearsal – on headphones, not through the speakers in the hall. Ten minutes is enough to tell whether the main pair is too close or too far away. After the concert that decision can no longer be corrected.

What helps in addition

Spot microphones for individual sections. One or two extra microphones for basses and tenors, which often disappear in the main pair, give us room to manoeuvre in the mix. They are only blended in, never used as the main source.

Soloists and accompaniment separately. Solo voices, organ, piano or a small instrumental ensemble should have their own microphones. The balance between soloist and choir is the correction we make most often, and without a separate track it is impossible.

Record everything separately. All microphones should go to separate tracks rather than being mixed to a stereo sum during the concert. How this works on the common consoles is covered in our article on getting the tracks off a digital desk.

Record both performances. If a programme is performed twice, record both nights. We can build one version from them and replace individual passages where something went wrong. This only works if the setup stays identical on both evenings.

Common mistakes

The most common mistake is a recording taken from a single room microphone or a camera stand. Almost nothing can be done with that afterwards. Also frequent: levels set too high, so the loud passages distort. In classical music the difference between the quietest and loudest passage is very large – record considerably quieter, since that is easily raised in the mix.

And finally, the audience. Coughing, programme booklets, chairs. Isolated noises can be removed, continuous restlessness cannot. A word before the performance begins helps more than any processing afterwards.

What we do with it

With classical material we work more sparingly than with a band recording. It is not about punch and loudness but about keeping the sections audible, the room natural and the dynamics intact. On request we deliver a finished CD master along with a DDP file the pressing plant can use directly.

In short

Microphone position matters more than microphone quality
A well-placed main pair carries the largest part of the recording
Soloists and accompanying instruments need their own microphones and tracks
Set levels lower – classical music has a very wide dynamic range
With two performances, record both so passages can be exchanged

Common questions

What do you need to record a choir concert?

The basis is a stereo pair in front of the ensemble, roughly two to three metres high and angled slightly downwards. This main pair carries most of the recording. Spot microphones for sections that would otherwise disappear are useful, as are separate microphones for soloists and accompanying instruments such as organ or piano. All microphones should be recorded to separate tracks rather than mixed to a stereo sum during the concert.

Why does our choir concert recording sound dull or washed out?

Usually it comes down to the distance of the main microphone pair. Placed too far from the ensemble, the reverberation of the room takes over and intelligibility is lost. In churches with a long reverb time the correct distance is considerably shorter than most people assume. A recording taken from a single room microphone or a camera stand can hardly be improved afterwards.

Can two performances be combined into one recording?

Yes, this is standard practice for choir and orchestral recordings. If a programme is performed twice, individual passages where something went wrong can be exchanged. The requirement is that the setup, miking and track layout stay identical on both evenings. We then match tone and level across both recordings so that one continuous version results.

Do we get a finished CD master for the pressing plant?

Yes. On request we deliver a CD master including a DDP file that a pressing plant can process directly, with correct gaps, transitions and embedded ISRC codes if required. Alongside it we produce a second master for streaming services, because different loudness requirements apply there.

If you are planning a concert and want to know what matters at the recording stage, just get in touch. Everything on process and pricing is on our page for mixing choir and concert recordings.