How to record a community choir

I travelled to Fife on Tuesday to make recordings of a choir for the organisation’s website.

I used a Rode NT3 stereo mic recording into my Tascam HD-P2 recorder. See the photograph for the recording layout.

Here are my tips for getting the best results:

1. Explain once, twice, three times what you are doing. People always have questions, may not be listening, often don’t understand, and have wayyy too many misconceptions about recording.
2. The more information you give them (don’t overload them with technical info they don’t need to know) the more they will be able to focus on their singing and not on your presence or activities.
3. Help them focus on their activities by NOT sitting in their direct line of view. (I sat behind and to the right of the group – that way they couldn’t see my expressions: frowns, raised eyebrows, cringes, or smiles, chuckles or surprise).
4. Be hardline about health and safety issues. Tape down cables, use chairs or furniture to obstruct and guide people away from your equipment and layout and make a point about the importance of H&S when you introdcuce yourself.
5. Determine with the leader on what feedback they want. Do they just want clean recordings, or do they want your feedback on how to improve the choir singing? This is a spectrum and you have to be smart when you navigate it.
6. Manage the activity of the group to ensure you get optimum results. Warn them about rustling of papers and speaking over the end of songs. Advise them to sing out and towards the microphone(s).
7. Technically speaking, ask an expert (if you can) about the best way to place mics, equipment to use, and settings to record on.