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Image courtesy of Sennheiser.
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Image courtesy of Shure.
It’s that time of year! Hot chocolate, Christmas decorations, and the resurrection of all the antique instruments that (like Santa) only appear once a year in many churches. Christmas can be a challenge for sound engineers because different instrumentation can come into the church for special services, and the sound person may have zero experience amplifying that instrument. The new challenge in the last few years is that things we wouldn’t have had to mic in the room now need some type of microphone because of the live stream. So, what should a church purchase or rent for a children's choir, a violin, a bell choir, a trumpet, or anything else that appears at Christmas? This is a little guide to help everyone during the Christmas season mic all the “weird” or unusual stuff.
…it’s always better to let the microphone do the work for the mix instead of manipulating the mix with a ton of EQ
Tip 1: Don’t Overthink It
One of the challenges that can pop up in a church is the desire to have the absolute best microphone option for everything that happens in a Christmas service. However, when one Googles microphones for saxophones, violins, or mic’ing a choir, things can get complicated and expensive fast. For example, a church that has a choir one time a year probably doesn’t have to spend $700–$1,500 to make their choir heard this one time. A basic condenser mic get the job done and provide quality sound for a smaller hit on the budget. If the choir sings regularly, investing in higher-quality equipment makes sense, but if the choir is a one-time event, save the money. Or better yet, rent the better mic. See Church Production article: Rent or Buy? Making Smart Decisions for Church Production Equipment This Christmas.
Overthinking what is necessary can also cause huge headaches in smaller sanctuaries. When searching for instrument mics for bell choirs, violins, or any other orchestral instrument, a lot of people will recommend condensers. If the room is not significant in size, this may become problematic. Five or six condensers on a platform can cause feedback and phasing issues when everything gets going. For things like bell choirs, a large dynamic mic might be more effective in the long term. For trumpets or saxophones, a handful of SM57s the church might already have could also work. No, the saxophone player won’t get to bounce around like they’re Kenny G, but it will sound great. Bell mics are great for regular use but not necessary for a one-time event.
Tip 2: Remember, It’s Not JUST About the Room
Because of the world we live in now, the in-room experience is no longer more important than the digital experience. So remember, just because a source can be heard in the room doesn’t mean that it will be heard online. Christmas and kids’ choirs, special instruments, and the entire Christmas service could easily be viewed by more people digitally than in person --- especially because family members are typically invited. They may invite a grandma to attend from another state through the live stream. Being able to hear what is going on may actually be more important than seeing what’s going on when someone is viewing the service digitally. Plan and rehearse accordingly.
… use a couple of different types of microphones for the vocals. The difference will be shocking.
Tip 3: A Variety of Mics Can Make the Difference
One aspect of mic’ing instruments that churches can sometimes overlook is that a microphone is essentially both an amplifier of sound and a filter of sound. Mics are made to sound certain ways. Almost every brand of microphone makes its own version of an instrument dynamic mic or a tight condenser microphone in similar price ranges. If a church needs to buy four instrument mics like the Shure SM57, why not grab a couple of 57s and a couple of Audix i5s? These sound a little different and will give a more natural separation in the mix. While some of the separation can be done with EQ, it’s always better to let the microphone do the work for the mix instead of manipulating the mix with a ton of EQ. This is also true of vocal mics. If there are more singers than usual for the church, use a couple of different types of microphones for the vocals. The difference will be shocking.
... consider recording your choir at a rehearsal and then adding it to the multitrack.
Image courtesy of Shure.
Bonus Tip: For Churches That Use Multitracks and Kids’ Choirs
For churches that are using multitracks and have kids’ choirs, consider recording your choir at a rehearsal and then adding it to the multitrack. This might sound complicated, but if the church has a digital console that can multitrack record, you can record the track channels and mics for the kids’ choir at the same time. Export the tracks from the recording software separately, upload them to the multitrack app of your choosing, and then use that to supplement the choir at the Christmas service. This ensures the church will hear the kids’ choir, and it will be your kids they hear—not someone else’s kids. We have done this the last couple of years, and it makes the kids’ choir experience awesome.Always remember not to sweat the small stuff. A lot is going on in a Christmas service. We do our best with the time, budget, and gear provided and leave the rest up to God. We want to give our best, but Christ came as the Prince of Peace. Serving the local church should give us more peace than chaos. Enjoy mic’ing whatever weird stuff your worship pastor throws at you!
