Recording Organ/Vox in church

[dinodigi]

Any tips from those with experience tracking organ (lg. pipe organ) and vocals in a church would be appreciated (not "live", i.e. we could track Vox later) [img]images/icons/confused.gif[/img]

[David Wright]

I frequently record pipe organs for CD, both as solo instrument and accompaniment to choir or solo voice. My aim is always to present the (presumably church) acoustic as an integral part of the sound - indeed it's difficult to avoid doing so as recording pipe organs close up is not usually very effective as all sorts of action noise show up, also the sheer size of the instrument means a good balance is only heard at some distance.
A matched pair of good omnis spaced well apart often works well, giving a warm, wide-range sound. In UK churches (where I work) a coincident pair of hypercardioids often gives better results due to the more spacious acoustics we tend to have over here.
Be prepared to experiment - organs vary so much it's impossible to be very specific.

[dinodigi]

Thanks for the response David!
Any particular kind of coincident hypercardioids that you are using? (about to invest in some more gear, and looks like I will be doing a lot more of these church/organ/choir "sessions"

cheers

[Doug Ring]

If it's a trained classical singer they'll have no difficulty singing against an organ. Indeed, the piece will probably be written to allow the voice to be heard, unless this is a new work or not in the classical repertoire. I'd position the singer as far away from the organ as they feel comfortable with, and spot mike them from about 4 feet away. Then as David suggests, I'd use a coincident pair of cardioids on the organ. Find out where the pipes are - the visible ones on the case are often dummies. Put your stereo pair up as high as you can get them - consider slinging them if you don't have a high stand - and put them at the apex of an equilateral triangle formed by the width of the pipe set and your mics as a starting point. If that's too close, move out, or add a second pair for ambience.

You might consider the Oktava MK12s for this job. Very good value and strong performers. Or, since the bass pedals go really low, 414s?

[David Wright]

I use the Calrec Soundfield mic which allows me to simulate any combination of polar pattern and capsule angle, or an M-S pair consisting of Sennheiser MKH40 cardioid and MKH30 figure-8 which emulates a pair of hypercardioids.
AKG414s would also do fine.
I agree with recording the vocal with the organ rather than overdubbing later - much better for rapport between performers. I usually use an omni for spotting a soloist - it gives a better blend with the organ.

[Doug Ring]

Aah, the Soundfield! A very fine mic. I've used the cheap version - the ST 250, but the control unit doesn't allow all the tricks that the Soundfield's will.

David, do you output four tracks to Pro Tools? And what converters do you use?

BTW, have you ever recorded the new organ in St Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh (my home town)?
A fine instrument with a mechanical action and a changing room for the organist INSIDE the organ! Seriously! You go in a little door and pass underneath all the control rods from the keyboard. It's like being inside a living thing.