Recording a choir

[Richie Love]

Hi all

My Girlfriend runs a choir and we currently have around 30 membersI already have a mixing desk, sound editing software and microphones etc for recording them but I'm struggeling to find away to play tracks/other sections to the people being recorded as I don't want to just use my monitors as the mic will pick the sound up, is there a way of splitting headphones to about sections of 10? Or does somebody have a better idea?

Thanks

Richard

[mal421]

Run all your headphones from a power amp. A few fag packet calculations just so you don't over do things and you should be ok. Have done myself a couple of times.

[sam.spoons]

+1 or buy a Behringer HA8000, it has 8 channels and 2 headphone outputs per channel (I think it can do both at the same time to drive 16 pairs but please check before buying). I have the 4 channel HA4700 and it's just fine.

[themadhippy]

Run all your headphones from a power amp. A few fag packet calculations just so you don't over do things and you should be ok

just make sure the headphones are a highish impedance if your wiring em in parralel

[paulears]

Most of the big pa companies have headphone distribution systems for pit bands and orchestras - most are quite simple, run from rack amps and having loop through so for connection of the next one, each with multiple ¼" outs , or others with just one headphone out and a volume control on each one. Most I've seen have been made in house.

[Bobbsy]

...or don't bother with headphones. Use cardioid mics in an X-Y stereo configuration and put a monitor speaker or two behind them in the null keeping it/them as far back as possible to make the inverse square law work for you. There will be some bleed still but compared to the sound a choir can make it won't cause you any problems.

 

I've recorded many a choir or chorus and, except for a few doing highly amplified gospel type music, never bothered with headphones for anyone besides the conductor.

[Oldradiohand]

...or don't bother with headphones. Use cardioid mics in an X-Y stereo configuration and put a monitor speaker or two behind them in the null keeping it/them as far back as possible to make the inverse square law work for you. There will be some bleed still but compared to the sound a choir can make it won't cause you any problems.

 

I've recorded many a choir or chorus and, except for a few doing highly amplified gospel type music, never bothered with headphones for anyone besides the conductor.

 

Or take it a step further and place a coincident pair of fig8 over the top of the monitor speaker at the front of the choir - you'll get a better null point