# Monitor set up for a choir on risers



## MRlettherebelight (Dec 28, 2003)

what is the best way to set up monitors for a 50-60 person choir on a set of risers. is it 3 or 4 monitors set in front of the choir on the floor or monitors in front with monitors on 5 foot stands behind them facing back at them. any other suggestions


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## DMXtools (Dec 28, 2003)

Assuming you're mics have a cardioid or uni-directional pickup pattern, it seems to me that if you could "fly" the monitors from the ceiling at some distance out in front of the choir, that would be the second-best set-up (the best, but cost-prohibitive, would be wireless in-ear monitors).

Monitors behind the choir would be projecting straight into the mics - not good. Floor monitors would be fine for the front row, but inaudible to the back row.

John


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## wolf825 (Dec 28, 2003)

MRlettherebelight said:


> what is the best way to set up monitors for a 50-60 person choir on a set of risers. is it 3 or 4 monitors set in front of the choir on the floor or monitors in front with monitors on 5 foot stands behind them facing back at them. any other suggestions




If the choir needs to hear the band, I will usually set up 4 accross the front...none behind them. Usually spaced evenly apart--3 or 4 works well. Sometimes if they are walking on and off constantly--I will "cluster" the 3 monitors from center in a " \ | / " type of formation so they are not tripping over everything if they are clumsy (and most can be). I try to put the monbitors in=line or behind the mic's however. Sometimes I will use hot-spots on stands and get them closer to them if they don't want the higher DB level. IF the choir needs to hear themselves tho--I tell them to forget it. You cannot BE inside a choir and NOT hear everyone else unless you are deaf...

-wolf


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## seanb (Dec 30, 2003)

depends... you didn't say you were miccing the choir - if you aren't, I'd try and put the monitors behind the choir. This will simplify and declutter the stage, and let you use a lower level on them since it's usually the back people who can't hear the band (or soloists or track or piano...) from the house. The downside is sometimes you can get mushy sound in the house since you've got some wacky sound coming through the people if you can't find a way to control the levels. If you are miccing the choir, you're pretty much stuck with floor wedges in front of them, or off to the sides on stands.


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## Inaki2 (Dec 30, 2003)

Personally, I've always used wedges in front of them, and I've done m fair share of choirs. Never had one trip over...but it should be fun to see.


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## seanb (Dec 30, 2003)

yeah... speaking as someone who did a fair bit of choir'ing in high school (both large and small) I just prefer the sound from behind me, I guess. When they are in front no one past the second row can hear the monitors anyways...


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## MistressRach (Jan 1, 2004)

i've always been a choir member, and as long as i can hear the band it doesnt really matter where its coming from. if youre micing them, dont do behind.


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## dust4sound (Feb 27, 2004)

We use wedge monitors in the front and to the sides pointing in at the other side of the stage, then we turn them up nice and loud and the back row can hear it just fine. BUT then we run in to a problem with the audience hearing it out of the monitors and FOH speakers, and Apron speakers. Sometimes you can hear the echo of the balcony speakers b/c they are on a timed delay.


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## Inaki2 (Feb 27, 2004)

just spend 15,000 bucks on IEMs :wink:


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## Nephilim (Feb 27, 2004)

Inaki2 said:


> just spend 15,000 bucks on IEMs :wink:



That'll get you, oh, 10-15 units at the most. 

I would agree with down-center cluster on the floor; fly if you can but be safe about it. Don't go behind, you'll overpower the audience that way.


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## dj_illusions (Mar 1, 2004)

Nothing worse when your in the Audience and can hear spill from stuff on stage...

Thats one of the bad things about been a techie, u go to other events and are always critical of what is going on!


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## chslighttech (Feb 27, 2005)

Our school went to this state festival for theatre and they had so much feedback. Yea I get critical to.


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## JahJahwarrior (Feb 27, 2005)

one possibility that will still cost a good amount, but is affordable, is alot of headphone amplifiers and WIRED iem's. Run one mix to a distro sorta box that sends to however many hdphone amps you need, then run cables to their headphones. Assuming you get a multi amp headphoen amp, say 4 outputs for the box, then that's 20 boxes. To get molded IEM's would be alot, but some ear buds would work ok and they are like $.94 each at walmart. Then you need 60 10' headphone extension cables. Yeah, it will be a few thousand i'm sure for the amps and cables, and about $60 for the headphones, but it could work 

another note: if you run three monitors, run three mixes-one to each, if you can. The one choir I have mic'd and monitored really really wanted for one side to be able to hear only the other, and vice versa. So I ran mic A into monitor B and mic B into monitor A. Each side could hear the other, and it only meant one more cable run for me. worked well.


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## seanb (Feb 28, 2005)

realistically, a choir is used to hearing the people around them, and most of them can hear the whole group of where they are standing from anyways. There is no need to give the choir a monitor mix that includes ANY of themselves. Sometimes it might be nice to offer a little bit of soloist (if you ar in that style) but otherwise, a choir is relying on the conductor - they don't need to hear very much.


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## Peter (Feb 28, 2005)

Ditto waht seanb said. If anything the biggest thing I worry about with choruses is making them hear the music they are singing with, eather the CD or the piano (which is usualy in our house, which b/c of the design of our auditorium makes it very hard to hear on stage). I usualy place the monitors in front of the group on each side angled slightly in. This way I dont have to really worry about feedback into the solo mics in the middle and everyone always seems to be able to hear alright. (That and the fact that we have bairly enough cable to get the monitors to the center of the stage)


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## Inaki2 (Feb 28, 2005)

I saw a church with ceiling mounted monitors. They were permanently installed, but you may get some riggin going on if you feel qualified to hang speakers.


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## Skitty (Mar 1, 2005)

When thinking about groups, I always keep in mind that coverage matters a lot. Yes volume is important, however, everone has to hear at the same level. so picturing about 45 people I would probably use no less than 3 speakers sitting in wedge position. I wouldn't really worry about feedback as much because, they wouldn't really need to have there mics mixed in considering each person has a choir surrounding them.

hope it works out for ya.


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## blademaster (Mar 17, 2005)

In my 3yr xp ive found that you can get decent hearing with hotspots on the side of the choir next to a wall or something


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