leonin wrote: I know that this topic has probably been discussed but I could not find it.

I am going to record a choir in a decent sized church. I want to capture the ambient sound and am limited to 2 mics. I assume that a-b and blumlein are be the top two options. Is this correct? If I am wrong please correct me. Which setup should I use?

Blumlein will be nice if you can get good balance of direct/reflected sound of the choir while keeping them in the 90deg critical angle. This depends on the acoustics of the church. A/B omnis in this application is a matter of taste (I like them), but you might have to deal with LF rumble. A/B will smooth over the blend more, too.

I like and use a method popular with many here ... a pr of subcards (Schoeps MK21) in wide ORTF. Mmmmmmm, Schoeps.... :P

I Like jecklin disc, personally, or blumlein...A_B not so much.

hughesmr wrote: [quote=leonin]I know that this topic has probably been discussed but I could not find it.

I am going to record a choir in a decent sized church. I want to capture the ambient sound and am limited to 2 mics. I assume that a-b and blumlein are be the top two options. Is this correct? If I am wrong please correct me. Which setup should I use?

Blumlein will be nice if you can get good balance of direct/reflected sound of the choir while keeping them in the 90deg critical angle. This depends on the acoustics of the church. A/B omnis in this application is a matter of taste (I like them), but you might have to deal with LF rumble. A/B will smooth over the blend more, too.

I like and use a method popular with many here ... a pr of subcards (Schoeps MK21) in wide ORTF. Mmmmmmm, Schoeps.... :P

I am not a big fan of spaced omni pairs - I do, however, like 3 or more omnis. To get an acceptable stereo spread with 2 omnis you have to go wide enough that you get the "hole in the middle" syndrome. Adding a 3rd really helps keep the image stable in that scenario.

I am a huge fan of ORTF-esqe techniques for choir...especially in a church/chapel/cathedral which can become washy and very live.

Of course - it's best to try everything and decide for yourself which sounds best to you.

leonin wrote: I am going to record a choir in a decent sized church. I want to capture the ambient sound and am limited to 2 mics.

ORTF with cardioids is a safe bet...