Setting Up Mics Just For Recording

When the choir is singing and/or a special musician plays, it makes a much better recording if there is a mic set up to record the music.

1. Set up a dynamic mic (the skinny ones) on a mic stand somewhere where people won't trip on it (over by the chalice, or the coffee tables, or at the back of the room). Be aware that the clips for these mics are different (smaller) and kept in the foam part of the mic box.
2. Plug the mic into the closest XLR input, chaining the mic cables together if necessary.
3. On the board, turn that channel on by pressing the ON button in.
4. Set the channel to go to the recorder only, and not to the speakers, by:
   1. Setting the Sub/Mix button to the "Sub" position
   2. Turning the blue mix knob marked "To Tascam Recorder" up (to the right)
   3. Adjust the red "gain" knob so that the level is correct when the slider is at zero (that way you know where to return it to when you are recording during the service)
5. Mark the channel with some of the removable sticker tape so you'll remember which one it is.
6. Test the sound if you can before the service:
   1. If the performer is using a mic for amplification, turn the blue "to Tascam recorder" down for that channel somewhat, or even all the way (you can mix this signal with the other mic using the headphones if you want to).
   2. Pull down the sliders for the pulpit and the chalice mics so they are not recording.
   3. Have the choir or the musician play their softest and loudest, and watch the levels on the Tascam, while listening to the headphones. Important! Do not use the headphone levels to adjust how loud the signal is. Use your eyes. Have the choir or musician play their loudest part so you can make sure the level doesn't peak. 60-80% across is plenty.
7. During the service, when the congregation is singing hyms and when the special music is playing, pull the slider for the pulpit mic down and the recording mic up to zero. When the music is done, reverse the two sliders.

Tip: If you are in a time pinch, you can fake the above setup by using the chalice mic instead of setting up another mic. Point the chalice mic at the choir and set that channel to "Sub". It will then record, but not amplify. Do not do this if the mic will be used for the children's story. This mic will not pick up the choir nearly as well as the smaller mics, but it's better than nothing, and is a good method to grab the congregation singing.

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~Karin