Amplifying the Choir

One of the possible meanings of Amplify is “to increase the loudness of sound especially by mechanical or electronic means”. Therefore, amplifying the Choir simply means using mechanical or electronic means to increase the loudness of all the sound the Choir makes while presenting their piece.

Reaching to the ears of the Audience is a major priority of a Choir. The Choir wants every thing in their presentation and every aspect of their presentation to be heard clearly and in the way they want, and in the way they have made it sound.

Everything in their presentation will include, most of the time, their voices and their musical instruments. Every aspect of their presentation will include the time during the presentation when they sing out loudly and vibrantly or when they sing silently almost whispering, or when voices hold and an instrument is to fill in the interlude.

These things and aspects that their presentation may include or carry with it, are sounds that are precious to the Choir and which they have carefully prepared. This is what they want the Audience to hear rightly and clearly.

This feat is quite easy to achieve when the sound of the Choir comes out to the Audience directly as it is sounded out from the voices and musical instruments without any equipment to aid audibility. Such un-aided sound will however have very limited audibility where the Audience is not in a small or/and enclosed space which is the case 95% of the time. Also, the Choir won’t be able to use electronic musical instruments like bass and lead guitars. This is to show the essence of amplifying the Choir.

Amplifying the Choir involves making the sound of the Choir go through certain electronic equipments usually referred to as P.A System or Public Address System or Sound System. I will liken the set-up of P.A System to that of a Computer system, that is, input-processor-output. The sound of the Choir is inputed into the P.A System basically through Microphones for voices and non-electronic musical instruments, and Combos for electronic instruments.

The Microphones and Combos are connected to Mixers, Equalisers and Amplifiers which serve as the processing unit. Speakers which are connected to the amplifier serve the output. The sound of the Choir ends up coming out through the Speakers processed properly, louder, and well amplified. The audience then gets to hear the voices and musical instruments of the Choir through the Speakers.

Amplifying the Choir this way also allows the sound of the Choir to be captured digitally, that is recorded electronically.

Amplifying a Choir rightly and clearly is of utmost priority and importance.  I will prefer a Choir to remain un-amplified instead of amplifying poorly.