OFFICIAL SITE RELEASE DATE: Christmas Day (December 25th)
FeedBack
I’m sure that we all know what feedback is.
SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH
There’s an example.
Unfortunately most people don’t know what feedback really is.
Feedback is this: Sound waves being picked up by a Microphone, going through the mixing and speaker systems, out the Speaker, and back into the Microphone, therefore it starts all over again, in the Mic = out the Speakers and the Microphones picks it up again. It goes around, around around around and around. Usually it’s not the whole sound that feeds-back, it’s more so a particular frequency, or set of frequencies that are usually pretty close together. Any frequency can feedback (the high-pitched screeches are the most common, but any frequency can feedback). That’s really it, when we hear “Feedback” we are really hearing that loop happening really really fast.
Now that you understand it, hopefully you can help prevent it, here are some good way to prevent it in the first place.
1. Microphone Type-
Microphone have something called a “polar pattern” (sometimes called a "pickup pattern") which it basically the area around them in which they pick up sound. You want a microphone that focuses on your source and not other signal, like signal from speakers. In all most Microphones don’t pick up the sound coming from behind them.
SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH
There’s an example.
Unfortunately most people don’t know what feedback really is.
Feedback is this: Sound waves being picked up by a Microphone, going through the mixing and speaker systems, out the Speaker, and back into the Microphone, therefore it starts all over again, in the Mic = out the Speakers and the Microphones picks it up again. It goes around, around around around and around. Usually it’s not the whole sound that feeds-back, it’s more so a particular frequency, or set of frequencies that are usually pretty close together. Any frequency can feedback (the high-pitched screeches are the most common, but any frequency can feedback). That’s really it, when we hear “Feedback” we are really hearing that loop happening really really fast.
Now that you understand it, hopefully you can help prevent it, here are some good way to prevent it in the first place.
1. Microphone Type-
Microphone have something called a “polar pattern” (sometimes called a "pickup pattern") which it basically the area around them in which they pick up sound. You want a microphone that focuses on your source and not other signal, like signal from speakers. In all most Microphones don’t pick up the sound coming from behind them.
2. Stage Monitor Placement-
Since feedback is cause by Mic and Speaker combination, it seems stupid to put speakers right on stage. Well if feedback we’re the only problem in live sound, it would be. However the musicians to need to hear themselves and the other performance, so monitors are required.
Like we mentioned earlier, mics usually don’t pick up sound coming from behind them, so the idea is to place the monitor directly behind the monitor speaker. Use this in conjunction with feedback prevention tools.
Since feedback is cause by Mic and Speaker combination, it seems stupid to put speakers right on stage. Well if feedback we’re the only problem in live sound, it would be. However the musicians to need to hear themselves and the other performance, so monitors are required.
Like we mentioned earlier, mics usually don’t pick up sound coming from behind them, so the idea is to place the monitor directly behind the monitor speaker. Use this in conjunction with feedback prevention tools.
3. Mic and Speaker placement
Feedback is caused by the microphone hearing the speaker. The microphone quietly hearing the speaker is inevitable, and usually won’t cause a feedback problem. However I have seen gigs were the Speaker is directly behind the Microphone, so the microphone picking up the speaker is going to happen by definition. For live sound, you want to get the Microphone as far behind the speakers as possible. Don’t put the speakers in the back of the stage, put them in the front with the microphone as far behind them as possible. Try not to set Microphones closet to the speakers, kind of pointing in opposite direction of the outgoing sound from the speakers.
4. Feedback Prevention Tools
Just because we have these fancy tools up our sleeves, doesn’t mean we can forget about everything stated above, use these tools in conjunction with the methods stated above to have a super anti-feedback system!
1. Equalizer - We usually use this tool to shape the sound or fix acoustic problems, but since it is “frequency-selective gain”, we can use it to turn down the frequency that it feeding back. Once you learn the frequency range you will be able to recognize the frequency that is feeding back (or at least the general location). From here you can get on your Equalizer and turn town these frequencies. Unfortunately, you can just turn down, down down down down down down because the reduction control only goes so far. If you can’t reduce any more, I find that adding frequencies seems to make the feedback monster forget the problem frequency. Don’t do this if you have not been working with your particular system for awhile (since every system is different) you may want to gain some experience with that system and feedback first.
DO NOT OVER-EQUALIZE. This can happen and really just causes more feedback, oddly. If you have a main Equalizer fixing feedback, try not to fix feedback on the channel, instead when you feedback turn down anything you recently turned up that may have caused feedback DO NOT JUST RIP THE MASTER FADER DOWN, this does not resolve the issue, it just backs to mains down and reduces your headroom before feedback. However, if you find that a particular channel is causing feedback issues and nothing else, the channel Equalizer may be the best solution.
2. Feedback Suppressors (Destroyers, etc.) - These are just a special kind of “automatic” eq that detects the frequency that is feeding back and turned it down automatically.
Feedback is caused by the microphone hearing the speaker. The microphone quietly hearing the speaker is inevitable, and usually won’t cause a feedback problem. However I have seen gigs were the Speaker is directly behind the Microphone, so the microphone picking up the speaker is going to happen by definition. For live sound, you want to get the Microphone as far behind the speakers as possible. Don’t put the speakers in the back of the stage, put them in the front with the microphone as far behind them as possible. Try not to set Microphones closet to the speakers, kind of pointing in opposite direction of the outgoing sound from the speakers.
4. Feedback Prevention Tools
Just because we have these fancy tools up our sleeves, doesn’t mean we can forget about everything stated above, use these tools in conjunction with the methods stated above to have a super anti-feedback system!
1. Equalizer - We usually use this tool to shape the sound or fix acoustic problems, but since it is “frequency-selective gain”, we can use it to turn down the frequency that it feeding back. Once you learn the frequency range you will be able to recognize the frequency that is feeding back (or at least the general location). From here you can get on your Equalizer and turn town these frequencies. Unfortunately, you can just turn down, down down down down down down because the reduction control only goes so far. If you can’t reduce any more, I find that adding frequencies seems to make the feedback monster forget the problem frequency. Don’t do this if you have not been working with your particular system for awhile (since every system is different) you may want to gain some experience with that system and feedback first.
DO NOT OVER-EQUALIZE. This can happen and really just causes more feedback, oddly. If you have a main Equalizer fixing feedback, try not to fix feedback on the channel, instead when you feedback turn down anything you recently turned up that may have caused feedback DO NOT JUST RIP THE MASTER FADER DOWN, this does not resolve the issue, it just backs to mains down and reduces your headroom before feedback. However, if you find that a particular channel is causing feedback issues and nothing else, the channel Equalizer may be the best solution.
2. Feedback Suppressors (Destroyers, etc.) - These are just a special kind of “automatic” eq that detects the frequency that is feeding back and turned it down automatically.