13 replies to this topic

[bob]

so when i play music i generally play in my basement. yep, i have a basement. it is awesome. it is small.

i have a PA, it's probably 100 watts, i don't really know. i could go look, if it is indeed important. i use the speakers that came with it. i've had it forever, since robothouse. you probably sang out of it.

i usually only do vocals out of it. i have speakers set at ear level, which is probably a problem right there.

basically, my problem is that i can't quite crank it loud enough to have the vocals clearly heard all the time without painful feedback creeping in. mainly, i think because it's such a small space and the microphones pick up not only vocals, but also everything else- but mostly the drums. it's like right on the cusp of being perfectly audible over the instruments no matter the volume. yes, we've tried turning down. and that works fine enough, but those drummers sure like to bang on those drums.

i have noticed that some microphones are louder than others. it could just be a matter of getting the right (more expensive) microphones. or moving the PA speakers down to the ground. and yes, it does feedback much less when you don't point the mics at the speakers.

any ideas? i mean i have tried lots of different things but i thought i'd throw it out there. hmm...

[Tender Lad]

You need an equilizer between the output of your mixer and input of your amplifier. A cheap 15 or 30 band graphic EQ should do it. With the graphic EQ you can adjust the volume of the frequencies giving you problems and still retain good sound quality overall. If you are running stereo you will need 2 channels of EQ. If done properly you should be able to crank your mics and hear vocals nicely without feedback.

[unluckycharm]

and yes, it does feedback much less when you don't point the mics at the speakers.

Bingo. Eliminating as much unnecessary signal going into your mikes should help reduce it. Also, try dialing back the high frequencies on your P.A., that might help. That's about as much as I know. :|

[skeksis]

Yeah, I'd favor really experimenting with speaker/mic placement... most common vocal mics are rather directional, and if you can get the back end of the mic in line with the axis of the speaker cone, you'll minimize the amount of signal getting back into the mic. Beyond that, tweaking the eq on your pa can help (cut some highs often works).

[bob]

i'll definitely invest in a graphic equalizer. i considered it but didn't know if it would help. sounds like the right thing to try at least. i'm wondering what our podunk music store has in stock. and believe i've definitely tweaked with the EQ on the PA. i keep the main levels pretty high and that seems to help with adjusting each channel appropriately until it squeals like a pig on BBQ day. or not so much.

and the mics get moved around all the time. the only place they don't moved is in the direction of the speakers.

[unluckycharm]

Another issue could be your basement. does it reflect a lot of sound? are the walls hard concrete (if so sound is probably bouncing off the walls & every which way). you might try deadening the sound by putting up some cloth (old blankets, etc) to absorb the sound.

[John MFer]

Another issue could be your basement. does it reflect a lot of sound? are the walls hard concrete (if so sound is probably bouncing off the walls & every which way). you might try deadening the sound by putting up some cloth (old blankets, etc) to absorb the sound.

+1

Also, the directional pattern of your microphones will make a difference. If you've got cardioid mics and the speakers are at your sides, cardioid mics reject better from the opposite side you sing into, so instead point the speaker at your face. If you've got no choice but to put the speakers at your sides, hyper-cardioid or figure 8 mics would be better.

[donald]

what TenderLad said

I don't know if he remembers but that was the magical thing I learned from innerear many years ago when volunteering at the modified. He taught me that if you heard a certain frequency feedingback, you would just lower that frequency down with the equalizer. Sometimes I got the wrong frequency at first and would be fiddling with frequencies trying to find the right one, but after awhile you knew which frequencies where the common trouble areas to look for, and this allowed you to crank the P.A. up more than you could previously

It sucks being rather new at working a soundboard while an out of town band is playing and feeding back and looking at you from the stage like you are an idiot. You can either turn the mains down, or just turn the frequency down that is feeding back, not an easy decision at first because just turning the mains down is the easiest thing to do, but not really the best if you can just drop the frequency that is feeding back. Definitely something you learn to pick up quickly in those situations.

[Tender Lad]

Berhinger sells super cheap EQs that actually work well. They are cheaply built but the cost savings makes up for it. I bet you could find something on ebay for a couple bucks.

[hexaclopsclopsclops]

+1 for placement, utilizing your mic's polar pattern to your benefit, and minimizing reflections. It's more work, but it's cheaper and you'll learn a lot of useful live-sound troubleshooting techniques that will be invaluable for not looking like an amateur putz at a show.

The EQ could help, but you might have to butcher the sound of your vocals to make it the sole solution to your feedback problem.

[bob]

thanks so much.

i'll be hanging blankets (something i should've done long ago) and seeing what's what with the EQs available here and on the interwebby this weekend.

and i'll check this to see if mr. inne rear wants to give away the cow when the milk costs so much money. what the hell am i talking about?

[dharma_bum]

i really hate you for having a basement. i used to love hangin in the basement in Illinois. good stuff here.

would this one work? Since it is dual band, would that be considered 'stereo'?

http://www.zzounds.c...tem--BEHFBQ1502

[ShawnPhase]

consider one of these if you can find it on the cheap. i used to have one and it worked pretty well, i only paid i think 30 bucks for it though.

http://www.zzounds.c...em--BEHDSP1124P

behringer feedback destroyer

[innerear]

what TenderLad said

I don't know if he remembers but that was the magical thing I learned from innerear many years ago when volunteering at the modified. He taught me that if you heard a certain frequency feedingback, you would just lower that frequency down with the equalizer. Sometimes I got the wrong frequency at first and would be fiddling with frequencies trying to find the right one, but after awhile you knew which frequencies where the common trouble areas to look for, and this allowed you to crank the P.A. up more than you could previously

It sucks being rather new at working a soundboard while an out of town band is playing and feeding back and looking at you from the stage like you are an idiot. You can either turn the mains down, or just turn the frequency down that is feeding back, not an easy decision at first because just turning the mains down is the easiest thing to do, but not really the best if you can just drop the frequency that is feeding back. Definitely something you learn to pick up quickly in those situations.

See I aint all bad.

Alot of good suggestions. I think the easy way is to grab a graphic eq and ring out your room. I would advise against behringer because more often then not it just makes everything sound even worse.. But Rane, DBX, even alesis make ok Graphics for fairly cheap.
I'm sure the mics you have are very simular to if not sm58s they should be fine.