How to Avoid Sound Feedback

If you ever play around with microphones and amps or anything sound related, you are very well aware of the most imminent thread that all sound engineers are faced with. It is loud, screechy, and can be difficult to combat. Feedback! For direct input recording, feedback generally isn't an issue but in the midst of live performances and presentations, feedback can be a real mood killer. The loud and unforgiving sound can bring some real displeasure to the audience and can kill the vibe. For this reason it is important to know what steps you can take to avoid feedback and get on with your performance.

The first step is pretty obvious but still mistaken by many. Keep your microphones well behind your speakers. Feedback occurs when the sound emanating from the speakers is emitted back into your microphone. If the sound can never reach the microphone then there can be no feedback! This can be a problem if you are in an enclosed environment where the sound can bounce off the walls and still cause feedback!

If you do end up having to give a performance or presentation in a closed space, be sure to angle the speakers at a 45 degree angle towards each other. This disruption in the sound waves will cripple the sound's ability to reverberate off the walls and back towards you. Be sure that the audience can still hear the sound well so for this reason make sure you perform frequent sound checks before your show.

For some reason performers and presenters have a tendency to cover the microphone when feedback is occurring. This is one of the worst things you can do as it just enhances the feedback and accelerates it. Your best bet to deal with already occurring feedback is to back away from the speakers and let the feedback fade out, if it is not fading out than simply turn the microphone off or shut off the speakers. What you definitely don't want to do is unplug the microphone while the amplifier is still turned on. This can damage the equipment and cause you lots of problems in the long run.

In conclusion, taking these few simple steps will help you avoid feedback and deal with it if you are ever to run into it. Feedback is a nasty side effect of producing sound and dealing with it is inevitable, therefore it is important to take the proper precaution! Stay feedback-free!