Feedback problems on vocal mic in practice room

Dicus

Dicus

Enthusiastic Member
In my small studio I also weekly practice and write with my band. Small room with drumkit two guitar amps and bass even if I'm holding back on the drumkit still gets pretty loud.

The problem is that vocals can't go as loud as would be nice in the mix. In some practice rooms I have been this wasn't such a problem, my room is somewhat smaller then most practice rooms but I hope there is something else I can do.

Has anyone ideas how to fix this?

My room is already treated, our their specific treatment things you can do to prevent feedback? We consider headphones but before you know you have to mic out all instruments, which is a lot of work. Right now I use to huge Peavey Pro15 speakers (because those are the ones I have). Would it help if I bought wedges. Or had speakers hanging at an angle from the ceiling? Any ideas?

Thx!
 
If you are only using mic PA repro and not "reaching out" to punters you should be able to use small speakers for local fold back. I am assuming you are recording the direct sound of the mics, not that of their PA sound?

Feedback of course is inevitable in the usual mic/amp/speaker setup but there are things you can do to minimize it even before you resort to feedback "killers" . Both microphone and speakers should have a smooth response, feedback will always start at a peak. You need to keep the mic as close to sound source (gob) as possible and as far as possible from the speakers. Directional speakers i.e. line source are not going to help much in a small room but do Google "out of phase fold back". This can create "beams" of sound to players but place the mic in a null (you might need a lug bug) .

Dave.
 
You can put gobos around the drums (even a plexi shield) to cut down their volume, but a small rooom is ... a small room. Rather than headphones, in-ear monitors (you can even use just one so you can hear the insruments better) might be a solution.
 
Dicus,
How's the feedback problem going? Positioning the speakers relative to the mic is important, as suggested by ecc83 and witzendoz. The drivers of the PA shouldn't be pointing at the head of the mic.

EQ and Reverb
Use EQ to cut high frequencies on the vocal channels. High frequencies are more likely to cause feedback, and you can rehearse just fine without whispy highs. Reverb is another culprit of feedback. If you're using it on the vocal, turn it off and see if resolves the feedback. Again, you can rehears fine without reverb.

Mic Type and Pickup Pattern
What type of mic are you using? Condensers can be more prone to feedback. Check the pickup pattern of the mic and position the mic to reject direct output and early reflections from the PA.
-Jamison
 
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