🎚️ Taming the Noise

 

Understanding and Eliminating Sound Feedback

We’ve all experienced it — that sudden sharp "howl" or low hum during a service or event. That annoying and often embarrassing sound is called feedback. It’s one of the most disruptive things in live sound, and it can completely ruin the experience for both in-person and online audiences.

What is Feedback?

Feedback happens when part of the sound output (from the speakers) loops back into the microphone, gets amplified again, and cycles over and over — getting louder each time. This loop creates that piercing squeal or booming low tone.Uncontrolled feedback can cause speaker damage, especially to high-frequency drivers.

Feedback usually occurs when:

• A microphone is too close to a speaker
• The speaker (especially a monitor) is facing the mic
• The volume or gain is too high
• The system is poorly tuned or the speaker position is off

From an engineering perspective, feedback is when output returns to input in a loop. While this is useful in some systems, in sound reinforcement, it’s a disaster.

And here’s something I’ve learned: even people who don’t know “good” sound will still say the sound is bad if there is feedback. That’s how serious it is.

My Personal Approach

Over the years, I’ve come to treat feedback like a personal challenge. One of my guiding principles as a sound engineer is:

“When I’m in control, feedback is not part of the service.”

And this isn’t just a claim — for over 10 years, I’ve consistently operated sound systems without feedback. If it ever happens, I know exactly what to do and can stop it in seconds.

Here’s something else I’ve discovered:

A microphone being close to a speaker is not the problem — the real problem is not knowing how to control frequencies and loudness. When you understand the system, you can stand next to a speaker with a live mic and still have clean, feedback-free sound.

How I Eliminated Feedback

1. Train Your Ears

I taught myself to identify frequencies by ear. When someone speaks or sings, the full range from around 80 Hz to 12 kHz  is present, but with different strengths. Men often emphasize low-mid and mid frequencies, while women lean towards mid and high-mid.

Learning to hear these patterns helps me quickly recognize and reduce dominant frequencies without changing the speaker’s natural voice.

🔊 The goal of a sound system is to amplify a voice — not to change how someone sounds.

2. Cut, Don’t Boost

Most people boost frequencies to make sound “better,” but boosting increases volume at specific bands and causes feedback.

Instead, cut the dominant frequencies slightly to balance the sound and reduce risk of feedback.

3. Proper Gain Staging

Make sure your input gain is just enough — not too high. Over-amplified signals are unstable and prone to feedback.

4. Speaker Positioning Matters

Avoid placing speakers too close to microphones. For front-of-house systems, place speakers in front of the microphones, not behind or beside them. Monitors should be angled carefully and not too loud.

🎧 God designed our ears to face forward. We hear best from the front — your sound system should reflect that!

Some churches use a “surround setup,” but this can be a recipe for disaster when it comes to feedback.

5. Use Parametric EQ

Before your event or service, use the EQ to reduce frequencies that dominate when the mic is near a speaker (a process called ringing out). I usually intentionally boost certain frequencies during soundcheck to find potential trouble spots, then reduce them so they won’t be a problem later.

6. Right Number of Speakers

Too many speakers in a room can create reflections and standing waves that worsen feedback. Use just enough to cover your space well.

Final Thoughts

I believe in getting the basics right before using fancy plug-ins or effects. Feedback doesn’t have to be part of your services. When you train your ears, apply proper system tuning, and maintain discipline over loudness, your sound will stay clean and professional — even when the mic is close to the speaker.

🧠 Feedback isn’t louder than your skills — you just have to learn how to hear it before it happens.

🔊 Join the Conversation

💬 Have you experienced nasty feedback in your sound journey?

🎚️ How did you fix it — or are you still struggling?

Drop your questions, tips, or stories in the comments. Let’s share, grow, and make every service or show sound amazing — together.

OR

Facing Feedback Problems in Your Church?

You're not alone — and you don't have to settle for poor sound. If you're struggling with audio feedback, unbalanced sound, or speaker placement, let's talk!

 ZeroDB Technologies is here to help.

With expert training, system optimization, and practical support, we can help you eliminate feedback and achieve clean, clear sound.

👇 Ready to improve your audio system?

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By Kanyingi Chege

Media Technologist | Sound Engineer | Technical Trainer | Videographer