One thing that helps tremendously is to calibrate the EQ at the master bus level (setting up a reference mic with an RTA, playing pink noise over the loudspeakers, and making adjustments until the peaks are flattened on the RTA), which addresses the resonances in the room and frees up the channel EQs for making the mix sound good instead of damage control. By calibrating the speakers this way I’ve found the live stream sounds much better and more accurate to what’s going on in the house.
Ok, but most of the things said are actually the basic of electroacoustics and sound engineering and every sound engineer and especially live sound engineer MUST know these things... Cheers for you and all the best !
Johnny, Just stumbled upon this vid. Great info. I've been running FOH for a few days now (about 1970 and of course starting at church). Most of what you posted is in lots of cubbies in my head, filed lots of ways so I don't forget. The idea of the X FD BK plugin had not crossed my path so I am going to check that out. One last thing, in talking with other 'older sound guy's' I have discovered that quite a lot of us came from church where we were asked to do lots with not much.
Thank you so much Charles! I’m really glad the information was helpful! And I definitely agree about being asked to do a lot with not much. It can be challenging some times, but it’s always a privilege to be able to serve!
Great video. Wonderful information in a short amount of time. I would add one more piece of information... make sure to keep stage volume as low as possible.
Thank you for the effort and quality you put into these videos to help us. Regarding gain, if the total output of a mic after preamp, processing, amp, and main speakers remains constant, can gain settings make any difference in feedback? Or asked a different way, if I turn down the gain a bit and push up the fader to get the same volume, won’t the feedback issue problem be unchanged? Isn’t the real culprit the overall amplification of the signal regardless of the combination of gain, fader, and amp power settings? If not, why can’t we get to a higher volume in a problematic room by just lowering the gain and cranking up our amp?
That’s a great question, and the answer is… it depends. If you adjust gain on a channel, you’re affecting the level going in to all your channel processing (EQ, compression, gate, pre-fader effects, etc) and changing how much level you feed into that processing can absolutely change when your signal reaches feedback. On the other hand, turning up the fader is affecting the level AFTER all the channel processing which can have different results. It’s important to also remember that turning up the fader is going to raise the level of the signal going into the group/master processing that’s happening later on down the signal chain. It really has to do with what processing is happening on the channel. Theoretically, if there was no processing happening, changing the signal level at the fader or with gain would do almost the same thing, but once any processing gets added things start to change a lot.
Like you said at approximately 10:00 ... is what I consider the most likely place to start, use fewer microphones and only use microphones with 30 dB off axis rejection, which rules out a wast collection of 'condensers, and to the problem with lack of headroom, it has to do with being too shy with the low cuts applied, forcing the mixers channelstrips into saturation.
@@BjorgenEatingermost likely pops and bumps from the headset. It’s all about getting the cable seated properly so there’s no tug and then making absolutely SURE all connections are seated all the way
The cupping thing and "rappers", lol. And actually, most feedback comes from the monitors. Ring them out good, or use all IEMs and some side fills, and never change gain during the show.
Excellent video! Really glad to find the analyzer app for my phone. That will help SOOOO MUCH. Something I'm trying to learn -- I saw a band this weekend that placed their speakers BEHIND the group, facing directly into the mics, and there was no feedback. Any idea how they did this? Maybe a feedback plugin / processor automatically notching out the problem frequencies?
Sometimes is a Delay Linie helpful. For choir and Musicals you can give only solo Mics on the Monitor, not Overheads Choir. You can play with right Left Pan, that you have more distance between the Mic and the Front Speakers. You can sometimes try with Compressor an Multiband compressor who compress the critical frequencies. There a lot of tricks, to get more Headroom for Feedback and a good Sound. But the best Way is in Ear Monitoring for the Stage. But the old generation of Musicans prefer Monitors and the younger Generation In Ears.
Hey wassup man I want to buy new tom heads for the drum kit at my church its a pearl export and I was wondering what is the best tom heads for the batter and reso for worship drumming I just wanted to ask if you could do a video for the best tom heads for worship drumming. Hope you read this have a great day.
Hey Gerson! Great to hear from you! So, you're gonna LOVE our new Drums Masterclass that we just released. You can check it out at www.drumsmasterclass.com and it's got literal hours of teaching and content from us and also from Brandon Coker who's been the drummer for Passion Conference, Northpoint Worship, David Crowder, Lauren Daigle and a ton of other people. He goes deep on talking about drumheads and tuning and all kinds of gear recommendations, so I'd definitely say to check that out if you want to really know everything about drums for worship. Just let me know if you have any questions!
If clients want to use lavalier mics for live sound reinforcement in a big room with shiny walls, the easiest (if not only) way would be using a feedback destroyer.
These are some of my favorite ways to get rid of feedback and make sure it never comes back! What topics should we cover next?? Comment below and let us know!
I bought a Shure A85F transformer to connect a Shure SM58 into a Fender Hotrod Deluxe amp but the feedback is uncontrollable unless I stay 16 feet away which is too far.
Yep! That's absolutely true! A lav is going to be a smaller element that's more susceptible to feedback. They're also (usually) omnidirectional, so they're going to pick up a lot more ambient noise than a cardioid handheld mic will.
Great tips and I think I am just doomed to have feedback, I have placed the speakers in front of the singer even though I personally think it doesn't sound as good as having one behind the speaker. If the singer actually sings aka they are loud and do not whisper(YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE) I'ts normally fine but it's when I have to turn the mic level up to even hear the person singing it will get feedback then I have to turn them down and just give up trying to make them sound louder. I have the gain at zero and the wireless mics on the receiver at 50% and the sound level at 50% and even just turning the sound level up I get feedback. The only other time I have feedback is when I have 2 singers using the wireless mics they really do not like being near each other and since 2 people always stand next to each other I can not really make them stand apart. I honestly thought that using these tips I could stop feedback from happening but nope.
@c.s.5177 Sorry for the long delay in this reply I had no internet since 1 December and only just got it back, I mean the gain is all the way to the left so basically off. I have the wireless mics set to 1.5 which is basically very low and the channel sound set to 50/60%. Raising the channel level causes feedback with quiet singers and the gain is as low as it can be and if I turn the wireless receiver down any lower it basically switches off the mic.
Striking a notch on the equipment is way easier then getting people to change their microphone technique 🎤 sadly 😥. Bouns older stone churchs deliberately have a low frequency room mode that was a way of making the chorus sound bigger. Think of it as an "architectural reverb". Lean into it! It makes the church sound like they have Monks in the back singing with the chorus it's a goosebump raising feeling.
I have a paradigm shift proposal. How about getting rid of the PA together. Society seems to be "microphone addicted" where the sound must be at 112db. Just get an organ back in with maybe some string players to help fill in the descant part and get the pastor to have speaking lessons on how to project. I like the idea of the pastor going into the congregation to talk. Great idea. If your church has 2,000 people in the pews, I can see the logic for a PA, but for a congregation of let's say three hundred, why is it necessary? Have we all gone stone deaf? There are hearing aids available. However, your presentation was great and, yes, feedback is a problem of many with a PA system.
Idk if you’ve actually experienced having to speak to 300 people with no amplification for over an hour. Sure it’s doable, Jesus did it, to bigger crowds too. But the amount of effort and the overall quality is disproportional. Why make the pastor spend way more energy and still have the people in the back have trouble hearing? Our pastor speaks on the louder side already, and he can preach to around 100 people without amplification, and he did when he forgot to unmute his mic. A congregation any larger than that would’ve had people in the back struggling to hear. Do you know how much work a pastor has to do? They usually have close to no free time already, and you want them to take voice projection lessons on top of that? When anything goes wrong, people call the pastor. Technology makes that possible. Or are you suggesting we get rid of all technology and go back to the Stone Age? Just because something is doable doesn’t mean it’s also practical. Sure, our pastor understands and tells us that he can still preach without a PA system. And that even without a worship team he can lead everyone himself in worship. But should we actually just do that when we have PA gear readily available? You can argue that hand washing clothes is better. But would you get rid of your washing machine and start hand washing everything? And while you’re at it, get rid of the dishwasher, microwave, and fridge. All of those are technically useless. I get where you’re coming from. The PA system isn’t the main focus, and shouldn’t be. But to suggest we ditch it all together is a completely different topic. Sure, we’re not hosting a rock concert. We don’t need a perfect sound system. But does that mean we should put absolutely no effort into improving the sound quality? Every church member has their own skill set and purpose. For some, it’s improving the sound quality. And for some, it’s improving the lighting. And still for some, it’s cleaning up and making the place tidier. You can’t just say “oh we don’t need such high volumes, let’s just get rid of the sound crew”. That’s the same as saying “we don’t need chairs to sit in, we can just sit on the floor, so let’s get rid of them”. The tools are here to serve us. That’s it. If the PA blows up, can the pastor still preach? Of course. If the church building burned down, can we still get together to worship? Yes of course. Then should we just sell all church buildings and worship outside? “Are people so wimpy that they can’t stand a little wind and rain?” If God has given a church the financial capabilities of affording a sound system, (including chairs and a building etc.) then as a good steward, we should put it to use. Or else it’s like burying gold under ground. If God has granted us talents, money or skills, we should put it to good use. But of course, they shouldn’t be the focus.
Thanks for the comment. I understand where you're coming from and anticipated ruffling some feathers! It sounds like you're a conscientious person and doing a good job. Keep it up! Another thing I like to do is go to the congregation and ask for advice on the volume levels from them. Happy congregation, happy church. Another method to do is have a sound pressure level meter. It'll really help on knowing whether the sound is in the right place. Cheers!@@kevinwang7894
One thing that helps tremendously is to calibrate the EQ at the master bus level (setting up a reference mic with an RTA, playing pink noise over the loudspeakers, and making adjustments until the peaks are flattened on the RTA), which addresses the resonances in the room and frees up the channel EQs for making the mix sound good instead of damage control. By calibrating the speakers this way I’ve found the live stream sounds much better and more accurate to what’s going on in the house.
Very well explained, especially for somebody like me not dealing with sound engineering topics on a daily basis. Thank you for this!
Ok, but most of the things said are actually the basic of electroacoustics and sound engineering and every sound engineer and especially live sound engineer MUST know these things...
Cheers for you and all the best !
Johnny, Just stumbled upon this vid. Great info. I've been running FOH for a few days now (about 1970 and of course starting at church). Most of what you posted is in lots of cubbies in my head, filed lots of ways so I don't forget. The idea of the X FD BK plugin had not crossed my path so I am going to check that out. One last thing, in talking with other 'older sound guy's' I have discovered that quite a lot of us came from church where we were asked to do lots with not much.
Thank you so much Charles! I’m really glad the information was helpful! And I definitely agree about being asked to do a lot with not much. It can be challenging some times, but it’s always a privilege to be able to serve!
Great video. Wonderful information in a short amount of time. I would add one more piece of information... make sure to keep stage volume as low as possible.
For sure! Low stage volume makes it so much easier!
Thank you for the effort and quality you put into these videos to help us.
Regarding gain, if the total output of a mic after preamp, processing, amp, and main speakers remains constant, can gain settings make any difference in feedback?
Or asked a different way, if I turn down the gain a bit and push up the fader to get the same volume, won’t the feedback issue problem be unchanged?
Isn’t the real culprit the overall amplification of the signal regardless of the combination of gain, fader, and amp power settings? If not, why can’t we get to a higher volume in a problematic room by just lowering the gain and cranking up our amp?
That’s a great question, and the answer is… it depends. If you adjust gain on a channel, you’re affecting the level going in to all your channel processing (EQ, compression, gate, pre-fader effects, etc) and changing how much level you feed into that processing can absolutely change when your signal reaches feedback. On the other hand, turning up the fader is affecting the level AFTER all the channel processing which can have different results. It’s important to also remember that turning up the fader is going to raise the level of the signal going into the group/master processing that’s happening later on down the signal chain.
It really has to do with what processing is happening on the channel.
Theoretically, if there was no processing happening, changing the signal level at the fader or with gain would do almost the same thing, but once any processing gets added things start to change a lot.
Like you said at approximately 10:00 ... is what I consider the most likely place to start, use fewer microphones and only use microphones with 30 dB off axis rejection, which rules out a wast collection of 'condensers, and to the problem with lack of headroom, it has to do with being too shy with the low cuts applied, forcing the mixers channelstrips into saturation.
Brother I’m new to this do u have a video how to use the app u we’re talking about. Appreciated
It would be nice to know the name of the app for audio feedback. A lot of apps are for customer feedback, not related.
I would love to see a video on dealing with strange sounds from a lavelier and/or headset mic.
We’ll absolutely do that!
RF or audio? Most audio issues with lavs are in the mid ranges.
@@BjorgenEatingermost likely pops and bumps from the headset. It’s all about getting the cable seated properly so there’s no tug and then making absolutely SURE all connections are seated all the way
The cupping thing and "rappers", lol. And actually, most feedback comes from the monitors. Ring them out good, or use all IEMs and some side fills, and never change gain during the show.
Excellent video! Really glad to find the analyzer app for my phone. That will help SOOOO MUCH. Something I'm trying to learn -- I saw a band this weekend that placed their speakers BEHIND the group, facing directly into the mics, and there was no feedback. Any idea how they did this? Maybe a feedback plugin / processor automatically notching out the problem frequencies?
ive seen this and i was stunned, i need to know this secret tooo fr
probably used a general system delay, that would help
Glad it was helpful! And yeah that's a WILD situation. My guess would be that the overall system is delayed to help eliminate some feedback.
Thanks bro, what apps other apps are used to help us in mixing
5:15 What textbooks do you have? I’m a college undergrad looking for more resources
Sometimes is a Delay Linie helpful. For choir and Musicals you can give only solo Mics on the Monitor, not Overheads Choir. You can play with right Left Pan, that you have more distance between the Mic and the Front Speakers. You can sometimes try with Compressor an Multiband compressor who compress the critical frequencies. There a lot of tricks, to get more Headroom for Feedback and a good Sound. But the best Way is in Ear Monitoring for the Stage. But the old generation of Musicans prefer Monitors and the younger Generation In Ears.
This was GREAT .. thank u so much
So glad it was helpful for you!
Hey wassup man I want to buy new tom heads for the drum kit at my church its a pearl export and I was wondering what is the best tom heads for the batter and reso for worship drumming I just wanted to ask if you could do a video for the best tom heads for worship drumming.
Hope you read this have a great day.
Hey Gerson! Great to hear from you! So, you're gonna LOVE our new Drums Masterclass that we just released. You can check it out at www.drumsmasterclass.com and it's got literal hours of teaching and content from us and also from Brandon Coker who's been the drummer for Passion Conference, Northpoint Worship, David Crowder, Lauren Daigle and a ton of other people. He goes deep on talking about drumheads and tuning and all kinds of gear recommendations, so I'd definitely say to check that out if you want to really know everything about drums for worship. Just let me know if you have any questions!
@@WorshipSoundGuy sounds good man thx alot
If clients want to use lavalier mics for live sound reinforcement in a big room with shiny walls, the easiest (if not only) way would be using a feedback destroyer.
Nice presentation but I think with pictures or videos demonstrating what u r saying would have been better n perfect
Noted! We do a lot more of that kind of content in our online courses, which you can check out at worshipsoundguy.com/courses
You’re the best, Johnny!
Thanks Tyler!!!
These are some of my favorite ways to get rid of feedback and make sure it never comes back! What topics should we cover next?? Comment below and let us know!
I bought a Shure A85F transformer to connect a Shure SM58 into a Fender Hotrod Deluxe amp but the feedback is uncontrollable unless I stay 16 feet away which is too far.
Great info. Thanks brother.
Of course! Glad it was useful for you!
I'm using a Berringer X32 and S16 is there a digital feedback killer (not plugin or software based) that you could suggest?
Awesome video, thanks!
Glad you liked it!
Where can i get a lapel mic like yours
It’s actually just the Rode Lav Mic!
Whats the name of App on Android phones?
Thank you sir.
Of course! Glad it was helpful!
Great tips! Thank you!
You are so welcome!
Isn't there an anti-feedback system that examines incoming signal spectrum and automatically notches out the feedback signal?
There is! Waves “Feedback Hunter” plugin does this.
Try a Lampifier microphone. I swear by em' !
Can we talk about lavalieres vs handheld? Lavs I have seem to be more sensitive to feedback at least the ones I have which are sennheisers me2s
Yep! That's absolutely true! A lav is going to be a smaller element that's more susceptible to feedback. They're also (usually) omnidirectional, so they're going to pick up a lot more ambient noise than a cardioid handheld mic will.
@@WorshipSoundGuy Any suggestions on how you deal with it? It's a major issue sometimes.
Nice job you all!
Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed it!
6:36 video starts
Great tips and I think I am just doomed to have feedback, I have placed the speakers in front of the singer even though I personally think it doesn't sound as good as having one behind the speaker.
If the singer actually sings aka they are loud and do not whisper(YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE) I'ts normally fine but it's when I have to turn the mic level up to even hear the person singing it will get feedback then I have to turn them down and just give up trying to make them sound louder.
I have the gain at zero and the wireless mics on the receiver at 50% and the sound level at 50% and even just turning the sound level up I get feedback.
The only other time I have feedback is when I have 2 singers using the wireless mics they really do not like being near each other and since 2 people always stand next to each other I can not really make them stand apart. I honestly thought that using these tips I could stop feedback from happening but nope.
What do you mean the gain is set at zero? Like, turned all the way down? Or set to 12 o’clock?
@c.s.5177 Sorry for the long delay in this reply I had no internet since 1 December and only just got it back, I mean the gain is all the way to the left so basically off.
I have the wireless mics set to 1.5 which is basically very low and the channel sound set to 50/60%.
Raising the channel level causes feedback with quiet singers and the gain is as low as it can be and if I turn the wireless receiver down any lower it basically switches off the mic.
@@tooldtoplay5892 no worries. Can you tell me what type of wireless mics they are? As in brand and series (example: shure blx24r/b58)
Thank you sir for your packaged information
Always welcome!
Super clean video and audio! I'd love to see an in-depth review of your setup.
Thanks
Of course! Glad it was helpful!
Striking a notch on the equipment is way easier then getting people to change their microphone technique 🎤 sadly 😥.
Bouns older stone churchs deliberately have a low frequency room mode that was a way of making the chorus sound bigger. Think of it as an "architectural reverb". Lean into it! It makes the church sound like they have Monks in the back singing with the chorus it's a goosebump raising feeling.
That's fascinating! Some of those old cathedrals and stone church buildings sound absolutely amazing.
you might have added two tricks.... 1-INVERT PHASE ON THE MIKE and 2-ADD A TINY AMOUNT OF DELAY.
Blessings in all !
Yes! That's a fantastic trick!
How efficiently does it work?
Please also tell, How much delay?
@@ishaandobhal6397 between 5 and 20 miliseconds won't make it obvious...
What is the exact app name? I use iOS.
Check the video description. There's a link that'll take you directly to the app
It’s called “Spectrum Analyzer RTA”
There’s a link up in the video description that will take you right to it!
@@WorshipSoundGuy The android link does not work. It says the URL was not found on the sever
Thanks man! =)
To eliminate: You need
drive rack .
System EQ
Channel EQ
Routing room Mic bus and auxiliary
Yep! A lot of great ways to tackle the issue.
I have a paradigm shift proposal. How about getting rid of the PA together. Society seems to be "microphone addicted" where the sound must be at 112db. Just get an organ back in with maybe some string players to help fill in the descant part and get the pastor to have speaking lessons on how to project. I like the idea of the pastor going into the congregation to talk. Great idea. If your church has 2,000 people in the pews, I can see the logic for a PA, but for a congregation of let's say three hundred, why is it necessary? Have we all gone stone deaf? There are hearing aids available. However, your presentation was great and, yes, feedback is a problem of many with a PA system.
Idk if you’ve actually experienced having to speak to 300 people with no amplification for over an hour. Sure it’s doable, Jesus did it, to bigger crowds too. But the amount of effort and the overall quality is disproportional. Why make the pastor spend way more energy and still have the people in the back have trouble hearing?
Our pastor speaks on the louder side already, and he can preach to around 100 people without amplification, and he did when he forgot to unmute his mic. A congregation any larger than that would’ve had people in the back struggling to hear.
Do you know how much work a pastor has to do? They usually have close to no free time already, and you want them to take voice projection lessons on top of that? When anything goes wrong, people call the pastor. Technology makes that possible. Or are you suggesting we get rid of all technology and go back to the Stone Age?
Just because something is doable doesn’t mean it’s also practical. Sure, our pastor understands and tells us that he can still preach without a PA system. And that even without a worship team he can lead everyone himself in worship. But should we actually just do that when we have PA gear readily available? You can argue that hand washing clothes is better. But would you get rid of your washing machine and start hand washing everything? And while you’re at it, get rid of the dishwasher, microwave, and fridge. All of those are technically useless.
I get where you’re coming from. The PA system isn’t the main focus, and shouldn’t be. But to suggest we ditch it all together is a completely different topic.
Sure, we’re not hosting a rock concert. We don’t need a perfect sound system. But does that mean we should put absolutely no effort into improving the sound quality? Every church member has their own skill set and purpose. For some, it’s improving the sound quality. And for some, it’s improving the lighting. And still for some, it’s cleaning up and making the place tidier. You can’t just say “oh we don’t need such high volumes, let’s just get rid of the sound crew”. That’s the same as saying “we don’t need chairs to sit in, we can just sit on the floor, so let’s get rid of them”.
The tools are here to serve us. That’s it. If the PA blows up, can the pastor still preach? Of course. If the church building burned down, can we still get together to worship? Yes of course. Then should we just sell all church buildings and worship outside? “Are people so wimpy that they can’t stand a little wind and rain?”
If God has given a church the financial capabilities of affording a sound system, (including chairs and a building etc.) then as a good steward, we should put it to use. Or else it’s like burying gold under ground. If God has granted us talents, money or skills, we should put it to good use. But of course, they shouldn’t be the focus.
Thanks for the comment. I understand where you're coming from and anticipated ruffling some feathers! It sounds like you're a conscientious person and doing a good job. Keep it up! Another thing I like to do is go to the congregation and ask for advice on the volume levels from them. Happy congregation, happy church. Another method to do is have a sound pressure level meter. It'll really help on knowing whether the sound is in the right place. Cheers!@@kevinwang7894