Feedback frequency trainer

[Scott]

Has anyone used any tools to help train people to recognize at what frequency feedback is occuring?

Maybe a feedback simulator?

I've searched here and over at CSC.

I'm not aware of such a training device. However an active feedback eliminator is usually a better solution. These devices will sense the feedback and automatically inject a loss at the frequency of the feedback sufficient to eliminate the feedback. Some of these work on 1/3 octive (31 band) equalization. They typically react quick enough to totally eliminate the feedback from the system before you can hear it.

Sombody brought one of dem dere feedme eliminators to our church about a year ago. They seemed to live and breathe the need for its existence. The problem was, I kept hearing them generating feedback. It was all I could do to not reset their stage a little bit differently, and take control of their gear to eliminate the 2 or 3 freqs that kept comin and goin. The problem to me seemed solveable with a bit of actual work by a soundguy. It would have eliminated the need entirely for what seemed to be more of a crutch than a tool. Maybe I'm wrong, and maybe it was eliminating almost all the freqs from feedback. But our house system has more than enough GBF than our neighbours care for, and I seem to be able to tweak out freq as fast as their unit was working that weekend. I suspect it was not being used correctly. It was suggested to me to just get in there and slowly create some feedback in an empty house, and listen to the tones to get used to the freqs you are creating the feedback in. Is somebody thinking of marketing a tone generator at a budget level almost any church could afford?

Originally posted by jnorth
Is somebody thinking of marketing a tone generator at a budget level almost any church could afford?

Do a search for "SweepGen" on Google. It's a great little downloadable program that you can use to create steady tones at the frequencies of your choosing. I've used it for a couple years now.

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A note about feedback eliminators:

Originally posted by Zack on another website
If I were you, I'd look into a good-quality 5-band parametric EQ. My church purchased a 31-band graphic EQ from Ashly Audio out of Rochester, NY, a while back and have been very pleased with its sound and build quality. I have not used a parametric from Ashly, though. Paremetric EQs function _basically_ the same as the feedback destroyers, EXCEPT, it all depends on what controls the notch-filters. Parametrics put you in control (not that we're control freaks, now! ). As where feedback destroyers use microprocessors to control one thing, feedback. This can be bad, though, because you have NO control over total tonal quality if a filter decides to go awry by notching out a vocalist who just so happens to be holding a note at a specific frequency a little too long (or so the feedback destroyer thinks!). So just a little warning...

Read this article for the whole scoop.

I use a test CD (that I can't find anymore), it has about 25-30 test tones on it, I use it to train my guys. I'll do some looking later today and see if i can't find it on the net.

If you have some soldering skills, you can build your own for fairly cheap.

It all depends on where you get your kits/components from, but I think they run between 25-35 dollars.

Found this, it is like mine, with a little more (might be the update for the one I have)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...6link_code=xm2
I have a feeling the price is a typo (hopefully)
Mine is by Moss Music Group named "The Ultimate Test CD"(has a flourecent orange and green cover) I couldn't find one on the net, Moss no longer exists now
It really helps, I hope you find one
Ryan

[JAE]

try this link

http://johnsonaudioworks.com/html/downloads.html

[Mr. Lightman]

When I took over the audio equipment here at FBC, I ended up taking out the feedback destroyer that was installed with the system. The acoustics of our sanctuary make for some killer harmonic feedback, and the destroyer was taking out so many decibels of so many frequencies... Let's just say the sound was horrible. We have a Peavey EQ (not sure of the model number) that features LED level indicators above each band. When feedback occurs, the LED above the corresponding frequency band glows bright red, making it possible for a deaf chimpanzee to identify feedback. Using this EQ, along with a condenser mic set up in the middle of the room, I was able to manually reduce the room's problematic frequencies while leaving everything else intact. I was absolutely blown away by the difference it made. I took out the feedback destroyer because it simply wasn't being used anymore. In fact, it kept mistaking the sound of the organ for feedback.

Moral of the story: Use your ears and your EQ's as much as possible before resorting to autonomous feedback destroyers/eliminators. Just my two cents.

[exit143]

Google search "Simple Feedback Trainer" It's free. It works... it's simple.

(EDIT: Or just click the Johnson Audio link above)

[superdave058]

try this
http://binkster.net/extras.shtml

[Esoteric]

In college my prof used to point a mic at a speaker and make adjustments on the EQ and we would have to find and dial out the feedback on a 32 channel EQ. I was never very good at it.

Mike