Fighting Microphone Feedback WITHOUT a Graphic EQ While Mixing Monitors from FOH in a Reverberant Room

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In this episode of Sound Design Live I talk with Michael Lawrence who is Document Jockey at Rational Acoustics, Technical Editor at Live Sound International, and a freelance audio engineer. We discuss lots of tips for fighting microphone feedback without a graphic EQ (and without Smaart!) while mixing stage monitors from FOH in a reverberant room.

I ask:

• How did you get your first job in audio?
• Looking back on your career so far, what’s one of the best decisions you made to get more of the work that you really love?
• Running monitors from FOH? Here’s some tips.
  • Like me and many other people, you often work by yourself. You are the system designer, system tech, A1, etc. You’ve developed a lot of processes to efficiently get it all done. Can we go over some of your best tips for running stage monitors from FOH?
  • Why don’t you use Smaart with your stage monitors?
  • Walk me through your process for ring out the monitors.
• And from Facebook
  • Manuel Elias Costa: What does he know about automix and machine learning algorithms research? It would be interesting to hear more about the developments in mixing and automation.
  • Andrey Andreev: What does he think of the way music industry is developing production-wise and is audio quality still a thing? How are decision been made for speccing a certain sound system? Why is point source so much neglected when it can be so many times better sounding than the usual line array type of systems? (Of course line array has its place but it’s hardly always the right solution)
  • Dave Gammon: Does he see sound being more immersive in the future. Less about right and left but more about a total experience and encapsulating the audience.
  • Garrick Quentin: With the new advancements in line source technology, where do old line arrays go to die? What’s the next game changer in line array technology that we don’t yet know about?
  • Lou Kohley: How do you stay relevant to opposite edges of your market? The novice just starting at a bar gig to working professional to industry veteran.

I hate graphic EQs. I don’t use them unless I don’t have a better choice. You’re talking about 1/3 of an octave. That’s like a C to an F on a piano.

Michael Lawrence

Notes

1. All music in this podcast by Bionik.
2. Running Monitors from FOH? Here are some tips.
   1. Verify all outputs with pink noise. If they are all the same model, they should all sound the same. Check settings (line/mic switch, gain).
   2. Practice identifying feedback frequencies. Sing it to yourself.
3. Hardware: X32, Midas Pro1, LS9
4. My Results from 30 Days of Ear Training, Download the Aiming Triangles Business Card
5. Quotes
   1. I treat everything like I’m on tour even when I’m not on tour; doing the same things in the same order every time.
   2. Before you do any test, have an idea of what you expect it to look like.
   3. I always have a cue wedge at FOH. If you don’t have one, you’re guessing.
   4. I hate graphic EQs. I don’t use them unless I don’t have a better choice. You’re talking about 1/3 of an octave. That’s like a C to an F on a piano.
   5. We ignore the polar pattern of the mic. That’s super important. Buy yourself every dB you can get.
   6. I always double patch my money channel.