ilovefuzz.com

Not sure if this is the right place to ask but whatever,


ANyway, my band's vox uses a looper (DL4) and reverb + delay for vocals efx.

The rest of the band is a standard 2 guitar/1 bass/1 drum/1 synth lineup, with fuzz and all that jazz...

we seem to have this issue with mic feedback whenever we practice at our small practice space. the chain for vox is like this:

Mic (SM58) -> DL4 -> Reverb -> mini mixer -> PA. I have to push the vox into my mini mixer as there is a noticeable volume drop when using the DL4 and my vox does not really have the most powerful voice. so whenever we play, since we play sorta loud shoegaze/psych etc...we have this feedbacking on...which is kinda annoying....


so, does this mean we all have to play "softer" ? or is it because the mix on the reverb is too high on the wet side? placement of mic vs the monitors?

Mic placement is number one. You could also buy a microphone with a tighter cardiod pattern.

SM58 wasn't really built to be run into guitar effects.

And they weren't built to provide a mic preamp.

Does your mini-mixer have a FX loop? I'd put them there and see if that improves it.

Failing that look at loopers designed for vocal use.

Mic placement is important as is the rest of your chain as is not overpowering the room, but I see a recipe for trouble rightoff.

rfurtkamp wrote:SM58 wasn't really built to be run into guitar effects.

And they weren't built to provide a mic preamp.

Does your mini-mixer have a FX loop? I'd put them there and see if that improves it.

Yeah it should go SM58 > Mixer > FX SEND or AUX on that channel > DL4 > Reverb > FX RETURN or AUX IN or another channel if your mixer has the correct path i.e. not shitty...

Is your singer cupping the ball of the 58? Lots of people don't know not to do that. Makes a cardioid mic into an omni, which is a recipe for feedback, especially in a small space.

As the other posters said - 58's aren't designed for FX pedals so you'll always have trouble with gain & feedback, it's the nature of the beast. You could try a couple of different things:

1- setup the mixer as mentioned above - having the DL4 on an Aux send will reduce your chances of problems.
2- if the mixer has any EQ or filter, try high passing the mic (to remove excess bottom) and use the mid-range eq to cut back some offending feedback frequencies.
3- run the mic pre-amp on the console as low as possible, and use the fader for gain - more pre gain is more likely to feedback.
4- if you have the benefit of running two speakers for the practice, position the singer further away from one than the other and pan the vocal mic to the speaker that is further away. It'll keep what's coming out further away from the mic.

If you've got an opportunity, shure makes a slightly more expensive version of the 58 - a beta 58 which is hypercardiod. Its much more directional and has much higher side rejection. It's a little less prone to feedback from the practices I've used them in.