Feedback on an omni

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CraigMcKee

New DJ
Aug 13, 2018
5
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Hey all! I work currently as a magician, looking to add DJ and Emcee to the mix mid next year. I gig at a lot of banquet halls, and I've never had anything but bad luck with feedback from my Airline headset- does anyone have any sage tips / advice for this problem? I've turned down the mic's sensitivity, and ensured the speakers are upstage from the performance area, but they still go off like a banshee.... Thanks for any advice!
 
WHICH Airline .. 77, 88 or Micro, and what type of speakers? The 88 shows an omni capsule, the others don't indicate it in the manual.

Omni capsules are best for lavs .. headsets usually allow you to adjust where the mic is and benefit from a cardioid/hyper-cardiod pickup.
 
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Owned several 77's over the years and loved them....never had a feedback issue either... (if you are using the 77 do u use the wind protectors...)

cc
 
WHICH Airline .. 77, 88 or Micro, and what type of speakers? The 88 shows an omni capsule, the others don't indicate it in the manual.

Omni capsules are best for lavs .. headsets usually allow you to adjust where the mic is and benefit from a cardioid/hyper-cardiod pickup.


Hey - I have the Micro - single over-ear unit. does this mean I'm just a dummy and need to point the mic more at my face?
 
Owned several 77's over the years and loved them....never had a feedback issue either... (if you are using the 77 do u use the wind protectors...)

cc


I've heard nothing but good about the series, which is why I'm reluctant to return it and figure it's more along the lines of user-error....
 
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There are several "feedback detectors" and "feedback eliminators" out there.
Detectors are usually are part of an EQ, and show you which frequencies are feeding back.
You then use the EQ to lower the offending frequency (or frequencies)
Eliminators usually do ALL of that on their own, but don't allow you to adjust what frequencies are lowered...
so you may lose more than you want to lose. If you are using it for vocals only (not music) it's not as noticeable.
Creative speaker placement can help as well.
 
Parametric eq is your best friend. I use the Digital Bose mixer which also has multiple eq settings, noise gate and the ability to save your settings.
 
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It's not your mic, it's the lack of signal processing.
Since we are talking about continuous speech and a performer who moves - you need to insert the following between your mic and the sound system:

1. Variable Low Cut filter
2. Variable High Shelf Filter
3. Resonant notch filters

There are a variety of ways or devices to accomplish this. You have to find what works for your budget and style. At minimal, an analog 15 or 31 band graphic EQ would give you a crude but effective way to accomplish all of 1 thru 3 above. Since you can find these used for about $50 it's your fastest and least costly solution if your mic is already going through a mixer.

The low cut should be used to roll off EVERYTHING below your voice range. Likewise the high shelf should dial down anything not required to give your speech definition. What remains is notches you create for a given room or setup that seems to be reactive.

For even more professional sounding results you'll need the following:

4. Gate
5. Compressor/Limiter
6. De-esser (optional)

A gate shuts of (attenuates) your mic whenever you're not actually speaking and terminates any chance of feedback.
Compression smooths your levels to keep you at a consistent sound level whether you speak calmly or get very animated.
A Limiter is hard compression at the top end to prevent you from exceeding a safe threshold before feedback or distortion.
De-essing removes excessive siblant noise from words with an "s, x, or "sh" sound. For example, say: "Excessive siblance" into your microphone and if you think it all sounds to much like a ssssnake - then you might need a de-esser.

There are dedicated mic processors that can do all of this in one piece of gear but, they are more expensive. An analog gated compressor/limiter will provide you with what you need again for about $50 used. A dedicated mic processor will save you space but run you $500, $800 or more. The advantage is that a mic processor will also include a pre-amp whereas all of the separate processors operate at line level and you'll need to put your mic through a mixer first.
 
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