Has anyone got any ideas on how to cut down on feedback on the tenor banjo.
I play a tenor banjo using a fishmans pickup mounted to the perch pole + also use a fishmans EQ .
I seem to suffer from feedback more than the other instruments in the band (mandolon,fiddle and guitar)
I've tried stuffing towels into the back of the resonator which helps a bit but also makes the banjo sound like I'm playing in a dustbin.
How do other people go on
Stay well back from the speakers and possibly change the tone settings on your equalizer to minimize the high frequencies. You might find that your system resonates to a particular eq setting?
From a sound man's point of view, the pick-up is better than a mic on a stand because it would be easier to keep control of your level. A condenser mic attached to the banjo works, but I've found there is more of a chance for feedback with the active condenser.
Check your gain setting combination with the pre-amp and the mixing board (or power amp) you are using to see that one is not drasticly higher than the other. In other words, if the pre's gain is way high the sound man may not have enough room to add gain at the console - any extra he may add can cause feedback. If the pre's gain is so low that the sound man has to add tons of gain at the board, you may be overloading the channel on loud passages - again causing feedback. --- If this doesn't help, move to your EQ (again both on the pre and the mixing board) and find what frequency is causing the feedback. The pitch of the feedback howl will tell you what frequency is causing it. Try to keep your eq settings as near to zero or below as you can. If you boost a frequency heavy, you will add gain therby increasing possibility of feedback. If you need more highs and your already boosting them now, try lowering mids & lows rather than boosting the high even more.
Hope that helps....
Cutting down feedback
Cutting down feedback
Has anyone got any ideas on how to cut down on feedback on the tenor banjo.
I play a tenor banjo using a fishmans pickup mounted to the perch pole + also use a fishmans EQ .
I seem to suffer from feedback more than the other instruments in the band (mandolon,fiddle and guitar)
I've tried stuffing towels into the back of the resonator which helps a bit but also makes the banjo sound like I'm playing in a dustbin.
How do other people go on
# Posted on April 28th 2003 by riggers
Re: Cutting down feedback
at Crann
# Posted on April 28th 2003 by crannog
Re: Cutting down feedback
Stay well back from the speakers and possibly change the tone settings on your equalizer to minimize the high frequencies. You might find that your system resonates to a particular eq setting?
# Posted on April 28th 2003 by breandan
Re: Cutting down feedback
Crannog is right. You shouldn't need a pick up with a banjo, they are noisy and directional enough to use a mike, (Which will always sound better)
# Posted on April 29th 2003 by ...
Re: Cutting down feedback
From a sound man's point of view, the pick-up is better than a mic on a stand because it would be easier to keep control of your level. A condenser mic attached to the banjo works, but I've found there is more of a chance for feedback with the active condenser.
Check your gain setting combination with the pre-amp and the mixing board (or power amp) you are using to see that one is not drasticly higher than the other. In other words, if the pre's gain is way high the sound man may not have enough room to add gain at the console - any extra he may add can cause feedback. If the pre's gain is so low that the sound man has to add tons of gain at the board, you may be overloading the channel on loud passages - again causing feedback. --- If this doesn't help, move to your EQ (again both on the pre and the mixing board) and find what frequency is causing the feedback. The pitch of the feedback howl will tell you what frequency is causing it. Try to keep your eq settings as near to zero or below as you can. If you boost a frequency heavy, you will add gain therby increasing possibility of feedback. If you need more highs and your already boosting them now, try lowering mids & lows rather than boosting the high even more.
Hope that helps....
# Posted on May 4th 2003 by PineyPiper