I figured I`d write a little ditty on using that EQ you have on your PA system to drive out feedback. But first, let`s discuss what feedback is, and what causes it - and why you eed to avoid it beyond the obvious reasons.

Feedback is when a particular frequency gets amplified, hits a microphone, gets reamplified, rinse, repeat. It does this at an alarming rate, getting louder each time. This takes literally MILLISECONDS to get to ear-piercing, horrible screaching. It can also take on the shape of a booming low note and is just as bad. ESPECIALLY IF YOU CAN`T HEAR IT. So besides the noise, why do you need to avoid it? Wel your PA system is an investment, just like any other piece of gear and as such you want to protect it. So first thing you want to do with your graphic EQ is roll out the frequencies your speakers cannot reproduce - it will tell you on the speaker, or in the manual, or on the manufacturer's website. What can happen is feedback going on at a low freqquency your speaker is not designed to handle, but it will try, and can tear the edge of a speaker cone if left unnoticed, as the speaker will be shaking more than it is designed to handle. Dont worry about how your eq looks, it's a tool just like a hammer and is meant to be used. If you get feedback above what your speakers built in crossover is set to your feedback will be coming through your horn, and those little buggers are faster to fry (literally) because they get really hot and burn out, leaving you with either no high end or a scratchy horrible sounding buzz that cuts in and out.

So the easiest way to remove feedback is to speak into a mic that feeds back (just a bit) and if you've got an ear for this kind of thing you just turn down the frequencies that feedback. I can do it, it's a neat party trick. However not everyone has years of experience... so what you need to do in that situation is turn up your one microphone until it starts feeding back if left unattended (again, just a tiny bit) and turn your faders down one at a time until the feedback disappears [as in, turn the fader on your graphic eq down until it's gone, not drop that frequency out entirely]. Keep checking your mic for volume - once it's as loud as you need it there's no need to keep messing with it. Do this for all other mics, and learn to know when enough is enough. It can get pretty unnatural sounding, so if you start to sound honky you can dip out frequencies around the ones you've already messed with - creating smoother dips so that it doesn't sound like something's been pulled out. Some rooms (especially small ones) are really prone to feedback because the sound from the speakers bounce off the walls right back into a mic. In this case you can always move your mic around to find the best placement, move the speakers around to find the best placement, or just jam quieter. Smaller rooms just can't handle excessive SPL and have their own ways of letting you know.

Speaker placement: depending on the number of mics, monitors, and people that have to hear the vocal - wedges on the floor a few feet in front of you [preferably near the middle of the room so sound from the wedge doesn't hit the wall behind you and go back into ther mic]. Most wedges have a distinct area where you get the best tone and loudest volume, and it's rarely right in front. It's usually 2 or 3 feet back - put on a cd and walk around. Then put your mic on a stick with the null of the polar pattern pointing roughly towards the speaker. An upside of having your vocal area near the middle of the room is if you keep your backline closer to the walls you can hear yourself better espeicially using a combo amp.

If you've just got 2 speakers for everyone, drop one down on the floor beside the drummer for them to use, and then put one on a stick behind the drummer but well above his head so the sound shoots past towards everyone else in the room. Make sure you have seperate volume for each speaker because the drummer will most likely have his monitor quieter than the one for everyone else [though I know many drummers who have no respect for their hearing and could care less].