Difficult getting feedback

I

IronMan

Member
I think I'm doing something wrong since I find it very hard to get feedback AND a good sound. I can get both but not at the same time. The Axe is with S/PDIF connected to a Fireface 400 and the guitar is directly in the front input of the Axe.

I have the input of the Axe set at 2 o'clock (humbuckers here). If I set the volume of the front input at max I will get nice feedback and the feedback sounds great! The bad part is that if I play anything (without feedback) it sounds bad because obviously the input clips. If I set the input back to 2 o'clock I will never ever get feedback. Not even with a "Das Metal" amp. I've set the master at max and drive at 4 or so (can't recall). If I add more drive it will start to sound muddy again. No clipping or anything as far as I see, it just sounds bad. It starts to become very undefined and it's not crispy anymore (lack of a better word).

Some more pointers:
- I use the Analog option in the I/O menu (I tried Digital but the problems are still there).
- Both my guitars have the same problem.
- I've tried several cables but they all have the problem.

The patches I created sound great but I cannot get any feedback at all. I think I'm doing something wrong here but I really have no idea what. I will record a clip to let you guys hear the problem if I'm back at home.
 
You don't mention what speakers you are monitoring with? I have no problem getting feedback through monitor wedges or other FRFR cabs, you just need enough volume. In fact it can get out of control quickly.
 
The feedback you want is from the speakers back to the guitar. Get enough energy transfer going there and leave the gain at your normal setting.
 
The good-sounding feedback comes from the speakers moving enough air to vibrate your guitar strings. You can also try inverting phase if an out-of-phase condition is actually canceling your feedback.
 
IronMan said:
I think I'm doing something wrong since I find it very hard to get feedback AND a good sound. I can get both but not at the same time. The Axe is with S/PDIF connected to a Fireface 400 and the guitar is directly in the front input of the Axe.

I have the input of the Axe set at 2 o'clock (humbuckers here). If I set the volume of the front input at max I will get nice feedback and the feedback sounds great! The bad part is that if I play anything (without feedback) it sounds bad because obviously the input clips. If I set the input back to 2 o'clock I will never ever get feedback. Not even with a "Das Metal" amp. I've set the master at max and drive at 4 or so (can't recall). If I add more drive it will start to sound muddy again. No clipping or anything as far as I see, it just sounds bad. It starts to become very undefined and it's not crispy anymore (lack of a better word).

Some more pointers:
- I use the Analog option in the I/O menu (I tried Digital but the problems are still there).
- Both my guitars have the same problem.
- I've tried several cables but they all have the problem.

The patches I created sound great but I cannot get any feedback at all. I think I'm doing something wrong here but I really have no idea what. I will record a clip to let you guys hear the problem if I'm back at home.
Click to expand...

All you need to do is face the speakers (sounds like studio monitors?)
and up the volume on whatever is powering the speakers NOT on the AXE-FX!

;)
 
While I'm assuming you have your amp sufficiently loud, your ability to achieve feedback on a particlular note can also depend on the distance beween your guitar and speaker. Even if your amp is cranked, you may not get strong feedback if you're standing at a node. Try playing a note you want to feedback while moving around the room until you find the best spot for that note. You can do this for every note you want to sustain. On stage, you can place pieces of tape on the floor to mark the sweet spot for each note. Write the name of the corresponding note on each piece of tape. When you want to feedback a particular note, stand on that piece of tape.

That's one suggestion anyway. You may have an entirely different problem.
 
AndrewSimon said:
All you need to do is face the speakers (sounds like studio monitors?)
and up the volume on whatever is powering the speakers NOT on the AXE-FX!

;)
Click to expand...

Ahhh how stupid of me :shock:

I'm indeed using studio monitors (at a low volume level). So I guess it makes sense that I can never make it feedback this way? :oops: Is it also true that when you use headphones you can never ever make it feedback (unless you crank it so loud that your ears start to bleed :lol:)?
Thanks guys, every time I learn something new :D
 
IronMan said:
AndrewSimon said:
All you need to do is face the speakers (sounds like studio monitors?)
and up the volume on whatever is powering the speakers NOT on the AXE-FX!

;)
Click to expand...

Ahhh how stupid of me :shock:

I'm indeed using studio monitors (at a low volume level). So I guess it makes sense that I can never make it feedback this way? :oops: Is it also true that when you use headphones you can never ever make it feedback (unless you crank it so loud that your ears start to bleed :lol:)?
Thanks guys, every time I learn something new :D
Click to expand...

No, you can get feedback with studio monitors. I do it all the time, at fairly low volumes. Headphones are a different story. One thing you can try (it may or may not work for you) is to use the phase reverse setting on the Axe-fx.

Hear is a clip showing what the phase reverse can do to feedback. This was w/ studio monitors. When you hear the feedback the reverse is on. When it dies, I had switched it off. This only works in certain situation (and for what ever reason w/ certain amps) but in some situations I find it helpful. This was tip Cliff told me to try. Moving the distance of your guitar from the sound source does then same thing with finer granularity, but the phase reverse can work well in a tight area.

http://javajunkiemusic.com/Audio/feedback.mp3
 
Try using a wah.
I was noodling around and noticed that when holding the wah-pedal in a certain position I could get more controlled feedback.
 
steadystate said:
On stage, you can place pieces of tape on the floor to mark the sweet spot for each note. Write the name of the corresponding note on each piece of tape. When you want to feedback a particular note, stand on that piece of tape.
Click to expand...
I remember reading somewhere that Joe Satriani does this exact same thing at sound checks before a show.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom