Case studies

Speech clarity for 100 in the room and 800 on Zoom

A corporate meeting at Alkami Technology in a large, reverberant space with about 100 people present and more than 800 joining remotely. Three Shure SM58 handhelds for presenters, one lavalier for hands-free speaking, and PA speakers positioned close to where the presenters were standing.

That layout is the usual compromise. The screen is at the front, so the presenter stands at the front, so the presenter stands near the loudspeakers. The operator's options were to pull gain back, cut frequencies out of the vocal group, keep overall volume down, and mute unused microphones aggressively. All four protect against feedback and all four cost presence.

We inserted the De-Feedback system into the signal chain and ran live A and B comparisons during sound check, tuned for that room and that microphone set, with the bypass verified at unity so the comparison was honest.

• Stronger vocal presence at the same fader position
• Ringing frequencies reduced without broadband cuts
• Less of the room's reverberant field in the amplified signal
• More stable lavalier performance as the speaker moved
• Less need for aggressive EQ on the vocal group

Because the same processed path fed the broadcast mix, the remote audience got the same improvement. Speech was easier to follow on the stream and levels stayed more consistent between speakers, which matters over a long meeting when a listener is doing something else at the same time.

Presenters could speak normally without pushing the PA toward instability, which is the practical version of the number.

That is way louder, and it is not feeding back

A mid-sized church with a traditional sanctuary, two Shure SM58 handhelds for the pastor and guest speakers, two wireless lapels for the choir and worship leaders, ceiling-mounted mains and floor monitors. The pattern was familiar: ringing when levels came up, no headroom to push, different results from different speakers, and heavy EQ cuts plus aggressive muting holding it together.

We set the system up inline with their existing mixer and ran a side-by-side comparison during a rehearsal.

Without processing, the operator brought the pastor's microphone up to a comfortable speaking level and feedback started at roughly 75 percent fader. With the processing in, the same operator took the same fader to 95 percent and the room stayed clean.

• Cleaner vocal presence at higher levels
• Ringing eliminated in the sanctuary at working volume
• Choir microphones stable without aggressive muting
• Less pressure on the operator during the service

Worship spaces are difficult for specific reasons: high ceilings, reflective surfaces, several sources open at once, and a need to be both intimate and powerful in the same hour. Operators reach for EQ and muting because those are the tools in the room. Getting the margin back means the pastor and the worship leader can be heard at the level the service wants without the system sitting on the edge.

The sound tech's reaction, on hearing the second pass: that is way louder, and it is not feeding back.

A father of the bride, inches from a DV12

At a wedding reception the father of the bride stood a few inches from a Bassboss DV12 to give his toast, holding a Shure Beta 58. As microphone placements go, that is close to the worst case available: a directional dynamic with a presence lift around 4 kHz, pointed at a room, standing next to a full-range cabinet that is pointed at him.

The conventional answers all fail here. Moving the microphone away from the speaker is not possible when the toast is happening where the couple is sitting. Cutting enough EQ to make it stable takes the warmth out of a voice that people came to hear. Turning the system down means the back half of the room misses the speech. Swapping to a different microphone is not something you do while somebody is holding one.

With De-Feedback inserted between the microphone and the PA, the system analyzed the incoming signal and suppressed the frequencies that were trying to build before they got there.

• No manual EQ adjustments during the toast
• Vocal warmth and presence left intact
• Full system volume available for the whole room
• Nothing for the operator to ride mid-speech

Toasts are one take. Whoever is speaking gets one pass at it, in front of everyone they know, and the audio either works or it is the thing people remember. Being able to handle a microphone placement that would otherwise be unusable is the difference between a speech that lands and a speech that gets talked over by a squeal.