Let me start by saying that I am not a keyboard player. The Korg R3 is my second keyboard purchase, so I really don't know anything about programming a synth. I just thought it would be fun to learn to play a keyboard.
Now my question...I have had a fun time playing with the sounds in the R3, especially with the vocoder. I think it sounds great when I have it plugged into my mixer and use headphones.
But when I use the vocoder plugged into a keyboard amp or a PA, I get a loud squeal sound/feedback. It doesn't matter which was my amp is facing or how far it is from me, I still get a lot of feedback unless I turn down the master way down...and then you can barely hear it through the amp.
Can anyone tell me what I can do to solve this problem?
Many thanks in advance!
R3 Vocoder
Moderators: Sharp, X-Trade, Pepperpotty, karmathanever
Mic's are like ears. So if the sound is loud enough for you to hear, it's also loud enough for the mics to pickup. So if you want to hear the music loudly, then headphones or earbuds (IEMs) are the best way to do it, since the mics aren't going to very easily pick up what's being sent to your ears that way. This is particularly true if you are in a small room, because any sound from the amp will bounce around the room and easily get picked up by the mic.
There are other things you can do too. You can get a different/better mic, and a lot of us do that anyways because the Korg mics basically suck, even though they're convenient gooseneck mics. I use a Shure SM58 on an adjustable stand, which I much prefer to the gooseneck. You can turn down the input gain on the mic, speak more loudly into the mic for vocoding, increase the noisegate threshold, and reduce the HighPass filter bypass of the vocoder. Using headphones you can set it up so that the vocoder doesn't respond to anything except when you speak loudly and directly into the mic, with your lips right on the mic. Then it will be more feedback resistant.
You can also do the vocodes in a nice quiet setting with headphones, and then record them with the Formant Motion feature on the R3. Then you can use the vocode by modifying the program. You can record and use 16 different vocodes this way. This is the best way to guarantee that no feedback will happen, since you aren't using the mic at all during the performance. You can also get a really nice, predictable vocode by setting it up in advance.
Also, most keyboard amps suck, so that's worth changing anyways. Headphones, earbuds and IEMs are the best options for hearing your music for rehearsals and performances, as they eliminate feedback in many very difficult situations.
There are other things you can do too. You can get a different/better mic, and a lot of us do that anyways because the Korg mics basically suck, even though they're convenient gooseneck mics. I use a Shure SM58 on an adjustable stand, which I much prefer to the gooseneck. You can turn down the input gain on the mic, speak more loudly into the mic for vocoding, increase the noisegate threshold, and reduce the HighPass filter bypass of the vocoder. Using headphones you can set it up so that the vocoder doesn't respond to anything except when you speak loudly and directly into the mic, with your lips right on the mic. Then it will be more feedback resistant.
You can also do the vocodes in a nice quiet setting with headphones, and then record them with the Formant Motion feature on the R3. Then you can use the vocode by modifying the program. You can record and use 16 different vocodes this way. This is the best way to guarantee that no feedback will happen, since you aren't using the mic at all during the performance. You can also get a really nice, predictable vocode by setting it up in advance.
Also, most keyboard amps suck, so that's worth changing anyways. Headphones, earbuds and IEMs are the best options for hearing your music for rehearsals and performances, as they eliminate feedback in many very difficult situations.
Thanks
xmlguy,
I appreciate you taking the time to help me out. I guess I need to start by getting a better microphone, huh? I'll start saving up my dollars and invest in something better than the mic that comes with the R3.
Thanks again.
I appreciate you taking the time to help me out. I guess I need to start by getting a better microphone, huh? I'll start saving up my dollars and invest in something better than the mic that comes with the R3.
Thanks again.
Glad to help, RM3.
You can try all the other things I mentioned for free, so carefully read the R3 manual for the vocoder and study the block diagram for that mode. The input level, noise gate and highpass filter settings on the vocoder are the primary tools to deal with feedback, besides controlling how much sound is being picked up by the mic. Your mic technique matters a lot too, so get your lips right on the mic and speak loudly. Note that you should speak into the mic and over enunciate the consonants. Don't sing into the mic. The vocoder does the singing. Your voice is used to control only the formant/wave shape, so speaking loudly and clearly into the mic is better than singing. You can speak off tune - since the tune comes from the synth carrier, not your voice.
You can try all the other things I mentioned for free, so carefully read the R3 manual for the vocoder and study the block diagram for that mode. The input level, noise gate and highpass filter settings on the vocoder are the primary tools to deal with feedback, besides controlling how much sound is being picked up by the mic. Your mic technique matters a lot too, so get your lips right on the mic and speak loudly. Note that you should speak into the mic and over enunciate the consonants. Don't sing into the mic. The vocoder does the singing. Your voice is used to control only the formant/wave shape, so speaking loudly and clearly into the mic is better than singing. You can speak off tune - since the tune comes from the synth carrier, not your voice.