Ongoing History Daily: The end of feedback?

December 26, 2024 Alan Cross 0 Comments 0 min read

If you’ve ever been to a live show, you’ve no doubt experienced feedback–that loud, screeching, piercing noise that feels like an ice pick is going through your ears into your brain. It is NOT pleasant, but it’s something music fans have had to endure since the invention of microphones and amplifiers. But maybe not anymore.

There is now software that turns down the volume before feedback happens. At soundcheck, a venue is checked for the various frequencies that triggers feedback. Once the analysis is done, the gig can go ahead feedback-free as the software takes care of any problems. It can even adjust to changing conditions. For example, the acoustics of an empty arena are different than one filled with 18,000 sweaty bodies.

As this technology spreads, it should mean the end of feedback forever

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

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