KH audio advice

[Richrecognition]

Hello dear brothers and sisters

 

I'm privileged to work in the audio video department of my congregation. A small congregation, still using a temporary structure in Nigeria. 

 

Lately, our audio has been giving me cause for concern, a lot. 

 

Our set up is 3 mics on the platform, an ahuja ssb-60 amplifier, 2 roving mics, and a laptop. 

 

Because we use a temporary structure, we cannot afford to leave our audio video devices plugged in lest it gets stolen (we've had an amplifier stolen before). So we have to assemble and disassemble, before and after every meeting. This seems to be causing damage to our amplifier. 

 

The problem though is the feedback and audio noise we have been having of late. For me, it's becoming unbearable every meeting. 

 

I've realised our ground connection is faulty (we are looking into a solution for this). This could be the reason for the electrical noise I hear, but definitely not the reason for the feedback noise.

 

Really need advice on these 2 problems 

 

Problem 1. Due to financial reasons, we connected all 3 platform mics to a mic splitter box, then run that connection from thr box to the amplifier on one cable

Pls see image 1 for the box.

This box, though, is starting to fail. One mic isn't as loud as the other, hence brothers in the audience cannot hear that mic user so well. 

 

Problem 2. Feedback loop. 

Every meeting for the past month, we have had feedback noise. I realised one of our mics could be A culprit. But that's just 1 culprit. Something else is wrong. Even the platform mics cause a feedback loop sometimes. 

It really hurts when I hear this noise each meeting. 

 

Please take note that despite being a small congregation, we are set up for zoom streaming because we have aged publishers who cannot be at the KH each meeting. 

 

Do I change the mic splitter box at the platform? If yes, what should I change it to? Should we consider getting a mixer? If yes, do I send all mics from the mixer through the laptop using a usb sound card, and out the amplifier? How is that even possible? 

 

Please some advice would be very helpful.

I have informed the coordinator of my congregation to kindly reach out to someone from the ldc for some advice, but I fear he may be considering the financial situation of my congregation too. 

Edited February 1 by Richrecognition

[Pabo]

The little microphone splitter device is okay to a point, as long as you are only using one microphone at a time, but is puts a heavy strain on the microphones if you are using the input gain on multiple microphones at once in the device. It may be best to purchase a mixer console (some of these are relatively cheap now) and the LDC may get one for you and all the microphones can be connected that mixer, and the mixer is then connected to the amplifier using just the one microphone input. Also, you will only need to be adjusting on one device all the microphone inputs that you have, instead of 2 units.

 

Also, check the microphone leads for any deterioration inside the connecter (if possible). They may be lose or frayed wires that may be causing the current to be hampered. These can be causing your electrical audio noise.

 

 

Have you thought that the feedback could be coming from Zoom where one of those attendees? At times, I had noticed if someone on Zoom was using a seperate speaker device (such as an external speaker) that is connected to their device that they are using for Zoom, that it can feedback onto itself, especially when they are talking and the speaker that are using is also close by for the microphone to pick it up, or that their microphone is accidentally unmuted when they are listening to the speaker.

 

Also too, it may be best for a transport box that can be made that the amplifier (and is so a mixer) can be bolted into, so it protects it in transit and you can open up certain ends or sides that you need access to for connecting the microphone, power and speaker cables.

 

These are just a few things that I can suggest.