How to Ring Out Monitors to Prevent Feedback

To ring out monitors, you slowly raise the monitor level until it just starts to ring or howl, identify the frequency causing it, cut that frequency on the monitor’s EQ, and repeat until the monitor is loud and stable. It’s a quick soundcheck routine that buys you headroom and a feedback-free show. Here’s the method.

Why you ring out monitors

Feedback happens when sound from a monitor gets back into a microphone, is amplified, comes out the monitor again, and builds into a howl. Every room and stage has certain frequencies that feed back first. Ringing out finds and tames those frequencies before the gig, so you can run the monitors louder without that piercing squeal. For the bigger picture on feedback, see how to control feedback in live sound.

What you need

• A monitor (wedge) and the mic that will be used over it, in their actual stage positions.
• An EQ on that monitor’s output — a graphic EQ on the mixer’s aux, or the channel/output EQ on a digital desk.
• A quiet stage during soundcheck so you can hear the ringing clearly.

If your monitor mix routing isn’t set up yet, sort that first with how to set up stage monitors for your band.

Step-by-step: ringing out a monitor

1. Set the stage as it will be. Put the mic and wedge where the performer will use them. Ringing out is only valid for that exact arrangement.
2. Open the mic and raise the monitor slowly. Bring the monitor send up gradually while the mic is live. Don’t talk over it yet — let the system find its own ring point.
3. Listen for the first ring. As you push the level, a single frequency will start to ring. Stop raising it the moment you hear that tone build.
4. Find the frequency and cut it. Identify which band is ringing and pull it down on the monitor EQ. With a graphic EQ you sweep or pull the suspect slider; with a parametric, set a narrow cut and tune it to the ring.
5. Push higher and repeat. With that frequency tamed, raise the level again until the next frequency rings, and cut that one too.
6. Stop while it’s still clean. After a few cuts you’ll reach a level that’s louder than you need with no ringing. Back off slightly from the point where it rings, and you have your safe working headroom.

Tips for ringing out faster

• Use narrow cuts: Cut the ringing frequency tightly so you don’t dull the whole monitor. Broad cuts rob the mix of life.
• Don’t over-EQ: A few targeted cuts is normal. If you’re pulling down many bands hard, something else is wrong — check mic and wedge placement.
• Fix placement first: Pointing the back of the mic at the wedge does more than any EQ. Ring out after placement is right.
• Mind the singer: Once it’s rung out, have the vocalist sing over it. A loud, close voice can still trigger feedback that a silent test won’t reveal.

Where ringing out fits in soundcheck

Ring out the monitors after you’ve placed mics and set rough levels, but before you fine-tune each performer’s mix. It’s part of a proper soundcheck routine — see how to do a soundcheck for the full order of operations. Setting clean levels at the desk first also helps; gain staging a live mixer covers that.

Frequently asked questions

What does “ring out” a monitor mean?

It means deliberately pushing a monitor toward feedback during soundcheck to find the frequencies that howl first, then cutting those frequencies on the EQ. The result is a monitor you can run louder without it squealing during the show.

Do I need a special EQ to ring out monitors?

You need some EQ on the monitor’s output — a graphic EQ on the aux send or the output EQ on a digital mixer. A graphic EQ makes it easy to pull down a specific frequency band, but a parametric EQ with a narrow cut works just as well.

How loud should monitors be after ringing out?

As loud as the performers need and no louder. Ringing out gives you extra headroom before feedback, but keeping monitors at the lowest comfortable level still gives the cleanest stage and the least feedback risk.