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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Push higher and repeat. With that frequency tamed, raise the level again until the next frequency rings, and cut that one too.
- 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.
How to identify the ringing frequency by ear
The hardest part for newcomers is naming the frequency that’s howling. With practice you start to recognise the character of each band, and that mental shorthand lets you grab the right slider on the first try instead of hunting.
- A deep, chesty boom or rumble usually lives in the low end, roughly 100–250 Hz. These rings build slowly and feel more than they pierce.
- A honky, hollow or boxy tone tends to sit in the low mids, around 250–500 Hz. This is a common trouble spot with vocal wedges on a resonant stage.
- A nasal or telephone-like ring points to the mids, somewhere near 800 Hz to 2 kHz.
- A sharp, piercing whistle is the high mids and highs, from around 2 kHz upward. These are the ones that make the audience wince, so tame them quickly.
If you genuinely can’t place it, a graphic EQ lets you cheat: pull a slider down and listen. If the ring stops or weakens, you found it; if nothing changes, push that slider back to flat and try the next one. A real-time analyser (RTA), built into many digital desks and tablet apps, will show the spike visually and confirm what your ears suspect.
Common mistakes when ringing out
- Ringing out a silent stage and stopping there. A bare mic over a wedge behaves very differently from a singer cupping the mic with their hand over it. Always finish by having the performer use the mic the way they actually will.
- Cutting too much, too wide. Yanking a fader to the floor or using broad cuts hollows out the monitor and makes it sound lifeless. A few decibels on a narrow band is usually enough.
- EQ-ing around a placement problem. If you need five or six deep cuts just to get usable level, the mic and wedge are fighting each other. Move them before you reach for more EQ.
- Forgetting the room changes. An empty room rings differently from a full one. A crowd absorbs high frequencies, so you often gain a little headroom once people arrive — but bodies near the stage can also shift the low end. Leave yourself margin.
- Ringing out every wedge to the edge. Just because a monitor can go louder without feedback doesn’t mean it should. The quieter the stage, the cleaner the whole show.
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, and the wider habits in how to prevent vocal microphone feedback on stage keep it from creeping back during the show.
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. If you’re running wedges from out front rather than a dedicated monitor desk, mixing monitors from the front of house walks through that workflow.
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.
Can a feedback suppressor replace ringing out?
Automatic feedback suppressors can help, but they react after a ring starts rather than preventing it, and they can quietly carve away frequencies you wanted. Treat them as a safety net for the unexpected, not a substitute for ringing out and good mic placement.
Should I ring out in-ear monitors too?
No. In-ear monitors put the sound directly in the performer’s ears with no open speaker for the mic to pick up, so the feedback loop that ringing out solves doesn’t exist. Ringing out is only for wedges and other open stage monitors, which is one of the trade-offs covered in in-ear monitors vs wedges.
