DIY Noise With Feedback Loops


You're interested in noise. Noise as an experimental music genre (if we can loosely call it that). The whole deal is that everything's open. You could plug a synth into this chain. A guitar, or bass. A contact microphone or a regular microphone. You could add a mixer. You could do all these things at the same time. Whatever it takes.


With experimental music, time limits, radio edits, record company agendas, and expectations are not a factor. This can complicate things a bit. Or not. There's plenty of freedom here.


It's more important to try new things. Different effects patched in different positions. Different sound sources (voice, synth, guitar, bass, computer, found items) to feed the effects.


Or nothing except effects to feed the effects, as in a "no input" source where a mixer's AUX sends are used to create a feedback loop with effects processing the loop.


WARNING: This stuff gets loud so be careful or you'll blow your speakers or destroy your (or someone elses) ears!

A simple feedback loop like the one above will give you an almost instant "screeching" sound. Not much use on its own, but try shaping it with your effects.

EQ's are good for bringing up feedback frequencies outside of the original "screech" range.

Distortions will sustain the feedback and further mold it depending on the response of the pedal.

Delays can cancel out certain frequencies and accent others depending on the delay "time" setting and feedback (repeats).

Phasers, Flangers, and Chorus pedals will "smear" the sound to varying degrees. Sometimes the results can be very dramatic.

Remember that this feedback loop will easily overload the pedals and the electronics in your mixer. You're going to get distortion and noise, which is what you're going for, right? You're going to be using this equipment outside of its "intended" operating range.

Just be extra careful with the volume of your playback system, PA, headphones (? - not recommended), or recorder as a feedback loop can cause serious damage to speakers and ears.


This is a very basic example. Adding more effects, more feedback loops (which will require more AUX sends or pedals with loops built in), instruments, microphones, computers (soft synths, samplers....), and other similar things will give you much more variety to work with. Exploring different orders of effects will also change the sounds that you get. Have fun, but remember to be careful of the volume getting out of hand.

ReGurgiTron "Quality noise from a name you can trust!"