Horrible audio feedback on HF R800

[ImZakMan]

Good evening.

I want to preface this by saying I am a beginner when it comes to recording video.  Here goes.  I recently had the opportunity to video/live show a card and magic trick demonstration for my church group.  The setup was that I was to have the camcorder recording the trick up close whilst at the same time have it hooked up via HDMI to a projector (like a pass-thru) so that folks in the audience could get a view of what was going on.  The problem came when I hooked up the HDMI cable and turned the camera on.  The feedback was terrible.  I had an external microphone that I plugged in but kept it turned off; this allowed me to record the video (without the audio) and broadcast at the same time.  However if I turned the microphone on the feedback would commence.  I also confirmed that there is no feedback when the camera is in playback mode.

My question is simple: Is there a way to recreate the scenario but also have the audio record without the feedback?

Thank you!

[Mark35mmF2 · Accepted solution]

Hi ImZakMan,

Are there any other microphones or speakers while this is happening? Feedback happens when a microphone starts picking up its own (or another nearby) audio output causing a doubling, tripling, etc. maginification effect of the sound. It would be best to have the performer some distance from the output speakers, say 15+ feet, maybe more if the speakers are very loud. This should resolve the feedback in most cases. Since you are disabling the audio in the camera in favor of this other audio system you are using, this may also be resolved by plugging your audio signals directly into the camcorder through a sound mixer, however this may also require some manual adjustment of the audio levels for perfectly rendered sound.

[ImZakMan]

Mark35mmF2,

The only speaker or microphone I can think of might have been the one on the projector or the camera itself. When I tested it out at home the only speaker was the television.  It was an impromptu performance at a local hotel but I will keep the sound board suggestion in mind. Thanks!

v/r

ImZakMan