Real-time detection of feedback, hum, polarity, noise, clipping, and comb filtering
No problems detected
Start detection to find feedback
Start detection to check for hum
No comb filtering detected
Awaiting detection
The SonaVyx Audio Problem Detector is a real-time analysis tool that continuously monitors your microphone input and identifies the most common faults in audio systems. Built on Rust-compiled WebAssembly DSP routines, it performs frequency-domain and time-domain analysis at 48 kHz with an 8192-point FFT, delivering professional-grade problem detection directly in your browser. No software installation, no dedicated hardware -- just a microphone and a web browser over HTTPS.
The circular radar display at the center of the interface arranges seven problem categories around a ring: Feedback, Hum, Polarity, Noise, Clipping, Comb Filter, and Phase. Each category is represented as a point on the radar, with its distance from the center indicating severity. When the system is clean, all points cluster near the center (green zone). As problems emerge, affected categories push outward through warning (yellow), problem (orange), and critical (red) zones. The filled polygon connecting all seven points gives you an instant visual fingerprint of your system's health -- a perfect circle at the center means everything is clean, while an irregular shape with spikes tells you exactly which problems need attention first.
Acoustic feedback occurs when a microphone captures amplified sound from a loudspeaker, creating a regenerative loop that manifests as a sustained, often painfully loud tone. The Problem Detector identifies feedback-prone frequencies by analyzing spectral peaks that exhibit high Q factor (narrow bandwidth) and gain exceeding the broadband average. For each detected frequency, it provides the exact notch filter parameters needed to suppress the resonance: center frequency in Hz, Q factor, and recommended cut depth in decibels. These values can be entered directly into your system processor or mixing console's parametric EQ. Importantly, the detector can identify pre-feedback ringing -- the characteristic narrowing of a spectral peak just before it breaks into full oscillation -- allowing you to apply corrective filters before the audience hears anything.
Mains-frequency hum is one of the most common problems in audio systems, caused by ground loops, poorly shielded cables, proximity to power transformers, or faulty power supplies. The detector examines both the 50 Hz (Europe, Asia, most of Africa) and 60 Hz (Americas, parts of Asia) harmonic series simultaneously, identifying which fundamental is present and analyzing the harmonic pattern to suggest a probable cause. A dominant second harmonic (100 or 120 Hz) suggests full-wave rectifier ripple in a power supply. Strong odd harmonics point toward magnetic coupling from a nearby transformer. The harmonics bar chart displays the energy at each harmonic frequency, giving you a visual signature of the hum that helps diagnose whether the problem is electrical (ground loop) or magnetic (transformer proximity).
Reversed polarity -- a wiring error that swaps the positive and negative conductors, typically pin 2 and pin 3 on an XLR connector -- causes destructive interference when the affected signal is summed with correctly wired channels. The polarity checker analyzes the impulse response to determine whether each channel's initial transient is positive-going (normal) or negative-going (reversed). Comb filtering results from two copies of the same signal arriving at the microphone with a small time offset, creating alternating peaks and nulls in the frequency response. The detector estimates the delay offset and first null frequency, which lets you calculate the physical path-length difference causing the problem. Even a 1 ms offset creates nulls every 1000 Hz, producing a thin, hollow sound quality that is immediately recognizable once you know what to listen for.
The noise floor panel displays the system's broadband noise level in dBA and provides an NC (Noise Criteria) rating, allowing comparison against target levels for different applications -- NC-25 for recording studios, NC-30 for concert halls, NC-35 for conference rooms. The clipping detector counts the number of samples per second that reach or exceed digital full scale, alerting you to gain staging problems before they cause audible distortion or damage to loudspeaker drivers. Both measurements run continuously while detection is active, giving you real-time feedback as you adjust gain structure, add processing, or troubleshoot signal chain issues.