Is "In Ear" monitoring from the Devil?

[RJ Guitars]

I have been attempting to modernize for years now but I just can't get any affection for "in ear" monitoring. I watch the Eagles live DVD and can see that's what they are using.

I tried it in a local band and eventually just refused to use it... never seemed to give me the live stage sound and I always felt like I just couldn't hear anything. I took the earphone signal and ran it into a powered monitor for myself... it worked way better.

Recently they have decided to use that technology for the church worship band and have everybody go direct into the board. I have bought a reprieve for now since I have a tube amp with no direct out... no plans to add one either. Seems to me like a solution looking for a problem but really causing more grief than good. However there are no stage monitors and everything is a little funky.

The band leader told me he just turns up the click track, his rhythm guitar, and the lead vocal. That seems kinda sad to me since he never really hears what the the music sounds like.

I bought some high grade in ear monitors and I have been trying hard to make it work but it just isn't all that enjoyable. I usually end up with at least one of them pulled out and listen to the drummer... yes we have a real drummer although he is in a cage. Does anybody ever get used to these?

rj

[selloutrr]

I 100% agree with you. IEM are weird and clausterphobic. But if you have a pair custom molded for you it makes a world of difference. I have 6 different pairs (free endorsement) all for different artist so I know exactly what they hear. ( no one brand of model works for everyone ) though they do keep the same within the band which saves guess work.

I trick is really $$$ anything under $800 are crap
universal one size fits all - suck and hurt to wear after you take them in and out a couple times.

The transmitter pack makes a huge difference. Shure and Sennheiser or nothing. Frequency , antenna, Battery life also all play a role.

to get over the weird feeling blend in 2 room mics a left and a right make sure the perspective is panned correctly or you'll be talking in the wrong direction

they also make half open in ears so you get a natural bleed from the room.

or just do what everyone else does and take one out and look cool

[selloutrr]

The benefits of IEM's

If you run a digital monitor board - load your show, set the freq, and they are dialed in.

You save your hearing not as loud, shelds you from the drummer, crowd, etc

you can heard things clearly - If you know how to listen, (side fills and subs are still needed for lows)

It cleans up the stage volume making it a better mix out front.

Wedges are heavy - it saves on the tour budget in shipping and gas.

you don't loose your sweet spot if you decide to go climb the sidefill tower and jump into the crowd.

[paulster]

They are the bomb for listening to your iPod on planes and public transport though. My UE10 pro's (which I'd imagine selloutrr has a pair of in his collection) have a wonderfully flat frequency response and absolutely kill ambient sound, which can be a bit disorienting at first but you soon get used to it. You won't want to listen to any 128kbps MP3s through them though!

You'd absolutely have to have a stereo pair of audience mics to use custom mould IEMs live though or you'd be 100% disconnected from the audience.

[selloutrr]

Do love the Ultimate Ears - ok I plug them.

[RJ Guitars]

OK, as with most parts of this addiction, good equipment makes a huge difference. Should have seen that coming.

I am pleased to hear the bit about mixing in some house mics... it just seems so wrong to be making music with other folks then not know what the combination sounds like. This just might provide a way for me to make this work.

I am also a bit uneasy with the sound guys using a compressor on my signal and cropping off all the dynamics that I intentionally put into my playing. So even if I can adjust myself to the IEM's I can't see any driver toward getting my own amp off stage. Might be different with a pro sound man that knows the song dynamics but Sunday morning volunteers don't tend to be audio pro's in the small town church circuit I am talking about.

Thanks guys,

rj

[paulster]

OI am also a bit uneasy with the sound guys using a compressor on my signal and cropping off all the dynamics that I intentionally put into my playing.

What you actually want is a limiter rather than a compressor as it's there as protection for your ears against feedback, spikes and other nasties that could kill your ears before you got a chance to rip the IEMs out. The idea is that it sets a safe maximum level you could possibly get out of your pack.

You shouldn't be hitting the limiter at all during your performance so you'll still retain all of your dynamics, and with the significantly reduced ambient level you'll get with custom fit IEMs you'll have plenty of headroom available without having to get loud enough to start damaging your hearing.

It is a lot more involved than having the average Joe sound guy sling a wedge in front of you though.

[tubeswell]

I've never used in-ear monitors. I have enough problems with ordinary headphones getting sweaty when recording. But when playing live, I actually need ear-plugs at times dammit (its because the other guys have all gone deaf, which makes them invariably turn up )

[selloutrr]

OI am also a bit uneasy with the sound guys using a compressor on my signal and cropping off all the dynamics that I intentionally put into my playing.

What you actually want is a limiter rather than a compressor as it's there as protection for your ears against feedback, spikes and other nasties that could kill your ears before you got a chance to rip the IEMs out. The idea is that it sets a safe maximum level you could possibly get out of your pack.

You shouldn't be hitting the limiter at all during your performance so you'll still retain all of your dynamics, and with the significantly reduced ambient level you'll get with custom fit IEMs you'll have plenty of headroom available without having to get loud enough to start damaging your hearing.

It is a lot more involved than having the average Joe sound guy sling a wedge in front of you though.

+1

Limiters are a must for safety!
I set them to infinity:1 and back it off until on average it's not more then -2 on the threshold when it spikes. - basically never on. then if anything goes wrong it won't ramp so fast it'll hurt you. (it's not about audio quality it's safety)

Compression - for IEM - I would most likely compress your guitar to level out the signal and prevent any sudden spikes from palm muting or aggressive / rough picking, pedal switching ( volume changes, etc. never more then 4:1 with a -3db it's more about keeping things under control then changing the character of the music. - again safety!- I want it to sound good but keep in mind it's a live show not a studio record.

[vibratoking]

I have had tinnitus for 20+ years. I use IEMs to keep the tinnitus at bay and save my hearing. A heavy handed drummer can put a hurtin on my ears pretty quickly.

In ears have saved me in many ways. They do sound very good and I didn't pay $800 for them. I have both the molded and the one size fits all. I prefer the one size fits all. If you sing, the molded versions suck because the size of your ear canal changes as you sing. This pushes the molded monitors in and out of your ear. This creates all sorts of problems. The foam of the one size fits all expands and contracts with your ear canal - making them a MUCH better choice for anyone that sings. I use Westone by the way. Reasonably priced and very good fidelity. Also, I have never needed compression or limiting of any kind. I don't like it in my IEMs or for almost any other purposes either. I feel it is entirely overused, but that is another subject.

I am the only guy in my band that used IEMs. We have 3 horns, bass, drums, keys, and me on guitar. A couple of those guys use molded ear plugs. I have tried plugs. I feel sorry for them because they are missing so much of the music. Here is the system that I have come up with out of necessity and without requiring anyone in my band to make any effort or expenditure. I am also the only vocalist. I use a very good condensor mic place very close to where I stand on stage. It is my 'ears' and picks up what I would hear if I were not wearing IEMS. It delivers the stage sound to me through one channel of the IEM system. I have a Sennheiser wireless and it has great fidelity. The wireless system has two channels that can be mixed via the body pack. The second channel has a direct feed from my vocal mic. I can control the overall volume in my ears from the body pack and also the mix of the band and my voice. I can't tell you how well this works! It's a bonus that I don't have to rely on a sound man for my mix and there is NO feedback from my vocal mic. If you have never had the experience of having your vocal piped right into your ear, you are missing out. It is the absolute best way to sing. I never have to strain due to not being able to monitor myself properly and because I set the levels myself.

IEMs will never be the same as natural hearing. Natural hearing is the best IMO, but sometimes situations force another approach. The way I do it, the band still plays with traditional volumes and equipment. I just work around it for my own purposes. It can feel a little clausterphobic at first, but that has subsided over time for me. So, IEMs can work very well, be very satisfying, and actually offer advantages. Not the work of the devil, but instead a gift from above. My $0.02.

[paulster]

I have both the molded and the one size fits all. I prefer the one size fits all. If you sing, the molded versions suck because the size of your ear canal changes as you sing. This pushes the molded monitors in and out of your ear. This creates all sorts of problems. The foam of the one size fits all expands and contracts with your ear canal - making them a MUCH better choice for anyone that sings.

I do know that Ultimate Ears does (or did) offer a version in a soft material (something like silicone) rather than the usual polycarbonate for just this reason.

I've never heard of anyone using them though so I've no idea if they are any good, but I can understand exactly why you'd want them. Mine are very difficult to break the seal on but I know others that find it all too easy, so I guess the shape of your ear canal plays a big part.

Everyone seems to use polycarbonate for the custom moulded IEMs that I've seen though.

[boots]

We are also using IEMs for the worship band, and it was my first experience with them. I hated them at first, but they are the logical choice in a small venue where you don't want all that stage noise. The sound guys love 'em.

I have become used to them and now think they are OK, but there are pros and cons. When you get a good mix, they are great. But sometimes you can't ever get the mix right, and it makes you feel lopsided and isolated. Since they change things around every week to accomodate different musicians/instruments, the mix never seems to be the same as it was last time.

I have found that it helps to get a good seal around the earbud in your ear. I bought a pair of mid-priced Sony earbuds that no one else uses, and they come with different sized rubber cushions. If you get the fit right, it helps a lot. Custom molded would be even better.

I also tried leaving one ear "open" with the bud hanging out, but I couldn't handle that, either. Makes you feel lopsided. When you get it right, they work pretty well. And technically, they should help reduce hearing damage (although it's probably too late for most of us, anyway!).

[RJ Guitars]

Thanks guys for these posts, I have picked up some great tips. It seems like churches are quick to buy technology but there isn't always consideration of the qualified support that needs to go with it.

I haven't seen anything yet that makes me think IEM is universally simple. I do like the thought that it can be easier on your ears. I think I am going to attempt to add a house mic to my feed (did I just add more technology despite my own condemnation of that idea?) and see if I can convince myself that I am actually hearing what everybody else is hearing, then maybe blend my guitar into one side or the other.

I have heard guys say that your brain can get a little freaked out & it's not good for your ears when you just use one ear phone... is there any truth to that.

rj

[selloutrr]

Not really any truth as long as you don't abuse your hearing be it loud levels or piercing frequencies for long extended periods of time. 85db is safe for ~8hrs. Take breaks if you can. If u feel discomfort take it out and take a break. As for freaking out that all depends on if you know what you are listening to / for. If you can't pick out things and focus it's possible you will get confussed / frustrated. Volume would play a large roll in feeling lopsided with only one plug in.

[RJ Guitars]

I think it was the lopsided volume issue that at least one of those guys was referring to..