Ear bud monitor setup??

eric atkinson · #1 01-11-2005, 11:50 PM

Ear bud monitor set up! Anyone ever did this for a practice type thing? After as many years as i have played in bands i would really like to have a great mix! Anyone ever tried the ear bud systems and what is the best way to go about this for the whole band?

xush · #2 01-12-2005, 01:23 AM

We use them in my band, except for the singer.
The bassist and I use Shure E2's and E3s, and they work fine for us, but we don't move around. He feeds a line off the board with whatever he and the guitarist wants, and I take a seperate line out and mix my own submix w/ a Mackie 1202. There's a good bit of work involved, but I really think it's worth it.
It allows for very low stage volume, which some don't like. Some also have trouble with feeling 'isolated' when using both buds. I only use one side. Other than that, I've seen no drawbacks.

What would you be monitoring? Vox/drums/bass/gtr? Anything else? Click? Tracks? The game? :-)

eric atkinson · #3 01-12-2005, 01:32 AM

Hmm the game wow! Didnt think about that!

Well to tell you the truth its really me and the drummer that want to do this so bad! The thing is me and the drummer have been together for 7 years with no other musicians! We have gotten to the point were we really only pay attention to each other since we got a band thing going again! We both have played for about 20 years and feel its about time to get a good mix for the two of us! We could care less what the singer and guitar player wants!lol Still not all the way talked out of the head phones idea! Thanks for the tips.

xush · #4 01-12-2005, 01:44 AM

It would work great for you. You just have to have a way of getting each other's signal routed. I pretty much lock in with the bass too, and dial most everything else down, though I do like to hear the singer, I never know what she's going to surprise me with next...

A small mixer or headphone amp would probably be all the routing you need, with some long extension cables for the buds. I find them much more comfortable than headphones. They serve us quite well for gigging. Definitely worth a try.

**Ryan L.** · #5 01-15-2005, 05:19 PM

We run Shure wireless in-ears in my band. I use the E3 ear buds. We have a splitter snake so we have a seperate monitor board on stage, so we control exactly what we want in each person's mix on stage, that way the sound guy has to only worry about FOH sound, not our monitor problems.

Once in awhile we still dig out the wedge monitors and use them, some venues we play at it is just more fun to use the wedges. I don't know why.

therealting · #6 01-15-2005, 09:23 PM

What splitter setup do you use? We are looking into getting an in-ear monitoring system for our band, but we are on a budget and most of the solutions seem very pricey. We'll use Walkman earphones if they work!

Stax · #7 01-15-2005, 09:59 PM

My sax player uses Etymotic Research's ER4Ps on stage and loves it. I have never used them as monitors, although I own a pair for my iPod and they are AWESOME. They are pricey, but I think worth every cent.

msquared · #8 01-16-2005, 12:09 AM

I use Etymotic ER-4S buds whenever possible. They're way lighter than a wedge monitor and I can hear articulate sounds rather than some super washy noise that at best lets me know what chord we're on.

In-ears do take some getting used to for some people. I've gone back and forth for so long that I'm cool either way but the last band I was in had major problems with doing headphones at practice and wedges onstage. So from my data point of one I am advising you to practice how you're going to play. But definitely make the plunge, it's worth it.

**Ryan L.** · #9 01-16-2005, 12:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by therealting

What splitter setup do you use? We are looking into getting an in-ear monitoring system for our band, but we are on a budget and most of the solutions seem very pricey. We'll use Walkman earphones if they work!

We have a Whirlwind 24 channel splitter snake. One end goes to FOH, the other goes to the monitor board that is on the stage in the monitor rack. Then you also have you wireless recievers (4 for us) to factor in, if you are going wireless. Our drummer has used a wired setup, however, and it is much more cost effective than wireless, if you don't mind the wire. He used a Rolls headphone amp with a pair of SHure E2 ear buds. Worked out fine for him.

The setup with the splitter snake and monitor board and wireless recievers is going to set you back financially, however.