• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Dealing with In-Ear Monitors?

#81
R Upsomegrub said:
Ptrick: Is there some way you can isolate the guitarist's amp and mic it?
Click to expand...

Have any of you guys tried the Clearsonic baffles for guitar amps? They're really popular for drums, but they make the for guitar as well.

I think this is a better (or at least more convenient alternative) solution that placing the amp in another room and micing it.

I stand right beside the electric guitar player and the drummer (he uses a baffle). It would give the guitar player more options as far as amps and mic placement.
 
#82
Sorry to rehash an old thread but I've had some recent experiences to add here.

Seems to me all the usual suspects for IEM earbuds are voiced more for singers than bass players. I've tried Sure E3's and Westone UM2's and thought both were pretty thin sounding for bass.

I wish someone would invent some IEM earbuds specifically for bass players that cost about the same as a set of E3's.........
 
#83
If you are not getting enough bass out of the UM2's you definitely have something amiss in your signal/setup. I can almost get the bass sound I need using E2's (not quite though, upgrading soon) I think a lot of people are uncomfortable putting the earpieces in far enough, they really have to seal well to work, especially to get any bass out of the things. I had to physically show our guitar player, he just wouldn't stick them in far enough, once they were properly inserted, everything was beautiful. We also use a couple of live mics on the stage, just to mix in some of the stage ambience and audience noise, that helps a lot. In addition, I have a mic that is only heard through the in-ears, so I can easily call out the next tune, call out chord changes or tell the drummer when to end a guitar solo, or just chat with the band during that guitar solo, or whatever.
 
#84
There is something to say about feeling the bass your bones. Loud bass, shakes your body and creates a stressful situation like a roller coaster ride that releases endorphins. The bodies own happy drugs.

The secret is to put bass shakers or butt kickers in your pants. ;}
But I've seen commercial platforms you stand on that have bass shakers attached.
You should get high off the music anyhow.
 
#85
F-Clef-Jef said:
If you are not getting enough bass out of the UM2's you definitely have something amiss in your signal/setup. I can almost get the bass sound I need using E2's (not quite though, upgrading soon) I think a lot of people are uncomfortable putting the earpieces in far enough, they really have to seal well to work, especially to get any bass out of the things. I had to physically show our guitar player, he just wouldn't stick them in far enough, once they were properly inserted, everything was beautiful. We also use a couple of live mics on the stage, just to mix in some of the stage ambience and audience noise, that helps a lot. In addition, I have a mic that is only heard through the in-ears, so I can easily call out the next tune, call out chord changes or tell the drummer when to end a guitar solo, or just chat with the band during that guitar solo, or whatever.
Click to expand...

I concur here.
Yes, you miss the air hitting your backside, but I have the UM2's w/ custom molded tips running from an Aviom "pod", and it's plenty bass-heavy.
 
#86
rockstarbassist said:
I concur here.
Yes, you miss the air hitting your backside...
Click to expand...
Here's my situation, which pretty much solves the "problem", but may be unique to my situation...

I couldn't eliminate my stage rig even if I wanted to (and actually, I wouldn't want to). I'm in a dance/party band that NEEDS to sound like a band on stage. The reason for this is we play a lot of venues where every square inch of the dance floor is busy, so we get a lot of folks right up by the stage... between the mains in such a way they hear the stage, not the PA, for the most part (except for the big lows anyway).

As such, even my crappy cheap Sure E1's that came with my PSM200 actually work pretty well, because I'm still very much feeling the low end, so all I need from the IE's is the highs and some upper mids, and they cover that just fine.
 
#87
Vic said:
Here's my situation, which pretty much solves the "problem", but may be unique to my situation...

I couldn't eliminate my stage rig even if I wanted to (and actually, I wouldn't want to). I'm in a dance/party band that NEEDS to sound like a band on stage. The reason for this is we play a lot of venues where every square inch of the dance floor is busy, so we get a lot of folks right up by the stage... between the mains in such a way they hear the stage, not the PA, for the most part (except for the big lows anyway).

As such, even my crappy cheap Sure E1's that came with my PSM200 actually work pretty well, because I'm still very much feeling the low end, so all I need from the IE's is the highs and some upper mids, and they cover that just fine.
Click to expand...

Also true. If you're running subs and they're anywhere CLOSE to the stage (much less underneath a hollow one if you're at a church or something!), you'll still get some feel, but not like an amp ripping 1000 watts into a 2x15 or something! ;)
 
#88
rockstarbassist said:
Also true. If you're running subs and they're anywhere CLOSE to the stage (much less underneath a hollow one if you're at a church or something!), you'll still get some feel, but not like an amp ripping 1000 watts into a 2x15 or something! ;)
Click to expand...
MMmmmmm.... Berg NV215.... mmmmmm..... :D

Actually, the rig I've been using a lot lately, including with the IE's, is dual Epifani 310's powered by a Stewart 2.1, which is about 1100 watts... :D
 
#90
F-Clef-Jef said:
If you are not getting enough bass out of the UM2's you definitely have something amiss in your signal/setup. I can almost get the bass sound I need using E2's (not quite though, upgrading soon) I think a lot of people are uncomfortable putting the earpieces in far enough, they really have to seal well to work, especially to get any bass out of the things. I had to physically show our guitar player, he just wouldn't stick them in far enough, once they were properly inserted, everything was beautiful. .
Click to expand...
I hear ya. That's what I though the problem was at first. I'm familiar with the "sound isolating" earphone concept as I use a set for my portable music player. Believe me, I tried lots of different ways of getting em in but couldn't get a decent bottom end.

FWIW, the singer that I borrowed the UM2's from admitted his IEM setup includes a graphic EQ and he feels he has to add some lows to get the sound he wants.
 
#91
Petebass said:
I hear ya. That's what I though the problem was at first. I'm familiar with the "sound isolating" earphone concept as I use a set for my portable music player. Believe me, I tried lots of different ways of getting em in but couldn't get a decent bottom end.

FWIW, the singer that I borrowed the UM2's from admitted his IEM setup includes a graphic EQ and he feels he has to add some lows to get the sound he wants.
Click to expand...

Getting a good seal on the buds is the key here. If they don't fit well, the bass is nonexistent! I ended up going to Ultimate UE-10's and a custom mold before I was happy, and even on them, if I break the seal ever so slightly, the low end dies. (Fortunately, due to the custom mold, they seal GREAT!) Bass on these is so good, you can almost feel air moving in your ears . . . not cheap, but proof that it IS possible to get solid bass in an IE! (But for the price, I would damn well hope so . . . ).

In the world or IEM gear, you DO get what you pay for, unfortunately . . .

- Tim
 
#92
Petebass said:
I hear ya. That's what I though the problem was at first. I'm familiar with the "sound isolating" earphone concept as I use a set for my portable music player. Believe me, I tried lots of different ways of getting em in but couldn't get a decent bottom end.

FWIW, the singer that I borrowed the UM2's from admitted his IEM setup includes a graphic EQ and he feels he has to add some lows to get the sound he wants.
Click to expand...

I've used IEM with a floor transducer and could really feel the bass...

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Of course you would need all 3 (platform, amp and transducer).
 
#94
F-Clef-Jef said:
We also use a couple of live mics on the stage, just to mix in some of the stage ambience and audience noise, that helps a lot. In addition, I have a mic that is only heard through the in-ears, so I can easily call out the next tune, call out chord changes or tell the drummer when to end a guitar solo, or just chat with the band during that guitar solo, or whatever.
Click to expand...

Fo those who like the IEM's "Good-on-ya"! As for me, I see an ever-spiraling, more complex application of work arounds like those mentioned above plus the additional use of lo-freq transducers like the "butt-kickers" so that players can once again feel the bass thru the floor, all of which are striving to re-achieve what you can already get with just using a bass amp and a monitor wedge on stage.

It seems like this IEM "solution" to stage volume ends up causing a whole lot of other problems like sapping the groove and feel of a live band because of the isolation and the connection with the band only being through the pre-mangled monitor mix going to the ears.

I know I'm voicing another prejudicial anti-IEM vent. Just bein' an old-school geezer I guess.
 
#95
I also play at a large church and have been using Aviom for about 2 years. They gave me Shure E3's and I never heard my bass in the mix. I also play thru the churches Thunderfunk into an Eden XLT210 cab. I would have to wear one earplug loose to hear the bass. Recently they purchased me a set of Ultimate Ears Super.fi Pro 5 and WOW!, what a difference. I can hear actual bass thru these things! A big difference! And these aren't the EB"s(Extended Bass) model. Give them a try.
 
#96
I used E3s for a couple of years until I got a great deal on a set of E5s about a year ago. The first time I tried them was on my riding mower listening to my MP3 for 1.5 hrs! The bottom end was so substantial I could feel my entire skull vibrating....and that was with the yellow foamies. I have since gotten custom molds (Sensaphonics) for both the E3s and E5s and what a difference! Great isolation which means great bottom end. However, if I would be buying new, or at full price, I would've gone with the Ultimate Ears or Sensaphonics custom earphones as the molds on top of the E5s make them quite bulky and stick out of your head a little too much. The custom pieces are much more discrete.

I haven't used my IEM setup much in the last couple years, but last weekend, the drummer used my E5s (with foamies) on 2 gigs and absolutely loved them. We setup an ambiance mic the 2nd night and he was amazed at the sound (and volume control). He's been shopping for the last week.

Rocky
 
#97
Hawkeye said:
Fo those who like the IEM's "Good-on-ya"! As for me, I see an ever-spiraling, more complex application of work arounds like those mentioned above plus the additional use of lo-freq transducers like the "butt-kickers" so that players can once again feel the bass thru the floor, all of which are striving to re-achieve what you can already get with just using a bass amp and a monitor wedge on stage.

It seems like this IEM "solution" to stage volume ends up causing a whole lot of other problems like sapping the groove and feel of a live band because of the isolation and the connection with the band only being through the pre-mangled monitor mix going to the ears.

I know I'm voicing another prejudicial anti-IEM vent. Just bein' an old-school geezer I guess.
Click to expand...

PLUS ONE BROTHER, PLUS ONE!!!
 
#100
Hawkeye said:
Fo those who like the IEM's "Good-on-ya"! As for me, I see an ever-spiraling, more complex application of work arounds ...........
Click to expand...
Quite a persuasive arguement, except that for every IEM "work around" I've seen, there are just as many problems to work around for traditional bass amps:-
* 10's, 12's or 15's, how many of each,
* speaker positioning issues
* impedance matching
* wattage Vs efficiency Vs frequency response
* tweeter or not
* ferrite Vs Neo,
* folded horn Vs sealed Vs ported,
* couple with the floor or lift it closer to your ears.
* Hi-Fi Vs Coloured sound.

That's just off the top of my head. And that's with 40+ years of experimenting, and an army of soldiers who have a high pitched sound in their ears to accompany them wherever they go. IEM hasn't been around nearly as long and in time these teething issues will sort themselves out with discussions like this one.

Personally I believe that if I'd discovered IEM 15 years ago, I wouldn't have any hearing problems at all now. Not that my tinnitus is bad, but it's there and I'm just glad it hasn't been getting any worse since I did something about it. That's the kicker really. IEM, done correctly, can greatly reduce the SPL hitting your ear drums. Unlike earplugs, it can do it without sacrificing clarity.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back