How do in ear monitors work?

[descendent22]

how do in-ears work? I don't fully understand. It's like I read that amps aren't used and musicians just plug into the bored or the fobass not of the house. Or if they do have amps they're turned down I like 2. How does this whole thing work. I would just like to understand it.

 

[Scottkarch]

That's one way. IEM stands for In Ear Monitor

Rather than having a wedge in front of you, you have earbuds in your ears.

You can do it with loud amps, quiet amps or no amps. IMO, the reason you might go ampless is since many IEMs are so isolating you can't hear your amp anyway, or hear it much.

Many people think that IEMs isolate sound so well they also protect your ears by allowing you to have really quiet sound in your ears.

Using amps or is different decision. You can go ampless with wedges if they are good enough.

 

[descendent22]

That's one way. IEM stands for In Ear Monitor

Rather than having a wedge in front of you, you have earbuds in your ears.

You can do it with loud amps, quiet amps or no amps. IMO, the reason you might go ampless is since many IEMs are so isolating you can't hear your amp anyway, or hear it much.

Many people think that IEMs isolate sound so well they also protect your ears by allowing you to have really quiet sound in your ears.

Using amps or is different decision. You can go ampless with wedges if they are good enough.

Yeah but how does it work.like you have monitors in your ear how does that work between the band. What are you hearing and what's the difference of using amps or just the house bored. Why do a,ps have to be turned down if you do use them.

 

[walterw]

Yeah but how does it work.like you have monitors in your ear how does that work between the band.

you gotta have a whole PA system with everything mic'ed, while the board has to have a separate monitor output for each player. each player can then get a mix of whatever he needs to hear. it's complicated and not cheap.

Many people think that IEMs isolate sound so well they also protect your ears by allowing you to have really quiet sound in your ears.

by "many people" you must mean everyone, because it's true. run right they're way quieter in your ears than typical live stage volume. the earbuds themselves make really good earplugs, so when you get the instruments piped in you don't need them loud at all to hear them perfectly.

Why do amps have to be turned down if you do use them.

they don't, that doesn't matter. you can turn the amps down or stick 'em in a closet offstage or use a modeler and have no amps at all, whatever. you don't need them to hear yourself. having the amps quieter just makes it easier for the soundguy to get the band sounding good out front.

 

[StyleOverShow]

The instruments are connected into the Board that has outputs to the power amp and the house speakers. From the mixer an output is connected to another board/mixer. This mixer drives the in ear monitors via Bluetooth. Some of these boards are smart enough to allow you to mix the signals to each ear from an iPad. You can put the band mix, maybe with enhanced drums into one ear, and your bass into the other ear. The ear buds have a battery powered blue tooth speaker. It's software and hardware. The earbuds are kinda pricey.

Its like normal setup on stage except micing the drums and maybe the guitar amp. Sometimes, like the previous post, everyone plays directly into the board, with all the instruments, including electronic drums. It's a little bit like walking on the moon though as there is no percussive air movement, like drums or your amp moving air. It's strange.

Your bass could go through a Direct Input aka DI box. You could use your pedal board into a DI and then your amp. Some amps have DI. These DI's have a different plug type with three pins and a locking slot.

It's pretty simple. My 2018 resolution is to get at least one of my bands working with them. I know a buddy's band and they seem to get more done in much less time because everyone can hear the mix.

One of these geeks will come along and fill in the blanks but I think that's basically it.

 

[walterw]

From the mixer an output is connected to another board/mixer. This mixer drives the in ear monitors via Bluetooth.

no and also no (sorry )

either the first board also sends out the monitor signals itself too, or that second "monitor board" gets the signals from the instruments totally separate from the main "front of house" board. (us bar band guys have one board that does it all while the rock stars get a second board just for monitors along with a second soundguy just to run it.)

bluetooth has nothing to do with anything, it has no place in live sound.

 

[beaglesandbass]

how do in-ears work? I don't fully understand. It's like I read that amps aren't used and musicians just plug into the bored or the fobass not of the house. Or if they do have amps they're turned down I like 2. How does this whole thing work. I would just like to understand it.

You can use an amp, or not, your preference. I still do. I like to feel the bass, plus my headphones don't have the best bass response, so hearing a little from the amp helps too.

Basically, all inputs are going to the soundboard anyway to get sent to the main PA.

Instead of the PA's monitor mixes being sent to the wedge monitors on stage, they get plugged into IEM transmitters.

Your wear the receiver on your body (clipped on to belt, in pocket, etc).

Plug headphones in and voila, you're ready to adjust the mix that you're getting in your ears, just like you would adjust the mix in the floor monitor.

 

[StyleOverShow]

no and also no (sorry )

either the first board also sends out the monitor signals itself too, or that second "monitor board" gets the signals from the instruments totally separate from the main "front of house" board. (us bar band guys have one board that does it all while the rock stars get a second board just for monitors along with a second soundguy just to run it.)

bluetooth has nothing to do with anything, it has no place in live sound.

Didn’t see your post or I wouldn’t have ventured. BTW do buds communicate with monitor board? Not bluetooth

 

[beaglesandbass]

Didn’t see your post or I wouldn’t have ventured. BTW do buds communicate with monitor board? Not bluetooth

The monitor mix gets connected to a transmitter via XLR cable. It is then sent wirelessly (not Bluetooth) to a receiver you're wearing.

Think of it like a wireless system for a bass, but in reverse. Instead of coming from the bass, getting transmitted to receiver/amp to PA, it's going from PA, to transmitter, to receiver, to earbuds.

People have tried hooking up Bluetooth headphones, it doesn't usually work well.

 

[Ethereal Thorn]

The amount of control you have over the in ear mix is dependant on how many aux outputs/ monitor buses you have available on your mixer and on if you are running stereo or mono mix. My band run a hard wired in ear setup and it gets crystal clear cd quality sound. I run ampless. Using a pedal board with a preamp/di and cab sim at most shows and I have a power amp and cab for small shows with poor pa support and/or for the shows with no front of stage fill. This setup is amazing

 

[Fergie Fulton]

IEMs work on a simple principal of taking a wired signal in to a transmitter and then sending it as a wireless frequency to a receiver which is connected to a head set of some sort.

The signal used depends on the system used, it the past UHF and VHF were used (here in the UK that is) Each receiver and each transmitter should be able to tune in to a band on either system without interference or drop out, this is why many units can operate at the same time.

Some systems run sub bands simultaneously, so one transmitter can run multiple receivers, but everyone gets the same mix.
those with individual transmitter/receivers can get individual mixes if the board being used can support it.

So like using "Wedges" the mix can be a simple everybody in mix, or a mix where you can isolate certain instruments to hear them only or remove them from your mix.

Another use is to use two mics direct in to the transmitter, either direct or via a small mixing desk, and take the sound they pick up and transmit it to your IEMs.
I have a friend who is a drummer with a rock band, who sets up two mics on stage area direct in to a transmitter for his own use.
In his use he controls the over all stage sound/volume around him by setting a volume he is comfortable listening to via the IEMs, so blocking out the stage volume, when he plays smaller venues, clubs or pubs.
In effect he replaces the stage volume with the IEMs volume, so protects his hearing in that manner.
I will add his IEMs cost more than the system he uses to run it.

In theatre or touring situations we tend to keep our ear pieces (buds and spares) with us and use whatever system is being used.
Players should be cautious of using another's ear pieces/buds as infections can be transmitted by un-clean buds.
When getting a set for the first time they should be sealed to show they have either never been used or have be cleaned, sterilized and re-sealed.
An set of IEMs has the has a detachable driver section (So the cable used can be detached) and removable buds (buds are the rubbers used for in canal use) that can be changed or cleaned.

Like many things they fall into two camps, like them or loathe them, but sometimes today i will find myself in musical situations where i have no choice to use them if no conventional monitor system is being used, i either use them or hear no FOH so to speak.

 

[Fergie Fulton]

Didn’t see your post or I wouldn’t have ventured. BTW do buds communicate with monitor board? Not bluetooth

Bluetooth has latency and distance issues, so a 'delay' is always present...you hit the note and then hear it after a short pause.
Its a bit like watching a cricket or baseball match you see the hit then hear it after the ball has gone...not much good for playing on time.

 

[hrodbert696]

If it helps to visualize the signal path:

IN:
Instrument --> amplifier or DI --> Mixing board of PA
Voices --> microphones --> Mixing board of PA

OUT:
Mixing board of PA --> main speakers --> Audience (front of house, of "FoH")
Mixing board of PA --> monitors --> band members

Using IEMs and going ampless are two unrelated things. Going ampless is an "IN" option: if you have a good DI and a good PA, you have the option of not bothering with an amp and letting the PA be your amp. Using an IEM is an "out" option. The band can monitor its own sound using speaker wedges, or an IEM can let them have it directly in their earbuds.

The biggest advantage of an IEM is volume; you can dial the level down to something safe for your ears, while isolating out your drummer's thrashing around, and save your hearing. If you rely on wedge monitors, they need to be loud enough to be heard over the drums etc., and you have a loud stage overall. Also, if the mixer has the capability, each IEM user can have their own tailored mix, a little more of this and a little less of that, to optimize your own performance. For example, a lead singer may perform better if they hear their own voice more and aren't distracted by harmony backups, so they can have the backup singers' mics lower in their IEM mix or taken out altogether. There's no need for everyone to hear everything the audience is hearing if they don't want to.

The disadvantage, for starting-out musicians, is cost; a cheap IEM system will run several hundred dollars and a good one over a thousand at least, so that's an investment that someone who had to scrape to get a $300 Squier is probably not going to be ready for. A garage band with a limited budget will probably go with a couple of $200 wedge speakers rather than $1400 per member to each have an IEM. Also, some people don't like the sense of isolation when using an IEM; you only hear what's being fed through the board, so there are other sounds like the noise of the crowd that you don't get. That can be fixed by running additional channels with additional microphones to pick up ambient noise, but of course that means a bigger PA mixer and more gear which costs more money, so also an obstacle to a band on a limited budget.

 

[hrodbert696]

I should add, the cost issue assumes that you're using wireless IEMs. Some TBers have posted that they used wired earbuds - just a long cable from the PA out that they tie to their bass cable and then up the back of their shirt to a pair of earbuds. That would be a big cost saver, though you lose mobility and still have to have enough outs or a splitter or something for each person to have one.

 

[micguy]

I run ampless & in ears pretty much all the time (1 gig is an exception, but that's a very different vibe). I'm wired, and there's a rub in that - you can end up with two tethers, one on your bass ,and the other on your ears. I found myself a couple of years ago, with cords wrapped around me, and under my feet, going oposite directions, and I couldn't straighten up. I had to crouch and play until the end of the tune, step on my tuner (to mute myself), and in the bassles intro part of the next song, rewire everything.

My solution is: I carry a couple cables (one's a spare) where I have an in ear extension cable zip tied to a guitar cable - reducing me to one tether. I use a pedalboard, so the combined cable always goes out to my righht and into the pedals on the same side. Works great.

 

[khutch]

IEMs are high quality, professional grade earbuds. Like any earbud or headphone they need to plug into a signal source. As others have mentioned they are basically earplugs so you won't hear anything while you are wearing them except what comes from the signal source they plug into. Another way to look at that is that everything you want to hear on stage must be routed to the IEM signal source. We use them at my church for the band. The vocalists have monitor speakers and they do not wear IEMs. Each band member has an Aviom mixer that you use to set the blend and the level of the mix you hear so they are very flexible in that regard. We do have a pair of house mics so you can get the room ambient sound too if you like.

I actually don't use the IEMs, the system is compatible with conventional headphones and that is what I use instead for a couple of reasons. The first is that the IEMs we use just don't fit my ears very well. They are fiddly to get in and they won't stay in for long for me so I have to keep re-seating them to hear properly. Obviously, if I were buying my own I could and would get a pair that work for me and I could certainly do that at church too. But the second reason is that I also sing in the choir and you really don't want to do that with the IEMs in place. Conventional headphones are just much easier and quicker to put on and pull off when I need to quickly move between my roles as a bass and a bassist.

But the IEM system we have works quite nicely and I can see that it would be great for professional musicians who need to both hear the rest of the ensemble clearly and protect their hearing.

 

[Scottkarch]

You don’t NEED to have a monitor output for each user. Just like with wedge monitors it gives you more control per musician if you each get your own monitor mix from the mixer, but it’s not necessary.

By MANY people, I mean many, probably most, but not all. One guitar player misses loud rocking stages. His IEMs are painfully loud. I’d say as loud as a too loud stage.

Everything does need to be mic’d Or direct so you can hear it in your ears. If you’re using amps you can have them
Loud or quiet or off since you are hearing yourself in your in ears it doesn’t matter to you how loud you are on stage.

How loud you all are on stage impacts the sound guy and mix. The quieter you are on stage the more control he has. Nothing you will be aware of on stage.

you gotta have a whole PA system with everything mic'ed, while the board has to have a separate monitor output for each player. each player can then get a mix of whatever he needs to hear. it's complicated and not cheap.

by "many people" you must mean everyone, because it's true. run right they're way quieter in your ears than typical live stage volume. the earbuds themselves make really good earplugs, so when you get the instruments piped in you don't need them loud at all to hear them perfectly.

they don't, that doesn't matter. you can turn the amps down or stick 'em in a closet offstage or use a modeler and have no amps at all, whatever. you don't need them to hear yourself. having the amps quieter just makes it easier for the soundguy to get the band sounding good out front.

 

[acmeseed]

You already received a lot of good educated responses, here's my input based on personal experience. I'll try to keep it brief.

It takes a while to get used to them. In my case I had no choice (see below) and at first I would just use it in one ear and try to hear ambient sound in the other; that did not work out too well because of the setup we play in. Now I use them 95% of the times whether I need them or not.

I play in a church band, 2 venues, one with a modern sound system with Aviom personal monitors, amplifiers not allowed. The personal monitors allow me to individually control the volume for each instrument to dial in the sound of whichever instruments I want, drums and bass take priority. We had to purchase our own ear buds.

Besides playing in the gym for some services we play in the church as well; horrible environment, it was never setup for contemporary music. Our space is limited bass and drums are isolated to the side of the stage behind a half-wall, there's time delay between the time the other instruments and when it get to us. My amplifier is right in front of me 6 inches away. The board is old and only had one output they could provide us; I purchased a Presonous headset amplifier and use that feed to give the drummer and myself a poor man's IEM, what we see is what we get, we need to agree on what we want.

If I was to play in an open space where I could place my amplifier away enough to hear it properly I would probably not want to use them, no special reason, just an old dog not wanting to learn new tricks.

 

[73jbass]

They do work if you have a good mix. I ran one line from my ax8 to foh,and another to a powered monitor that was facing me. Worked great. No amps on stage. Soundman loved it

 

[Biggbass]

IEM is easy;

IEM class 101 -
Put the ear buds in your ears and adjust the volume on your receiver.
Your receiver get's its line signal from the mixing board. Usually it's an alt output on the board that sends the signal. You can use a wired receiver or a wireless receiver, both get their signal the same way. It can be more complicated as to the mix you receive and whether or not it's EQ-able, but that also depends on the mixing console sending you the signal. But in a nutshell that's it.


Note: the better the quality of your ear buds the better the sound. A line signal is a line signal so it really comes down to the ability of your ear buds to reproduce a full spectrum of audio.