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Idea for a live rig to help me hear on stage.

Y

Yodhan

Dec 10, 2007
269
147
#1
My band just recently started playing live and my rig lacks a little in the stage volume dept. I have a LMIII going into a 102p (2x10) cab. In practice, it sounds great, and sound guys love my rig because it is small, doesn't over power the stage, and is easy to run direct out of. Unfortunatley, I am playing with two guitar players with half stacks in a hard rock band. Most of the stages in town are not big enough for me to have my own wedge, and getting close to the rhythm guitar player is somewhat dangerous (he is know town wide for swinging his guitar into a pole and shattering the headstock), so using his wedge is out.

As I see it, I have a couple options and would like an opinion;

1. I get another cab so I can run at 4 ohms and have more stage volume. Enough so that I can hear myself, but nothing too extreme.

or

2. Get an IEM system. I was looking at the new Audio-Technica M2 because of the blend controls on the pack. I figure best case scenario is I can see if the sound guy can run my bass into one channel of it and the monitor mix into the other and I will blend between it so I can hear myself wherever I wander (I have a wireless and enjoy roaming a bit). Worse case, I figure I can run a direct line off my bass on my own, without the sound guy, and play with one ear piece in, that way I can at least hear myself in one ear and then hear everyone else at stage volume in the other. I am not worried about vocals as I do not sing and don't need to hear the singer for any of the songs.

So, any ideas or input?

Thank you in advance.
 
#3
Both of those are the top "usual" ways of handling it, and they each have advantages and disadvantages. A third option to consider is just getting your cab up to ear level. If it was me I'd get a second 2x10 and stack them vertically, achieving both greater speaker area and getting the sound closer to your ears.
 
#4
Yodhan said:
My band just recently started playing live and my rig lacks a little in the stage volume dept. I have a LMIII going into a 102p (2x10) cab.

I am playing with two guitar players with half stacks in a hard rock band.

and play with one ear piece in, that way I can at least hear myself in one ear and then hear everyone else at stage volume in the other.
Click to expand...

IMO - your guitar players are too loud. Your current rig should be plenty loud enough to act as a monitor for you. I use a 1x10 and it's plenty, but I am fortunate to play with people who understand stage volume, monitoring and FOH and how they interact.

Do not play with one IEM in and one out. This is very bad and will cause bad things to happen.
 
#5
SteveC said:
IMO - your guitar players are too loud. Your current rig should be plenty loud enough to act as a monitor for you. I use a 1x10 and it's plenty, but I am fortunate to play with people who understand stage volume, monitoring and FOH and how they interact.

Do not play with one IEM in and one out. This is very bad and will cause bad things to happen.
Click to expand...

True, I guess they could be too loud. But, between the fact that they are young and crank their amps, and the sound guys around here aren't the best, I am kind of stuck with what I've got. I am trying to help myself here.

Also, what bad things could happen if I run one in and one out?
 
#6
One ear gets ringy after a gig and makes you feel kind of disoriented.

I agree with Bongo...either put your combo on a stand or tilt it back and orient the speakers vertically (looks weird but it will be fine mechanically), or buy a second 210 just like the one in the combo and stack them vertically with the speakers in line. The second 210 is your best bet, but vertically orienting and elevating your combo and pointing it more to your ears will definitely help.
 
#7
Yup--definitely stay away from the one-in-ear-one-ear-out approach. You'll scramble your brain! You'll end up cranking your IEM way too loud (to match the stage volume). It takes some getting used to, but force yourself to play with both in.

Or, as mentioned above, toss another 2x10 up there!

Frankly, it sounds like the band is pretty loud (esp those guitarists!), so IEMs may be a great solution since they'll help cut the decibel level. Save your ears!
 
#10
I had a similar problem and added another cab, results have been great.

I currently run a 2x10 on top of a 1x12. We are not crazy load or anything, but the addition of another cab really made a positive difference for me.

I also prefer the additonal cab for a little extra air movement.

I have never used an in ear monitor, so....?

peace,
Robbie
 
#11
just remember, an IEM needs an entire mixer with dedicated separate mixes for the different players, everything mic'ed up so you can hear it, and significant time spent adjusting that IEM mix so everything sounds right. i use and love my IEMs, but my whole band is on them, and we have everything (even hi-hat) mic'ed up into our 16-channel mixwizard board, with its 4 aux outputs each dialed in for the 4 players. when i'm not using that system, it's wedges and earplugs for me.

the second 2x10 cab sounds like the ticket. also, earplugs, even cotton, will serve to block more highs than lows, which can mean less cymbal wash and guitar hash, allowing you to actually hear your bass and the kick drum better.
 

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