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IEM question

Rip Topaz

Rip Topaz

Aug 12, 2005
8,664
918
Willow Street, PA
#1
I would like to start using IEM's with my band, mostly because I run our sound and would like a more accurate "picture" of our mix.

I already have the earbuds, my church uses an Aviom system, so I got my own set of UE TF10's. I love them, and plan on getting a second set if anything ever happens to these.

Is there a way for me to send a mix just to me, of the whole band mix, without effecting what everyone else is hearing?

I don't know much about IEM systems, so any pointers on how I can do this (cheaply) is appreciated.

I've been running from the MON out on our PA, to a second mixer, which acts as a headphone amp, and let's me add a little more of my bass to my mix if needed.

What else do I need?
 
#2
The board that I use at the chapel on base here has separate aux sends for each channel and those aux mixes can be sent to, well, whatever ... your IEM if you so choose.

Depends on the board and the system. I'm not experienced enough to recomment products though, just ways to use existing equipment.
 
#3
Unfortunately, my Carvin PA head only has aux sends for the first few channels.

What I'm hoping to do is get an accurate mix of what the FOH gets, so I can better run sound from the stage. I'm not planning on wireless, that doesn't matter as much to me. I don't mind a tether.
 
#5
EricssonB said:
Well if you're trying to get what FOH gets, is there any way that you can tap into a duplicate signal of the final-out that the FOH is getting?
Click to expand...

Yes. I'm pretty sure I can do that. Then it's just an issue of splitting my bass signal so I can get it into a separate mixer channel, so I can add more me if needed.

Thanks for helping me think this through.

I may have to pick up a smaller mixer though. Right now I'm using a Yamaha MX 12/4 as my heaphone mixer, total overkill, but it's what I have.
 
#6
Do you have a silent stage (e-drums, modellers for bass and guitars, no amps, etc)? If not, this exercise is going to be counter-productive.

There are two separate things going on here:
1. personal monitoring
2. trying to get an accurate picture of FOH, for mixing purposes

On a loud stage, the IEM's with a "more of me" feed and a line out from the mixer will help with #1. But they'll be a total fail for #2.

First off, the board mix is out of balance: for example, the vocals need a ton of amplification, and the drums need almost none. So you can't judge the FOH balance from the board mix, because the drums are already down in the mix. To make matters even worse, the vocals are getting piped straight into your ear, while the IEM's are attenuating the drums' acoustic output by 15 to 20 dB.

Second, the board mix is before your FOH cabs, and doesn't take room acoustics or the frequency response of the speakers into account. Does your bass sound the same out in the room, as it does in a post-EQ DI feed from your amp?

if you want a more accurate representation of what the audience hears in your IEM's, you could go crazy, rope off an area out front, and hang a small-diaphragm recording mic out there. Even better, you could hang three, and mix them to try and get a representative average of the different mic positions...

...Or you could get practical, save a bunch of money and effort, and simply buy a digital wireless, like a Line 6, for your bass.

That way, you can cruise the room, and check out what your audience is actually hearing. Any time and anywhere you want!
 
#8
No offense to the OP but I think it's time for the mod to set up an FAQ for all things IEM. These questions (along with "what earbuds should I buy", etc.) literally come up every week as more and more people get hip to the benefits of IEMs. There is so much knowledge archived in TB on this topic by now that it would really be helpful to have it all in one place.

Just a thought.
 

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