gregbackstrom
These aren't stock curves--things move around!
I'm another Westone UM Pro 30 user. Great for bass and vocals. I can't imagine going back to a floor monitor now!
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In-Ear Monitors???
- Thread starter SanDiegoHarry
- Start date
You are not alone. Some folks just never "bond" to IEM's, while others love them immediately. We are all human, and therefore, there is no "one-size-fits-all".
Plus, like most band/PA situations, there is a ton of ignorance out there concerning IEM's. Much more than needs to be brought up here. I compare it to buying a $3000 bass and never going to the trouble to learn to tune it.
I also played in a band where only the drummer had the click. The synth backing tracks were in wedges in front and we just followed the drummer. this might work for you -- the drummer needs to provide count in and constant click (hihat or whatever) during parts without a regular beat.
Surely they will be supplying everything needed. Even the earbuds.
If you have to supply your own earbuds, and this is a one-shot deal, I recommend just using a cheap set of buds, or just wear regular headphone, like Sony MDR7506's.
I actually have a similar gig situation coming up. I play bass for the Church of God district praise band, and next month the church we are playing at uses IEM's. To make matters worse, it is a Behringer system. I plan on bringing my rig as usual, plus my FutureSonics buds, and a headphone extension cord in case the IEM's are not wireless. I might even carry my pedal board in case they don't want me to use my amp. I do this gig every two or three months at different churches, and none of them every have a real sound tech. Can't wait.
It's the lack of a real sound tech that you can't wait for, NOT the Behringer system. I have the Behringer system, it works very, very well. And being a real sound tech, I can assure, no amount of money nor brand of IEM system will work well, if at all, without a sound tech with half a clue. And these systems are relatively easy to set up and use.
Don't shoot the piano player. Or the piano.
I think the IEMs are also detrimental to hearing. I find my ears ringing more after a church service than I ever did playing in a loud rock band with floor monitors. I realize that you have the ability to control the volume with IEMs, but I find that even at what I consider sensible volume levels my ears ring. Does anyone else find this to be the case?
My church uses wired Aviom mixers at each position and IEMs, which the church provides. I don't mind the IEMs, they sound nice, they are comfortable, but being old units that have been shared by many people (they do clean them and change the foam bits when they move them from person to person) I find that the ear loops are so bent out of shape that they just won't stay in my ears. So I gave up on them and just use some mid priced, on ear headphones. No one really cares one way or the other at my church what the bassist uses so I go with what works best for me.
I never had any trouble with ears ringing when I did use the IEMs. However our tech team director did send us an article recently that warned against using only one IEM. Apparently when you do that you tend to run the level too hot to compensate for getting the sound in only one ear and you do risk running at a dangerous level which you would avoid if you had the IEM in both ears. Now this may not be the situation you are in but if it is you should use both ears to set the level and then live with that level even if you play with the IEM in only one ear. I know that at my church some people do use only one ear so that they can hear what is going on acoustically too. The vocalists for example sometimes try to tell you something important during a service and they can't use their mikes for that and you can't hear them if you have both ears plugged with IEMs!
I never had any trouble with ears ringing when I did use the IEMs. However our tech team director did send us an article recently that warned against using only one IEM. Apparently when you do that you tend to run the level too hot to compensate for getting the sound in only one ear and you do risk running at a dangerous level which you would avoid if you had the IEM in both ears. Now this may not be the situation you are in but if it is you should use both ears to set the level and then live with that level even if you play with the IEM in only one ear. I know that at my church some people do use only one ear so that they can hear what is going on acoustically too. The vocalists for example sometimes try to tell you something important during a service and they can't use their mikes for that and you can't hear them if you have both ears plugged with IEMs!
s0c9
Supporting Member
That should NEVER happen with IEM's... IEM's are designed to PROTECT your hearing.
I'd guess your impressions are likely due to your "cheap out" approach to buds you mentioned earlier. They might be distorting at lower levels, so you need higher volume levels to hear what you need. It might also be the feeds to your Avioms and the mix levels of each. If your ears are ringing after church.. you have a serious problem to fix!! The level in your ears is WAY too loud! Get help!! You can't restore lost hearing!
I have a [relatively] expensive IEM system with decent buds - Sennheiser G3 IEM with 1964 Quads.
I play most Fri/Sat nights (4-hr+ gigs) using them and have to cover my ears to block out the loud DJ music when I remove my buds. I've left them in for up to 6-hrs straight, with no ear fatigue, connecting to the body pack for each set. I can often hear the subs thru the ears as I keep my IEM volumes way low..
Alan Ace Cooper
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- Jan 6, 2004
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For my main gig (3000 seat church venue/concert stage), In-Ears are my only sound option. The church supplied versions are the Shure SE415 series. Nice overall, but lacking low end. So I ordered these SE215Blue from Amazon or eBay about a year ago for about $125.00. They have a sweeter tuned lowend as compared to the 415s. However, they are single driver units, so if you feel like you need to hear a flute player or oboe player at equal volume as the bass and guitar, they probably will not work for you. Invalid Link Removed
When the church got a deal with JH Audio, I ordered a set of their custom molded JH11 series! I cannot say enough good things about the JH Audio ears! I hear a little more high end instruments than needed on Orchestra weekend, so I simply have the monitor guy cut a little of the high end out of my mix.
Invalid Link Removed
When the church got a deal with JH Audio, I ordered a set of their custom molded JH11 series! I cannot say enough good things about the JH Audio ears! I hear a little more high end instruments than needed on Orchestra weekend, so I simply have the monitor guy cut a little of the high end out of my mix.
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There's 2 good reasons to use IEM's:
1) so you can hear yourself over excessive stage volume.
2) so you can hear yourself at all in the absence of stage volume.
If this is happening at church, I'm assuming it's not 1).
So if it's not excessive volume coming in past inadequate ear seals, it must be excessive volume in the buds.
As others have said, the seal is critical, and you may be needing to use excessive volume due to bad seal.
Or as others have also said, maybe you have way too much SPL in the mix at a frequency you can't hear well.
What buds are you using? Borrow some better ones if you can for a check. Try other seals - there are many from which to choose.
But please find & fix the problem before it creates a bigger problem...
Ric5
Inactive
- Jan 29, 2008
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In ear monitors is a more professional way to do sound than the old floor monitors ... It does require a good pa system, a good soundman or band member who understands the pa and you need a good set of in ears. If done right it can be a good way to keep the stage volume down. I did the in ear thing with a band about 10 years ago. We each had a box with 5 volume controls so we could create our own mix. These days I am a little more retro and we have small amps and a small pa and play quiet enough where we can hear everything, but we are introducing midi track to some songs and that may require in-ears to hear everything properly.
are keyboard players really that hard to find .. ??
i'd use a power speaker with the same signal that's going to the mains ... or any small amp ... i wouldn't buy anything special for 1 sub gig ... permanent sub type gig maybe ...
i wouldn't want to be isolated from the folks on the dance floor at a wedding gig by wearing earbuds ...
i'd use a power speaker with the same signal that's going to the mains ... or any small amp ... i wouldn't buy anything special for 1 sub gig ... permanent sub type gig maybe ...
i wouldn't want to be isolated from the folks on the dance floor at a wedding gig by wearing earbuds ...
I am still not a fan either.. but I am getting used to them..
I use 215s as well and they do the job.. We went to these a few years ago but then onstage sound kind of crept back in.. but now everything on the stage is gone except for the monitors for the singers.. so I just need to work it.
s0c9
Supporting Member
I have stated this many times in other threads. Single driver buds are the most common reason (based on personal experience, forum posts, etc.) that folks don't like IEM's, especially guitar and bass players.
If you play bass/guitar and use IEM's, you NEED (at a minimum) dual drivers.. single drivers do not have the sound stage, definition or clarity one needs.
For some, universal fit works.. Custom fit (molds) are more expensive, but if you use IEM's, get A DECENT set of MULTI-DRIVER buds.
If not, it's like playing an $30,000 audiophile stereo system thru $10 speakers... you wouldn't do it for that system, why do it in your ears??
I have been doing that for a long, long time. We're using a Nady PEM1000 - not the best by any means but it gets the job done and Nady gave my band a killer deal on a refurbed system. I got tired of my Phillips earbuds continually falling out of my ears though and I'm expecting the Meelectronics M6 Pro to have a sound more tuned for IEM applications and have a more snug fit in my ear.
Well, now my bassist buddy is telling me that, as others have said, the App is merely to adjust level of my "pack" - I guess I had not made myself clear that I *have* not pack.
So tell me why someone hasn't written an app for this? Your iphone has a wifi and blue tooth transceiver, yes? I need to think on this... and find out how I'm gonna cope for this gig!
So tell me why someone hasn't written an app for this? Your iphone has a wifi and blue tooth transceiver, yes? I need to think on this... and find out how I'm gonna cope for this gig!
My primary reason for using IEM's is to save my hearing. I have really bad tinnitus now and all it takes is one good cymbal crash and my ear sounds like a broken speaker cone! I love being able to control the volume for myself and block out the ambient sounds. It is such a nice feeling to take the earpieces out at the end of a gig and not have any hissing or muffling in my ears!
Standard BlueTooth has too much latency for realtime audio. There's nothing at the mixer _sending_ streaming digital audio for an app to receive. Most of the wireless systems are using proprietary protocols that operate in the UHF/WiFi spectrum. If it were trivial, Carvin wouldn't be getting $280 for their receiver... (the whole setup is $430)
For $50 you can get a Rolls PM50S and go wired. It's what I'd do...
I use these every week. Skull Candy from wall mart. Decent and cheep. I also have expensive Shure an Senheiser IEMs , but I don't care if the candy's get lost or crushed.
