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Individual in-ear mixes - how?

C

Colonel_Claypoo

Steve Harris nut
Oct 24, 2007
582
6
Germany
#1
hello,

i've been thinking and thinking about how everyone in my band can get different mixes for their in-ears.
that means taking all the instruments and mixing them differently for everyone's needs.

if all the band members were to get the same mix with just different volume, we'd take the output of our mixer and route it into a headphone amp where we can set different volume's for everybody.

now for individual mixes, i just don't know how to go about it. i heard of aviom solutions but it's way to expensive for us.

so if anybody has an idea i'd appreciate it.

thanks
 
#3
There's two ways to create individualized mixes separate from the main mix. Some mixers have sub-groups, with routing switches on each channel strip to determine which sub-groups that channel will route to after the volume fader. This means you can have just vocals on one sub-group, guitars and vocals on another, bass and drums on a third, etc. However, you usually can't adjust the volume of individual tracks in the sub-groups without affecting the main mix.

The other way to do this is with your mixer's Auxiliary Busses, usually labelled AUX#. Each channel strip will have a slew of knobs that determine how much of that channel will be in each AUX bus. Think of them as mini-faders for the sub-mixes. If you're doing the vocalist's mix off of AUX1 and you want a lot of vox in it, just turn up the AUX1 knob on the vox channel(s). It's really that easy.

Your mixer will have outputs for each AUX bus (unless it's a dedicated internal bus for effects) and sub-group it has, so you can just wire those to a multi-channel headphone amp or your wireless transmitters.
 
#5
thanks for the replies so far but i have to be honest, i don't really understand.

i've never seen a mixing console with more than one AUX output.
how can every channel strip has its own? i don't see how everybody in the band can get his serparate mix but only separate volumes.

could you please give me an example for a mixing console that can do what you described?

thanks a lot.
 
#7
Colonel_Claypoo said:
thanks for the replies so far but i have to be honest, i don't really understand.

i've never seen a mixing console with more than one AUX output.
how can every channel strip has its own? i don't see how everybody in the band can get his serparate mix but only separate volumes.

could you please give me an example for a mixing console that can do what you described?
Click to expand...


Allen & Heath Mix Wizard, A&H GL Series, just to name two very common examples.
 
#8
thanks.

we don't have a mixer yet but we've taken in ear monitoring into consideration, thus the purpose of this thread.

i take it there's no other way to give every band member an individual mix but with a mixing console with enoug AUX sends?
isn't it possible to use any other output?
 
#9
Simply put, you need an output for every member of the band, plus the outputs to the front-of-house. So, for a four person band, that's a separate monitor mix for each person, and the FOH mix. And ideally you'll want the monitor mixes to all be totally separate from what you have to do for FOH, so that means you'll need four pre-EQ/fader Aux mixes. Unless you need effects too, in which case you're going to need an additional Aux mix.

jte
 
#15
If you only have 4 members in your band, running 4 inexpensive, 4 channel, mono mixers in some sort of snaked loop might be an option. And then you'll need a proper mixer for the FOH. If you shop around you should be able to get 4 mixers for less than $200. No need fantastic sound quality, even, cos it's just for in-ears.

Drum mics go into the main mixer, which then sends a mixed aux out into the other 4 mixers. Instruments and vocals, nearly the same way (main mixer, with parallel outs chained or split to the other 4 mixers). A rackmounted splitter should be easily made.

This is sort of like the poor man's Aviom systems.
 
#17
NJL said:
these are cool but very expensive:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Click to expand...

Yeah, we have these at church. Way expensive but very nice. Rack mount in with your mixer, then just run a CAT-5 cable to the first station on stage. Then you just daisy chain CAT-5s out of that one into the next, and so on.

Everyone has their own station to mix as they see fit. Each person on stage controls the mix, not a board somewhere off stage.
 
#19
Colonel_Claypoo said:
hello,

i've been thinking and thinking about how everyone in my band can get different mixes for their in-ears.
that means taking all the instruments and mixing them differently for everyone's needs.
Click to expand...

Can you back up and explain WHY you want to use in-ears? Why do you think that's a good idea, and one worth spending money on? Other than the fact that you need different mixes for each member of the band when wearing ears, what do you want out of separate mixes for each member of the band?
 

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