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Trick for 'open' sound with in ear monitors

tshapiro

tshapiro

Gold Supporting Member
Supporting Member
Aug 25, 2015
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Jax Florida
www.last2leave.com
#1
Just thought I'd share this tip for those using in ear monitors. I'm a pro who has played hundreds of gigs with in ears. 2 challenges with in ears are hearing your band mates talk when your ears are plugged and also having everything sound flat from not hearing room ambience. Here's how I solve that:

I run a cheap wide diaphragm condenser mic which I place in front of me on the stage. I blend the mix so I can just hear the stage noise without getting too much drums etc. When you pull that mic into your in ear mix all of the sudden you no longer feel like you're in an isolation booth and you can hear people talk to you. It's a little extra gear to setup but I find it's well worth it to enjoy the open sound even while using in ears.

While running a stereo in ear mix with 2 condenser stage mics is likely a bit much for most people to bother with, it sounds amazing and is the ultimate on stage experience.

Enjoy :)
 
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#3
I would think a lavalier mic would solve the issue of people talking to you. I'm not sure if it would give you the open air sound of your amp and band reverberating in the room. I think that's pretty important to using in ears. But, its definitely worth trying!
 
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#4
I have done this before -- in my case I used an audio technica acoustic guitar mic that is supposed to clip to the soundhole. It's pretty handy because it's so small you can place it anywhere. I clipped mine to something or other on the wall.
The only caveat with this is having a cooperative soundman or using your own submixer for it.

I assumed this is what the copperphone mics were for on Rush's Clockwork angels tour, but according to an interview I read, they were just props.

Geddy-Lee11-300x199.jpg
 
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#5
I figured a lavalier mic clipped to your coller would be representative of your ears. Where you go it goes, so if your by the guitar player you'll hear him better just as if you didn't have in ears in. Plus if someone talks to you you'll hear them. I don't know how well a placed mic would enable that unless they are close to it.
 
#6
It can work...
We tried it.. it became more of a distraction than a help after a while - because they pick up everything - so we dropped them.
Less setup time and communicating now happens by partially pulling a bud out of an ear if you can't hear.
If you've been using IEM's for a while, it's no biggie to slip an earbud efficiently in and out of your ears!
 
#11
The bandleader/singer in one of the bands that I play in wears a small wireless headset mic with an on/off switch specifically to talk to the rest of the band on in-ears. The signal does not go to FOH. He sings through a separate hand held dynamic mic. He can also cue us when to stretch or end songs as well as call out the next song.
 
#12
oddeotek said:
The bandleader/singer in one of the bands that I play in wears a small wireless headset mic with an on/off switch specifically to talk to the rest of the band on in-ears. The signal does not go to FOH. He sings through a separate hand held dynamic mic. He can also cue us when to stretch or end songs as well as call out the next song.
Click to expand...
We do something similar. We have a mic we call the 'talkback' mic which is on a stand by the side of the stage. The lead singer will use it to call out the next couple of songs or give us queues.
 

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