What you play in your IEM doesn't sound as good or the same for what the audience hears.

[rockinbilly]

maybe try using only one in ear only in the opposite side as the drummer !!!

 

[MYLOWFREQ]

...But in context, and by that I mean, everything played together where the sounds are balanced out properly (Which is what I meant when I was referring to Youtube) is where I noticed that my choice in notes, or the kinds of notes I play sometimes don't fit...

It is normal that your in ear mix is different than the FOH (the idea is to create different mixes for different people). But you need to hear (or know) what everyone else is playing in order to make sure every note you play works with everything else.

 

[KJMO]

I find that I think I'm playing better than I am when listening while playing. I think it's hard for a brain to listen well while making the effort to play. I record myself often and listen back to see what the frick I'm actually doing. Plus there are all the other things a person does to continue to get better, etc.
I used to worry about latency and stuff with all the digital things going on live, but I've found it isn't much of an issue, at least in my situation.

 

[KJMO]

maybe try using only one in ear only in the opposite side as the drummer !!!

Don't do this. It is asking for large amounts of ear damage.

 

[sawzalot]

So I don't think this is an issue with your IEM sound, rather this is you growing as a musician.

Recordings and videos are sometimes brutally honest reminders of how well we're actually playing as musicians. You're learning that you need to listen to the rest of the band and play in a way that serves the song better. That's great stuff. Learn to listen and play in a way that does that. But you don't need to alter your IEM mix to do so unless it furthers that goal in a way that works for you. You just may need to pay attention to other/additional things in that mix.

I set my IEM mix so my bass and vocals are ridiculously loud in my ears. But, I do this for good reasons: 1) I need a loud bass mix so I can play with the right touch and dynamics. 2) I don't want to make the other musicians or the sound engineer mad. 3) I need loud vocals so I don't oversing and damage my voice. All good reasons for me. I also make sure I have enough of the drums and other instruments to lock in when I need to. In particular I need a decent drum mix with at least kick with snare and/or overheads.

 

[DuckSoup]

Hey Duck! You knew I’d chime in on this, haha.

As you learn the song, focus on the groove and how notes blend together, especially if your going off the root. For example, in certain areas I like playing the 4th when a Sus chord is be played (Playing a C under Gsus). However, depending on the other harmonic textures coming from the vocals and keys etc it’ll sound bad. I usually try that sort of stuff out in rehearsal, and if I get a good feeling about it then I’ll keep it, otherwise I’ll go back to the root/groove and keep it simple.

One thing I learned over my years there is that when practicing to MP3s or YouTube videos, subconsciously I end up finding some ancillary part buried DEEEP in the mix that I que off of, but when I play live I get lost not having that there. It’s something as you spend more time there it’ll get more comfortable.

When it comes to tone, Bryce or FOH will help you dial stuff when needed if you ask. When it comes to groove and notes lean on Tommy and the drummers, they’ll get you fixed if you have questions. Nobody’s gonna think less of you for wanting to do it better! Hope your well man!

Hey there!

Thanks for the feedback! Lots of good feedback in here actually. I think the most common thing I'm seeing is turning myself down in my own mix. As someone had mentioned, I notice every imperfection more easily.

Your part about practicing to Youtube videos, or MP3's is true though. It feels way different when you get together with the band. I've actually considered recording my own mix after practice and listening to it at home to try and dial in a bit better.

 

[bobdabilder]

Take one ear out. The reality is that the iem mix is for you. It's not indicative of the house mix at all. The house will sound differently based on where you are in the room. Trust the sound guy, you actually have no choice. I mean all of this in a supportive way. You may be able to play without the iem's but then you can't hear the click, talkback etc....

So I've been playing to a pretty large crowd for less than a year now. This is a Church setup, with a pretty loud stage.

At times I will receive various kinds of music, and cover songs in the rock\pop genre.

What I've found is that, when playing with the band, what I hear in my IEM's sounds way different that what the audience hears. Typically the bass, and drums are a bit boosted, and everything else in my mix (Vocals, EG, Keyboard) sits a bit lower. (I can control my own mix btw.)

What happens is that I'll lock in, play what sounds good in my ears, trying to keep the original artists arrangement in mind, but when I listen to the recording after they upload it to Youtube....I frequently find moments where I'm like "Huh...That didn't sound right..." or "Man, I would have played that WAY differently"

So I guess my question is, how can you get a better sense of how you sound to the arena\auditorium vs what you hear in your little isolated IEM mix. Is it just a matter of matching the IEM mix to the live sound? But even that's hard because then I'd have trouble hearing what I'm playing.

 

[bobbybass85]

Take one ear out. The reality is that the iem mix is for you. It's not indicative of the house mix at all. The house will sound differently based on where you are in the room. Trust the sound guy, you actually have no choice. I mean all of this in a supportive way. You may be able to play without the iem's but then you can't hear the click, talkback etc....

In some situations I’d recommend this, but having played in the same room he’s talking about for 7ish years, it’s a really poor choice here. It’s a large stage and the bass player is so far behind the lines and subs that you just hear a mushy soup and the delayed slapback coming back off the wall.

 

[rtslinger]

Personally I tried to get everything that I want in my ears to be at the same level like listening to a song with headphones
and doing the play along .
I found that if it were just the drummer and I, I would be stepping on accents produced by other instruments. This works for me, but other's findings my differ. You have to find what works best for you. Good Luck

 

[MDBass]

Yeah, full drum kit, giant speakers. Amps in the back. No stage monitors.

I agree, using Youtube to combare the sound is not a good idea. I think I'm just doing a poor job of explaining what I mean.

Like...What I hear through my ears isn't everything equally. The Acoustic guitar sits super low, the backup vocals are low, the lead vocals are high, etc.

But in context, and by that I mean, everything played together where the sounds are balanced out properly (Which is what I meant when I was referring to Youtube) is where I noticed that my choice in notes, or the kinds of notes I play sometimes don't fit.

It's like when the whole thing is brought together. I just wish I had a better sense of that when playing on stage. IEM's have a unique way of isolating specific sounds where I don't get the full picture.

Not sure if that helps. :-D

Sounds like you need to adjust your IEM mix if it’s causing you to play in ways you’re finding inappropriate upon listening back.

 

[steveksux]

So you mention when you listen to the YouTube mix, your part doesn't fit sometimes. The crucial thing is what clashes.. Is the problem something you played doesn't match with one thing consistently? Drums, or keys, vocals, then maybe boost that in your mix so you can hear it better. Or is it something different all the time? That's tougher.

Generally with fills, you are concentrating on what you're playing more so than what else is going on, even if you're generally good about listening to everyone else. So it sounds good in your head at the time, but listening later you are more aware of what's going on besides you. Then you learned something, try to do something compatible next time.

Trick is finding out if you're just not hearing the stuff live to know you're conflicting in real time, or if you're just not listening when you do a fill...

Randy

 

[musicman7722]

If you can run your mix in stereo off the board panning can help amazingly well.

 

[s0c9]

Take one ear out. The reality is that the iem mix is for you. It's not indicative of the house mix at all. The house will sound differently based on where you are in the room. Trust the sound guy, you actually have no choice. I mean all of this in a supportive way. You may be able to play without the iem's but then you can't hear the click, talkback etc....

One should NEVER take one ear out for extended time. We like balance and you will end up turning up the volume in the IEM ear to match stage volume!
This will cause ear damage, as the intent of IEMS is to reduce hearing damage and keep volumes low.

keep in mind that one should only need what you need to do your job on stage...ur not listening to a CD recording. Stereo mixes help too!

 

[bobdabilder]

If it's that loud, you have other problems.

 

[KJMO]

If it's that loud, you have other problems.

I think pretty much all drummers play loud enough to damage your hearing. And to turn up one ear loud enough to compete takes a lot of volume, so that might be even worse than the drummer alone. It’s definitely not the solution for any problem.

 

[bobdabilder]

Our drummers in a box. I didn't say turn one ear up. We run about 88db on stage. We don't have a lot of sound problems.

I think pretty much all drummers play loud enough to damage your hearing. And to turn up one ear loud enough to compete takes a lot of volume, so that might be even worse than the drummer alone. It’s definitely not the solution for any problem.