Finally decided to go direct and embrace in-ears..

Griff_NZ

Inspired
So after playing a punk show on Friday with 2 other bands, (one of which had a low stage noise all monitoring with in-ears and ultimately having the best sound on the night) I've decided to do what I never thought I would, go direct and get a whole band mix through in-ears.
I play small venues here in New Zealand and have come to realize that turning an amp up just isn't working like it used to. Our drummer is a beast and I'm usually right next to him, so trying to hear everyone else even through a fold back is difficult to say the least.
We drifted out on a couple of songs which meant I had to look at where the bass players fingers were to try and recover. It sucked.
The final band had it sorted (admittedly they had a good soundman, whereas we hired someone who doesn't really know how to mix heavier bands), they had a real tight sound with low stage noise. I was envious.
A couple of days later of started playing with the Fm3 going direct and rolling different IR's, getting some good results. But its hard to know what will work until playing with the band. Any tips on dialing a direct sound at home would be much appreciated!
I just love the sound of the Axe modeling going through my Power Station into a quad and thumping on stage. But its really time to swallow my pride, save my ears and try and get the most professional stage sound possible.
The rest of the band seem on board with the idea too. They're phenomenal musicians and have been doing old school set ups for years. They couldn't hear a thing either so are looking at doing the same as me.
Any tips you can give me in this area would be much appreciated!
 
I have embraced and really enjoy both. I really love having my own personal IEM mix running Fractal direct (can turn off the people I DON'T want to hear ;) ) but also love my Marshall and cab rippin loud and no IEMs.

Get some custom molds and don't cheap out on in ears is my recommendation.
 
Yep customs will definitely be the go in the future. At the moment while money is tight I will have to go cheapish.
 
KZ/Linsoul in-ears are a great value, the ZSN Pro and ZS10 Pro are what a lot of our team use, I like them for casual listening. The most natural sounding universal IEMs I've tried are the Fender FXA6. These fit a bit deeper in the ear canal for a more consistent, comfortable seal and the sound is really good. I went with custom molds a few years ago, 64 Audio A3, and there really is no comparison to anything else I've tried.
 
Funny you mention that, yesterday I ordered the KZ ZS10 pros. Heard they're great for the price. Also ordered the Xvive U4, apparently great value for money. A lot of musicians around here use them and rate them pretty high.
 
Funny you mention that, yesterday I ordered the KZ ZS10 pros. Heard they're great for the price. Also ordered the Xvive U4, apparently great value for money. A lot of musicians around here use them and rate them pretty high.
Do you think mono is good enough? I'm debating between U4/KZ or stepping up to the Shure / Sennheiser systems which are stereo.
 
Yep customs will definitely be the go in the future. At the moment while money is tight I will have to go cheapish.

You'll be fine until you can get customs. My own experience is that customs didn't improve sound as significantly as they improve fit and comfort so that you can wear them longer without discomfort.
 
Do you think mono is good enough? I'm debating between U4/KZ or stepping up to the Shure / Sennheiser systems which are stereo.
I will upgrade to stereo eventually as money allows but at the moment Im happy with mono. Still a great Live experience with this cheapish setup I have. We had a good soundman last wknd and he got the mix in my ears pretty good. I should mention last wknd was the first time Ive ever used the Fm3 straight to the desk. Best Live guitar sound Ive ever had!
 
I will upgrade to stereo eventually as money allows but at the moment Im happy with mono. Still a great Live experience with this cheapish setup I have. We had a good soundman last wknd and he got the mix in my ears pretty good. I should mention last wknd was the first time Ive ever used the Fm3 straight to the desk. Best Live guitar sound Ive ever had!
Congrats!
I've used both mono and stereo, and the latter is by far worth some extra money. The ability to pan instruments around really makes a difference when you have multiple instruments in the same frequency area.
 
Great decision! Your ears and your back will thank you.
The Fractal equipment is a dream for IEMs. I've never understood why people buy an amp modeler and then haul around amps and speakers. Seems completely counterintuitive.
Get the best custom molds you can afford. Just like you wouldn't buy a crappy speaker cabinet, the buds you put in your ears will make a difference. I saw you said you're cool with mono, and I understand we don't always have a choice. But if you get a chance to go stereo, do so. Panning really helps your mix have width and depth.
If you miss some of the more "Iive" aspects of the mix, set up an extra microphone to capture stage and crowd sounds.
Most importantly, your whole band needs to give it a little bit of time. Once you get used to it, you'll never want to go back.
 
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Great decision! Your ears and your back will thank you.
The Fractal equipment is a dream for IEMs. I've never understood why people buy an amp modeler and then haul around amps and speakers. Seems completely counterintuitive.
Get the best custom molds you can afford. Just like you wouldn't buy a crappy speaker cabinet, the buds you put in your ears will make a difference. I saw you said you're cool with mono, and I understand we don't always have a choice. But if you get a chance to go stereo, do so. Panning really helps your mix have width and depth.
If you miss some of the more "Iive" aspects of the mix, set up an extra microphone to capture stage and crowd sounds.
Most importantly, your whole band needs to giver it a little bit of time. Once you get used to it, you'll never want to go back.
Thanks man. Yep I definitely want to go to stereo at some point. I pretty much loved the IEM thing right from the start, so will continue in that direction.
 
Great decision! Your ears and your back will thank you.
The Fractal equipment is a dream for IEMs. I've never understood why people buy an amp modeler and then haul around amps and speakers. Seems completely counterintuitive.
Get the best custom molds you can afford. Just like you wouldn't buy a crappy speaker cabinet, the buds you put in your ears will make a difference. I saw you said you're cool with mono, and I understand we don't always have a choice. But if you get a chance to go stereo, do so. Panning really helps your mix have width and depth.
If you miss some of the more "Iive" aspects of the mix, set up an extra microphone to capture stage and crowd sounds.
Most importantly, your whole band needs to give it a little bit of time. Once you get used to it, you'll never want to go back.
Have you found that the in-ear experience changes the sound of your presets from what you dial in at home? I remember going to the gig, plugging into the Avioms and hardly recognizing the tones I was getting.
 
Have you found that the in-ear experience changes the sound of your presets from what you dial in at home? I remember going to the gig, plugging into the Avioms and hardly recognizing the tones I was getting.
I dial my sounds in with my in-ears. The FOH sounds engineers seem to love the tones, as do guitar player friends who have come to shows, so that's all I need to hear! Having said that, I have high-quality JH Audio in-ears, so I feel very comfortable with the quality of the reproduction I am getting.
 
I dial my sounds in with my in-ears. The FOH sounds engineers seem to love the tones, as do guitar player friends who have come to shows, so that's all I need to hear! Having said that, I have high-quality JH Audio in-ears, so I feel very comfortable with the quality of the reproduction I am getting.
Do you plug your IEMs into a good wireless?
 
MEE makes an affordable in-ear as well, think they reverse-engineered one of the Shure models. I gigged them for about a year pre-covid, no issues.

Get some different tips to try, as well, to find the best fit for your ear.
 
I‘m going the In Ear way too. I had a appointment three days ago with a local company. They do work with near every TV company/studio, local bands and Orchestras of the whole country.
I will get some molded In Ear Monitors from them.
When everything is ready, I will take my Axe III to the next appointment and we will see (hear) which solution fits best.
 
I've been playing with IEM's for a few years now. I have an older set of Westone triple drivers, with universal comfy fits. I play in stereo with a DSM Simplifier at the end of my pedalboard.
I use a lot of iPad apps, in addition to Allen and Health PMS.
Can't imagine going back to monitors anymore.
I'm on the list for an FM9, and know that the sound will be awesome !
 
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