In-Ear monitoring

clarky

clarky

Axe-Master
didn't know where to post this one..
so I 'lounged it' as it's not really Axe related

so...
I know almost nothing about in-ear monitoring beyond the bit about putting speakers in your ears....

what do you guys use??
how does it work??
 
They are super high end ear buds like you use on your iPod.

Read about them at headphones.com.

They are custom fit and you have to go to an ear doctor to create molds.
 
I run all our instruments on stage into a 16 channel xlr splitter. Coming out of the splitter are two separate 16 channel xlr outs. One goes to our Allen and Heath board for in ears. The other goes to the FOH. This way both the band and the sound guy get direct signals without going through each others board.

Now hooked to each of the auxes of the Allen and Heath are all of our in ear systems so that we each can control our own individual mixes how we choose.
I was actually thinking if upgrading to the presonus 16 ch digital board but it doesn't have enough mixes for what we need.
As for my in ear system, I'm using the sennheiser ew300iem G3. It's stereo which makes a huge difference and its sounds great.
I recently upgraded to JH audio 16's last year. Great high end buds. Definitely don't skimp on the buds. I made the mistake of starting low and slowly upgrading which wasted a lot of money.
 
I use ultimate ears
Which range from iPod cost type buds to custom moulded with impressions taken from an audiologist
Depends in budget really
Ultimate ears will go from about £60 to £1k
 
Here's my setup. . . .

I run my FOH in-ear feed (mono) and my Axe II (stereo) both into the 4 channel mixer that comes with a Shure PSM 400 hardwired pack. The mixer then goes into an old DBX IEM in-ear process that provides ambient reverb and a bit of limiting. The DBX then feeds my Shure beltpack. The Shure is crisp and clear. The ambient reverb takes the dry FOH feed and give it some space and life.

The final piece of the chain is the IEM's. I have a custom set of AS-2's from Aurisonics. They have a huge, single 15mm dynamic driver and two special design BA tweeters to add some sparkle on the top end. There is no crossover, and therefore no crossover distortion. Not many IEM's use dynamic drivers but they have a reputation as having a cohesive sound and a solid, extended bass (some call it an "analog" sound). I'm very happy with them. At $800 they are extremely well priced for customs. The ASG-2 is a universal version of the same product for $500.

AS-2 Digital-Hybrid Custom In-Ear Monitor [AS-2] - $799.00 : Aurisonics Inc., - The Critical Difference

Terry.
 
Tone Seeker said:
The ASG-2 is a universal version of the same product for $500.
Click to expand...

Couldn't see those on their site - just the ASG-1

Am very tempted I have to say. I know I've openly expressed how impressed I've been with some very cheap options (and indeed, tonight's gig... £20 buds... loved it from start to finish!), but if there really is 'more' to come from a nicer set, then well, it would be a crying shame to miss out ;)
 
interesting stuff guys... thanks...

is it more common for a single player or the whole band to switch to in-ear??
 
my band, all had in ears except for me. I prefer the live wedge...I just like the atmosphere sound. Always have, seems I get into playing more on stage when I can 'feel' the music. I caved, and bought some of the Carvin E900's. Havent used them yet, but have practice tomorrow. We will all use in ears at practice now, and during shows. Before at shows, it was ackward for me to have a wedge because I am stage center, and we usually have a sub on its side in front of me. I put my pedal board right up to it, and there is no room for a wedge.
 
My band is 4 on in ears and two on wedges. With our on stage board we can still run private mixes even through wedges.
 
boltrecords said:
I recently upgraded to JH audio 16's last year. Great high end buds. Definitely don't skimp on the buds. I made the mistake of starting low and slowly upgrading which wasted a lot of money.
Click to expand...

Right now I'm using Shure SE425s with custom mold rips but def upgrading to the JH16s next month.

My rig right now is being built for in ears, and should be ready in a month or two. Will post pics and describe how I use it once it's ready.
 
My cover band currently runs a stereo in ear mix for me and 4 wedges off a behringer x32. Super simple.

My original band, however, is generally at the mercy of the venue. I am building an in ear rack for that band based on a crest audio x18rm (pictured). I haven't used it yet, but it has a built in split I am going to order a vafam input panel so we can wheel into any venue, patch in our board and have complete control over our own mixes without interfering with foh. Out the back, I have a 15ft patch snake. 4/5 of us will be running ears and 1 with a wedge.
jedasury.jpg
 
ok, so a quick review on the Carvin E900's I just got from band practice last night. As my first set of ear buds, I have a pretty good review of them. Some things that I'd prefer to be better, but I have to weigh price vs. features vs. real world use for me.

First quality, the buds to me are quality...at practice I have never sang so many songs so quietly and still have low end in my voice, lol. We only had guitar/vocals running through them as drums arent mic'd for practice and our bass player brings a small amp (he will be running direct soon at practice). I didnt get a chance to compare the buds to the ones I got with my Samsung Galaxy SIII, as those sound pretty awesome as well, not sure how they would work for IEM's, but thought I'd try it to compare the sound. The battery pack, is a bit larger, but sits comfortably on my belt....I do with the belt clip was changeable...I mean, on my guitar wireless, I can put the clip on upside down so the antennae is pointing down, not up into my shirt...lol.

Range, the sheet says 300' line of sight. In my above post you can see my experience, just walking around my apartment building. In the morning I went outside...I got half way past the next apartment building before getting some signal fade. when I walked to the back of the apartment (more brick to go through/around) i didnt get as far 'away', but probably same distance from receiver. At practice, where we practice in buddys basement, I made it about the same distance...went upstairs, outside and made it to about the front door sidewalk of neighbors house. Now, my guitar wireless...I hooked it up in my dad's basement when I got it, and walked upstairs and 4 houses down the road and it never dropped....so I wasnt expecting that kind of range from a unit that is about $350 less, but my 'need' for that kind of distance isnt fair. It's just the peace of mind i like. For most gigs I'll ever play, the range for the e900's are just fine.

There are some nice tweaking features for a unit this price point as well, frequency selection, limiter on/off, high end boost on/off, signal attenuater 0/-10db. I'm pretty happy with it. If the buds are the weakest link of a in ear wireless system, then I'm ecstatic cause these ones sound fine, but again, its my first pair, so nothing to really compare against.

Any further questions, feel free to PM me.
 
Tone Seeker said:
The ASG-2 replaces the ASG-1, but is not up on the site yet. The AS-2, which is on the site, uses the same driver set as the ASG-2, the difference being one is custom and one is universal.

Terry.
Click to expand...

I placed an order for a set of ASG-1 last night and have since contacted them asking about the ASG-2 to determine whether they would be worth stumping up a little extra for

Thanks for the recommendation :encouragement:
 
the em900 is a great wireless IEM. The buds are on the extreme low end of the scale. Upgrading to some Shure or custom molds make a huge difference. I have custom triple drivers, use the em900 and DBX iem processor. My mix sounds awesome, very happy at the moment.
 
I have a Shure PSM900 in my rack where I feed the left with a house mix and the right with output 1 from my Axe and output 2 to front of house (thanks to the vafram rack connector for allowing this setup to happen pretty quickly!). It allows me to have my own personal in-ear monitor system when I don't have access to my CLR, don't want to bring it, or need a completely quiet stage. I am using Ultimate Ear UE16s.
 
Pros:

- Sound quality can be high. Especially with a wired set of in ears: desk -> on stage mini mixer headphone out -> ears
- Less stage wash
- More room at the front of the stage.

Cons:

- Requires time to dial in so many different mixes
- Disorienting with no direct sound from the stage or audience. Even with audience mics, when you turn direction its a little strange.
- If there is a problem and you have to pull out the in-ears, the stage mix can be bad to non existent

I like to have at least one mic on stage that only goes to the in ears for the band to communicate.

Running direct but with wedges still seems more simple and easier to me. Especially with the newer powered wedges. They get incredibly loud and cover the stage. But its what I'm used to.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom