In Ears

Most everyone who tries them never goes back, becoming pretty standard for most touring acts

Lots of recent threads with many pages of discussion and opinions
 
Unfortunately I am using entry level no name brand, and I am having mixed success.

Was wondering the advantage to outlaying good coin for a decent set?
 
Multiple drivers give wider frequency response, better fidelity etc. Also get customs impressions made, the fit affects not only your comfort but also the acoustics. I'm an audiologist so I've done a lot of ear molds for IEM's and all the patients I've had have had very good things to say about their customs for both fit and performance.

Keep in mind if your doing vocals you will probably want to do impressions both open and closed jaw, and have them send in both. Some folks have their external auditory canal change shape a little when opening the jaw to sing, so if they did just a closed mouth impression it might not feel as comfortable when singing.
 
lqdsnddist said:
Multiple drivers give wider frequency response, better fidelity etc. Also get customs impressions made, the fit affects not only your comfort but also the acoustics. I'm an audiologist so I've done a lot of ear molds for IEM's and all the patients I've had have had very good things to say about their customs for both fit and performance.

Keep in mind if your doing vocals you will probably want to do impressions both open and closed jaw, and have them send in both. Some folks have their external auditory canal change shape a little when opening the jaw to sing, so if they did just a closed mouth impression it might not feel as comfortable when singing.
Click to expand...
My molds were made with a bite block, as instructed by 64Audio. I don't sing, but they maintain seal no matter how much I move my mouth.
 
I've been told that when you do custom moulds they only last for x number of years as your ears change with time.

Personally I love playing with in-ears at every opportunity. I love how I'm now suddenly able to hear everyone anywhere on stage. Or that I can go anywhere off stage and still hear what I need to hear to play. I'm a strong believer of moving about on and off stage, as I find musicians who just stand static on one spot for the entire gig kinda boring to watch. In-ears allow me to create a show, not just play my instrument. Granted there is a downside. I don't have the most expensive in-ears, so I'm not getting the full sound experience of my guitar sound. But I can live with that as long as I can hear what I am playing, and the rest of the band of course. You want it to actually sound good too? Not really my concern. I have faith in me having dialed in the right sound and that the sound engineers know what they're doing. Although I do know a fair share of them who seem to dislike in-ears. Another benefit of using in-ears on stage is less clutter on stage. No need for a big obstacle in the shape of a monitor wedge in front of me, more room for my pedal board and me to move about.

It does take getting used to working with in-ears. I once did a full in-ear rehearsal for a band of mine, using a Behringer X-18 mixer. Everybody silent, going straight into the mixer, with a couple of mics on the drumkit. The singer LOVED it! He could finally hear himself sing and sing well because of it. Which confirms my belief that if there's one band member who should be using in-ears at every opportunity its vocalists. I don't think the keyboard player and the bass player were that convinced. The bass player in particular was bitching the whole time. How he missed his wall of sound and the interaction with the drummer and the rest of the band. Of course a standard headset isn't exactly a good in-ear set. And there's nothing that can probably ruin a good first impression of something that is really good then a poorly executed first experience.
 
I'm with Muad'zin. I sing background and several leads while playing guitar. Getting older and being mutantly tall doesn't help hearing myself in the mix. The lead singer and I are the only ones in the band with IEMs and use them every chance we get. If we're using our own board (touchmix 16) and can control our own mix remotely it's perfect and makes a massive difference in confidence. If we play a show with a limited tech and house system it can get ugly and I end up pulling 1 monitor out. 2 of the other band mates that have never tried them complain and think it's just an added headache to deal with.

I haven't popped for impressions yet. Using Shure 215s IEMs. They stay in place well. I don't like the foam buds but prefer the rubber ones that can be pulled out or put in quickly.
 
I use high-end Audio Technica IEMs. It definitely does NOT sound like the "amp in the room" but I really just use them to hear the band. My playing at this point is very spontaneous so I really just want to hear what the other musicians are playing. The guitar tone, is OK but not really important to me. I just need to hear my bandmates so I can find my place in the music.
 
Geezerjohn said:
I use high-end Audio Technica IEMs. It definitely does NOT sound like the "amp in the room" but I really just use them to hear the band. My playing at this point is very spontaneous so I really just want to hear what the other musicians are playing. The guitar tone, is OK but not really important to me. I just need to hear my bandmates so I can find my place in the music.
Click to expand...

Very much that. I never understood why some people spend big money on wanting to have the perfect tone in a band mix on stage. First comes being able to hear what you're doing, then almost immediately second being able to hear what the rest is doing. You want it to sound well too on stage amidst the cacophony of all the other musicians blazing against each other? Well, I suppose its possible, but is it A: worth the money and B: do most of the venues have the gear and know how to do what you want?

Another thing that I love about in-ears is that it eliminates so much chance of feedback. Usually the biggest danger that in-ear haters always cite. Oh, no, what if you get a shrill piercing feedback in your in-ear? Your ears will be ruined. Of course the biggest cause of feedback are all those loud monitor wedges and fills on stage churning out volume that interacts with the sound that you're producing. Eliminate those from the stage and technically the only thing that can still feedback is feedback coming from the front of house speakers. Not to mention that a big giant monitor wedge or fill blasting at you constantly at high volume ain't that fantastic for your hearing either.
 
Increased cost = wider frequency response for Shure IEMs (probably most others as well).
Once you hear the ones with better low end you will never go back to cheaper ones.
 
Bandmates hate em, I love em. I even do band practice with IEMs.

Wired sounds better, but the freedom of wireless makes it hard to go back. I keep a wire as backup though.

More drivers give you more sonic separation between instruments than do single drivers. Stereo IEM gives you spatial separation, and makes it even easier to distinguish between bandmates. Our FOH is mono, but I do my IEMs in stereo.

I would love to try custom molds. Currently I use Comply foam tips. If we actually start gigging again, maybe I could justify the cost of customs.

Regarding open & closed mouth molds, even if I rarely sing, I figure it makes sense to include open mouth. You know, for when making rock 'n roll faces. :laughing::tongueclosed::tonguewink::guitar:
 
Geezerjohn said:
I use high-end Audio Technica IEMs. It definitely does NOT sound like the "amp in the room" but I really just use them to hear the band. My playing at this point is very spontaneous so I really just want to hear what the other musicians are playing. The guitar tone, is OK but not really important to me. I just need to hear my bandmates so I can find my place in the music.
Click to expand...

Muad'zin said:
Very much that. I never understood why some people spend big money on wanting to have the perfect tone in a band mix on stage. First comes being able to hear what you're doing, then almost immediately second being able to hear what the rest is doing. You want it to sound well too on stage amidst the cacophony of all the other musicians blazing against each other? Well, I suppose its possible, but is it A: worth the money and B: do most of the venues have the gear and know how to do what you want?
Click to expand...
Here's my problem with this: I play so much better when I'm inspired by my tones.

When I'm gigging, I really want to play well.

Using IEMs I am really *never* inspired... :(

I love all the other benefits:
  • having my own mix that I control
  • hearing things the way I choose
  • consistency - things always sound the same, whether at a gig, rehearsal, whatever...
  • No volume wars
  • No monitors
  • No stage volume at all (we are 100% direct)
 
Question about custom molds--is the molded part squeezable & compliant, like gel inserts? Or is it solid plastic? Just wondering, it's difficult to tell from the photos.
 
Desmo808 said:
Question about custom molds--is the molded part squeezable & compliant, like gel inserts? Or is it solid plastic? Just wondering, it's difficult to tell from the photos.
Click to expand...
Solid plastic for the most part. I've seen one company offer sleeves that fit over the ear piece to ensure a more 'comfortable', sealed fit. I have 64 Audio A3's and they are extremely comfortable. I do use a gel in my ears to avoid any irritation though. Prior to using the gel, they were uncomfortable for any extended period of time (over 30 minutes).
 
R.D. said:
Which 64Audio model are you using ?
Click to expand...
I have the V6s... Back when the V series was their standard. They were just coming out with ADEL, which has been rebranded as something else that starts with "A".

Mine were about $650... I don't think they have anything custom molded for anywhere near that price now :(
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom