First off, I love my Matrix/JBL monitoring situation. I'm perfectly happy, But I figure since everyone else in my 10 piece band uses in-ears, I might as well take the plunge to see if its for me.
So, Since i don't like to cut corners, I went for the best I could find. Did the whole mold of my ear this morning and sent them off to be made this afternoon.
Anyone use in ears? More specifically Ultimate Ears? this is completely new territory for me, but I can only imagine how good the Axe_fx would sound through these things.
Tyler,
I've been running the UE-11's for quite a while and I really like them. We used to run a handful of K10 and K12 wedges before. I had one wedge for my vocals and another for my Axe FX. Everyone else had their own wedge. The stage volume was LOUD, but it never sounded that great when everyone was playing together. I think there may have been some phase cancellation going on with so many wedges is such tight space. I've gone through a long list of other systems before settling with the Ultimate Ears. I found that the universal fit Westone 3's were very good for the money. But with the custom molds of the UE-11's, they stay in place much better than any universal 'foamies'. I sort of have to screw them in my ear, and unscrew them to get them out. As others have mentioned, it can be tough when someone from the crowd comes up to talk to you and you have to pull one out to hear. We run a pair of ambient mics pointing out at the crowd to make everything sound a bit more 'real'.
As far as audio quality goes, the UE-11's are tough to beat. They are extremely accurate. I find them comparable to my Audio Technica ATH-M50 headphones which I really like as well. The best part of the in-ears arrangement is that I can hear! We've also experimented with a variety of different setups and I will say that regardless of what in-ear monitor you use, the other components in the chain can make a big difference. I'm pretty sure not everyone will agree but here's what we've found:
1. Mono vs Stereo - Personally, I much prefer stereo. The 'space' in your head and the realism results in a much more satisfying experience.
2. Wired vs Wireless - I love the freedom of wireless, but I prefer the audio quality of wired. The boys in our band are wired except for the lead singer who is running the Sennheiser wireless system. For wired units we run the
Jump Audio rigs which are very convenient. The cord is small and supple, with no compromise in sound quality from the guitar. With this arrangement you only have one cable running to your belt or guitar strap and it carries both your in-ear monitor signal and your guitar signal.
3. Not all Aux sends (mixers) are the same. - We ran one of the most popular digital mixers on the market until a few months ago when we stepped up to an A&H GLD80 mixer. What a difference on the in-ear audio quality. Just amazingly good. With the UE-11's, our in-ears mix is so clear, accurate, and detailed, it sounds superb. On the other hand, it doesn't hide any mistakes either! ;-)
Our live rig consists of two Axe FX II's, Nord keys direct, bass guitar direct to a Tech 21 RBI rackmount modeler, Jobeky drums and Smartrigger cymbals triggering Superior Drummer 2.0 via a Macbook Pro connected to the GLD80 desk via a Dante I/O card. The point is there is virtually no stage noise. No wedges, the drums are silent,....everything is direct. The mixer feeds active subs and tops (Fulcrum Acoustics) which are fantastic speakers, so FOH is void of any bleed, which results in a really, really clean mix. People notice.
With the in-ears system, we play for 3 or 4 hours and at the end of the gig, we pull them out and it feels like we've been chatting in the living room. Meaning no ear fatigue, just a very fresh set of ears, just like when we started. Very refreshing. Don't get me wrong. We like it loud. It's just that the in-ears really take the pressure off your ears.
So I think you'll be happy with your purchase. It'll take awhile to get used to them, but when you do, you'll be set. Please keep us posted on how it turns out for you and good luck!
