New to IEMs – Advice on Setting Levels

[guitarmanUK]

I wasn't sure where to post this but thought here was better as it is a more general question than a hardware specific one. Sorry for the lengthy post.

I play in a wedding/party band and run an FX8, 4CM, into a Mesa MKV 25 in to a 1x12 cab. Our PA is used mainly for vocals and brass, but I also use the MKV's DI out to feed the PA to give a bit more coverage for the guitar. The bass and drums are 'live' and I mix everything from on stage, there is no FOH sound person.

I have just started to use IEMs to help save my hearing from loud stages and help me hear my vocals better. I have only used them once, but my first impressions are very positive, but I have a couple of observations. Firstly, the guitar doesn’t sound ‘natural', which I suspect is to be expected and is something to look at. The other was the jump in level between my rhythm sounds and my lead sounds, to the point it was too much. I have always thought that I needed the boost in signal for the solos to cut through but it seems really exaggerated in the IEMs.

So I have a couple questions for the experienced IEM users. First, do you have any advice for setting up the amp, specifically in the PA? Second, what level of boost do you normally apply to your drive blocks? I think I am boosting by about 5/6Db at the moment (no that I have measured it) so is 2Db more realistic? If I get the levels and sound balanced well in my in ears, will that make the balance out the front wrong?

I think I am in for some experimentation but I appreciate any advice or information anyone is happy to share.

Cheers

David

 

[Muad'zin]

Usually any 3Db increase in soundlevel means it gets doubled in volume. So 5/6Db means you've almost quadrupled your normal rhythm volume. 2/3Db should be more then enough usually. One has to keep in mind though how your IEM colors the sound. It could be that the normal increase in lead tone is made worse in your ear because the IEM accentuates the frequencies of your boost. I'd say next time you have your gear set up for a gig and if you have a wireless for your guitar go stand where the audience will be, let your bandmates hit your boost and see if you perceive the same massive boost happening. In which case tone down.

As for your guitar not sounding natural, I'm of the opinion that IEM are for hearing what you need to hear, not getting studio quality sound. That being said guitar amps sound differently depending on where you stand. When I move about in rehearsal I notice that the further I get away from my amps, the more different they sound. Most guitarists seem to prefer to stand close to their amp so they will get a different kind of guitar tone then the audience. That is why the art of micing an amp, finding the sweet spot, is an art form. Also you get your IEM guitar feed from the DI out, which is also a different kind of guitar sound then standing in front of it, or through a mic. No matter how good of a cab sim it has.

Finally, the best place to mix is never from the stage. That's why the FOH of any decent venue is always in the middle. You can't hear shit how it will sound amongst the audience. And even if you do constantly leave your desk to hear how it sounds you still lack the immediate response of how turning a knob or setting will change the overall mix. In fact places where the FOH mixing is done from stage or beside the stage tend to have the worst mix in my experience. Although with digital mixers and tablet mixing apps it no longer matters where the actual mixer is, you can always stand in the sweet spot.

 

[dpeterson]

It's going to sound like it's coming through headphones, no way around that. I use 2 channels panned hard left and right for my guitar. I use a little reverb, and pan everything else as it appears to me on the stage. Make sure you are hitting the transmitter at the right level for optimum signal to noise ratio.

 

[selta]

Usually any 3Db increase in soundlevel means it gets doubled in volume. So 5/6Db means you've almost quadrupled your normal rhythm volume. 2/3Db should be more then enough usually. One has to keep in mind though how your IEM colors the sound. It could be that the normal increase in lead tone is made worse in your ear because the IEM accentuates the frequencies of your boost. I'd say next time you have your gear set up for a gig and if you have a wireless for your guitar go stand where the audience will be, let your bandmates hit your boost and see if you perceive the same massive boost happening. In which case tone down.

Just a correction here... 3dB is doubling the signal amplitude, not the perceived volume. In order to double the perceived volume, you'd need to increase by at least 9dB.

3dB is also widely considered the minimum bar by which everyone can reasonably discern the volume change. In other words, if you increase by 3dB, most people should be able to notice this. On the flip side, most people may not notice a 1dB change.