Performance Help needed!!!

S

seanadoyawanna

Member
Hi Everyone.

I am the music director/pastor of a large church in Canada. I am having a problem with performance issues. Here is my gear run down for context. Gretsch white falcon into AXE FX II. We run into a high end sound system out front with using Roland M-48 for personal mixers. I have a Sennheiser wireless in ear pack with 64 audio in-ears model a-12. I love the Axe FX and the sounds i get live but only when attaching and singing through a QSC full frequency monitor. I can improvise and really "feel" the moment playing.

I have a high end in-ear system... i even have ambient stage mics setup to alleviate that "fishbowl" effect. However, I find the whole IN-Ear experience very uninspiring. i have a very difficult time improvising since the interacting with the tone is very blah.. I find that i am very utilitarian in my performances. However, I do find that my voice lasts longer using in-ears... (We have a rehearsal and 3 services on Sundays)

In addition. the bass player and the drummer are both direct. Drummer is playing a TD-50 kit so I am never dealing with volume issues. I use the in-ear system so i can do ableton stems and keeping my voice singing healthier.

Am i doing something wrong with my in-ears? are my expectations too high? Is a improvising/ interacting with tone from guitar something that can't be expected when running in-ears. I am pretty sure all the gear i am running is top end so i can't really fault that. As the music director i also really need to hear a full mix so i can coach everyone. I do run in stereo so i can separate the parts better but i still find it VERY difficult. Is there any way i can make the IN-EAR experience better?

Anybody else have these issues or any suggestions?
 
Since no one has responded, I will put in my in-expert opinion so a better informed person sees this to reply. I haven't used in-ears, but I do play my Axe through a Atomic CLR for gigs, studio monitors at home and headphones at night. Headphones are by far the least satisfying. You don't get any of that pick up and speaker interaction. My ears also get tired much faster with headphones.
 
IME, it really helps to have a cab on stage. Without it, you lose that guitar/cab interaction where the cab actually feeds back into your pickups and the guitar comes to life. I'm on ears as well and it's pretty uninspiring when I kill the live cab to work on tones without bothering people, but when I turn the cab back on, it's glorious. It doesn't have to be cranked. Just loud enough to get that interaction.

My guess is that you have to keep the stage volume pretty low at your church, so having a wedge pointed at you may do the trick.

Good luck, and I hope you find inspiration soon.
 
I've been using in ears (64audio V6s) for almost 2 years and I feel the same way... We are a "silent stage" band.

We played an outdoor gig a couple weeks ago and our PA mains were on the stage causing a decent amount of bleed. The guitar sound was much, much more pleasant.

So, you may in fact want to take the wedge suggestion into consideration.
 
When I play at church, I find the ear buds and headphones uninspiring as well, and my church has had that system for the past 5 or so years, and recently upgraded from the Axiom to some other monitor mixer, but still not satisfying.

I brought my wireless guitar transmitter and walked out front, and the guitar sounded great, but it did not sound great with the headphones or earbuds.
 
I'm running A10's w/ a Sennheiser wireless, so similar to your setup. I've found that the tone changes depending on the volume I have them set at. I don't blast them, but they are loud enough to be pleasing. Try listening to the tone as you slowly raise the volume and see if you notice F/M. I usually run mine a notch or two lower than the mid point. I LOVE the clarity running IEM's as well as still having my hearing after every practice. I have a few patches that definitely feel better through loud monitors, but many still provide great feedback, etc. I still don't understand what to do so I get that feel on every patch...I really need to study them. All that being said, nothing is as satisfying as playing with a loud speaker causing your guitar to resonate strongly. Don't know if any of this helps :(
 
okay. I will try the additional wedge in front for feel. That sounds like a decent compromise. At least i feel like many have the same experience and it wasn't me just being a princess.
 
I play in a large church. No amps on stage, but a great FOH system. All band members must use IEMs. To my ears, no IEMs sound like the amp in the room experience. I have learned to trust what is coming out of the FOH, even though that is not what I am listening to. Only the band members are listening to the monitors, whether they are IEMs or floor wedges. I rely on my IEMs to listen to what the other musicians are playing, so I can keep my place in the song, go with any detours, and play along with the other musicians. I have learned to live with IEMs even though they really do not give me great sound. Since I am playing in worship service, my goal as a musician is to facilitate worship, not to make the cover of guitar player magazine. I certainly strive for excellence in my playing and tone, but the sound the audience is listening to matters far more than what I am listening to. Just my $0.02.
 
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