Wireless IEM and wireless guitar system to Axe-Fx III

D

D3carp

New Member
Hi all,

I will start by saying that I know what I am asking is a bit of overkill. I just want to know if people have done it and was it worth doing/what would you change?

I am going to buy a axe fx iii and I am thinking of getting a wireless guitar system and wireless iem so that I am not tied down to cables.

I do not play live or do any touring. This would solely be for me to play in a spare bedroom.

Does anyone have a setup like this? If so would you do it again? Are there things you would change? Also is it possible to go from the guitar system to the axe fx iii to the iem without an additional mixer?

Thanks in advance!
 
I can't see any real point to invest quite a bit of money into such a rig if its just going to be for playing Madison Square Spare Bedroom.

Good IEM's aren't cheap, a good wireless isn't cheap, and I can't see why you'd really have issues with a guitar cable playing at home. I guess if you want to run and jump around the room.....
 
yeah would be a battery fest if you didnt have a shure glx, line 6 or something similar. wireless guitar i can see, i'd get one of those little line 6 plug in things, easy to charge etc, and no iems.
 
As lqdsnddist has so wonderfully stated, good IEMs and wireless systems are expensive and totally worth it if you play live. Most of us still wire up at home unless we are testing our systems. That said, if you have the dough and desire those items then who are we to judge?
 
D3carp said:
Hi all,

I will start by saying that I know what I am asking is a bit of overkill. I just want to know if people have done it and was it worth doing/what would you change?

I am going to buy a axe fx iii and I am thinking of getting a wireless guitar system and wireless iem so that I am not tied down to cables.

I do not play live or do any touring. This would solely be for me to play in a spare bedroom.

Does anyone have a setup like this? If so would you do it again? Are there things you would change? Also is it possible to go from the guitar system to the axe fx iii to the iem without an additional mixer?

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
a guitar wireless will go directly to the Axe without a mixer in any situation.

the IEM system can connect directly to the Axe without a mixer.

you're losing the tether of a single cable from the guitar to the Axe, and a single cable from headphone to Axe, but adding:

battery monitoring and replacement for guitar wireless
battery monitoring and replacement for IEM
power cable for guitar wireless - needing a power outlet and dealing with the excess cable
signal cable from Axe to guitar wireless and dealing with the excess cable
power cable for IEM - needing a power outlet and dealing with the excess cable
signal cable(s) from Axe to IEM and dealing with the excess cable(s)
space to put the guitar wireless receiver
space to put the IEM transmitter
bulk of the guitar wireless transmitter (on your belt or guitar strap)
bulk of the IEM wireless receiver (on your belt or guitar strap)
potential dropouts/interference from guitar wireless
potential dropouts/interference from IEM
cost of guitar wireless
cost of IEM

all that to save 2 cables in a bedroom where you're potentially sitting in one place and not moving, you'll need to consider if it's worth all of that.

it strangely takes many more cables to go cable-less.
 
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On stage, I use a wireless system for both my guitar, and for IEMs. Both of my systems are Sennheiser, and yes, that means extra cost. In the studio, and when practicing at home, I go wired. The Sennheiser systems are very high quality, and sound amazing. But I really don't need to be wireless in the studio / practice space.

However, for band rehearsals, we use all the same gear that we will use for the performance. We use wireless, IEMs, the same number of mixes, and we set up as if we were onstage. This ensures we iron out as many bugs as possible in the rehearsal room. Troubleshooting onstage is occasionally necessary, but that's not how I want to spend our soundcheck time.

So I concur with the general recommendation of going wired at home or in the studio. If you're going to perform onstage, having you guitar wireless means you never have to worry about your cable getting tangled around anything or being stepped on by anyone (including yourself) - and being wireless means you aren't grounded so you won't get shocked by a microphone :)
 
You can get a nice guitar for the cost of a decent wireless system, especially the IEM part of it.

Or two guitars.

Much more joy, I think.
 
Personally, as someone who's been using (quality) IEMs exclusively for rehearsals and gigs the last 3+ years, I would not recommend it.

Aside from the other points raised, in my opinion IEMs are a compromise for performing only.

I think high quality headphones might be a little better, but I'm not sure how many IEM receivers can handle the higher impedance of those headphones...
 
D3carp said:
Mind if I ask why not?
Click to expand...

Several reasons...

1st one is battery life. 9v batteries in rechargeable quality format are fairly rare afaik.
I like to hear the room, and I hate ear buds in my ear.
My hearing is compromised and headphone jamming ain't what it used to be.
I'm sitting in a chair next to my axe fx and having 2 packs on me compared to a single cable hooked to my guitar just doesn't make sense.
 
You also give up the effect of pickup loading when you run through a wireless as it’s a buffered signal. Stick a fuzz face after it and you don’t get that nice cleanup with the volume pot you do with a cable.

Your also having to deal with a transmitter pack for everything, and that can make sitting awkward, so when you walk to play guitar you’ve got to stand there with two transmitters strapped on, and then there is the realization your standing 5 feet away from your rack in your bedroom and it surely must feel a bit silly.

But hey, free country so if someone wants wireless and IEMs for home use only, more power to them I guess.

Might as well add a few par cans and a fog machine too and really make playing for that audience of one memorable lol.
 
dpeterson said:
yeah would be a battery fest if you didnt have a shure glx, line 6 or something similar. wireless guitar i can see, i'd get one of those little line 6 plug in things, easy to charge etc, and no iems.
Click to expand...

Thought about trying one of those little Line 6 plug-in transmitters myself.

Definitely would go with a pair of CLRs instead of the in-ears though.
 
I’ve used IEMs for years. I’m so used to them now that I usually practice with them at home. Even when I can play play through nice monitors or FRFR, the IEMs sound better to me. But they are pricey. Sound wise, a set of good quality ears along with a Shure PSM 900 is killer. Especially when running the Axe into it and having a full stereo sound. This also translates to when I play live. Because it’s the same seteup. So I don’t struggle with feeling like I sound different.

Mixer wise, I will run other audio signals into the Axe inputs. Works great for practicing. If I need to practice late at night, I don’t bother anyone else trying to sleep either.
 
Shure PSM 900 into high end ultimate ears and line 6 G90 for wireless guitar for gigs where I have no choice. At home wired through CLRs and at rehearsal IEM (one of the venues) and wired guitar. Been doing this for about a decade now.

IEM are a necessary evil for the quiet stage gigs I play (no amps). I much prefer when I can use a CLR wedge pointed up at me for monitoring with one input being the house (without me) and the other input being output 2 from my Axe FX. I am also starting to hear and feel the difference with my Line 6 vs a nice George L cable so I am going wired more often for guitar lately.
 
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