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Topic: In Ear Monitors |
Michael Haselman
From:
St. Paul
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Posted 16 Nov 2006 10:10 am |
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I'm about to join the in-ear generation (at 53!) I'm getting Shure PSM 200. Anyone with experience with in-ears and tips and tricks would be greatly appreciated. I'm very skeptical, as anyone my age can imagine. I like ambient sounds in my ears.
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Mullen RP, Webb 6-14E, Peavey NV112, Hilton volume.
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Nate LaPointe
From:
Los Angeles, California, USA
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Posted 16 Nov 2006 10:59 am
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I'd love to get the in-ears but I've heard you need a special driver to run them and certain technical requirements from the board, is that true? Is it easy to set up at a gig?
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www.natelapointe.net
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Rand Anderson
From:
Cardiff, California, USA
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Posted 16 Nov 2006 11:45 am
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I ran in-ears with a band for over a year....it was great for harmonies....i would keep one in and one out so i could still hear the room....the trick is getting the stage volume real low....
we are talking princetons instead of twins for the guitar players.
by doing this you need to reinforce everything into the mains....so everything should be mic'd or direct.
we also had two transmitters running 2 different mixes.
have an extra pair of earbuds laying around for a guest to sit in.
lastly, get used to the system and levels in rehearsal before going live with it. |
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Lynn Oliver
From:
Redmond, Washington USA * R.I.P.
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Posted 16 Nov 2006 12:49 pm
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With a loud backline--big amps--I use earphones in both ears and mix in an omni to get room sounds (the omni does not go to the house mix).
As Rand says, with an acoustic band I use one earphone only, but you have to be careful not to set the levels too high.
It does take time to get used to them, especially if you sing. If the occlusion effect is a problem you can have ear molds made with a vent, but again with the loss of isolation you have to be careful with the levels.
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Lynn Oliver
 
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Michael Haselman
From:
St. Paul
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Posted 16 Nov 2006 12:55 pm
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| Thanks for the info. We don't have big amps in the backline. In fact, the goal is to get all amps offstage. What is an Omni? Does it work with the PSM 200? |
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Darvin Willhoite
From:
Roxton, Tx. USA
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Posted 16 Nov 2006 3:48 pm
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I have used a Shure PSM600 system for a few years now with my church band and I love it. I use the E5 earphones that have dual drivers, so I can hear the lower frequencies better, they aren't cheap, but they sound good and are built well. We have had Aviom personal mixers for a couple of years now which makes it even better. This allows each musician to set up their own monitor mix. I use the wireless system because I sometimes play guitar or mandolin, and it makes the switch much easier.
This subject has come up a few times before and lots of people don't like them. I don't even use an amp, I just play through a Digitech 2112 preamp/effects unit, plus a couple of stomp boxes, and directly into the main board. I am very happy with the sound I get, and judging by the digital recordings we make off the board every Sunday, it sounds pretty good in the house too.
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Darvin Willhoite
Riva Ridge Recording
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Michael Hartz
From:
Decorah, Iowa, USA
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Posted 21 Nov 2006 4:05 pm
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| My band has used in-ears for about three years now. They take a little getting use to but after that they're awesome. Do not skimp on the earphones especially for steel guitar. The tonal range of the steel requires the best earphones you can afford. I first used the Shure E-5's. They are dual drivers with built in crossover. The low end is awesome. I paid $350 for mine. Recently I bought a pair of Westone UM-2's. These look identical to the Shures except for the cord. In fact Westone actually designed the E-5's for Shure and after Shure moved production to Mexico, Westone was free to put out their own version. Most people, including me, agree that the Westones sound much better than the E-5's.The mids are smoother and the bass is more defined. The best thing is you can pickup the Westones on the internet for about $260!!!!!!!!!! Awesome deal and I love my steel tone through them. Also if you're going direct now, consider Brad's Revelation preamp. A little pricey,BUT it is the best direct tone you can get and I've tried a BUNCH of other methods. Let me Know if you have any questions. |
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Lynn Oliver
From:
Redmond, Washington USA * R.I.P.
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Posted 21 Nov 2006 11:22 pm
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By omni I mean I run an omni-directional mic that does not go into the house mix, only into the monitor mix. That lets me dial in some front of house sound and audience into my earphones.
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Lynn Oliver
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Michael Douchette
From:
Gallatin, TN (deceased)
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Posted 22 Nov 2006 3:41 am
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Well... I don't mean to cast a disparaging word, but... they have their function, and it is perfectly understandable... I can't stand them. When I did my time with Chely Wright for a year, the deal was in-ears. They had me try the Shure's, and I wasn't overly impressed. Believe me, the $10 Sony's you can get at Wal-Mart sound as good or better. That's what I wound up using. I could not justify the expense of the high dollar rig. Every time I had a choice, I used a wedge, though. The in-ear deal just sacrifices too much sonic clarity.
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Mikey D...
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Michael Haselman
From:
St. Paul
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Posted 22 Nov 2006 10:32 am
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Well, thanks for the feedback, fellas. Tomorrow night is the maiden voyage for me. No rehearsals, so I'm going in cold. We'll have wedges at this club, so if worst comes to worst I'll use them. I'm sure I'll have more questions later. I'm really not looking forward to hearing the PSG through them, but what the hey...if you can't beat em' join em.
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Mullen RP, Webb 6-14E, Peavey NV112, Hilton volume.
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Glenn Suchan
From:
Austin, Texas
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Posted 22 Nov 2006 10:52 am
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When I was playing for Kevin Fowler, we were all using the Shure PSM600 system. Some band member were using the Shure's low-end E1 earbuds (me included) and others were using another brand high-end earbuds (<$500 per pair). The backline was our usual amps set at a reasonable stage level. We also incorporated a dedicated mixing board for the monitor system. Each band member had what ever mix suited him best. I suspect Kevin is still using a similar sytem. Maybe Arty Passes can verify that. How 'bout it Arty?
For a while we tried no amps on stage, but a problem occured when playing to larger audiences and on large stages: Any one standing up close and between the main PA speakers was not hearing anything from the stage just the indirect sound from the "mains". A real funky way to hear a band and definately not desireable.
Contrary to what Michael Douchette said, my experience was: The sonic clarity during performance, regardless of the venue size, was outstanding. Early on, I noticed I could hear my pick clatter while I was playing, even during high volume performances! All subtle nuances of performance were perfectly clear and I never set my monitor levels to exceed normal listenng volume. At first it was a little distracting performing live with a sound clarity and volume level similar to a controlled studio environment. After awhile I really got spoiled by it.
I highly recommend in ears if they're within the band budget.
Keep on pickin'
Glenn |
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Darvin Willhoite
From:
Roxton, Tx. USA
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Posted 22 Nov 2006 10:55 am
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I played with a group at a mall last Sunday night and had to use an amp and didn't like it, I'm just not used to it anymore. I've used the in-ears for about 3 years now and I'm very happy with the sound I get, and the sound we get on our live recordings, and it makes the FOH sound mans job much easier. We do have one die hard guitar player that will not use in-ears or cans, and everything else has to be mixed around him, which is sometimes a problem. Just like Fords and Chevys, some like them, some don't.
By the way Michael, I was about 51 when I started using them.
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Darvin Willhoite
Riva Ridge Recording
[This message was edited by Darvin Willhoite on 22 November 2006 at 10:56 AM.] |
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Michael Haselman
From:
St. Paul
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Posted 22 Nov 2006 12:01 pm
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| Glenn: just a note to what you said. I heard a band a few years ago, no amps onstage, drums behind plexiglass, all you heard was through the FOH. The most antiseptic sound I ever heard. And the band was excellent. I guess it's just old school. I need to hear some ambient sound, but that's just me. |
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Michael Douchette
From:
Gallatin, TN (deceased)
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Posted 22 Nov 2006 4:43 pm
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That's why there are options, no one thing works for everybody. But...
"The sonic clarity during performance, regardless of the venue size, was outstanding. Early on, I noticed I could hear my pick clatter while I was playing, even during high volume performances!"
Sounds like an example of an incredibly trebly mix, to me... but it's not my ears!
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Mikey D...
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