Advice please regarding In Ear Monitors

Chuck Snider · From: West Virginia, USA - Morgantown, WV

I play out some with a small group, and sometimes for various reasons have difficulty hearing the other members. The vocals and other instruments are being run through the PA, and so far, we've been leaving my PSG out of the PA and relying on my amp. I have been thinking of getting a wireless In Ear Monitor for myself, which the other members could possibly take advantage of as well. One thing I'm not sure about is how that might work, as I could certainly hear what goes through the PA via the wireless In Ear Monitor, but not sure how I could gauge my volume if my amp is not in the PA mix.

Would appreciate any advice as to the use of In Ear Monitors relating to what is in or out of the PA mix, and as it might relate to me getting the volume right for te PSG I'm playing.

Also would appreciate advice on brands and models. I don't want to spend a fortune on the system, but would like to get something that is reliable, easy to use, and expandable.

-Chuck
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Shane Glover · From: Oklahoma, USA

Hi Chuck

I used in ear monitors for a couple years so maybe I can answer your questions.

I used the Nady Pm 500 wireless system with Etymotic Earbuds . I think they are an Er4p series . It's been a while so I may be wrong on the Etymotic model number.
I personally tried in ear monitors because of a loud lead player we had at the time . I was playing Bass then. I found myself turning up because I could not hear over him.

1st problem I encountered was the stock earbuds that came with the Nady were crap ! I could not get any bottom end hence the Etymotic ear buds . 2nd problem I had was the ride cymbal . when I had my vocal sounding good it accented the ride & I could not get it out of my ear all night long.

I finally bought a sonic shaker & an amp to go with it . I mounted it to a piece of plywood and that solved my low end problem. I took an old foot switch and converted it to XLR and used it for my mic on & off switch. Each time I backed away from the mic I hit the switch it cut off my mic and no more ride cymbal in my ear.

I purchased the Nady system for approx $300 the earbuds were used at $180 If I remember right the amp & sonic shaker were around $300 or $400 . As you can see it gets pretty expensive.

If you are just having problems hearing vocals I would suggest purchasing a vocal monitor for yourself . It would be a lot cheaper .

You also have to consider the sends you have on your board . For you to tailor your own monitor mix you will need a dedicated monitor send and probably an EQ .

Sorry for the long winded post . If you have anymore questions please let me know .

Shane
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Buncha CRAP !! But someday Ima get me some good gear !!

Lynn Oliver · From: Redmond, Washington USA * R.I.P.

I used a Shure PSM 400 in-ear system for a couple of years (about $700 street). I had to upgrade the earbuds and have custom molds made in order to get a comfortable fit.

The way in-ears work is they isolate your ears from the ambient sound, allowing you to hear just the monitors themselves, and at a much lower SPL than you would otherwise need. Anything not going through the PA, such as crowd reaction or asides from your band mates--, will be very hard to hear. You will not have the ability to judge the house mix.

Unless the members of your band can all accept the same mix, you would need a separate system for each, as well as the ability to create that many monitor mixes from the mixer. Even if you all use the same mix, the additional receivers and ear phones are expensive (for the PSM 400, each additional set cost $500, with the so-so ear phones.)

Because of occlusion anything you sing (or say) will sound unnaturally loud to you, which takes some getting used to. Using an in-ear in just one ear is actually worse for your ears than using regular monitors and could cause hearing problems.

I second Shane's suggestion to get a monitor.

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