In Ear Monitors (wireless)

[AprioriMark]

I know, I'm 100 years behind the power curve here, but I actually have used them before, just never owned or operated them (i.e. never set up the system I was using).  I want to get something reasonably useful, and I'm prone to just buying the Sennheiser unit, but I'm not clear on what the best type is to get since one of the bands I play in is moving towards doing a submix before the front of house gets any signal (likely using a Mackie 1604) and all using IEM.  Am I goign to waste money if I buy a certain type and not another? 

-Mark

 

[pabloman]

I've sold a lot of these and some of the main things guys were looking at were comfort, appearance and specs. Mainly frequency response and ohms. Generally the ultimate ears were preferred over shure and sennheiser. I you arent getting the high dollar molded type you are going to want to make sure the entire unit fits properly. This was a few years ago. I had a set but used them only as headphones and they were pretty badass for that. Good luck.

 

[B3Guy]

I have don't know about ears, but I have experience with AVIOM units, and they're the most useful things ever.

 

[mayfly]

My only thoughts on the in-ears is get ones with on-board limiting.  Feedback into these things will kill ya dead.

 

[simple]

Using a Shure P2T-H2 receiver with the Shure E5 ear buds. Great sound, comfortable wearing (even for hyper active stage antics), and very reliable.  Watch out for the Mackie CR-1604 if that's what you have. On the balanced outs, the hot wires are wired backwards from the factory - a little known fact.

 

[Strat Avenger]

Carvin has a nice looking system. I have no idea how comfortable it is though ('never tried it).

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

I've heard good things about the Carvin too.

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

I have don't know about ears, but I have experience with AVIOM units, and they're the most useful things ever.

I absolutely love using the Aviom system.

 

[B3Guy]

I know, right? combined with a wireless unit for the buds, it'd be the most epic setup ever  :blob7:

 

[AprioriMark]

Using a Shure P2T-H2 receiver with the Shure E5 ear buds. Great sound, comfortable wearing (even for hyper active stage antics), and very reliable.  Watch out for the Mackie CR-1604 if that's what you have. On the balanced outs, the hot wires are wired backwards from the factory - a little known fact.

Thanks for the note on the Mackie.  It's a VLZ pro, is that still an issue? 

 

[AprioriMark]

Gregg (and anyone else who uses these regularly to gig around), how would you best set up an IEM system for a 5 piece band?  Are we essentially just providing sends from channel outs on a board for the house system and handling our own monitor mixs through individual IEM rigs?

-Mark

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

Well, the Aviom system basically operates as a network, where each user has a personal monitor mixer.  The output of that mixer is 1/4" stereo, which can feed either headphones, or a wireless In Ear system such as what Gregg and a few of us others use.

The Aviom system works best by receiving a pre-fader/unity gain signal from the console.  It doesn't work necessarily on the aux send principle, although it can.  Digital mixers afford an overwhelming amount of options when using the Aviom system. This is what we use.  I've used it with the Yamaha DM1000 and now wer'e using it with a newer model which I can't recall the model number.

I usually pan opposite guitars L & R, same with multiple keys, and backing vocalists. I usually have drums panned center along with bass & Lead Vox.  Panning the multiple vox helps to hear each part clearly.

If you're just using a traditional analog console, then an aux send for each user is the most common setup.  It would be just like dialling in your wedge monitor mix per user, minus the feedback.

That's the basics of it.

 

[AprioriMark]

Thank, Tony, that's what I'd thought. 

I'm concerned about having sends that anywhere we'd play would be happy with.  From little dive bars with a simple board/amps/speakers setup to somewhere like a casino or Big Daddy's in Woodinville that has a more elaborate setup.  I want a signal solution that's not going to piss off either the big places or the little places while still being reasonable to set up.

I should explain that "reasonable to set up" is a serious goal for me.  My bass rig is set up to be ready for any situation (separate compressors for 4 types of basses: J, P, fretless and upright, everything ziptied with color coded velcro wraps on power supplies, spare cords, etc... power cords run around one side, signal cords another with speaker cables wrapped/velcroed in the middle attached to a ziptied 18 foot main power in).  I like to know where everything is at all times and not be switching adjustments.  I sometimes run my Bassmann 100 next to my main rig, and all those sends are wrapped/velcroed in a place that I can find by memory and feel in a moment.

I guess what I'm saying is, how would you set this up?  Should I mount the mixer in something and make a panel with labeled XLR connections for each channel for the house?

-Mark

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

Well, one of the additional benefits of a digital mixer is stored eq/comp/etc  presets that are assignable to each channel strip.
You can also save scenes relative to venues, so you don't have to eq for the room every single time you play that venue, you just recall the scene.

The Royal Bear in Pacifc, Wa now becomes a "scene" that you recall once everything is hooked up, & you begin sound check.
Same thing with the Muckleshoot, etc...

You get the idea.

 

[AprioriMark]

Ahhh, the Royal Bear... the only place I've ever been arrested in WA state.  I was 17 and waiting outside to fill in for a friend's band when one of them would get too drunk to play.  I was too... arrogant and thorough in my response to a domestic violence situation.  I'm glad I learned at a young age that it's not my place to put everyone in theirs.  Ok, started to learn~

-Mark

 

[AprioriMark]

Well, one of the additional benefits of a digital mixer is stored eq/comp/etc  presets that are assignable to each channel strip.
You can also save scenes relative to venues, so you don't have to eq for the room every single time you play that venue, you just recall the scene.

The Royal Bear in Pacifc, Wa now becomes a "scene" that you recall once everything is hooked up, & you begin sound check.
Same thing with the Muckleshoot, etc...

You get the idea.

How does a digital mixer easily interface with the XLR connections that will likely be at dive bars etc?

-Mark

 

[simple]

It's just the CR-1604 not the VLZ that has the problem so you're fine.

My band uses the aux outs from an analog Mackie board for individual in-ear sends. I use a 1/3 octave EQ in that line out to EQ my in-ears to taste without adjusting the channel's EQ section that ultimately feeds the main FOH mix in our case. In cases when we play a club that has a formidable in house PA system, we provide them a 2 channel (left and right) main mix from our main board is all. Our laptop controls midi changes for effects units - compressors, reverbs, delays, etc. and controls our entire light show and occasional audio tracks that need to be represented in the house mix, so to try and hand all that over in individual channels to a sound guy that doesn't know us, our mix or perhaps even the song, just isn't a good idea for us. We've worked hard on the mix and the show, so we want to present this polished product when we play.

 

[AprioriMark]

Thanks, Gregg.  We were actually talking about doing the same sort of thing, but were worried that sound guys would hate us.  You've given me some good stuff to think about; thanks.

-Mark

 

[simple]

Thanks, Gregg.  We were actually talking about doing the same sort of thing, but were worried that sound guys would hate us.  You've given me some good stuff to think about; thanks.

-Mark

House PA guys are pretty cool about it. It's a lot less work for them to not deal with individual channels and monitor mixes. They do prefer to keep it on the down low though.

 

[grimm26]

I have a Galaxy AS1000 unit that I have used for the last couple of years and it works great.  I bought a nicer pair of ear buds to use with it, though.  You can spend big bucks on a wireless IEM, but the Galaxy unit is $400.  I think it is a deal.