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Hey all,

This topic isn't very relevant to Kronos specifically, I hope you don't mind my post here...

Last night I had a second gig with my Kronos. At the first one, I didn't have much room to move around with my keytar. Last night I had plenty, and people respond very well to the keytar!

I had a big issue though: when I move away from my spot", I don't have enough monitoring. The other musicians have a low level of the synth in their monitors, but it's not enough for me to hear myself on the whole stage.

Does anyone have experience with in-ear monitoring ? good or bad ?

Hey Mathieu

I am using Ultimate Ears UE5Pro. They are expensive but my monitoring is always OK! I use a mixer for my keyboards and produce my own monitor mix. I also use a condensor microphone for some ambient and get a plain mix from the band without keys back from the monitormix. Using a wireless iem transmitter/receiver from Sennheiser is completing the whole setup.

It is a lot of money but if I compare this to the amount of money spend on the rest of my gear, it's not too bad!

I work with a band that uses a HEAR system works great. The problem is the system is a little complex for setup, but each player has their on remote and control over their own mix. We've tuned the system and consolidated the setup at the practice pad, took a while for all musicans to get familar with the system.

I've commenly used headphones on stage, while sounding great, they dont allow alot of physical movement.

One of the big questions is how well it works if the rest of the band keeps using monitor speakers. Many in-ear headphones can damper the noise up to 25 Db, but is this enough if the rest of the stage is producing high volume sound ?

If everyone uses in-ear monitoring, much of the volume on stage will be gone probably...

My band uses normal stage monitors. I am the only one with IEM. That is why I use the condensor mike to not loose the ambient stage/audience noise. 25dB damping is enough.

mathieumaes wrote: If everyone uses in-ear monitoring, much of the volume on stage will be gone probably...

In-ear monitoring device is not a replacement but an addition to the usual monitoring system. If you have a very small gig, small stage... or for whatever reason you don't want to be bothered with transporting monitor speakers for a background dinner music type of gig, then you could probably just use In-ear monitoring devices. If you're playing with a band, you would still need the floor monitors.
In-ear monitoring will give you more space to more around, and also you wouldn't have to turn up the monitors as loud , if you're experiencing feedback problems, other than that , you need monitors, especially if you're playing loud music.

I'm using ACS T1-lives.
Combined with my Behringer (!) P161/m combo.
Also have a little combo amp for those "just in case" moments.

Works very well for me!

Dan

Assyrianpianist wrote:

mathieumaes wrote: If everyone uses in-ear monitoring, much of the volume on stage will be gone probably...

In-ear monitoring device is not a replacement but an addition to the usual monitoring system. If you have a very small gig, small stage... or for whatever reason you don't want to be bothered with transporting monitor speakers for a background dinner music type of gig, then you could probably just use In-ear monitoring devices. If you're playing with a band, you would still need the floor monitors.
In-ear monitoring will give you more space to more around, and also you wouldn't have to turn up the monitors as loud , if you're experiencing feedback problems, other than that , you need monitors, especially if you're playing loud music.

This is not my experience at all, unless you have a very bad sound guy. On big stages and shows, the more people rely on just in-ears. Many bass players don't even use their amps if the whole band has in-ears. Besides, good in-ears dampen the sound to such an extent that you would have to turn up the monitors so ridiculously loud to even make a difference that it defeats the point of using them in the first place.

I've played with non-custom but reasonably well dampening in-ears from Shure in small halls (up to maybe 300 people) and am saving up to buy a custom set now. MUCH nicer experience than my expensive RCF722A monitor.

+1

SanderXpander wrote:

Assyrianpianist wrote:

mathieumaes wrote: If everyone uses in-ear monitoring, much of the volume on stage will be gone probably...

In-ear monitoring device is not a replacement but an addition to the usual monitoring system. If you have a very small gig, small stage... or for whatever reason you don't want to be bothered with transporting monitor speakers for a background dinner music type of gig, then you could probably just use In-ear monitoring devices. If you're playing with a band, you would still need the floor monitors.
In-ear monitoring will give you more space to more around, and also you wouldn't have to turn up the monitors as loud , if you're experiencing feedback problems, other than that , you need monitors, especially if you're playing loud music.

This is not my experience at all, unless you have a very bad sound guy. On big stages and shows, the more people rely on just in-ears. Many bass players don't even use their amps if the whole band has in-ears. Besides, good in-ears dampen the sound to such an extent that you would have to turn up the monitors so ridiculously loud to even make a difference that it defeats the point of using them in the first place.

I've played with non-custom but reasonably well dampening in-ears from Shure in small halls (up to maybe 300 people) and am saving up to buy a custom set now. MUCH nicer experience than my expensive RCF722A monitor.

My Genesis trib band don't use ANY monitors on stage at all, never have had.
There is no need with IEMs - don't believe that guitarist crap about feedback!

With no noise on the stage there is lots of space and it's easy to balance FOH.]

Only thing is it would be nice to have some ambience so an ambient mike to get the audience noise would be good.

R
Alan

Hi,

after going through the same monitor issues over and over again through the years, I finally found a setup which works quite nice to me. I use a hardwired IEM (Fischer Amps) and inears matching my Elacin protection filters.
The trick that works perfectly for me is to use the IEM only on the left ear, and a -15dB filter on the right. Audio for my IEM is only keys and my backing vox - right out of my sub mixer. I hear the rest of the band quite well through their monitors or direct sound. I've also a sum signal from FOH to mix to the inear, if necessary.
This solution takes a while to get used to, but it's a simple setup providing enough shielding on loud stages, good monitoring of myself, monitor balance by a turn on a single knob, and still getting a good "atmo" sound without needing any additional mics.

Btw with regards to not hearing the keytar when moving to the front of the stage, that's just a matter of bad communication with the sound guy. With one of my cover bands I play the Beat It solo on keytar and our sound guy just knows to turn up the keys over the main vocal monitors during that.

Hi,

I would everybody recommed using InEar monitoring:

1) After 10 or so years playing in a hard rock band with two guitarists and standing beneath a huge drum kit my right ear started to produce that "lovely" beeptone and never stopped ever since .....
after that I started with IEM and never had a problem, so for your health .. try it. Sound quality is much better and your ears will not be deaf after a gig.

2.) I use a hardwired system from hearsafe for 15 or so years which is not manufactured any more and when mobility is needed a sennheiser IEM 300, but whatever system you choose, you should have

a) a limiter (very important, otherwise you could have heavy accidents with your ears .....)
b) additional inputs for ambience mics that you don´t lose contact the the outside/stage etc.
c) good In Ear speakers for your own convenience ( I use Shure, but I would recommend to try out):

I do split the key signal and have control about the key volume on my ears, in addition to that I get a mono signal of all other stuff that is needed from the FOH console and then two ambience mic´s so I can do my own mix. For the FOH tech it is like any other monitor, for myself I have control about volume levels.


best regards
SoulBe

In my coverband we all use in-ear. Wired and unwired.
We use a fantastic Allen and Heath Mixwizard3 12M 16 channel podium mixer. This mixer has 16 channel input and 6 stereo aux for personal headphone monitoring. It has a 16 channel split funtion to connect all the inputs to the PA.
So every bandmember can make there own stereomix of all the instruments and mic's. Every bandmember needs a wireless transmitter
and reciever for the in-ear or a separate mixer for a wired in-ear.

I am not wireless because I play the Kronos and don't have a keytar.
I have a small mixer on witch I mix the A&H bandmix with my Kronos signal and my mic. So I have total control nearby. I use Ultimate Ears Superfi5 pro with a wire. I love them.

I have a very good sound of the band, the Kronos and my voice. So I have good control of my playing and singing. Also I am not getting so tired anymore and don't damage my ears.

Well my system is really basic (and cheap!!). I use an aux output from the main desk straight into a Behringer Headphone PreAmp(HA4700). Then i have a really cheap pair of Earphones (Creative EP-630 ECO) which sound ok... But i only have one earpiece in. The reason being is that I felt isolated from the band with both in. Sounded great but too studio like....With one ear open to the elements and the other with a lovely crisp keyboard sound I've got everything I need.

I could set it up so my keyboard is in stereo using 2 aux sends.. But its a waist when I only use one earpiece.