mikeller
Well-known member
Just curious how many knuckleheads gig with IEM's, and their experiences?
Off Topic In Ear Monitors
- Thread starter mikeller
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DrugDM
Well-known member
Hi! Having played at churches semi-professionally for over 10 years, all big churches use IEM's while small churches or those in high schools typically do not...It is a double edged sword as it is great for keeping stage volume low but it is a bit unnatural if you are not accustomed to it. If you are using wireless packs, it helps to have a good sound guy. I use Ear Sonics SM64's and like how they fit into my ear... What do you do now for monitoring?
mikeller
Well-known member
Preface the answering by saying we have an excellent sound guy that does all our shows. All my bandmates use either IEM's or regular headset with headphone amps. We can manage our own mix via iPAD (Mackie system)
I personally have an Audio Technica system with dual-driver Westone plugs (standard foam bits, no custom molds) but rarely use them - much prefer a wedge. I would love to love them, but with small stages and 6 members - by the time I pump the volume so I can hear the IEM above the muffled ambient stage volume from the plugs/foam it seems brutally loud - louder than no plugs at all. Back off the volume, then its muffled stage sound.
I am not sure if I am doing something wrong or, perhaps, getting custom molds may help?
I personally have an Audio Technica system with dual-driver Westone plugs (standard foam bits, no custom molds) but rarely use them - much prefer a wedge. I would love to love them, but with small stages and 6 members - by the time I pump the volume so I can hear the IEM above the muffled ambient stage volume from the plugs/foam it seems brutally loud - louder than no plugs at all. Back off the volume, then its muffled stage sound.
I am not sure if I am doing something wrong or, perhaps, getting custom molds may help?
If you're using foam tips with Westone's and still can't hear your guitar at low volumes over the ambient noise, sounds like you're not getting a good seal. These guys work well for me and are a lot cheaper than some of the better known alternatives:
Amazon.com: Rebound Comfort Foam Earphone Earbud Tips - 3mm, Large, 6 Pairs: Home Audio & Theater
If you're getting a good seal with foam tips, there might be a marginal difference in sound isolation with custom molds, but it's not a big difference at all. The benefit of most custom molds is 1. More drivers that are tuned and/or 2. Better fit. I've found that the right size foam tips offer the best option in terms of fit, isolation, and sound quality--I've had two custom mold pairs. However, this is subjective. I went through dozens of in-ears, including W3's, before I was able to find the right fit. By the way, for what it's worth, I loved the W3's but the size and shape were not right for my ear.
Hope this helps.
QuietSpike
Well-known member
Just my opinion:
JH Audio=best
More affordable but still excellent= Alien Ears, 1964's
Shure and Sennheiser have a huge range, and even their low-end stuff is eons better than trying to use regular headphones as in ears! (Think iPhone headphones).
JH Audio=best
More affordable but still excellent= Alien Ears, 1964's
Shure and Sennheiser have a huge range, and even their low-end stuff is eons better than trying to use regular headphones as in ears! (Think iPhone headphones).
mikeller
Well-known member
Thank you all very much !! Will look at some different foam options first!!
click track
Well-known member
Using the SE315 works ok, depending on sound team I have one in and one out, playing in a large Church, with a great soundsytem and full time tech's
coolhandluc
Well-known member
I got used to IEMs once I had custom molds/IEMs made. With a stereo mix, you can get them to sound fantastic and I hear no ambient noise from the stage. Heck I use them to mow the grass and can barely hear the lawnmower! Good fit is key, second is stereo mix. With those two things I don't see why you wouldn't eventually enjoy IEMs more than a wedge. I know I do. I switch my last band to IEMs, and it saved load time as well. No wedges and the associate cables runs really did make a difference. I use Livewires Audio. 6 driver set (3 each ear) was around $500. That's about the cheapest I had found at the time.
