quote:

do I need to get separate mixers and transmitters for each custom monitor mix? I guess more than anything I just don't understand how the mixer falls into the equation.

quote:

Originally posted by JoelEric26:
1)The most common way is that you can run a mix off of the aux on your board just like you would with monitors but instead of going to an amp for monitors it would go to a transmitter for your IEMs

quote:

Just remember that IEM's do not necessarily eliminate stage volume. A loud drummer is still a loud drummer. You would still run your guitar cabs at the same level as before, unless you have some kind of isolation cab. Your new bass player with his 2500 watt Ampeg head will still make you feel like you've been punched in the stomach every time he hits that low E. You do lose the volume wars of the vocal mix in the wedges, but if most of your volume is band noise, you'll still have the band noise.

quote:

As far as losing the room ambience, I always pull one out to hear the FOH. It is too weird playing with solely the in-ear's IMO.

quote:

Originally posted by JoelEric26:

quote:

As far as losing the room ambience, I always pull one out to hear the FOH. It is too weird playing with solely the in-ear's IMO.

Dude ... that is terrible for your ears. Your ears try to compensate and you end up cranking the one plug in your ear louder than you would with both in there.

Protect your ears man. They are the most valuable tool a musician has.

quote:

Originally posted by JoelEric26:

quote:

do I need to get separate mixers and transmitters for each custom monitor mix? I guess more than anything I just don't understand how the mixer falls into the equation.

It depends on your particular setup. You may still end up blaming the sound guy.

There are a few ways to set up IEM's.

1)The most common way is that you can run a mix off of the aux on your board just like you would with monitors but instead of going to an amp for monitors it would go to a transmitter for your IEMs, so you would still rely on the sound guy for the mix, but you would lose the stage monitor volume.

2) You could have a dedicated stage mix board that is separate from the FOH board, which you could either set the levels on yourself, or, horror, use TWO sound guys.

3) You could use something like an AVIOM system which runs 16 channels of audio over a cat-5 cable that then terminates at a box on the stage. That mix can then be distributed to breakout boxes on the platform that act as individual monitor mixes. It is kind of like each person having their own 16 channel mix at their fingertips. This is what we use at my church and it works well because the system is a permanent install. I've never used a setup like this in a portable situation but I don't think it would be that difficult.

Just remember that IEM's do not necessarily eliminate stage volume. A loud drummer is still a loud drummer. You would still run your guitar cabs at the same level as before, unless you have some kind of isolation cab. Your new bass player with his 2500 watt Ampeg head will still make you feel like you've been punched in the stomach every time he hits that low E. You do lose the volume wars of the vocal mix in the wedges, but if most of your volume is band noise, you'll still have the band noise.

We've experimented with a totally silent stage via guitar amp modelers, V-drums, bass going direct and IEM's, but have settled on a hybrid approach. IEM's or headphones for drums (playing a real kit behind a shield), keys, and bass, one vocal wedge for BVGs with its own mix, Bass direct via a POD, and smaller mic'ed tube guitar amps facing the stage used as individual monitors.

One last thing, you lose the ambience of the room. You are wearing headphones on stage at that point and there is a barrier to interaction, but all of the big acts use them so it obviously can be overcome.

There are actually some new IEM's on the market that have a small mic built into them so that you can dial in the degree of room ambiance that you want. In other words, the band mix is in your ear but you can still have a normal conversation with person standing next to use, even while the band is playing. They are supposedly amazing, but they are also ridiculously expensive.

IEM's are great but they do take some time to get used to so don't bail on them after one gig, you may love or hate them eventually, but get past the learning curve before you make a decision.