Musician Gear & Tech Discussion

Hi all

Anyone know of an alternative to in-ear monitors? I really dont like things INSIDE my ears nor do I like the feel/sound of being underwater when I perform... somehow I really lose connection to audience. Anyone know if ON-EAR monitors that sit just on the outside of the ear exist or something akin to them? Id like to be able to have some outside sound be able to permeate while I perform for the more raw sound/feeling.

I tried using headphones instead and liked that much better... seemed to be a happy medium for me and the band.

Thanks

Get a Bose L1 Tower and you can hear yourself anywhere in the room the same without anything stuck near your ear.

Ted

I've heard those Bose setups are very good indeed. Are you using that kit just for monitors or is it enough to do PA?

cheers
Talbot

A lot depends on the band - what other instruments there are, if any of them have their own amps, is the drum kit miked, etc. If there are other amps on stage, its is very hard to get a balance of sound using the Bose L1's.
There are many kinds of in-ear monitors (buds) available, I'd recommend finding some that don't block out as much external sound as the ones you are using now - probably cheaper commercial ones rather than the better ones offered by Shure, Sennheiser, etc. Headphones on stage don't look very good! I assume if you're using IEMs now there are no monitor wedges on stage and the band doesn't want to go with them (and truth be told there are a lot of venues these days that just don't have the room for them).

It's only hard to get a balance with the L1 if the on-stange amplifiers are way too loud.

I use up to 3 of them for mains as a solo act....but if I had a band with a huge JBL system, a truck to carry it and a crew to run it, I would still have the Bose L1 for vocal monitors on stage because you can hear them clearly no matter where you are standing. I can't stand anything in my ears because it keeps me from hearing the room.

That would be an expensive monitor, but one that always cuts through the noise.

Wow, I can't imagine not using iem's. They cut down on vocal strain, save your hearing if you use them right plus you don't have to lug around heavy monitors. Ted you should bite the bullet and get use to them.

For my personal monitors I use a couple of Radio Shack book shelf stereo speakers mounted on football shoulder pads. ( They house a 4” woofer + 1” Dome tweeter) I power it with a 25 watt stereo amp carried in my backpack which also houses the 12 Volt motorcycle battery that powers the thing. You can hear everything and with the stereo balance control properly adjusted and you can tune your ear monitor mix to studio perfection.

And the whole thing is easier on your back than playing a Les Paul for 5 hours.

But, then, that’s just me.

Wow, I can't imagine not using iem's. They cut down on vocal strain, save your hearing if you use them right plus you don't have to lug around heavy monitors. Ted you should bite the bullet and get use to them.

I sing about 200 times a year since 2005. Not unusual to do 5-7 concerts in a week for several weeks before I get a break. Couldn't last more than 2 or 3 nights in a row with the old sound technology but with my L1s, I never have to push my throat at all.....can whisper over the music.

They are my mains....and there are no monitors because I can hear exactly what the audience hears at about the same volume. Though I have 3 of these L1 towers, many nights I only need one of them to fill a room. On those occasions it takes 15 minutes tops to set up AND finish the sound check. Its rare that I have to do more than set the volume level because they sound great without any adjustment.

There simply is no easier set up...and frankly I don't understand why everyone doesn't use them for onstage monitors, besides the cost. But if you consider the cost of buying power amps, speakers, cables, equalizers, effects, or monitors....it's not any more than a decent system that won't sound as clear. And I don't have to put anything in my ears!

Nope....I'm never going back to the last millennium!!!

Yes that Bose system is great....... for a one man show or small clubs that want low volume. I guarantee you put those 3 L1 systems up against my 10,000 watt driverack computer balanced system and they 'll sound like toys! For hard driven rock and roll there's nothing like it! Now days a digital mixer into powered speakers is just as easy to set up as those Bose systems for about the same money. Both type systems have their positives and negatives.

Yes that Bose system is great....... for a one man show or small clubs that want low volume. I guarantee you put those 3 L1 systems up against my 10,000 watt driverack computer balanced system and they 'll sound like toys! For hard driven rock and roll there's nothing like it! Now days a digital mixer into powered speakers is just as easy to set up as those Bose systems for about the same money. Both type systems have their positives and negatives.

Look, I'm not hating on that big system...but would not want the work it takes to set it up, or the truck to haul it.

Most venues (that don't have their own system) would not need 10,000 watts, so it's mostly moot anyway. It would be like a Ferrari driving in downtown traffic. My Ford van can get anywhere just as fast! (though yours does look better)

Don't get me wrong....I'd prefer to have that system if it came with a truck and a crew...but even then I'd only get to crank it about 4 or 5 times in a year in the (mostly) 100-300 seaters that I play. It would be too loud for the people in front, but if I please them, it's not enough for the back of the room.

That's not what the thread is about though. Even if I did have that system, I'd still want the Bose L1 for a stage monitor. Its just a different technology than anything else...and I can hear them clearly from anywhere in the room.

I have used a bunch of different monitors over the years but never the Bose. I have used IEM for 10 years in worship and will never get used to them. I still feel totally cut off from the room.

For the Road Dogs Band we use a pair of powered EV wedges up front and a small Mackie personal monitor for the drummer. All 4 players sing and as long as we keep stage volumes reasonable we can hear the vocals really well. We are covering Eagles, Three Dog Night, and Beach Boys harmonies now and it is working pretty well.