In-Ear Monitoring
in [Live Sound]
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From: Joe Kotroczo on 9 Jul 2008 15:22 Hello all, Confession time: I've never mixed monitors for musicians wearing in-ears. I don't know why, but it's always been wedges so far. Question: what should one look out for when mixing for in-ears? Should I have limiters on all the in-ear outputs? Compressors? Is a 31-band EQ still necessary on the in-ear outputs? (As they don't need ringing out.) Is it advisable for me (the monitor mixer) to have a set of in-ears too? Or are headphones close enough to get an idea? (As opposed to a monitor wedge.) Is a stereo mix a must for in-ears? Any other hints? Thanks, Joe -- Joe Kotroczo kotroczo(a)mac.com
From: Mike Dobony on 9 Jul 2008 15:58 On Wed, 09 Jul 2008 21:22:32 +0200, Joe Kotroczo wrote: > Hello all, > > Confession time: I've never mixed monitors for musicians wearing in-ears. I > don't know why, but it's always been wedges so far. > > Question: what should one look out for when mixing for in-ears? > > Should I have limiters on all the in-ear outputs? Compressors? Not particularly necessary, but if you already have it, why not use it? > > Is a 31-band EQ still necessary on the in-ear outputs? (As they don't need > ringing out.) > Depends on how clean the signal is. If you already have it, use it. > Is it advisable for me (the monitor mixer) to have a set of in-ears too? Or > are headphones close enough to get an idea? (As opposed to a monitor wedge.) > > Is a stereo mix a must for in-ears? > A stereo mix for a single earpiece? > Any other hints? > > Thanks, > Joe
From: Joe Kotroczo on 9 Jul 2008 17:08 On 9/07/08 21:58, in article wsissvadalg4$.xfnmhmqusezl.dlg(a)40tude.net, "Mike Dobony" <sword(a)notasarian-host.net> wrote: (...) >> Should I have limiters on all the in-ear outputs? Compressors? > > Not particularly necessary, but if you already have it, why not use it? > >> Is a 31-band EQ still necessary on the in-ear outputs? (As they don't need >> ringing out.) > > Depends on how clean the signal is. If you already have it, use it. Maybe I should have mentioned this earlier: I'm asking this from the point of view of a freelance engineer who works with a number of bands that will play at all kinds of venues. (The fact that I also do some work for a local PA company at the moment should not enter into the equation.) So, apart from some personal stuff, I don't _have_ anything. The question (or rather one part of the question) is what should be on the rider, and should it be on there as "nice to have" or as "must have". The other part of the question is of course about technique as applied to in-ears. May I ask why you think that limiters and/or compressors are not necessary? May I also ask why you think that using or not using a graphic EQ depends on how clean the signal is? Am I right in assuming that "clean" refers to the absence of thinks such as noise, distortion, etc.? >> Is it advisable for me (the monitor mixer) to have a set of in-ears too? Or >> are headphones close enough to get an idea? (As opposed to a monitor wedge.) >> >> Is a stereo mix a must for in-ears? > > A stereo mix for a single earpiece? No, in the event of them wearing an earpiece in both ears. Thanks, Joe -- Joe Kotroczo kotroczo(a)mac.com
From: Denny Strauser on 9 Jul 2008 17:59 Joe Kotroczo wrote: > Hello all, > > Confession time: I've never mixed monitors for musicians wearing in-ears. I > don't know why, but it's always been wedges so far. > > Question: what should one look out for when mixing for in-ears? The biggest problem I've had was mixing both in-ears & wedges. The in-ears & wedge mixes take significantly different levels to drive them. I always have one hand on my cue level pot. If you forget that rule, you'll have ringing ears in no time. Ouch! > Should I have limiters on all the in-ear outputs? Compressors? That depends what levels you're working at. I tend to prefer a purist approach, no compression. And I prefer to mix all monitors at the lowest level that is practical. Some musicians feel the same. But, if you're mixing at high levels, it is advisable to have comp/limit so as not to cause hearing damage. > Is a 31-band EQ still necessary on the in-ear outputs? (As they don't need > ringing out.) I always pull the EQ inserts for in-ear mixes. They shouldn't be necessary, but your mileage might vary. If different members of the same band want drastically different sounding mixes, an EQ might be necessary. > Is it advisable for me (the monitor mixer) to have a set of in-ears too? Or > are headphones close enough to get an idea? (As opposed to a monitor wedge.) Headphones should work fine, but you won't hear exactly what the performer hears. > Is a stereo mix a must for in-ears? I prefer a mono mix; it is much easier to mix mono when you don't have stereo aux sends. But some musicians demand stereo mixes. If you have any influence, I'd suggest steering them to mono. > Any other hints? Always carry a spare receiver & ear buds. > Thanks, > Joe > >
From: 0junk4me on 9 Jul 2008 18:34
On 2008-07-09 kotroczo(a)mac.com said: >Confession time: I've never mixed monitors for musicians wearing >in-ears. I don't know why, but it's always been wedges so far. >Question: what should one look out for when mixing for in-ears? >Should I have limiters on all the in-ear outputs? Compressors? IT doesn't matter what MIke D. told you, I would have limiters on each discreet output. sTereo or mono, depends on the preferences of the performers. I've only done one iem gig in my life, but even in the studio I try to guard the headphone mixes with limiters. AS for MIke D's reply, it wasn't worth the bits it took up on all the hard disks it passed through. THis topic has been discussed here since he's been hanging around. Whatever he might do in his church with amateur talent volunteering their time is one thing, even though especially there if he's mixing monitors for in-ear users he should do it right, he should know better by now. Richard webb, replace anything before at with elspider |