Here is a good example of a singer who has taken care of his voice over the decades. But we are also seeing a downgrade of power because of many years of playing with IEMs. When singers were singing to floor monitors they projected more because the music was coming at them from the speakers in their face. This forces a singer to use more diaphragmatic pressure to sing. This strengthens the voice. IEMs keep a singer from doing this pressure from the core, which over time, weakens it. As someone ages they lose core strength naturally and singing to little speakers in yours compounds the weakness because you instinctively don't feel a need to "push". I'm not talking about yelling or screaming - but projecting. Opera singers do not lose their power as they age because they do not use IEMs or amplification. Its ALL projection. What they do lose is flexibility and range because of the fusing of the cartilage of the larynx as we age. A good example of a singer who still has his power is Dee Snider because he never uses IEMs, only floor monitors. And even then he wants his voice barely in the mix. Simon LeBon of Duran Duran often pulls one IEM out so he can hear himself in the environment. The use of IEMs by hard rock and metal singers has led to their weakening.
