HOW TO build a Cheap SELF MIXED In Ear Monitor rig for your band. 

Been looking for a video as straight forward as this! thank you!

Thanks for the helpful video! Only thing missing is explaining how awful that companies service department is. I

Hi Chris, please do a video of how to use a loudspeaker management for beginners. Thanks

Chris, I’m a tech guy who has set up our bands rig for years. We’re going down the IEM route and aiming for a silent stage (electric drums) and DI’d guitars. I’ve been exploring/working out what to do / buy. You have simplified the whole process. Great video, very clear. Very professional. Please tell me you’re doing this sort of thing for your day job! Brilliant. Thanks. David.

Ayyy shoutout to Harris Heller stream beats in the background. Love his tracks

great video Chris

Great video!

Very helpful!

You mention the drummer is getting his in ear signal from the main outs. Is there a headphone amp involved?

Thank you so much for this video! My band is currently looking into an IEM set up and this seems to make the most sense. What I need to know more about is how backing tracks can be included via laptop/Ipad. Is it possible for all members to have their own mixes while simultaneously monitoring backing tracks and click, while sending samples and soundscapes to FOH? I'm just not sure if it's possible with a stereo mix but audio stems perhaps? Cheers from Ontario, Canada!

How are you avoiding wifi drop out because of the xair 16 wifi and Shure wireless wifi systems (maybe more than 2-3) being close each other?

Lovely job Great stuff

with a mono mix, does that mean you are only hearing the mix through one ear or two identical signals in both ears? for some reason no one ever clarifies this. I know with having a wired In ear set up using an old style mixer, you have to have one ear for the click and the other for the backing/ stage mix, that sucks. It seems to me like it would be well worth spending the extra couple hundred dollars to be able to enjoy the sound of what you're playing. feel free to make fun of me for the lack of knowledge, maybe I'll learn something!

Hi Chris, any way you could explain how to hookup a personal monitor mixer like to a digital console? Like the Behringer p16 or Alle&Heath Me-1. Would truly appreciate it!

Chris, another question I have is why is the second Loom XLR to Balanced Jack?

I liked the video, a lot. Question, can I create the same integration using a Head amp and connecting the in ear to the headphone amp?

Does the transmitter work for everyone or just one person? Like if we had 5 people would we need 5 separate transmitters or just 1?

This may be already asked but to keep from searching all the comments... Our church currently has an Allen & Heath mixing sound system; analog. We have argued with our sound engineer for years about this and he is saying we need $30k to $40k of digital equipment which means completely replacing what we have. Is this so or is there a way we can get individual monitor control without have to trash what we have?

Could a system like this simply work as full PA? Instead of splitting to FOH could you just run L & R Main Outs to powered speakers? And THANKS for the video!

Hi!! What cable do you use for the drummer directly to his headphones?

Bro how is this your first RU-vid video...this is phenomenal. Great, helpful content, and awesome video production. Well done!

We got so tired of the house engineers being totally incompetent at providing a decent mix to FOH a well as any monitors. The reality is that most engineers at small venues have no clue what they are doing. It’s not exactly a cool job to want. We run our own monitor split so at least we can hear ourselves and sound ok in our ears. Nothing sucks more than playing live and getting a terrible monitor mix.

as of 2023, PSM200 is discontinued, you'd be looking at PSM300. They have a two different beltpack options, a plastic one and a metal one. It's capable of stereo, two mono, or mixing two mono inputs.

Hey Chris, this is the most comprehensive video about the essentials for a selfcontained in ear rig I have seen so far. Very clear and professional. Thanks.

How is 350 pounds for 1 wireless transmitter/receiver cheap?

Finally getting around to doing this for various 4 pieces I play with and this made setup so easy for me. Thanks a ton! I wish I had the cash for a X32 but the XR18 is solid for 4-5 piece bands!

what i dont understand is do i need a shure psm200 for each member of the band?

Hi bro, thank you for this vodeo. Currently I’ve got a Presonus 16.02 the FireWire version and a behringer xr18 My question is how do I create these separate mixes for the artistes to make their own personal mix. This needs a short and in-depth video so we can follow along. Thanks much Thumbs up on this video.❤

With this set up, the main mixer (Venue mixer) would not have to be digital in order for you to control your own mix, correct?

Hi Chris. We are a touring Radiohead tribute band and considering doing this but using the RCF M18 mixer which we already have. We use 18 channels which the M18 has. Does that mean we would need 3 x 8 channel splitters? (24 channels)? Also any experience of the quality of router in the M18 at all?

Not even 20seconds in and £5000 already spent on hardware why does IEM cost so much! Splitters (good quality DI boxes cost a fortune) non of this colouring / weakening behringer shite!

Are multiple transmitters necessary for everyone to have their own mix?

How have I only seen this now Chris! I've just started using IEMs in my new band

My main FOH system is xair18. I use six buses / auxes for (2 sets of floor monitors) 1 channel for each, 1 channel for livestream, and the other 3 will be mixes for behringer p2s. What cheap solution could I use to get a few extra separate mixes for additional p2s? Could I use a splitter in conjunction with that?

I have a question about backing tracks. Do you need a separate interface or something because how else can you get backing tracks to FOH through the USB of the XR?

This video is fantastic. A lot of videos explain how to put a rig together without touching on how it works at a venue. Thanks for explaining it simply.

Hey Chris, I know im a few years late to the party here but your video was incredibly helpful. I just wondered if hopefully you had another good recommendation for the wireless systems. unfortunately the one you linked, is unavailable to ship to the US and I would love a good budget recommendation

A no BS explanation. The best explanation and demonstration of IEMs on RU-vid! Thank you

Quick question, our drummer usually takes 7 mics for his kit, then we have a guitar, bass and 2 vocals. I assume I'd need a 12 channel mixer, but I wanted to make sure I'm correct

Great and informative video! Maybe I missed it, but what app do you use on your phone to control your individual in-ear mixes? :)

Hi Chris! I'm a bit co fused.. with the XR16 I can only have 8 microphones and not 16 through a splitter since the other 8 inputs of the XR16 are line level, right?

Chris - Figure this is obvious, but how do you hook up a wireless guitar through the system (I need to have my mic and guitar as the primary)?

friend, your video was the one that most elucidated me in relation to the connections, about the spllitter that wonderful equipment. Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge, success and live the music Brazilian greetings ...

This rig assumes every venue has ONE stage box, great for the band but any FOH engineer who has multiple stage boxes on a large stage, this is a stupid pain in the ass

Great video! Not sure if I have to connect the in-ear mixer to the "link out" or "out" of the Behringer splitter (when using phantom power). Help would be appreciated. Thank you!!

How can I apply this while using backing tracks for my band?

My band is looking to get the X Air 18-channel mixer. Any idea if they make long 18-channel XLR cables? I can't seem to find any.

What wired device are you using to go from the two xlr main outs to a stereo mix that feeds into in-ears?

youve linked a 3m loom 8way xlr loom.... but that isnt a 3m loom

Chris. Very cool. I've been wondering how to do this WITHOUT letting a stranger who runs FOH do the mix. Thanks for clearing this up. ♥️♥️♥️

Chris, how is the Behringer MS8000 splitter holding up?

I'd go x32 to have all stereo mixes that investment is worth it in future

Im assuming that its an in-ear sender for each member of the band?

I only weigh 150 pounds, what can I get?

phenomenal video and explanation, huge thanks

The mixer’s almost 600 USD now :/

Hey Chris, great video!! question about the setup: I'm playing in a band with 8 members, how many In-ear transmitter & receiver do we need then? - Option A: 8x full set Shure PSM200 (transmitter & receiver) + 8x earplugs - Option B: 1x Shure PSM200 (transmitter only) + 8x individual receivers + 8x earplugs? Also any suggestions on the best price to value (e.g. LD Systems)? I see 1x receiver of Shure PSM300 costs around 300 pounds (meaning 8x 300 = 2'400).

Hi Chris, what is the phone app you are using to control your own in-ear mixes? And is the same app used to set the system up or do you need an iPad to do that? Thanks for a great vid!

The quality of information is insane. Thank you so much!!!

Another thing about the X air system, as well as other similar systems such as Soundcraft's UI (which apparently has a really good router, no experience with it from my side tho so I can't confirm) is that, if you tour with your own sound engineer, they can connect to a bigger mixer to mix the front of stage while you mix your own in-ears. I've been asked as a FOH engineer to do this for a band : just mix with a tablet or laptop. One of the band member also use 22" touchscreen monitor, and it's the size of a regular small board! Pretty neat. Just place a computer in the rack itself! You could even go without FOH engineering for smaller venues, just throw an ipad in the mix and you can do both.

Hey Chris, if all of these splitters are plugged into the x-16 where do all of the instruments go??

Eyyy thank you for being so visual and explaining things so well man, best video I've found so far 🤘

LOL 7:01 "The X-Air is only about £200 right now..." Try about three times that amount in 2023 🙂

Awesome! Do you have anything for in ear AND playback? I wanna be able to send 808s and samples through the PA as well with a setup like this.

Hello Chris, does every band member need an extra iem system to individually mix their own sound?

hi,in a small band the mixer is a qsc digital i run a fractal axe3,he plugged my receiver in a aux in back the boardis that ok or do we have to get a splitter and go that way.we play small places

This video is great! You answered all of my questions without me having to ask them 😂

I take a different approach to get by with only one mixer (Soundcraft UI24R - 22 in, 10 AUX out). I use 6 of 8 XLR-AUX paths plus the 2nd headphone out (AUX 9/10) The 6 AUX paths also go into a Behringer Ultralink MS8000. (Did you notice the difference in level of the link outs? This is not a 1:1 split. The link outs are up to 7db louder than the input signal) I go from the splitter with one line to the musicians' stage monitors. I send the split as a mono signal into a LD Systems headphone amp. The AUX 9/10 is send directly to the headphone amp as a stereo mix. In this way, 6 musicians can receive an individual monitor mix and work either via stage monitor or IEM. Over IEM they can add the Main Stereo-Mix as much as they like. I then connected radio systems to the headphone amp and also use the cable route for the drums here. In addition, I pick up the main mix for the vocal effect devices here, which use it to determine their harmony.

Dude, this was the video I was looking for two years ago! And I still learned so much! Best IEM video on YT, keep going like that!

I wish someone would produce a video on building an expensive IEM rack.

The most clear explanation on RU-vid! Thanks for this.

Amazing vid! So many unanswered questions from previous research being cleared up very well. Seems like a much more plausible goal to reach! Thank you 🤘

Amazing quality and very helpful, thanks!

Great job Chris

Thank you so much for this video! I wish I could have come across this a few years back. I had a very similar setup for my band running an XR18 I can into several issues that I'm curious if you or anyone else has ever encountered: 1. As you said the internal router is terrible on the XAir. I purchased an additional router and unfortunately still ran into issues that could never be resolved and would have to think quick on a gig (so many blown soundchecks and shows running click into one ear with last minute FOH wedge mixes...true nightmare stuff. I even tried wiring the XAir via ethernet to my MacBook and it worked about 50% of the time. I ended up selling the unit and ditching IEM's ENTIRELY. Now a fear years later I'm thinking about getting back in but I want none of that previous stress. Is a wired analogue mixer at all a solution or do you recommend I give the XAir series another try? 2. I had issues with FOH receiving extremely low signals from the DI's in the split. Engineers would tell me they'd have to crank channels almost wide open to get enough signal. Since the split was analogue there was nothing I could do. Did you ever have this issue? Apologies for the long post this is an issue which is close to my heart haha

Out of all the videos I've watched on this, you explained it clearly and the best. Thankyou!

This was Golden thank you

the rest of the band how do I listen?

Yes mate! You're a natural!

What do you mean "cheap?"

Nice video.Could you help me with this-I recently bought behringer flow 8 digital mixer.It has 2 monitor sends.Both me & my brother want to have 2 seperate aux mixes through them but each one of them sends signal only to one ear.Meaning monitor send 1 goes to left ear and monitor send 2 goes to right.How can i get 2 seperate mono/stereo mixes in 2 seperate in ear monitors?Please help.Thankyou

I still have no idea how this is all put together. I suppose the whole rig costs around €3.000 for a band of 6 people. Every member has her own transmitter and receiver? that is already €300 per member. What is the goal of the rig? To have each member listen to a mix which she can completely control herself? Why not only one mono or stereo mix which is the same for all members and conrolled by the stage mixer? Really, I need to get an idea of the basics and the vision behind this system. Thanks.

I would add that Seismic Audio has a prebuilt rackmount splitter for less than the cost of the two behringer units. They comes in as little as 8 channels and go up to 32 I believe. The benefit is that there are XLR / TRS 1/4" Combo Jacks on the box end so you can plug in either type of cable. Just an option.

how much does the XLR - XLR Loom (Long 16 Channel) run? could you write out or link the exact model you're using. thank you!!

Great video, extremely helpful. About to build my system. Question: did you need to add an IEM antenna combiner? Did you consider one?

Hey chris! Love this video so much. Currently putting this together for my band. Wondering if you have a new link to the 16 channel loom. Because the eBay one is broken? Or do you know how long the cable is on the 16 channel loom?

This is a great video, so informative! Do you have a diagram of the full setup? My band has the Behringer xr16 and we are considering taking the plunge. Thanks!

If the FOH sound is mono as 95% of PA's are why would you want to have a stereo mix on stage? It would not be a representation of what is going on.

Chris, great video mate. I am just starting to look into this. Where does the XR16 site in your rack? In the parts where you show the rack all setup, I can't see it. The ears on the XR16 look like all the inputs are out the outside of the rack, so is it facing the back and you need to plug in all the loom from the splitters every time you setup, or are the rack covers large enough to keep it all plugged in?

Very helpful!

Amazing Video man! ♥️ Couldn't have explained any better!🙌🙂

Amazing info bros! So well organized, we can clearly see all your experience standing out! Thanks so much! Any tips on what best software to use for backing tracks? (Apple Mainstage, FL, Logic...). I want to use backing tracks for a Rock Opera project and wanted to stay away from exporting stems and remixing everything at every show. Was thinking of exporting stereo tracks with a click on one side, and many exports with different options if a musician does not show up. Any experience with something like that? Anyway, it might be another video idea for you! Thanks man!

Great video and very informative. The next step for anyone doing this would be to learn basic EQing so that you know where to apply low cuts, remove excessive low end, etc. this will take your in ear mixes to the next level and you will hear everything better even in mono and won’t need as much volume

I noticed you have two splitters. If I have only one, (four vocalists, two guitars, one bassist, and a drummer) it won't be effective right? Since it is ideal to hear every mic on the drum kit correct?

How to you fly with this rig? Any tips and tricks for fly dates?

My band has not played live yet and we are just now starting the process of getting the materials to do so. We would have a stereo backing track and a click track for our show. I've looked at the focusrite 4i4 as a cheap interface with 4 seperated outputs, we aren't worried about a mix yet for our in ears so would we just be able to run the 2 lines for the backing track to front of house and then the 1 for the click track straight to an in ear system(s)? Thanks and great video!

So where do the instruments plug into??

Hey dude You mentioned a playback rig. Do you use that with the Air?

I'm not seeing the part list, could someone add it back to the comments. Need short fan xlr from splitters to xr18 closed monitor mixer and short fan xlr to foh mixer... I have 2 xr18 in the same rack. I have a bad hum when I use both xlr connections for and monitor and foh.

What App do you use?