This is what I call a perfect video lesson. Not only you know what you're talking about, but you are just a very gifted teacher. You explain everything in a very focused and effective way from the beginner level all the way to the advanced stuff. You answer most of my questions right about the time they pop up in my head. Also the editing is very helpful. Thank you.
Now that is the most comprehensive video for drummers and musicians in general on running in-ear tech. Thanks, man, you helped me decide on my way of monitoring. Cheers!
This video is EXCELLENT! It explains all of the questions that I had about these different in - ear configurations that I felt others didn't know how to explain or have the patience to explain. This leveled me up, I feel armed with knowledge and more confident in how to move forward for my various band setups, whether for tour or smaller shows. Thank you!
this is a lecture i have never seen a video like this it even made me understand sound better. Thanks so much for this sir. I will like this video over and over again.
Thanks nungu60a! The P16M is absolutely a valid option here, and I did plan to discuss it in this video. However, for the sake of time - and the fact that most musicians have smartphones anyway - I felt it best to cover that stuff instead :)
It's not that I need this for anything, but passionate about music, instruments and curious as I am, I loved gaining this knowledge and I'm sure it will be useful to a lot of people. Thank you very much for this sharing.
Very useful thank you! For smaller bands, usually without sound angineers, the smaller 16 channels Behringer XR18 could be used, either as front of the house mixer and monitoring using its 6 AUX channels directly. Furthermore cheaper wireless IEM systems arrived on the scene (capable to work in small venues), this would decrease costs dramatically. Ciao
Fantastic advice, thanks for your input! Yes, the XR18 is great for what it is, and my vocalist runs his XR18 for FOH and IEM on our smaller (trio) shows. Re the cheaper systems; There are now several wifi (2.4Ghz) based units like the x-vive that may be a good option where connectivity is solid and there are only 2-3 people running IEMs in total. Beyond that, they start to get somewhat unreliable.
@@Damo_Drummer Our band is doing small gigs and is evaluating to move to IEM (well I'm trying to convince them) thus I'm exploring what's in the market. Technology is going really fast as well as prizes (lowering), the secret is to get something "good for you" without underestimating, to pay less, but also exagerating with pro products. x-vive is intrigating, a friend of mine is using for vocals and she's really happy but all other bandmates are on wired. I think the next step ahead will be wifi IEM (AudioFusion, Stagewave) maybe still not fully reliable but definetely the way forward.
As a sound tech and drummer myself, I greatly applaud this very well explained video! Selfishly, I must admit I enjoyed your comments about the sound tech perspective when deal with bands! With the few groups I've done sound for that had their own IEMs, it was a sheer pleasure to mix them, and such a treat not to have so much monitor bleed. Also their live recording sounded even better because of this. For the most part, good bands will play properly to the room, and don't succumb to the stage volume wars (especially after a few drinks and who knows what else), but its usually the less experienced bands that I have the most trouble with in this regard.
I have watched... hundreds of IEM videos the last few months, and I have to say that you are the best at explaining the concept of IEMs. Sending this video to my bandmates now as they don't really understand why we should upgrade lol. Thanks man!
Great video. Really enjoyed learning . It took bloody long to find an actual video that broke down each of the components and explained them really well. Thanks !
I have no words to describe how much this video was properly made it and how much it helped me. Damien, congrats to explain each detail very slow, simple and straight. The bad thing about internet sometimes is that people who create video content speak fast and as if we all know what he already knows.
Thanks for the kind words, Gabriel. Yes, I too have noticed that the pace can be a little quick on some videos. Then there's my video, at 35 minutes :D Ideally I'll be able to find an ideal somewhere in-between :)
Thank you for the kind feedback. It definitely took me a while to put together, so its great to hear that you got more out of it than just an answer to your one thing.
Amazing video. Everything I ever wondered about in ear monitoring got answered, and you even got me pointers to where I can dig deeper, massive respect for the effort you put into this video, and that even started before you decided to shoot it. You have done extensive research , your video was to the point, well illustrated and proper explained. Huge thanks.
Thanks so much for the kind words, Tian. I'm not a 'RU-vidr' per se, but as a drummer who has been around musicians for so long, and promoted/marketed/mixed my own bands albums, I felt this was content that people in my circles needed to learn about. Im glad you found it informative, and Im always open to making more videos!
The transmitter would be plugged into any of the bus sends. Buses have their own mixer, completely separate to the main outs. On the X32 rack, the main outputs are actually busses 7 and 8
Just a quick tip: to your point of "still have no control over your mix" (in the chiron), if your sound engineer is using a behringer digital x32 mixer, they now offer a sub-user app to control your own iem mix via iPad. Works flawlessly
Thanks James - and yes you are correct. The only drawback there is that the sound engineer would need to have a desk like the X32 which accommodates this, as you point out.
I had the cheap Shure IEM earbuds, they were not worth the money. Then I bought a set of Monoprice Quad IEM earbuds...what a HUGE difference, and cheaper. Then my bass player gave me a set of CCA c12 earbuds. They are just as good, if not better than the Monoprice. Way better than Shure, and way cheaper. And I'll never go to wedges again. The volume war was fatiguing and I was sick of my ears ringing after we played. We use IEM's when we practice too...and our guitar amps are silent and the drums are electric(except for live shows) to minimize noise. Perfect for practice and live shows.
If I could get into a time machine I would go back to the mid-sixties and "invent" inear monitors! They did have the technology for this then and maybe the Beatles would have toured extensively with them AND I'd be rich, of course!! 😁
Drummers out there watching, build your in-ear mixes starting with the overheads, and then blend in the close-mics to supplement, then click tracks and other instruments in order of importance. If you do it the other way around, starting with the close mics, you can wind up with a mess. Also that will massively cut down on that disconnected isolation feeling IEMs can sometimes give you.
Great advice! Our regular sound guy didn't understand this when I first started working with him, as he was just getting into live sound engineering. When I explained it, he actually started applying it to his sound check/foh mix process and his skills improved massively.
@@jnorriect Good on him for listening to you and actually considering it. I do sound as a side-gig. I am a performer musician first but we do our own sound and deploy our own PA at every gig. I do all the soundchecks and get gains EQ and compressor settings and all the "pre-work" (as we call it) done, and then my mom actually mixes the show. But when I do sound on the side with other bands, all the musicians tell me I am the best sound guy ever especially with monitors. And I attribute that to being a performer first, soundguy second. I know what they want and need to feel comfortable and when they're comfortable it's so much easier to sing well especially, but play well too. It seems like at the sort of production level for 50-500+ people the soundguys around here are all sound men first and at most hobbyist guitar players or something but they're mostly interested in the gear, not the playing. But I'm rambling now lol.
@@djjazzyjeff1232 yeah, he's a humble dude and I've been doing sound work for 25 years (here and there, only as a hobby mostly but over the past 10 I've been Tech Director for a local Theater Company so that's more pro-level stuff a couple weeks a year). Now, he's one of the best sound engineers in the area and is constantly booked with great bands. Really made a name for himself.
Excellent video man, thanks! I'm not a gigging musician but this is all still relevant for my little in-home studio where I dick around with friends :-)
Hello, thank you for the instructive video, however, it seems to me that I comment, but I do not delve into the topic that most musicians experience about isolation or lack of interaction with the public, for not listening to the audience (we hear very little or almost nothing) and the issue of communication on stage between musicians. When we use in-ear monitors, how can we solve that ??? Greetings,
That’s a very good question! The best way to tackle it is to add a ‘trash mic’ or ‘room mic’… which can be a very cheap mic. Basically, you add the mic to your set up and use it to mic the audience and the room. I usually START my in ear mix with this mic. It makes a huge difference to the overall vibe and removes that feeling of isolation that often happens when you first start using in ears. Hope this helps!
Pro sound engineer here from the Chicago area. Great job explaining things so thoroughly and thoughtfully. It's often very difficult to convey highly technical information to folks who may not have the same level of technical knowledge. You did so in a very clear, concise, and non-condescending way. Nicely done. The only thing that I might have added is the use of ambient mics added to the mix to combat that in-ear isolation you explained so well. As an engineer who has done countless shows from pro-touring acts to garage bands, with every monitor solution/set-up imaginable, I can say that I always appreciate a well-prepared band rolling in with their own closed wireless IEM gear. Makes life SO much better for everyone involved. I can also say from experience that those are almost always the bands that sound the best at FOH. Getting rid of all that stage volume makes the FOH mix so much better. That far superior FOH mix means the audience experience is vastly improved. That then equals more, and better future bookings for the band. Something that all bands should seriously think about.
Thank you for the kind words, and also for illustrating the advantages from the perspective of the sound engineer - Something musicians dont think enough about! You are absolutely correct about ambient mics. They are a must-have for my in-ear mixes, and in fact I BEGIN an in-ear mix with them, as its the crucial element that puts the musician back into the 'room'. Without them (and this is particularly true for newcomers to the in-ear ecosystem) one can feel 'cut-off' from the gig.
Nice video. I have a similar setup. I run an X32\S32 setup with a mixture of Sennheiser G3 and G4 wireless ears. I run my full closed system for 3 of my bands and a hybrid setup for a few others. Here are a few things that may also help people that I have found over my years of being the drummer and the IEM sound engineer for gigs. 1. You said it already but make sure you get with the sound engineer at the venue before you arrive to explain what’s going on and how everything works on their end. Leave out anything “special” on your end because things can get confusing fast. 2. I generally have three sets of XLR snakes. One is 3ft to patch between my S8’s and S32 on the rack itself, one is a 50ft XLR to take back to the FOH snake and the third is a 50ft stage snake to run to the FOH snake. Both snakes are labelled by instrument not numbers or names of band members and they are standard through my split. This makes things very easy for the sound engineer. I hand them XLR inputs with Kick, Sn, Bass, GTR1, GTR2, etc. labelled and a second snake with outputs with the same label names; they simply match things up with their setup. Note: Make sure to test the entire loop frequently. 3. All splitters only have one active channel for 48V phantom (to prevent mics from being overloaded). All other channels on a splitter (2 way or 3 way) are isolated transformer. This means they do not allow phantom power through so if there is a condenser being used or a special DI that needs phantom that will need to be sent from the IEM mixer not FOH. 4. If you use multiple wireless IEM’s you can network them to save time. I network my Sennheiser’s on the same network as my X32 with a $30 net gear switch I mounted in the rack. I use the Wireless Systems Manager from Sennheiser to pull in all 6 of my wireless transmitters, sweep available channels once, sync it into the WSM and auto assign open channels to all 6 wireless units simultaneously. Note: You cannot do this if you mix and match frequency bands so buy all your units on the same band. 5. Ambient or Crowd mics! The number one pushback I have gotten from band members not wanting to run IEM’s is feeling closed off from the rest of the band and the audience. I have some cheapo AKG P220’s that work great at the front of the stage pointing out at the crowd. I do not split these to FOH, they go straight into the mixer for IEM’s only. Turn them up a bit to open your ear mix up to the room sound.
if you don't need more than 16 lines, the XR18 is hard to beat. Very good investment for multiple uses including an interface for your DAW and fairly affordable. Great video, very helpful! Thanks!
One thing that REALLY gets ignored - if you're going self contained (controlling own monitors with mixer) someone in the band needs to thoroughly understand the kit. Things break, cables come lose in flight cases, units fail. By removing sound engineers, you're taking on all techincal responsibility - and this can cause more headaches than save sometimes. I won't say who, but there was a band playing a major main stage slot at a uk rock festival that lost 15 minutes of their set cause they couldnt get their self contained IEM unit working. I really believe that the type of band that needs a self contained monitor rig but not a monitor engineer is a very narrow window - and if the career is going well then you're better off just buying an IEM rig and leaving this to your FOH engineer or the in house monitor engineer - or at the very least, get a backline guy that can fix the thing. Having your own rig is great in theory but as someone that engineers 5/6 nights a week, i cant stress enough that the bands that bring their own rigs but cant fix them are always stresssing and wasting time for their own soundchecks. Just some food for thought.
Hola, me parece muy interesante tú vídeo. Veo estos vídeos por mera afición al arte hahaha, pero qué grandioso. Puedo dar mi aporte, los sistemas p16 me parece muy bueno y la verdad que saldría al mismo precio, aparte que puedes usar tu mixer para grabar e incluso amenizar un concierto pequeño-mediano, pero es una muy buena forma. El sistema p16 me parece bueno porque desde el mismo amp puedes hacer la mezcla ya que del celular puede ser más complicado y usando un divisor puedes realizar el mismo método que usas entrando al p16-i y luego salir por ahí mediante ethernet, sería otra forma de hacer, de igual forma son 16 canales como x32 rack
¡Gracias por tu comentario! El P-16 es un excelente equipo y es una de las muchas formas alternativas en que se puede construir un sistema de monitoreo in-ear.
Hey mate! You missed one thing that might be helpful. For guys who want to try out in-ear systems without buying loads of gear right out the gate, the App can be paired to the FOH console, effectively creating a "User-controlled Open IEM System." This all hinges on the Sound Engineer using a digital console though, but pretty much everyone does now. But, then you don't need the splitters, small auxiliary mixer, any of that, and you can still have control over your own mix. I cannot recommend this highly enough for people wanting to give in-ears a try, because all you need is some SE215s, a headphone amp, and a smartphone (which everyone already has). Also, I'm sure you're aware, but you can use AES50 to split the signals between an X32R and the FOH console assuming they're both in the X/M32 ecosystem. You just run your XLRs into the back of the X32R and then out the AES50A port via Cat5, and to the FOH desk. This eliminates the need for splitters altogether and eliminates the need for the massive swage of analog stage snakes. Still might be wise to have the splitters incase the FOH guy is using Presonus or SSL or any other system, but in many scenarios it's a much more elegant solution. Also, I've found that if you want to make the full plunge, getting your own microphones, mic cords, taking care of literally everything except the actual FOH mixing and PA system, you can have literally the same in-ear mix in every venue from a coffee shop to Madison Square Garden, and have it be the same every time.
Thanks dj! Yes, youve provided some fantastic supplementary information, and all is 100% valid. I was indeed aware of these options, but chose not to include them because of the reliance it places on FoH engineers and their equipment. Digital desks are becoming far more popular, and will continue to do so, but in the circles that I (and I presume many others) travel, we just cant know what is going to be available to play through each night. Having our own rig - while perhaps a little more bulky - Makes us not have to rely on any external factors.
@@Damo_Drummer Thanks for responding! I subsequently checked your channel hoping to find other live sound info videos but I was sad to not find any. You are REALLY good at this type of thing mate. I encourage you make other videos, I subscribed just incase you do one day! 😎
Excellent video! A really good breakdown of all content. I’ve used IEMs for many years, but now looking at putting together a ‘closed sound’ for my band. (Too many gigs with poor sound that’s out of my control!). Cheers 👍
If there's a way to give two thumbs, i defenitely would. Thanks so much, Man.. Perhaps you can make another video for budget semi-open mixer for hobbyist?
I've tried IEM's however could not find any that fit properly so I use Sony MDR-7506 headphones with a Rolls PM55-P monitor amplifier. All I need is to plug in the same line that would normally go to the monitor wedge and I have control over the input volume and headphone volume. The engineer simply adjusts instrument levels same as he normally would. Minimal gear and works a treat. Plenty of pro drummers use cans on stage and I don't find they look silly at all plus they are quick to put on and remove. Works for me.
My band uses lined to FOH digital guitar preamps like Kempers, AXE FXs... That means our closed IEM mixing is 95% the same in every gig! The only difference being the acoustics for drums, but generally there's NO need to tweak the mix at all before a gig :) We played 4 gigs in a row with the same mix, and it worked 100% every time with no tweaks!
Hello you explain things so well! Q: Stage plot pro is no longer supported as the owner passed way. are you using a different stage plotting software? thank you!
Man this is one of the best educational videos I’ve ever seen in RU-vid if not the best one. I also watched the IEM rig setup explanation video and that is another perfect one. I was thinking that it will take too much time to learn that but it took only one video. Now I am a life time follower. Thanks man! Very nice job!
Hi Damien, very clear video’s. Thx. One question though. You name the disadvantage of an isolated feeling. Especially with the bandmembers without mike. Are there solutions to solve this?
Hi MennoBokslag. Yes - The solution is to run an extra mic (or two) which exclusively picks up the room sound. By being able to have the room ambience as one of your controllable channels, players can add as much or as little as they like, but it definitely eliminates that isolated feeling.
hi Sir i beginner from Ghana and hoping to become one of the best sound engineer some day, your explanation is very deep for me and i say you're a good teacher.
Great vid, thanks Damien! I started using IEM (the Shure 215's that Damien mentioned) for my restaurant and pub gigs (solo vocals and acoustic guitar) along with my Soundcraft UI12 about 18 months ago and I wouldn't perform without IEM's again. They REALLY help your performance. Well worth the investment if you're gigging regularly.
Masterclass level stuff…I’m thinking about investing in all those high end stuff then offer a renting service to the bands in my country who can’t afford it. Will carry a market study to see if it can be a viable business 🤔 Thanks for sharing your knowledge 🙌🏾👌🏾
Hi Ashley. It isnt an easy question to answer without knowing what you have access to, what you need, and how much you're prepared to spend. If you are just playing by yourself at home, you wont need in ear monitoring per se, but some software and some sort of interface will definitely help.
Brilliant video thanks! Do you know much about IEMs with microphones in built? Do they remove the 'isolation' that you experience from the rest of the band?
Thanks, Mark! I know of two kinds that you describe. The first are earphones that have a built in microphone for the purpose of sound cancellation - such as what you find on the later model Apple Airpods. These sample the noise around you then generate an 'inverse' sample of it. This phase flipping cancels out the sound around you and leaves you with just the music. This is great on a plane, but is clearly the opposite of what you want onstage. The other type are earpieces that feature 'push-to-talk' functionality. By pressing a button on the cable, the listener can activate a microphone which picks up the sound around them. This is a similar principle to what I describe in the video, but having it button activated (with some only activated while the button is being depressed) often makes them unusable in a stage environment. In addition, the microphone itself cannot easily be adjusted for different levels of volume around you. To avoid isolation onstage, my advice is to get yourself a cheap small diaphragm condenser microphone (even something like a set of behringer C2's or Rode M5). The room mic doesnt need to be expensive or great sounding - It just needs to fill your mix with ambience, Hope this helps.
ELOQENTLY PUT!! I have been trying to get our ensemble in on this...i get nothing but push back from them. I have been researching and investigating the most CHEAPEST way to self monitoring. And this is a very well spoken video. I have pitched to them the very same points as you, but not nearly as eloquently as you. I see the value of this and the growth that can come from this. But where we 5, are at....are not on the same page. It's an investment...and a worthy one in my opinion.
Thanks for the kind words! It can certainly be tough convincing people to come on board with it, especially since it’s such a massive change to how the musician experiences the gig. For my band, the selling point was obvious once we realised we could all have our own mixes and take them with us night after night. Also, having a ‘room’ mic to capture ambience is IMO vital in reconnecting the musician to the gig when you move to in ears. Without it, the sound can feel stale and detached… it misses that live feel. I will usually begin my in ear mix by bringing up the level of the room mic till it feels about right, then I’ll mix in the other instruments as needed. Hope this helps!
Great video Damien,new subscriber here!Thank you for all these breakdowns,also I'm wondering can I quote some of your contents elsewhere so I could get certain people to know better about IEM rigs,I'll make sure they know this is originally from you of course
Thank you for this! you really helped me understand a lot of things that weren't clear for me. Now I can improve my band's monitoring at my church! greetings from Mexico!
This is quite informative and most appreciated!! I just have a pending question. If I intend on having 5 in-ear monitor packs connected to one single receiver, can we still ask the sound engineer specific mixes for each of us individually in an "open" scenario?
A third option with the wireless is to use the "focus" mode on the receiver. kinda dual mono, where the artist can have 2 different signals, say the main monitor mix and on the second their own mic/instrument. Then on the receiver they are able to get "more me" without having to get to the phone/tablet and change the mix.
Excellently done, a model of clarity and concise information. I've been playing in bands pro and semi since the 70s and have tinnitus as a result and my oldest mate from those days - a drummer - now has hearing loss in one ear too. So I do wonder how things would have been! My other job since the 80s has been in broadcast TV and something we always had fitted - certainly in the BBC - were inline Canford 90dB limiters on all cans. And with digital pops they are worth their weight in gold, trust me. I'm curious as to how that serious problem is addressed in the IEM environment. I guess a simple solution would be to insert one in the signal path of the IEM lead itself. But a brilliant video and thank you so much for producing it.
Thanks, Stephen! To answer your question, most decent IEM units include a built-in limiter to stop your head exploding should there be any unexpected pops and feedback. As you point out it is very, VERY important that this sort of protection is in place - for your gear and of course for your own health.
@@Damo_DrummerCheers for that Damien, it's a subject that's been interesting me for ages and your set up - you pays yer money - is very flexible, elegant and must make for a far more musical environment in many ways once people have adjusted. I saw The Stranglers recently and they had no backline at all, floor monitors for the two front guys maybe as backup but nothing else visible even in the wings. Very clean stage!
Absolutely, Joseph - Thats the ideal, but that tech is not available to everyone using different brands. Therefore, I intentionally tried to keep the content as 'universally applicable' as possible, if that makes sense :)
Anyone looking for band-on-a-budget wireless IEM systems, I recommend Xtuga. You can find them on Amazon. They are identical to the Sennheiser EM systems and work great. I run a self-contained (closed) IEM setup. I have an Odyssey combo rack with a PreSonus 32SC mixer, Art Power Conditioner, two Art Mic Splitters, six Xtuga IEM transmitters/packs, two Shure GLX-D/SM58 Wireless Mics, and Tech 21 SansAmp RBI Bass Processor and Korg Pitchblack Tuner for the bass guitar. The guitars are using Line 6 Firehawk FX floor processors in front of them. Each of those run a single XLR to a stage box on the drum riser that also receives the drum mics and the outputs from the Roland SPD-SX which provides tracks, samples, and click. The stage box is plugged into the direct out of the mic splitters. At the end of the gig I just throw the box in the back of the rack. Two 8 channel snakes run from the Iso Out of the mic splitters to FOH. Again, after the gig just wind them up and throw them in the rack. Our IEM mix is a set and forget setup. If you can afford it, it makes life on stage so much easier. Also note we don't use any guitar or bass amps and just run everything DI. Only stage noise is the drums and vocals. The reduced gear and setup time allows me to justify playing a slightly larger kit. 😁
Beautifully done! (Also quite similar to how Im setting things up onstage) You make a good point that if you employ a little bit of forward thought/planning, it makes things a lot easier in the long-run. Thanks for sharing!
