Ampless playing and in-ear monitoring - need help :)

[davidsantana27]

Hi everyone!
Me and my drummer decided to reactivate our old band, we have 4 people so far, and we want to focus on perfect live performances. We are going to use Pods HD and plug them in line. No power amps and no cabinets on stage. Same story with bass, preamp plugged in line. Now comes the problem, what do we need and HOW do we make in-ear monitoring on stage? We have a 16-channel mixer for our use on stage so far. Tip - the cheaper gear you suggest, the better for us. Thanks in advance for all replies

 

[GunpointMetal]

Cheap does not ever equal good for in-ear monitors. We have some real, real cheap ones that work (Takstar-look it up on Amazon), but they have a constant layer of static noise and the receiver can only handle low-level inputs. At the cheapest I would look at the Galaxy Audio Systems from AMS. If everyone is fine with the same monitor mix, all you need is a mixer with one output and one transmitter with multiple receivers. What we're finding is the drummer wants a very different mix from guitars and bass so we're using a mixer with a separate monitor output on each channel so the drummer gets the main mix how he wants in his phones, and the bassist and I get our own mix, as well. For that you would need a mixer with as many output busses as you want monitor mixes and, depending on how many mixes, a transmitter/receiver for each. Luckily, since drummers usually sit in place, they don't need a wireless receiver and can run on wired phones.

 

[davidsantana27]

Thanks for your advices GunpointMetalhttp://www.sevenstring.org/forum/members/gunpointmetal.html
Well, still no clear enough We have the mentioned mixer with 3 separate monitor channels, so basically we need headphones amp + headphones/wireless in-ear sets plugged in there? And how do we deliver signal from our Pods into both mixers (one in venue, for sound system and one on stage for monitoring)? Split in on Pods' output somehow?

 

[GunpointMetal]

In your case I would use the 1/4" outputs of the POD to run to your mixer and use the XLR outputs to send to the house. Depending on your bass pre-amp you can probably do the same, or get a little XLR splitter and send one side to your mixer and one side to the house. As far as getting vocals in your monitors, you can get some of those in-line splitters so you can send a signal to your mixer from the mic and to the house. If you're playing a place with a decent sound system, the sound guy can probably give you a send of the vocals to put in your mixer without all the extra adapters/cables.

 

[davidsantana27]

Thanks a lot guys, that covered what I wanted to know. So basically drummer needs headphones and amp and others need wireless sets. OK, sounds like a plan

 

[WhiteWalls]

Keep in mind that the "1 transmitter and N bodypacks" solution only works if everyone gets the same exact mix, which most of the time is not the case. If you need different mixes then the only way out is to use a transmitter for every member of the band and the mixer must have enough channels too. Considering that you can use the main L and R outputs of the mixer as monitor mixes in this case, you only really need three separate monitor outputs for a 5 piece band.

You also shouldn't have to split the pod signal as every pod has two pairs of outputs, so even if you have stereo patches you can still do it

 

[Wrecklyss]

Carvin in ears, while not cheap are very affordable compared to other brands such as Shure, Sennheiser, etc. and have two inputs so you can run the band mix on one side and your own instrument on the other side. Will require a transmitter per person, so the cost does add up. They are also expandable so you can start with one transmitter with all the transmitters hooked up and add to it later.

 

[davidsantana27]

Glad to hear that WhiteWalls! That will make things easier.
I think we can use 4 separate mixes, from aux 1-3 and main output. That's more than enough, I guess
About Carvin and other brands, we still haven't decided, we will probably order something at thomann.de as we live in Poland. First of all, we have to play few rehearsals that way, but with regular headphones, only then we can finally decide if we're going to to use this method or not. But I am very optimistic so far

 

[spaghettipomodoro]

I have Galaxy AS9004 Band Pack Wireless In Ear Monitor System and use it only for clicks. It's horrible and has a constant layer of fuzz over it, invest in an Audio Technica M2 system or something.

Also get Shure SE series in ears. I personally have the 425s and use them daily with my iPod, they're awesome. If you can even get the lowest grade ones (99$) they are wonderful for blocking noise and who cares how shitty your monitoring sound is if you're on a budget.

 

[GunpointMetal]

The Galaxy system is that bad huh? Guess I'm glad I went with the $70 system from Amazon, cause it sounds like its about the same sound quality as that $500 system....plus we can add body packs for like $25!

 

[Katash]

I've worked with several bands using in ear on stage (be it 1 or 2 persons or the whole band....) - what you need when you will all be using IEM:

[o: Split]
o: Mixing desk - check!
o: Headphone amp for drummer / or use main bus + headamp from desk
o: Wireless transmitter + receiver for each musician / or 1 transmitter and in your case 3 receivers if only using a stereo mix for all 3

The split could be left out if you use 1 out of the POD HDs to the monitor desk and one to FoH, same with bass (Sansamp? Then you have multiple outs ).
The problem is you might want to get at least overheads from drums into the desk, or kick + snare, otherwise everybody will hear the drums only muffled and dull sounding without much attack.

Regarding the wireless stuff:

2 possibilities:

FIRST:
each musician his or her own mix:
you need to have enough aux sends in your desk (2-4, you can only make it work with 2 auxes with a few trade-offs so only if money isn't enough or something like that)
drummer can have cable, rest needs wireless receivers and seperate transmitters. It is possibly to use a stereo transmitter as 2x mono, so 2 transmitters with 3 body packs can work perfectly.

SECOND:
1 Stereo mix done via the faders and master output of the board -> to 1 wireless transmitter AND drummer. spares you one transmitter. that's it.
or you can have 2 mono mixes, 1 for the drummer, 1 for the rest
or 1 for the singer, 1 for the rest
or 1 for the diva and 1 for the working band
whatever, provided you have aux(iliary) outputs in your mixing desk.

As you are located in poland, head over to thomann.de to get a idea for some suitable splits or stuff, I can even send you some links with gear I worked with.
Their own cheap in ear system isn't really bad and doesn't cost an arm and a leg.
The millenium split is cheap and does exactly what it should do.

If I can help you any further let me know

 

[BenSolace]

I can vouch for the LD Systems MEI1000X system. I have not compared to something more upmarket like the popular Sennheiser ones, but I have heard that the difference in sound quality/RF noise does not justify the £600 price inscrease. The advantage is that they do have a combiner made for them which also powers them (though I think this can be used with other brand's IEM's to combine but not power).

 

[davidsantana27]

Thanks for all help guys
Katash, you really explained EVERYTHING
I guess we will use one stereo mix for everyone except drummer. We have 3 aux in our mixer, so I believe it's fine. One wireless transmitter and 4 body packs (2x guitar, bass and vocal) will do the job, yes? We will use whole mix in stereo (including snare and kick, they are triggered, maybe an overhead as well) and drummer will use click + my guitar only. If you would be so kind, I would be really grateful for links to some budget products from thomann.de, already bought some stuff there, always good quality and service Happy new year by the way!