IEM's for vocalists

[kerf]

I've read through the trove of posts on this subject, but I'm still wondering how this will work out in my situation. I do almost all lead vocals for the band, playing guitar on a couple of tunes with a box right into the mixer and out through the mains. I've been thrilled with my wireless mic, so now I'm thinking completely wireless.

 

Anyway, when recording, I use one side of the headphones so I can hear myself naturally while singing. Can I get away with that using IEM's? I would like to preserve my hearing in all of this, so will using one side negate those benefits. Should I switch sides during the night so both ears get the same?

 

Where's the point of diminishing returns on price? I plan to have my ear fitted for buds, so I'm primarily concerned about transmission clarity and ease of use.

 

Any vocalists using these that can shed some light on anything else I might not be thinking of?

 

Thanks.

[TimmyP]

Use one earpiece ONLY if you set the volume level with both in, then take one out. If you set the volume level with just one in, you'll likely set it at a much higher level = less safe.

 

Better to use both earpieces and have a crowd mic added to your mix. Or get the Ultimate Ears UE-5 Ambient earpieces.

[Tweeter225]

I use the Shure PSM 400 system and we set 2 ambient mics, one at each end of the stage area, and use both earbuds. It works great. The 400 has stereo output to the buds and you can have one side your vocals and the other side the music and mix to your taste. IEMs are the way to go.

[where02190]

Many performers use only one bud. Futuresonics will make you a single bud IEM if you want.

 

Set the level how you'll use them and where you're comfortable.

 

Obviously your other ear is unprotected. You may or may not feel comfortable wearing a plug in that ear to preserve your hearing.

[timmcallister]

I dropped $900 on the UE ambients. Got them in a month ago and still not convinced they are worth the money.

 

I've been playing with different setups for the last month. Sometimes using the abient feature with only a little vocals in the ear, sometimes with a full mix and using ambient mics, and everything inbetween, including using the IEM in a single ear.

 

One of the tricks I am finding it setting the volume low. Its easy to start cranking it, cause it "feels great" but it starts to defeat the ambient feature and of course cranking the iems can cause hearing damage just as easily as using no iems. I am suprised at how low I can set it and still hear my voice well enough to hear my intonation and hit notes on the boundaries of my range.

 

I am intrigued by using them in one ear, in my case I use them in the ear facing the drummer. We don't have real loud stage volume, but the drummers cymbals and rim shots take their toll on me. I agree with TimmyP you need to understand what you are doing with your volume in this case. As far as "feel", I really like using a single bud. But using a single bud leaves one ear exposed to damage, so that needs to be managed in some other way.

 

while I am unsure the method I will eventually settle on, I can say that I hear myself sing better than ever, and my ears do NOT ring after gigs any longer.

 

"diminishing returns on price"

An interesting question to me. I now have a set of UE7 ambients, the Westone UM1, and Shure e1s. I also have a Shure PSM200 and a PSM400 and the little 4 channel mixer they have.

 

I am sure you will have several people weigh in a tell you EXACTLY what you should do. I won't do that, I think it depends on your:

- Audio needs, what do you plan on monitoring in the IEMs?

- Resources, what can you really spend? Can you afford extra ambient mics/stands/cables/mixer channels? Are you able to mic, mix and monitor every audio producing item on the stage?

- Time constraints, how much time do you want to devote to setting up and tearing down the system every night?

- What are your current SR needs on stage today? Do you currently mic every drum tom? Do you want to start?

- Is the whole band moving to IEMS or will you need to run a traditional monitor system as well?

- Will you be removing/inserting the buds while playing? I sometimes find it easier to yank the buds out when I'm trying to talk to an audience member. The custom molded UE7s slip right back in, piece of cake. The UM1's need the foam rolled, and take much more time to insert.

- etc

 

I think in some scenarios, a PSM200 and a set of $100 UM1's would be just as effective as the UE7's.

 

One way to apprach this is to start with some decent, but cheap ear buds and see how things go. You may decide they are good enough, or you may want to go ahead and purchase a higher end set. You'll want (I would want) a set of backup earbuds with me, and some UM1's or the like would work as such...

 

 

Added benefits

As a band that mixes from the stage, I have also found I can use the "dual mono" feature of the PSM400 to hear the FOH mix in one channel, and a custom mix in the other. This allows me to mix the two from the beltpack. With this feature I can hear (and mix) the FOH mix from the IEMs. Of course, I can't make EQ and overall volume decisions this way, but I know what the relative volume of instruments are in the FOH and can make those kind of adjustments.

 

GOOD LUCK

[kerf]

TimmyP, thanks for the level setting idea, I'll have to do that.

 

Tweeter, I was really hoping got avoid the extra mics, especially since I will probably be the only one using them for some time. A questions, though, with the ambience mics, do you need to mic every instrument, or do you get enough through those mics. I'm thinking my drummer may also want to go wireless and he'll need to hear a different mix than me.

 

Where, I'll check out those buds, thanks.

 

Tim, thanks for the benefit of your experience. I'm thinking Shure PSM200 or 400. Galaxy seems to have recently come out with a system with a street price of $400. Add some buds and it's in my range. At least an IEM seem like a good investment. Primarily, ease of use for myself while hearing as well as possible is my initial goal. The rest of the guys can fend for themselves (even though I am sound man, too). I appreciate the time you spent answering my questions. It really helped a bunch.

[earsaver]

I am happy to see people acknowledge the open ear issues and how to conserve the hearing in that ear. As an audiologist its nice to see musicians understanding the potential effects of loud volume. With that said, the best advice I could offer would be to encourage wear of both IEMs. This will ensure your volume stays low because of isolation, and binaural summation (use of two ears combined signal). This will ease ear fatigue throughout the performance.

A little known part for the PSM 200 is the ambient mic. Simply plugs into the PSM200 beltpak in the 1/4" jack. Helps with some of the ambient issues.

Bluntly, you have to like the earphones sound, stay within what you want to spend...but please please please try to wear both earbuds. This will ensure your best chance at conserving your hearing.

[where02190]

With only one bud, unless you're on arena or stadium sized stages, you won't need everything in your ears, as you will hear a lot from the stage. The downside is you hear a lot from the stage in one ear, and over a long period of time, this can cause some lopsided hearing.

[timmcallister]

 

Originally posted by where02190 With only one bud, unless you're on arena or stadium sized stages, you won't need everything in your ears,

 

 

with one bud, I only monitor vocals, get everything else off stage

[bassred]

In one of my playing situations (church) we use the Hearback system with hard-wired IEMs, occasionally (when we have extra players) I'll have to share a mix with one of the guitar players (I let them mix like they want, and I figure out how to hear what I need....) I will occasionally pull out the bud on my left side, which is the side that is facing tghe edge of the stage, and there are no amps on that side of my head (the drummer is on my right side) so I can hear my vox... it works well, and there is no concern about ear damage because the drummer is 4 feet from my still-covered ear and the guitar amp is 10 feet away on that side, my bass amp is justified to my right side, facing towards the other side of the stage.....

 

So my opinion, if your volume isn't any where near loud, go for one bud so you can hear your projected voice... if your volume is high, look into an in-ear-filter like sensaphonics (and many other companies) offers that gives a flat response with a nice dB of reduction....

[MrKnobs]

Cripes! I use E5s and E4s at work and now I'm spoiled. Even the E4s sound tons better than my own E1s and E2s.

 

Granted, a wireless system isn't going to have the fidelity of a wired one, but I'm thinking about buying a set of E4s for my personal use. They'll definitely make even a wireless system sound better.

 

Terry D.

[where02190]

 

Originally posted by bassred and there is no concern about ear damage because the drummer is 4 feet from my still-covered ear and the guitar amp is 10 feet away on that side, my bass amp is justified to my right side, facing towards the other side of the stage.....

 

 

Don't be too sure about that. Just because your unprotected ear is facing away from the drummer, SPL can and probably still is in excess of 100db unless your drummer is playing with brushes constantly.

 

Remember, hearing loss is permanent!!!!!!!!

[earsaver]

where02190..you are absolutely correct!

[zb0430]

In part to your recomendation, earsaver, I'm going Monday for molds for the Sensaphonics' 2X-S. Thanks for your advice earlier, and you as well, timm.

[abzurd]

Another thing to consider is that all monitor speakers are NOT created equal. What kind of monitoring are you using now? A different monitor can make a world of difference. I used IEM's for about a year, then abandoned them as I just felt to detached from my surroundings. As the front man in a bar playing to people who are sometimes 24" away from me, that just didn't work.

 

Side note - Just last week I bought a pair of EV ZX1 (8" with compression driver). I was absolutely blown away by them. Was using Yorkville NX55P's for monitoring, which is a decent box. The ZX1's had an extremely focused sound and needed very little EQing. I couldn't believe the sound quality and output coming out of them. Not bad for $215.

[kerf]

One of the reasons I'm considering in-ears is because of the space allowed for bands in some of the venues we play. I'm practically standing on a monitor, or nowhere near one since my guitarist and bassist are standing next to me, with just a walkway to the audience. I'll keep the EV's in mind, though.

[Tweeter225]

On the Ambient mics, we use the Berhinger mics at about 20 bucks a piece and set one on each side of the stage. They don't go back through the mains so no feedback. They have a nice pickup, I can hear stuff going on on the other side of the bar. If you go with one in the ear then I would recommend going with a fitted ear mold that just reduces decibels without severely effecting frequncies. Earsaver can tell yopu more about that. I purchased my molds from her when she came to the Cincinnati Sam Ash. She did a great job.

 

We also mic everything except the drums and each one of us has our own monitor mix, we have 4 vocalists. Our drummer sets our stage volume. The quieter we get him to play the better. The in Ear monitors really do make a huge difference when singing. You can hear yourself so much better, I have reduced the ususal singing too loud to hear myself. I don't know to explain it all but after you get used to them it really is the best way to go. Whatever brand you choose.

[abzurd]

 

Originally posted by kerf One of the reasons I'm considering in-ears is because of the space allowed for bands in some of the venues we play. I'm practically standing on a monitor, or nowhere near one since my guitarist and bassist are standing next to me, with just a walkway to the audience. I'll keep the EV's in mind, though.

 

 

I'm right there with you. That was part of why I went this route. There's one venue that is awful both in performance real estate and back line sound (all hard surfaces and low ceiling). I'll be putting one of these little guys on a chair and tucking it in under a table which is directly in front of me. Did it during 3rd set of last show there with a larger monitor and it was a much improved sound.

 

I also did it for ease of set up and transporting. I get a ridiculous amount of gear in my CRV. This lightens the load. I can actually get both subs, mixer case, bag o' cables, 100 ft snake, and both EV monitors in the back (with the seats still up, that's where "the rest" of the stuff goes) AND have full view out all windows in the back. It just so happens the subs and mixer case are the same height as the seat backs.

 

I was planning on using both monitors myself with one off to each side in a V shape which is ideal for hyper pattern mics. I found the output and clarity so good I didn't need both. Gave the other to the bass and guitar player who share and they were happy as well. Theirs tucks in under the drums so it takes no stage space at all.

 

Not sure if it would handle a mega loud stage volume, but it cuts through better than the larger powered 12's so perhaps it would.