Live Vocal Monitors: in-ear or on the floor?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jack Russell
  • Start date Start date

If you were starting from scratch, which vocal monitor system would you buy?

  • An in-ear monitor system.

    Votes: 10 52.6%

  • Amps and speakers on the floor.

    Votes: 7 36.8%

  • I'd give up singing and start an all-instrumental band.

    Votes: 2 10.5%
  • Total voters
    19
I think zangocaster is mostly full of shit, but I agree with him here. I guess I am just used to being able to flinch from the floor monitors. I have used the IEM a few times on sub gigs and was nearly decapitated from the occasional feedback squeal. I tried to do the one ear thing, but noticed on the way home that the ear with the IEM was bleeding much more profusely than the one that I listened to my guitar with.

If you have your shit together you can probably get superior results with the IEM, but most people I know don't have their shit together (me included) and the risk is really great for funnelling an unnatural blast of noise into your ear.
 
I guess I must have my shit together because none of my guys have EVER had that happen to them in their ears.
 
Jack Russell said:
Interesting. I would think that would really become annoying and disturbing after awhile.
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I wouldn't think so, when I did sound I usually kept on side of a can on my bad ear--in case I wanted to check something out, I could dial it in the can--and I kept my good ear on the house :o
 
xstatic said:
I guess I must have my shit together because none of my guys have EVER had that happen to them in their ears.
Click to expand...

xstatic said:
After working with well over 1000 bands live and at least a couple hundred bands that use IEM's, this is my experience.
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Disclaimer:

Professional driver on closed course. Results not typical. Your mileage may vary.
 
IEM, digital drum, no g'tar amp but using DI to mixer. No stage noise; no feedback. I love to try mixing for this kind of band.
 
I remember one of the best sounding bands in concert was Seals and Crofts who used headphones when playing live. They also had like 1/10th the number of speakers for mains....Crytal clear and superb pitch.....
That was long before iem....
 
Thats kind of funny, cause I have a Seals and Seals show coming up. No more headphones I guess, but a fairly typical monitor rig.
 
Our Praise Band started out with in-ears with custom fit ear molds, but we were constantly having the sound guys adjust the levels of the instruments and singers. Not good because it was out of our control. Then we got the aviom monitor system, which is a small monitor for each band member, so I can now make all the adjustments in sound that I hear right at my fingertips, for my instrument and each band member and vocalist. We have no amps or wedges on stage, so stage noise is gone, which is a good thing for the house. However, if I had my way, I would make all the other band members use their in-ears, and have an amp for me, because no matter how you slice it, it just does not sound as good. My acoustic guitar sounds soo smooth through an amp, and soo tiny through in-ears. This is not a cheap solution.
 
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