In Ear Monitors

Peewee Charles · Post by **Peewee Charles** » 8 Jul 2008 12:29 pm

Had the opportunity of using in ear monitors with George Canyon on weekend for the first time, no rehearsals, band just flew in from Kandahar after playing for the troops....What a great artist & person...new experience using ear buds...had a Nashville 400 in the backline that was ok...Can I get some input on what some of the pros are using...preamps or amps in the backline? Sure would be nice to plug into something that was the same every gig....I know this is the way of the future & will be a lot better on the ears & sound a lot better....I could just not get use to them....I'm sure I have to give it some time...thanks everyone, it's been awhile....

Darvin Willhoite · Post by **Darvin Willhoite** » 8 Jul 2008 3:00 pm

I'm not a pro, but I've used in-ears for about 5 years now at my regular church gig. I use a Digitech 2112 tube preamp, and a Countryman DI, and no amp. I also have a Proco Rat between the guitar and VP, and a EH Phaser between the VP and preamp. We digitally record the music every Sunday and I'm very happy with the sound I get. We also use Aviom personal mixers for each musician so we can control our own mix on the fly. This system works great for us.

I played an outside gig Sunday night with an amp and it just didn't sound the same. I couldn't hear the guitar player at all from the other end of the stage, and I had to sit in front of the drums with no way to turn them down. I LOVE MY IN-EARS AND AVIOM.

mtulbert · Post by **mtulbert** » 9 Jul 2008 7:09 am

Hey Darvin,

I am with you on this. We bought an Aviom system last fall and made it portable. It does take longer to set up the PA with it but the sound through it is great.

I use my Rev Pre-amp with a Lexicon for Reverb. I have a Crown Amp that I use to get some stage volume but it is not that loud. I find that my playing technique is better with the Aviom because I am not fighting with the volume pedal to be heard.

Thanks for the great info on the Aviom when I asked you many months ago. It has been great.

Peewee Charles · Post by **Peewee Charles** » 9 Jul 2008 8:42 am

Appreciate the input....heading out for some shows next week & hopefully will get better after a few gigs.....

http://www.myspace.com/peeweecharles

Jeff Valentine · Post by **Jeff Valentine** » 9 Jul 2008 7:35 pm

I play with a band that uses in ears exclusively. Every now and then we'll do an amp gig, but that's not very often. I just go right through a Line 6 Pod X3 into the board. It's a great way to save your hearing. It can sound like a CD in your ears if you take the time to get all the levels and panning set correctly. If you don't, it can be kinda a drag. None of us uses an amp on stage, which really speeds up the setup and reduces the amount of gear we have to haul. I'm a big fan of in ears.

Peewee Charles · Post by **Peewee Charles** » 10 Jul 2008 4:12 am

Thanks Jeff...When you say levels & panning....I guess it all comes down to the person mixing...In most cases what would you ask for on initial setup...first gig I did last week was with a big act & they had it together....aksed for CD mix with steel louder in mix....seemed ok for quieter stuff, but when we got rockin could hardly hear self & was very washy ...I guess its a small window...As far as Lin6 x3....I've never used one....After using Peavey for so many years....is there settings that would be close...I like that idea so much, rather than to have to depend on backline each show & conditions of amps...really interested in the Line 6 idea & where to get settings & up and running...doing big shows out west on the 23rd &26th in Calgary with George Canyon & would be cool to try..thanks again for your help....Ed ps heres a recent article The Record did on my background fyi http://news.therecord.com/Life/article/371430

Jeff Valentine · Post by **Jeff Valentine** » 10 Jul 2008 4:44 am

We have our own sound guy, but we control our own mix with the board onstage. We rehearse with the in ears too, so spending time to get the mix set is something we do. It would be harder to get it right if you didn't have a few minutes to deal with the person mixing and what you were and were not getting in your mix. I usually find it best to play a little softer with the volume pedal that usual during the softer stuff. As long as my volume is good in my ears all is well. The sound out front is up to the sound guy and has nothing to do with what I'm hearing. Then when the band gets louder I still have plenty of volume pedal to get where I need to be. Sometimes during soundcheck I just sit there and listen to what I'm getting. Then I can make a few requests once the tune is over. If there's anything you DON'T want to hear you can get rid of it. Sometimes there are singers who only do harmony stuff and you really don't need them complicating your mix. Usually when things get too loud it's snare, kick or bass. I usually like to hear a good amount of bass to tune. It makes a big difference to me to hear things places in the right SPOT in my mix. You can ask the person mixing to put you right down the center and pan everyone else out. I prefer my sound panned farther out, but that's not the norm. The mixer should know what to do. You can always have someone else plug into your mix to make some suggestions if you really respect their ability to deal with mixes. The Pod is totally awesome! I can't say enough good things about it. I'd be happy to email you some great steel sounds that you can easily load onto the pod. I've never heard an amp be more useful in different situations. You can always plug into you amp through the pod to get the same sounds, but it's not quite as good. I gotta run, but enjoy the in ears. They'll keep you from going deaf....

Peewee Charles · Post by **Peewee Charles** » 10 Jul 2008 9:55 am

Appreciate all the input & will use it all....I know the guys at the local music store & they let me try out stuff all the time, Tried some E5 buds & they were pretty clean....I will pick up a Pod....if you could email some sounds, might make it a little easier for me...I know with time the ear buds will be great, that's waht all the rest of the band tell me...thanks & have a great night...Ed

Jeff Valentine · Post by **Jeff Valentine** » 10 Jul 2008 6:20 pm

Hey Ed,

Send me your email address and I'll get you some sounds. Let me know which pod you're getting. The Line 6 xt uses a different software to download sounds than does the X3. I just upgraded to the X3. Are you using ear buds or actually molded in ears?

-Jeff

Brian Pelky · Post by **Brian Pelky** » 10 Jul 2008 9:41 pm

I use E-5 molded ear pieces on a Shure PSM system. The molded ear pieces blow away the ear buds....better isolation and way more comfortable on the ear canal over time. I've used them for a couple of years now, and it DEFINITELY is saving my hearing. One complaint I've had is the 10:1 built in compression (to save your ears from feedback spikes). I've experimented with the mix, and have my vocal and guitar loudest in my mix. Kick and Snare can definitely clamp down on the compressor and take my vocal right out, so I have that fairly low...just enough to hear some presence. Our mixer started using an outside compressor between board and tranmitter to try and help out on the severe compression on my system.....that helped quite a bit. Anybody have any other ideas? Maybe there's a better system out there than the PSM. But, I love the molded in-ears....no complaints here.

Peewee Charles · Post by **Peewee Charles** » 11 Jul 2008 8:15 am

Hey Jeff, I will try the X3 if it is the newest version....I used a pair of Shure E5's on last gig...they felt pretty good....Looking at the es530 as well.....Thanks again, very excited about the technology & saving my ears...Thanks so much Brian for the info with regards to spikes etc....All the best to both...Ed

Richard Marko · Post by **Richard Marko** » 11 Jul 2008 8:38 am

On POD patch downlods, I've tried other steel player patches and I've found mine always sound better.
Myself and David Spires (JoDee Messina steel Player)
set ours up this way :

Jazz clean amp model
15" speaker
Treble & midrange from 9 to 12 o'clock
Bass almost all the way up
You'll need to play with EQ for desired bottom end.

I've had many problems using compressor/gate and now stay away from them.
Other steelers also say it will kill your tones and expression.
I've had different volume pedals change the tone also.
I use LED now but have a light photo cell for back up - it does change tone dramatically.
I've always had bad luck with pots !!

Be sure to have the "trim" on mixer board down almost all the way, I've been recently having issues with sound guy for mixer board and this he had set to 12 o clock and caused me red-lining alot, of course for a month he was blaming me though !!!
The signal from POD is hot and of pre-amp magnitude no need to amplify more via trim !!!
I've learned this from David Spires also on personal e-mails and other steelers in the forum.
I also went as far as mounting a 19" LED VU meter from Audio Displays to monitor and set my levels at POD instead of depending on sound guy.
Adjustment of LED readout is simple on front and this I used to show same indicating on mixer board.

On the ears I've been using a cheapo Rolls and will upgrade next week to a Aphex 454 @ 179.00, I hear from other local musicians this is very good amp.
I was using dual driver ear buds but they started distorting so now I use headphones till I get better amp in, can't tell if it is the buds or amp.
Let me know how much yu pay for the E5's I might go that route.

You'll enjoy the POD and get frustrated with it.
You definitely should hook up with GearBox and do all your tones , EQ etc... setting using the computer - alot easier / quicker than the pad on the XT !!!

This is a different world going this way and takes time to get use to, I've been doing it since last September and still getting use to it.

Good Luck

David Simenson · Post by **David Simenson** » 11 Jul 2008 9:43 pm

I love using in-ear monitors. I use the Shure E-3s and E-5s. For keyboards and guitar the E-3s are OK for me. For playing bass, I want the E-5s. We use the Aviom system at church, and the Behringer headphone amp for rock and country gigs. I much prefer them over floor monitors, because I can keep the sound pressure down and my ears aren't ringing so much after a gig.

Peewee Charles · Post by **Peewee Charles** » 13 Jul 2008 2:26 pm

Appreciate everyones input...all mew to me...will be great I'm sure...Have to keep up with technology...Ed

Jeff Valentine · Post by **Jeff Valentine** » 14 Jul 2008 6:21 am

Hey Richard,

That's good information. I'll check it out and see what I end up with. I'm very happy with many of the sounds that I use, but am always looking for better stuff. Much appreciated.

-Jeff

Dyke Corson · Post by **Dyke Corson** » 15 Jul 2008 7:19 am

Our band has been doing the Aviom in-ear thing for about a year. I find the Podxt to sound the best for me. Westone's ear buds blow away anything Shure makes. I had E-4s and the Westone UM2 Dual Driver's are cheaper, have more gain and just plain sound better. The UM1 single driver sounds great also. I treated myself to custom earmold 3-ways for my birthday last February. I LOVE not having any amps to move!

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