Problematic Wedgehorns

[gdougherty]

run a room mic for in ears so you could get the ambients of the room. Just my 2 cents is all

Thats an interesting idea.

That's recommended practice that I've seen for switching over to IEM's. Setup an omni somewhere practical to capture room ambiance and only feed it into the IEM mixes. Usually it's up towards the front to get the crowd and skip monitors or other loud beaten instruments.

[SnakeFingers]

Actually this thread diversion has sparked a few new thoughts to give the bass player in our effort to get him to turn down the volume.

Adding ambient room sounds to an IEM mix is one of things I've read about, and it would solve part of the problem of feeling cut off. Any ideas about what I could do when the lead singer comes over to tell me she's changing the set order on the fly? I won't be able to hear her unless I pull out the IEM, etc., something that's a bit difficult when both hands are on the guitar.

This problem is complicated by the fact the I change tunings and intruments many times a night. Our sets are worked out to accomodate this, but the singer is absolutely magical when it comes to riding the emotional wave of the moment and taking a song or a set off into another direction. It's one of the band's strengths, but I need her cues so I can be prepared for the next song.

[Mark Coward]

I've heard of a group leader that used a "bitch mic"......a wireless lavelier, only mixed in the IEM's.

[gdougherty]

Shure makes a headphone accessory that has a built in mic and allows you to blend in the ambient sound and I think turn it on or off. It sits in-line with your headphones and is battery powered as I recall. I believe you can buy it separate and I know it comes as an included accessory with at least one model.

[David Robinson]

Our lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist uses IEMs, but only one ear at a time to avoid feeling too isolated. He switches ears in between sets to avoid fatigue. He also had the earpieces/inserts or whatever you call them molded for him by an otologist(?). It set him back a little cash, but he says it was well worth the effort. We play a lot of gigs outside during the summer months and the stock earpieces kept popping out of his ear when he'd start sweating. Since the new ones are fitted to his ear canal, that's less of a problem.

[jeffbabcock]

If you are playing in a fixed install for this, you should get an Aviom system to go with the in-ears. Problem solved, you control your own mix, and a monkey could figure it out. Personally I am thrilled when I get these on gigs. If the facility has a digital board such as Yamaha LS9, M7CL or similar there is an Aviom card for those which keeps costs lower than the all analog input solution.

And YES, running at least one "room" mic is a critical part of a good IEM mix in most scenarios. Without it, things will likely sound too isolated and dry. You may also have to route some reverb to the IEM mix.

Jeff