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Thread: Monitors -- Ear Buds

  1. #1

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    Default Monitors -- Ear Buds

    I played a gig last Saturday night and the club (which we have played twice before) has taken the conventional monitors away from the drum area and are now providing in-ear monitors. My guitar player has his own buds and allowed me to use them because he (and the soundman) told me they were of superior quality than the buds supplied by the club.

    This was my first time to use ear buds for monitors and I can say that I prefer the old conventional monitor speakers by far.
    Even though both guys told me I had good buds, they sounded like a transistor radio to me..............the tone was tinny and awful.
    I could hear all the vocals and the instruments well enough, but the sound itself was all treble and no richness at all.
    The bass guitar and the bass drum was even a bit distorted because of the low frequency tones generated.

    Have any of you guys used these inner-ear monitors ?
    Do you like them ?
    Was I just using cheapos or are all of them tinny/trebley ?
    Gretsch USA & Zildjian
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  2. #2

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    I will never go back to a speaker now that I have IEM! I don't know how or why more people don't use them!

    So much more control and the stage volume is so much better when more people use them.

  3. #3

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    Quote Originally Posted by SpazApproved View Post
    I will never go back to a speaker now that I have IEM! I don't know how or why more people don't use them!

    So much more control and the stage volume is so much better when more people use them.
    +1............I am now firmly in the IEM camp..............don't know which IEMs you used, but I have some Shure SE215s..............they run around 100 bucks and I have no complaints

  4. #4

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    Rick the tone is still adjusted and controlled by the sound guy unless you have your own mixing board. With that said a bad sound guy will ruin sound with anything... IEM included.

  5. #5

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    Quote Originally Posted by longgun View Post
    +1............I am now firmly in the IEM camp..............don't know which IEMs you used, but I have some Shure SE215s..............they run around 100 bucks and I have no complaints
    +1. I have the same ones and they are great. I even use them when listening to music while working out or doing stuff around the house. I also have a set of Bose ear buds that work great. As Spaz said, if the sound gut has control of your monitor it's going to sound like crap no matter what unless you can have him adjust to your liking
    "Don't let your pride swell....you may have to swallow it one day!"- Unknown

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  6. #6

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    I'm old school and on the other "camp" and can't stand IEMs. I want to hear the kit when I'm behind it and not through a mix. Second issue, I sweat like a pig and it drips down the side of my head and into my ears and eyes. When the sweat seeps passed the ear buds and into my ear canal, it bugs me big time. I go by the monitor mix on stage and play to that mix. I like to be able to look directly into the tweeter of the floor wedge to ensure of the right placement for me but if that isn't possible, I like it aimed at the back of my head like the one in this pic.


  7. #7

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    Very interesting discussion for me. I've been considering going with IEMs. Tired of lugging around big ole' monitors and trying to place them in sometimes cramped quarters.

  8. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by inthpktplayer View Post
    Tired of lugging around big ole' monitors and trying to place them in sometimes cramped quarters.
    Ever try a "Hot Spot" monitor? Nothing more than a 6x9 speaker in a box. My buddy made his own by using some Jensen 6x9 car stereo speakers he had laying around his garage. I used them at a gig for the first time and it worked great. Easy to place; light and portable. We hardly ever have a SE (sound engineer) at our gigs so I try to keep it really simple. For me, the less electronics I have to worry about, the better.


  9. #9

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    I use original hot spot monitors ...have since da beginning ,,,
    "FEEL DA GROOVE & PLAY IT FORWARD..."

    "BEAUTY IS IN THE EARS OF THE BEHOLDER ,
    ENJOY IT ALL,,, MY BROTHERS & SISTERS"

    COMMANDER & CHIEPH OF
    "PHROGGE'S AQUARIAN ARMY"

    LEGEND IN MY OWN MIND
    & FORCE BEHIND DA
    "PHX AZ LEGEND OF DA ZYDECO GROOVE VEST"
    (AND OTHER TOYZ) INCLUDING PIZZABOX SNARE DRUM

    IT'S ALL ABOUT DA SHOW !!!!!

  10. #10

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    WOW, alot of pros and cons, I've never used them but always wanted to try them. How do your drums sound when you play them, do they sound like you have head phones on, or does some of the drum mix come through.

  11. #11

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ricardo View Post
    Even though both guys told me I had good buds, they sounded like a transistor radio to me..............the tone was tinny and awful.
    I could hear all the vocals and the instruments well enough, but the sound itself was all treble and no richness at all.
    The bass guitar and the bass drum was even a bit distorted because of the low frequency tones generated.

    Have any of you guys used these inner-ear monitors ?
    Do you like them ?
    Was I just using cheapos or are all of them tinny/trebley ?
    I found this interesting. It's an excerpt from John Aldridge's piece written for "Drum" magazine. Aldridge mentioned Max Weinberg's IEM system and what his drum tech, Harry McCarthy, uses to support the IEM. He and Weinberg share a few of the negatives you mentioned surrounding IEM.

    A Day In The Life Of A Drum Tech
    By John Aldridge


    Quote~

    12:30 p.m.

    "Sound techs begin wiring in the monitors. In a gig like this, the last thing you want would be to lose monitors. The stage is huge and there’s very little onstage amplification to begin with. Weinberg gets his dose of the band through a set of in-ear monitors and two subwoofer cabinets that sit on the back section of the stage immediately behind the drum riser.

    They are the biggest speakers on the stage, and provide Weinberg with a realistic bottom end. In addition to the main input for headphones, McCarthy and Weinberg also maintain two backup jacks (and mixes!) mounted to the bottom side of the throne.

    In the event of a failure (which rarely happens) Weinberg can switch from a faulty connection to a working plug without having to look for the jack. Although it’s a safe bet that McCarthy would hear about it long before that, and possibly beat Weinberg to the switch."


    "Since the majority of the monitoring is done through in-ear systems, there are no monitor cabinets on the stage floor, but Springsteen still has a few wedges mounted under the stage and firing through grills in the floor. Other than the actual instruments and a few speaker cabinets for the guitars and bass, the stage is relatively uncluttered as compared to your average “stacks of Marshalls” rock setup."

    End of Quote~
    Last edited by late8; 04-11-2016 at 06:29 PM.

  12. #12

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    If you decide to go the IEM route check out Westone. I can't remember the model I have but they have the dual drivers. Flat out AWESOME.
    Last edited by Dawgkikker; 04-11-2016 at 09:45 PM.
    Dave


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    RIP my friend


    Proud member of "PHROGGES AQUARIAN ARMY"

  13. #13

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ricardo View Post

    Was I just using cheapos or are all of them tinny/trebley ?
    I don't know what you were using.

    In my limited experience, you will have to pay big money to get something you will actually like listening to. I have a $300 pair of Shure IEM's and they are the bare minimum I would consider using. I like to like what I'm hearing. That is the point of playing (for me).

  14. #14

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    Again here's the real deal for the sound of your IEM mix...

    unless you have your own mixing board just like a box speaker you're at the mercy of your sound guy. He CAN adjust EVERYTHING for you.

    Add any drum that is mic'd into your mix
    Adjust volumes of any instrument and control treble and bass.

    A bad sound guy can ruin anything, a good sound guy will enhance everything.

  15. #15

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    I got the Shure SE112 ($50) in ears and they sound pretty good . I guess tho that all depends on the sound guy . And in my experience the sound people I've had to deal with recently haven't been very good ! Seems like nowadays anyone can call themselves a "soundman" .
    And one more thing . You sorta have to experiment with the different sleeves that come with the ear buds . The better the fit the better the sound . You have to find the ones that are right for you .
    Rudy .

  16. #16

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    Quote Originally Posted by SpazApproved View Post

    A bad sound guy can ruin anything, a good sound guy will enhance everything.
    100% concur

    We have some solid sound guys at church and a professional setup...................here is what I plug into............I can control whatever I want to hear.


  17. #17

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    Quote Originally Posted by longgun View Post
    100% concur

    We have some solid sound guys at church and a professional setup...................here is what I plug into............I can control whatever I want to hear.

    I use a similar setup. And it's amazing. Also played at a church with a Yamaha board you could connect to with your iPhone/ ipod/ ipad and adjust your own monitor mix. IEM'S require either the ability to adjust your own mix or a sound guy you trust. I had a sound guy plug mine into a powered channel once. Fortunately he didn't blow my IEM's but my ear drums suffered a bit
    "Don't let your pride swell....you may have to swallow it one day!"- Unknown

    God made Cops so Firefighters could have heroes!

    Quote Originally Posted by pastor_bob View Post
    I'm waaaay past having any major parts of my body exposed. Believe me, it wouldn't add anything to the show!
    Proud member of PHROGGE's Aquarian Army

    Zildjian League

  18. #18

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    My current band uses IEMs and an XR18 so we can each control our mix from our phones/tablets. I absolutely love it and hope to never look back.

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