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In Ear Monitoring Headphones for vocals that I can still hear my bass outside of them?


coffee_king
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Hi all
I recently purchased an in ear monitoring system that I use just for vocals when I sing and play bass.

I want some headphones that:-

a) Will stay on my head and in my ears.
b ) Allow bass and other sounds through from the outside world.
c) Sound decent for vocals.

I dont want to be totally enclosed/blocked up with them as I want to hear whats going on on stage. I also want some nice clarity and volume in my vocals from them.

I'm currently using
[url="http://www.jvceshop.co.uk/content/ebiz/jvcdirect/invt/haeb75/haeb75_black.jpg"]http://www.jvceshop....aeb75_black.jpg[/url]
as they are sports/running ones, so as much as the ear bud doesnt always stay directly in my ear, the ear clips stop them from falling out/off my ears....plus they were stupidily cheap at about £4 delivered.

Any suggestions?
Thanks

Edited by shippo
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Tell me more about your in ear monitoring system.

Ideally, your in ear system should isolate you from everything on stage. Anything that you want to hear, should be fed into your ears via a monitor mix.

However, there are systems that are out there that enable you to add an ambient mix from the outside world. These fall into one of two categories - ambient via mic, or ambient via vent. The latter is simply an opening on the IEMs that are adjustable to "leak" sound from the outside world in. The other is where you mix in a signal from ambient mics, in with the monitor mix. This can be achieved with a couple of permiter mics pointing at either the stage or audience (wherever you want to pick up the ambient sound from) or using something like the live system from ACS or Sensaphonics.

Biggest question at this point is... what's your budget? Great monitoring solutions don't come cheap!

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Hi there
Ive got an Audio Technica M3.

I just use it for vocals (while I'm playing bass at the same time) so I want something aimed for vocals.
I want the leakage of what else is going on around me.
I do not want to have to use any more mics for ambience.
I want them to be secure and not fall out (I move around a LOT on stage).

Anything else you need to know?
Cheers

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[size=3][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Hi there
With my [color=#000000]Yamaha MG166CX-USB mixing desk I can only have two monitor mixers (Through Aux Send 1 & 2 being used for vocals), so I'm afraid I'm limited as to what I can do with the technology I own.[/color] Also a reason that I only want vocals in my IEM.[/font][/size]

Edited by shippo
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I don't get it. You've got a great IEM radio system and you want to comprimise what it can do by using £4 headphones or replacing them with something where you are relying on leak to hear whats going on around you? In turn, this causes you to take the in ears out of your ear to hear more of the ambient sound, which will then cause you to thrape the output on the vocal feed... which in turn is likely to cause damage to your ears. The worst thing you could do is have one in and one out... because you will then over compensate with levels and deafen yourself in one ear.

You've got the ability where you can mic up the band and not run out of channels on your desk with ease and have an amazing sound coming through your ears... at a volume which isn't going to cause damage to your ears... why aren't you keen?

What are your monitoring requirements of all the band members? Do you all want to run an independent mix?

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Hi there
I never said I wanted to use £4 headphones. This is my exact reason for being on here to NOT Use £4 headphones.
Neither did I say that I take the headphones out of my ears, either one or partially, nor am I thrapping the output volume on the vocal feed.
The only monitoring going on is two vocals and thats all that is needed. We can't all run independant mixes as I explained earlier my desk will only handle two.
Yes, 2 x vocals, bass, guitar, kick and snare are mic'd up, but all that is used in the monitor mix is vocals.
Again I stress I don't want to be completely isolated in my monitor mix.
Cheers

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If you've got two auxes, you can run independent mixes. Two of them. You can select how much of each channel on your desk you want going to each aux send. You have also got the option of running radio packs in focus mode, so you can send a band mix off the mains (not as ideal as doing a seperate mix) to say, the left channel - and then the vocal output aux of ever aux 1 or 2 to the right channel. Then you can use your monitor pack to balance between the two.

I didn't say that you wanted to take the headphones out of your ears - I am describing the effects that will happen if you aren't comfortable with your monitoring situation. If you want to leak sound through your monitors, you are going to end up with a variable that you are not in control of - the ambient level... therefore, you are already in a situation where your monitoring capability is comprimised. Of course, every "leaky monitor" is going to leak by different amounts also. If you aren't happy with the monitoring, you'll pull your monitors out, or you will over compensate with an increase in volume. Both bad news.

But hey, you seem to know what you are doing, so go for it.

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Without spending lots of money then, (well, maybe lots of money but not lots and lots and lots of money)

1964-V2 + ambient vent
Jerry Harvey JH5 + ambient vent
Alien Ears C1 + ambient vent
Alient Ears C2 + ambient vent
Aurisonics A1 + ambient vent
Ultimate Ears 5 + ambient vent
ACS T2 Live + ambient pack (OK, maybe this one is lots of money...)

I still think that anything with an ambient vent is bad news though (or anything that doesn't seal well on your ears) - you will lose your bass out of what is coming through you IEM (OK, this is only for vocals in your case but it still has an impact on the tone).

I would urge you to read this too - [url="http://www.sensaphonics.com/hearing-conservation-tips-for-musicians"]http://www.sensaphonics.com/hearing-conservation-tips-for-musicians[/url] - saves me writing any more.

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