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Joe Bonamassa on in-ear monitors


Grangur

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1 hour ago, mcnach said:

 

It works in the sense that he gets the effect he seeks and he likes what he hears. But he seems to be disregarding the audience's health and 'listening pleasure', by many accounts... and it is 100% avoidable. Seems a little donkey-headed to me, when he is in a position to be able to afford whatever system he wants to use. If the sound onstage is so loud that it makes mixing FOH difficult... you need to wonder whether he plays for his own pleasure or for an audience. 

 

Joey B. went down to the crossroads and waited.

Eventually the Devil appeared and made him an offer.

"I'll give you complete command of your instrument, and a level of success such that you can always play for your own pleasure with a disregard for anyone else."

"And what's the price? My soul?"

"No," replied the Devil, "my price is that for the rest of your life you have to dress as a chartered accountant trying to relax..."

N_090115D1.jpg

 

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On 29/05/2019 at 08:06, ped said:

I saw a band recently who were all using IEMs and it was the best sound out front I’ve ever heard. 

The last band i saw using in-ears spent 30 mins seting the monitor mix and none setting the FOH mix. Result was cachophony.

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13 minutes ago, Chienmortbb said:

The last band i saw using in-ears spent 30 mins seting the monitor mix and none setting the FOH mix. Result was cachophony.

I work with 2 singers who use IEMs, one takes ages, which means the FOH is often rushed. However, the other is done and dusted super quick, and the FOH seems right almost off the bat. I don't know if this is down to the product, or personal preferences.

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To be fair I play pubs and clubs, a real weekend warrior BUT I was product manager for Panasonic/RAMSA some years ago so I have a little knowledge (dangerous thing). I also had a 100W Sound City stack as a youth with 2 4x12s. I do not suffer from tinnutis despite 1000s of gigs and being 67.

 I don't agree with everything Joe Bonnamassa says in this artical but there is a grain of truth in what he says. Remember that your instrument is not just your guitar/bass, it is the whole signal chain:

  • Bass
  • Instrument Cable
  • Amp
  • Cable
  • Speaker
  • Room
  • Listeners ears.

Change any one and your sound changes.

In my experience (YMMV) In-Ears give a rather unnatural sound. They tap into the sound at  the cab I feel like I am in an isolation booth, I don't enjoy it and as I play music for enjoyment, they are self defeating for me.

Amplifiers, especially guitar amps need to be pushed hard to get the sound, so get the right sized amp for the gig. For most pubs/clubs, 5-15 Watts is adequate .For bass, in general, the volume of the amp/cab does not contribute so  much to the sound so again, in my opinio,n the power of the amps is not so relevant. Volume does not affect the sound of the bass anywhere near as much as it does the guitar.

For the same pubs/clubs, FOH support is not needed and volume can, and should be, controlled. My band get more compliments when we play quieter. The best band I have ever seen in a pub are Chicago 9. Even the Harp player had his own amp and the PA? A tiny Peavey system, used only for the vocals.

In-Ears have their place as does the Soundman or Woman (please don't call them engineers) but for most semi- pro bands the most important members of the band are volume controls.

Finally one more issue with In-ears. The size of the driver compared to the volume of your ear canal is massive. There is great danger of ear damage if the volume it too high for too long. Smartphone makers don't put volume limiters on the headphone output for nothing.

Volume controls go down as well as up and that is what will protect your ears from over-loud transducers of any size.

 

Edited by Chienmortbb
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57 minutes ago, Chienmortbb said:

The last band i saw using in-ears spent 30 mins seting the monitor mix and none setting the FOH mix. Result was cachophony.

Total noobs then. The idea of an ears mix, is that with all the close micing/DI there should be no to limited changes and the venue becomes insignificant.

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45 minutes ago, ezbass said:

I work with 2 singers who use IEMs, one takes ages, which means the FOH is often rushed. However, the other is done and dusted super quick, and the FOH seems right almost off the bat. I don't know if this is down to the product, or personal preferences.

Diva most probably vs singer who knows what they want and get on with it.

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On 15/06/2019 at 15:05, stingrayPete1977 said:

We've barely touched our in ears mix since it was first set up and saved into the mixer, I wouldn't use them in a venue where they were coming from an unknown source. 

Yep, this. We're properly DI (triggered kit, Helixes (Helii?)) so there's no need to change it. We took some time to get the monitor mix right, so we can concentrate on FOH. Why wouldn't you?

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6 minutes ago, Muzz said:

Yep, this. We're properly DI (triggered kit, Helixes (Helii?)) so there's no need to change it. We took some time to get the monitor mix right, so we can concentrate on FOH. Why wouldn't you?

Perfect - realistically, the only things that may change are the open mics... but even then, those changes are mostly minimal. The other great thing about running things like "Helii" is that you can get a great sounding stereo mix, even if it's mono out front. Having two amps on stage and micing them up... well, it's always going to be a bit of a compromise. Its the same with keys - mono out front - but having a Hammond stereo Leslie in your ears... well, that's cool as.

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21 hours ago, Muzz said:

Yep, this. We're properly DI (triggered kit, Helixes (Helii?)) so there's no need to change it. We took some time to get the monitor mix right, so we can concentrate on FOH. Why wouldn't you?

 

Helix -> Helices

:)

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On 17/06/2019 at 11:09, EBS_freak said:

Perfect - realistically, the only things that may change are the open mics... but even then, those changes are mostly minimal. The other great thing about running things like "Helii" is that you can get a great sounding stereo mix, even if it's mono out front. Having two amps on stage and micing them up... well, it's always going to be a bit of a compromise. Its the same with keys - mono out front - but having a Hammond stereo Leslie in your ears... well, that's cool as.

You are always mono out front. The sweet spot for stereo is so small it may as well not exist. In fact to get the best from a PA it is arguable that all the drivers should be at the same place rather than at each side like a home stereo.  

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