IEM question. Some Heresy involved

[Nicko]

We are running a Behringer XR12 and have been beset with feedback problems (through the floor monitor) mainly.

We currently use a single floor monitor with a feed from the vox, BVs and bass only.  The band, who were against IEMs when we bought the XR12 re now discussing IEMs.

Knowing that we now only have two aux channels enabling two monitor mixes, everyone (and heres the heretical statement) seems happy to have the same monitor mix.

I've seen various Wireless IEMs that come with one,two, or three beltpacks.  Is this because you can't drive more than three beltpacks from a single transmitter.  The details of every system I've looked at fails to mention how many belt packs you can run, although I have seen a youtube review of the Xvive system that says four is possible, and if we're all receiving the same signal I don't see why the number of receivers would be limited.

Question 2.  Are the cheap and cheerful ones to be given a wide berth?

[jrixn1]

9 minutes ago, Nicko said:

Knowing that we now only have two aux channels enabling two monitor mixes, everyone (and heres the heretical statement) seems happy to have the same monitor mix.

Can the "headphones out" be used as an additional (independent) monitor channel?

[EBS_freak]

If it’s an analogue system, then it’s like a standard radio system... you have one transmitter and then everybody can tune into the transmission from that system... so in that case, your maximum number of receivers is pretty limitless!

With digital systems, they are 1 to 1 - so a receiver pairs with a transmitter. What the xvive specs are saying is that they have 4 frequencies that they will operate on... so you can run 4 paired systems before running into interference issues. (Assuming nothing else is causing interference - like WiFi routers etc)

2. It depends if you want something that’ll do - or something that is approaching the quality of a cable.

[EBS_freak]

5 minutes ago, jrixn1 said:

Can the "headphones out" be used as an additional (independent) monitor channel?

Yes - I believe so in the 12 and 16

[jimmyb625]

I thought the headphone output could only monitor a selected mix, such as L/R, or one of the bus channels?

 

Are you running FOH sound as well, or are you splitting it for someone else to do? If you're splitting things, you've also got the main L/R that will be available.

As far as wireless systems, I've recently tried an MEI 1000, which can take 2 individual channels into 1 transmitter. We have 2 receivers and they have a "focus" mode, which basically allows you to select almost all of one of the input channels (there is a little bit of the other channel still, so you need to spend a bit of time finding what works best).

[EBS_freak]

1 hour ago, jimmyb625 said:

I thought the headphone output could only monitor a selected mix, such as L/R, or one of the bus channels

As in the aux bus.

[jimmyb625]

4 hours ago, EBS_freak said:

As in the aux bus.

Ok, so duplicating the existing output, as opposed to an individual mix? 

Is the XR12 compatible with the powerplay system?

[EBS_freak]

4 hours ago, jimmyb625 said:

Ok, so duplicating the existing output, as opposed to an individual mix? 

Is the XR12 compatible with the powerplay system?

Not duplicating. If I recall, there are auxes available to patch even though there are only 2 xlr aux outs. Patch auxes 3 and 4 to the headphone out in routing.

Powerplay - are you talking about the P16? If so, then no. You need Ultranet... which is only the XR18 desks(or X32 and Midas equivalents)

[Nicko]

6 hours ago, EBS_freak said:

Not duplicating. If I recall, there are auxes available to patch even though there are only 2 xlr aux outs. Patch auxes 3 and 4 to the headphone out in routing.

Powerplay - are you talking about the P16? If so, then no. You need Ultranet... which is only the XR18 desks(or X32 and Midas equivalents)

I think there ar 6 aux busses and the headphone out can be selected to match one of them.

[EBS_freak]

Correct.

[Nicko]

18 hours ago, jimmyb625 said:

I thought the headphone output could only monitor a selected mix, such as L/R, or one of the bus channels?

 

Are you running FOH sound as well, or are you splitting it for someone else to do? If you're splitting things, you've also got the main L/R that will be available.

As far as wireless systems, I've recently tried an MEI 1000, which can take 2 individual channels into 1 transmitter. We have 2 receivers and they have a "focus" mode, which basically allows you to select almost all of one of the input channels (there is a little bit of the other channel still, so you need to spend a bit of time finding what works best).

Yes, we are running FOH. 

Using two aux channels into a single MEI 1000 doesn't do much for us, other than if we want a stereo signal to the IEM or am I missing something?

We could use two MEI 1000s, one on each aux channel, but the question is whether we can run one MEI 1000 with four receivers, saving the cost and set up time of two transmitters.  The U308 does appear to support "unlimited" beltpacks from a single transmitter.   This might be the best bet.

[EBS_freak]

1 minute ago, Nicko said:

Yes, we are running FOH. 

Using two aux channels into a single MEI 1000 doesn't do much for us, other than if we want a stereo signal to the IEM or am I missing something?

We could use two MEI 1000s, one on each aux channel, but the question is whether we can run one MEI 1000 with four receivers, saving the cost and set up time of two transmitters.  The U308 does appear to support "unlimited" beltpacks from a single transmitter.   This might be the best bet.

If you put two aux channels into a single MEI1000, you can run the receivers in mono "focus" mode, where you effectively blend between the two signals... so if you blend 100% to aux mix 1, you'll only get mix 1 in your ears. Likewise, 100%to aux mix 2, you'd only get mix 2. You could get smart here though, and run the band on one aux, and singers on the other... so band members can effectively mix with a band bias, and vocalists with a vocal bias in their ears.

Traditionally, use would use 2 auxes for a true LR stereo mix in your ears... but the above would result in mono in your ears... but has some flexibility in mixing without costing you any extra auxes or hardware. So off one transmitter, you can receive the signal it produces off as many receivers as you like.. and on those receivers, you can create a little submix to your liking.

Alternatively, you could just have one or two mixes available to everybody and that's it... or one stereo mix that everybody shares.

If you are buying two MEI1000s to run two mono channels, you are wasting your money on an extra transmitter... unless you want a backup of course. 

[Nicko]

5 minutes ago, EBS_freak said:

If you put two aux channels into a single MEI1000, you can run the receivers in mono "focus" mode, where you effectively blend between the two signals... so if you blend 100% to aux mix 1, you'll only get mix 1 in your ears. Likewise, 100%to aux mix 2, you'd only get mix 2. You could get smart here though, and run the band on one aux, and singers on the other... so band members can effectively mix with a band bias, and vocalists with a vocal bias in their ears.

Traditionally, use would use 2 auxes for a true LR stereo mix in your ears... but the above would result in mono in your ears... but has some flexibility in mixing without costing you any extra auxes or hardware. So off one transmitter, you can receive the signal it produces off as many receivers as you like.. and on those receivers, you can create a little submix to your liking.

Alternatively, you could just have one or two mixes available to everybody and that's it... or one stereo mix that everybody shares.

If you are buying two MEI1000s to run two mono channels, you are wasting your money on an extra transmitter... unless you want a backup of course. 

Thanks, that absolutely answers the question.