Why are we still doing this?

[Downunderwonder]

9 hours ago, lemmywinks said:

assumption

You assume far too much. Way far too much. My amp fills the room just fine when it has to. Nobody has to bring anything to hear bass or make bass heard aside from me. I still cook on a fire when I feel like it too. Damn it tastes good.

 

I made no assumption that IEM is only for big shows. It's just a fact of life that most small shows don't have them. That's because most of the small shows are played by people who might play a proper big stage twice a year or twice a decade.

 

The best compliment I ever got was playing to a 200 seat theater. Soundman came up to me to tell me it was the best bass sound he ever heard. Do you seriously believe we should kit everyone with IEM when only bass, piano and singer is amplified? That's what you're saying!

[Downunderwonder]

On 13/05/2023 at 08:01, Downunderwonder said:

On 13/05/2023 at 00:38, joel406 said:

On stage amplification is detrimental to the sound you "want" the audience to hear.

Get off your high horse and acknowledge the rest of the world that often has no stage as such just a corner of the pub to set up in and play some tunes.

You assumed a stage with FOH and monitors. Why does every hotshot assume everyone has monitors?

Edited May 13, 2023 by Downunderwonder

[lemmywinks]

27 minutes ago, Downunderwonder said:

You assume far too much. Way far too much. My amp fills the room just fine when it has to. Nobody has to bring anything to hear bass or make bass heard aside from me. I still cook on a fire when I feel like it too. Damn it tastes good.

 

I made no assumption that IEM is only for big shows. It's just a fact of life that most small shows don't have them. That's because most of the small shows are played by people who might play a proper big stage twice a year or twice a decade.

 

The best compliment I ever got was playing to a 200 seat theater. Soundman came up to me to tell me it was the best bass sound he ever heard. Do you seriously believe we should kit everyone with IEM when only bass, piano and singer is amplified? That's what you're saying!

 

 

What on earth are you on about? 🤣

[Skinnyman]

The main thing I’m taking from this thread is that some people like to ditch the amp and use IEMs and some people prefer to keep their amp and use a monitor. 
 

Anyone who’s ever heard me play would probably prefer me to keep the amp and the IEMs and just ditch the bass 

[Downunderwonder]

On 13/05/2023 at 00:38, joel406 said:

From the smallest POS pub to the biggest stadiums. In-ears are the only viable solution. 

 

I get what people are saying above this post. If you don't like em, or if you feel they are unnecessary. Or if you just don't believe they aren't all they are cracked up to be.

 

You're wrong.

Absolutelism fail.

[Downunderwonder]

10 hours ago, jezzaboy said:

Good on the op for telling us that we who still use amps and don`t fancy using iem`s for whatever reason that we are all wrong. 

 

10 hours ago, jezzaboy said:

Double post

 

Bears repeating actually.

[Ricky 4000]

Why not just use headphones? At least other people can see why you're ignoring them. 🙅‍♀️

 

To be fair, I sound flipping awesome through my Zoom and 'phones. Not a sponsor. 👍

[Waddo Soqable]

8 minutes ago, Ricky 4000 said:

Why not just use headphones? At least other people can see why you're ignoring them. 🙅‍♀️

 

To be fair, I sound flipping awesome through my Zoom and 'phones. Not a sponsor. 👍

Very good point, if I absolutely had to be personally "plugged in", I'd much rather have headphones than some' orrible little plastic things poked in my ears...

As it happens, many years ago I played with a drummer who used headphones on gigs. 

[Ricky 4000]

10 minutes ago, Waddo Soqable said:

Very good point, if I absolutely had to be personally "plugged in", I'd much rather have headphones than some' orrible little plastic things poked in my ears...

 

Unless maybe you were worried about getting headphone hair. Which is related to hat hair. 😬

[Waddo Soqable]

11 minutes ago, Ricky 4000 said:

 

Unless maybe you were worried about getting headphone hair. Which is related to hat hair. 😬

Nah with my messy mop of hair you'd never notice.. 

 

The sporter of headphones who was concerned could of course wear a beanie hat or similar underneath 

Or there's the Spunkmeyer space marines dropship helmet with built in headphones.. 

Edited May 13, 2023 by Waddo Soqable

[leftybassman392]

Since I don't play anymore, I guess this will likely be my only contribution to this discussion.

 

Notwithstanding his, um, unfortunate - yes, 'unfortunate'; that's the word I wanted - personality, I do actually think the OP has raised an interesting discussion point about the future of live performance.

 

Whether his aggressively monochromatic outlook on the subject will cut any ice with the old lags dotted around this place is another matter entirely of course. Then again, maybe he's not speaking to the old lags (or at least if he is then he's probably whistling at the wrong dog).

 

Shame really.

 

 

Edited May 14, 2023 by leftybassman392

[Skinnyman]

30 minutes ago, Ricky 4000 said:

 

Unless maybe you were worried about getting headphone hair. Which is related to hat hair. 😬

It would be nice to have enough hair left for that to be a consideration.

[Waddo Soqable]

17 minutes ago, Skinnyman said:

It would be nice to have enough hair left for that to be a consideration.

Mullet wig, check... Shades, check.... Add a set of 70s retro “Realistic" brand headphones, sorted 👍

 

Edited May 13, 2023 by Waddo Soqable

[Frank Blank]

30 minutes ago, leftybassman392 said:

Shame really.

Hilarious though.

[Ricky 4000]

15 minutes ago, Waddo Soqable said:

Add a set of 70s retro “Realistic" brand headphones

 

I had a set of Prinzsound 909s a while back:

 

 

Lovely leathery head strap, but they were electrically past the point of saving. Would have been amazing for reggae too... ah well...

 

You don't see anybody collecting vintage IEMs do ya?

 

QED, whatever that means.

[Frank Blank]

1 minute ago, Ricky 4000 said:

QED, whatever that means.

Quite Edifying Detail, so bang on Rickmansworth.

[Ricky 4000]

2 minutes ago, Frank Blank said:

Quite Edifying Detail, so bang on Rickmansworth.

 

Thank you Sir.

[Skinnyman]

7 hours ago, Frank Blank said:

Quite Edifying Detail, so bang on Rickmansworth.

I used to live in Rickmansworth. 
 

Jus’ sayin’ 

[leftybassman392]

Well waddya know? I lied.

 

My second contribution to the thread...

 

I still have a pair of these from my studio days:

 

 

I still use 'em on a regular basis for sound editing (mostly spoken word in my case). By my count they're at least 20 years old, but DT100s are ubiquitous in the industry to this day. I do have a very nice pair of in-ears (not moulded into my ears sad to say, but WTF...), but I still really like my DT100s.

 

Then again I'm just an old lag, so what do I know?

 

 

Edited May 14, 2023 by leftybassman392

[Steve Browning]

14 minutes ago, leftybassman392 said:

 

 

Then again I'm just an old lag, so what do I know?

 

 

 

Are you near Beachy Head?

 

Of course the real title is 'Why are you still doing this?'. In my case, because I'm not enlightened, and I don't care. Probably an age thing, but I like to have an area on stage I can go to feel the sound. Maybe the day will come but I don't foresee it. Not entirely sure what the requirement is for an IEM set up for 5 with different monitor mixes using a 'normal' mixer with limited aux outputs.

Edited May 14, 2023 by Steve Browning

[Waddo Soqable]

8 hours ago, Ricky 4000 said:

 

I had a set of Prinzsound 909s a while back:

 

 

Lovely leathery head strap, but they were electrically past the point of saving. Would have been amazing for reggae too... ah well...

 

You don't see anybody collecting vintage IEMs do ya?

 

QED, whatever that means.

Awesome, and a nice curly lead too.. 👍

[Waddo Soqable]

8 hours ago, Frank Blank said:

Quite Edifying Detail, so bang on Rickmansworth.

Rickmansworth 7.8 billion in gross earnings from the H. Potter franchise 😳

[Paul S]

Rickmansworth is also a noted frost hollow, with winter low temperatures significantly lower than the higher surrounding areas. 

[Waddo Soqable]

Rickmansworth has an annual festival on the 3rd weekend of May, celebrating Canals.. 

[Bassman68]

To Joel, the OP on this subject, you haven’t come here to make any friends have you? 😂

I totally get where you’re coming from, but surely it’s down to a lot of personal choice & circumstances?
Not everyone has the finances or playing opportunities to warrant playing without backline on a regular basis..

 

For the last couple of years, my main gig requires that I don’t play with backline, so I have adjusted to the IEM route very quickly. It took me nearly a year & several different sets of IEM’s to find the best that work for me, both financially & comfortably (custom moulds).

The set up involves our own personal mixes via mic stand mounted tablets & took a few gigs to arrive at a mix that works for me..

We play theatres, concert halls, small arenas as well as open air festivals etc. & the convenience of not having to use an amp makes the whole process so much easier.

Certain club venues offer monitoring via wedges but I still bring my own IEM system so that I can hear myself at a volume that isn’t compromised with everything else.

One thing this has taught me is that people get a bit too precious over their tone? 
Once you have sent your DI signal to FoH, the signal is eq’d to the PA & mix, so 9 times out of 10 the audience hears the Sound-mans interpretation of the band mix, So you end up asking yourself 

“Do the audience really care that you’re playing a P-bass with flats, through an Aggie 750 into a Berg 2x12 (or whatever) this week over the Darkglass through the Barefaced that you could’ve brought?”
That’s without the option of all those alternatives you could send him via your Helix?

 

I still play pubs & clubs with other bands, & in those circumstances, still require to bring my own backline & I enjoy it all, up-to a point….Usually that’s when packing up at the end of the night & driving home with my ears ringing because the guitarist was a bit too loud or I was standing next to the drummers ride & crash cymbals when he decided to ‘go-for-it’ with one of his fancy fill…

In these circumstances I wear earplugs but feel they are just a compromise to protect what’s left of my hearing?
 

So at the end of the day, Good for you OP…I’m glad you have the opportunity like myself, to have a lovely mix & wander around with that same mix, without crossing the stage & wondering why you can’t hear the bass so well?
Do you miss that ‘thump’ in your back when you hit an open E or B even? Flapping your trousers with the air being shifted from you backline at full tilt (yes there’s Backbeats to get some of that back)….I do on occasions,

but the guy out front trying to mix the sound is probably knocking a couple of db of 180hz & below out of the mix to compensate for the bleed over into the other mics that’s ruining his mix?
Whilst that analogy might not matter down the ‘Dog & duck’ or wherever, the audience that went to see that Rock band on Saturday night are wondering why the encore had so much feedback & squealing when Dave the guitarist decided to crank his amp up for his solo at the end of the night? All the rest of the band are turning round to adjust their amps because they can’t hear themselves & ‘Amp wars’ has started…The Singer has threatened to leave because he’s got no voice left & wants to sack ‘Dave’ ‘cos “He’s too loud”, The drummer doesn’t care because he just hits even harder if necessary? And the band stop getting booked at the ‘D&D’ because neighbours that bought the house next door to a ‘live music’ venue, have started to complain?

Sound familiar at all?