IEM Advise for first time users

[indigo7us]

Hi There,

Our room recently invested in IEM systems (Shure 900's with SE425's) for use during our nightly entertainment; usually 3-6 piece bands.

This was done in order to keep stage volume down and stop the crank up the amp to hear better problems.

My question is, for many of the groups coming in it is there first time using IEM's.

I am compiling a sheet to give the musicians with advice on monitoring with IEM's. What advice would you give first time users of IEM's to make it a pleasant experience for them, and make setting monitors as painless as possible?

So far my ideas are:

1. try to keep the overall ear volume as low as possible to prevent hearing damage
2. try to keep it minimalistic (kick and/or snare, guitar, bass, keys, box etc)
3. Don't be afraid to ask for more (or less) of anything
4. Don't break my gear.

Any other suggestions?

 

[Footer]

How is this going? What size of venue/act are we looking at here? Monitors driven from FOH or stage? What are they using as their actual ears? Headphone they provide or you provide? What are the drivers?

First, I'm just going to throw this out there... this is a terrible idea.

I would probably flip it around and really put the issue on you to make a good mix and don't expect the act to have a clue as to what they need. I also assume you are bulking up the input list to provide audience mics, more drum mics, and micing anything else that makes a sound. The second you put ears on an artist you put them in a bubble. It is now your job to fill that bubble and make it sound like they are on the stage and locked in with the rest of the act. Without a few rehearsals it will be nearly impossible to get to that point with someone who has never used them before.

IEM's don't solve stage volume problems unless everyone is onboard. It can just make things worse because people will turn up to hear their instrument over their ears. There are so many better ways to deal with a loud stage even with wedges.

 

[indigo7us]

Hi There,

This is actually going quite well. The venue holds about 150 people and is in an open air cabaret in a casino. Monitor racks are located onstage. about 30% are bringing their own ears, the rest are our Shure 425's.

Overwhelmingly they ask about the price, etc. of buying their own set of the ears. About 90% are converts by the end of the gig. We do have the luxury of plenty of sound check time, and the shows usually run about 1-2 weeks a pop, so there is never a shortage of the luxury of time.

Many casino showrooms, and stages are going to mandatory in-ears for this reason.

I know IEM's are not perfect in every situation, but they are phenomenal in ours.

The stage volume problems have been fixed for the most part, between the ears and a drum shield.

This is why I posted this in the first place; to ask advice for the first timers.

 

[Douglas Plander]

In the past (when I used them with a few first timers), I would setup the Mixes going to the Aviom's for them (i.e. I would give a stereo Drum mix on channels 1-2) and I would try to set the levels are reasonable levels before they even got there. I then saved this to the mixer as the last preset. So if all else fails (and they don't know what to do), I would recall that preset and they would have a starting point where I knew that they could head everything. A little bit of work on your part, but it can sometimes help out a struggling musician who has only ever used a floor wedge.