How to Set Up Stage Monitors

[@sweetwater]

Nail the live show with stage monitor tips from Mitch Gallagher! 🔊

[@nicholasdesanctis3710]

Nick. My. Ok.

[@nicholasdesanctis3710]

Nick. My. Ok.

[@anwarferdaus8167]

Hello Sir. It’s a 1/4” TS it TRS cable?

[@georgejack8023]

I am a tad confused. As a vocalist using a cordless mic... and I move around a lot. Does this mean that I will start getting more feedback from using this additional speaker? Do I always need to be in front of the monitor then??? 🤔

[@jenkinsiyalla5652]

2 yrs later and the video is still helping beginners. Thank you so much

[@inthekeyofdrew1201]

I always appreciate when Sweetwater does videos like this. I am a local musician and music producer near Indianapolis and have years of experience with this kind of thing, but for those just starting out or those without much experience, these are great learning tools to get going! Thanks for these informative videos and please keep them coming so that music can live on!

[@hazelfunworld8644]

Simple, straight forward and excellent explanation! Very easy to understand and apply. Thank you!

[@singingforaliving]

Seeing the visual description on how to use the aux knobs, left to right for mixes, and the channel strips, that alone was priceless.

[@theproject61]

Simple , clear explanation Mr.Gallagher is a perfect choice to be educated

[@bwoybwoy2622]

Legit on of the best videos explaining stage monitors!!! This is a time saver 🙌🏽

[@DanePeterson]

I've always wondered if Mitch sounds like this in every day conversation! Thanks a bunch for the info! Got a band and a budget PA and this was good to know.

[@activelow9297]

He's got to be the luckiest man in Fort Wayne, Indiana!

[@ryandavis170]

Hahaha getting ready for work in the morning. “And now, we’ll brush our bottom teeth…”

[@KennyTseraha-xg6gu]

I totally agree. I've been following their videos for a while now and they are very clear and educational. I've learned alot with their videos. Thanks saltwater. Cheers and regards from Buka Island, PNG.

[@russell_szabados]

Thanks Mitch! All the gigs I’ve done, we’ve always played clubs with sound systems so I’ve never had to deal with this. It’s good to know for the future just in case.

[@AdlaiAlexander]

This is fantastic! Great video. Clear, concise, precise. You make all of this very clear. Thanks.

[@egankbaird]

What a great explanation of setting up monitors! I'm still new to doing sound and this certainly helps out a lot! Cheers!

[@ZzackVee]

Bro Sweet water should do more Instructional videos like this! They are so helpful.

[@diegodeleontanner7909]

This video explained and clarified so many things, looking forward to put it in practice, Thanks!

[@ogmakefirefiregood]

The eq placed after the aux send and before you power amp to monitor is very useful. Can really help control feedback and shape your sound for an excellent monitor mix.

[@KainyStyle]

Can you please elaborate? So I can't equalize each line in the monitor, but I can equalize the monitor itself if the AUX out line has EQ nobs, am I understanding it correctly?

[@ogmakefirefiregood]

@Ksenia Kolyadina some boards may have that feature, but I'm talking about a separate unit like a 21 band graphic equalizer. Also, be very careful where you place your microphones. Directly behind the Mike's is ok, to the side is bad.

[@KainyStyle]

@@ogmakefirefiregood Ah, I see, thanks for the reply!

[@Mister_Migs]

I have been looking for a video about this for SO long. I am so glad I found this! Thank you so much for the information! :) Passive speakers for monitors here we go!

[@chrisramo3895]

Wow, very clear explanation. Well done sir and thank you so much. Keep more quality tutorial videos. From a new subscriber. Cheer's.👍

[@parkerkenney6113]

I used stage monitors for the first time last Saturday because I’m just in a highschool cover band, and it was awesome. However, the sound guy didn’t have any instruments in it, but it was nice to be able to hear the vocals more easily.

[@LightYagamiVSL]

The sound person puts in what you ask for. If you want instruments you need to communicate

[@wally7856]

@@LightYagamiVSL Yes, if you have time you can specify your own custom mix for your monitor. You can tell the sound guy exactly what instruments and what vocals you want and how much of each. edit: and if you want to annoy the sound guy at the same time don't say "can I get more guitar and less bass and a touch more snare". Rather say, "Can I get more Chris and less Mark and a bit more of John."

[@908Dannyboy]

This guy a phenomenal instructional speaker.

[@bobcapazzo242]

Thank you Sweetwater and Mitch. That was very helpful.

[@richardervins]

Little addendum for all performers that are instrumentalists and vocalists at the same time: To sing in tune or to be able to follow someone else to sing harmony, you need to hear the vocals in your monitors well. So the overall „daisy chained“ mix isn‘t what you‘ll want. For a four piece band you‘ll probably want 4 monitors (or in ear systems) and a mixer with 4 auxes. And today it is well worth looking at digital mixers that are remotely controlled by laptops, tablets, and even smartphones. With the latter and individual monitors each artist can adjust his vocal volume with his or her phone with the flick of a finger. Soundcraft for instance calls this feature „MoreMe“. 😊

[@vincentrema1006]

Any videos of this setup but using snake cables or stage box? I wana know how monitors are connected on the the snakes to the mixer

[@jrm1823]

Great explanation of on stage setup. Thank you 🙏🏻

[@patadams2816]

Very informative, I needed this, thanks Mitch, from Dublin, Ireland

[@shivanandbasdeo394]

This video was extremely helpful👍

[@rambochauke710]

What's a best of the best Teacher ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ clear and knowledgeable waaaaaaaa

[@brucecollis8609]

Well done! You explain it very well.

[@raviadagatla7103]

Wow!!! Amazing!!! Learnt a lot...Thank you so much

[@brianohehir9515]

Wow just bought 2, very timely advice for me !

[@swaggyp1219]

Very informative video. Much appreciate.👍

[@Enonymouse_]

The active solution also means if you daisy chain inputs and outputs you of course don't have as much independence for specialized output options from the mixer.

[@joeltallic5503]

Thank you sweetwater this what i needed

[@AnilKumar-zo2eu]

Thank you Thank you so much sir for your packaged information

[@martysradioshow5979]

wow this is a superb demo

[@Smiles4Kids]

thank you ! this a very clean and easy to understand video. :)

[@ClaudioBOsorio]

This is a Pro quality video. Thanks

[@jonathanarleys]

That is the explanation of external EQ to power amp of monitor speakers... Thank you...

[@keithpatel6584]

Nice demo thanks for the update 👍

[@nathannaidoo7116]

I really appreciate everything you said. You speaking quite fast for a beginner to follow and the visuals are not close enough to see on your mixer.

[@reyzuna]

adding to the info, on active you are not adding speakers to drop down impedance yes? but you adding more power sucking because of its built in power amp so if you add one or two more power amps you're risking the source of power Ampers but if you are lucky you can getaway with it. While on Passive speakers.. Connecting two speakers on one channel not a problem but adding more speakers from two speakers it's a different story but still possible as you can go series connections, not as loud thou but it will do the job for just monitors.

[@johnsheard7470]

great video monitors are really inported with live sound thanks for info

[@buddhistsympathizer1136]

Very well explained - Thank you

[@venkatsailor]

Thank you so much! very informative!

[@danm7596]

great video. Thanks

[@joebee3438]

Thanks so much, really appreciate this

[@isettech]

There is an error in the presentation at 5 and 1/2 minutes when speaking of long speaker cables. The resistance of the speaker cable adds up in a long run and is in series with the speaker. As the speaker is a dynamic load, some frequencies have a higher current draw and others have less as the speaker is a complex impedance. This makes losses vary with frequency. For 8 ohms it is best to keep cable under 50 feet and for 4 ohms, under 25 feet to keep the loss at a minimum. On the other hand, the signal out to an amp can be quite long with very little loss. The amp appears as a high impedance load on a low impedance source. Adding an ohm or two into 20,000 ohms typical makes very little change due to resistance. EG: what is the difference between 19992 ohms and 20.002 ohms? Now 100 feet for a speaker cable of 14 AWG is .00288 per foot, so 100 feet is 0.288 ohms. This is per conductor, so a round trip in a 50 foot cable is 100 feet of series wire. Now back to your 4 ohm load. What is the difference between 4.00 and 4.288 in percent loss? Put your amps as close as possible to your speakers and use as short of speaker cable as possible.

[@GeneralDStudios]

Thank you!!! As easy as I hoped 💫 💫💫💫

[@airpic5253]

You didn't show it, but I presume you unplugged the daisy chain cable from the first monitor when you hooked up to aux 2 send to the second monitor, I needed to ask the question, thanks

[@michaelanderson2881]

I'm pretty sure connecting speakers in series increases their impedance. It's parallel connections that decrease it.

[@greignyamadzawo3490]

Hello guys. I have a question. Which series of JBL speakers is the best? If possible can you do a video showing us the advantages of each series.

[@prithviraja8425]

Hi which cable to use connect mixer & stage monitor & other speakers pls put video

[@satyamsatyamanchim8182]

Super explained

[@Nick-lz2yi]

Amp recommendations for a Audio Centron 15" wedge monitor?

[@KainyStyle]

Any chance you could elaborate on the monitor EQ?

[@hankwattsmusic]

Great Mitch! Thanks

[@cobtinlenguite215]

Hello sir can you please make a video of pencil mic best position with monitor to get rid of feedback

[@anthemmakersmusic]

Cable runs and the guage of the wire change the impedance as well right?

[@archilchkhikvishvili539]

Do I need balanced cable or unbalanced cable? what's the type of aux send socket?

[@rodericksmith1482]

I have a question? I'm using two passive monitors and two passive main speakers. The mixer has one aux send. My question is, do I need two amplifiers (one for the main speakers and the other for the stage monitors)? If not then how do I go about connecting both main and stage monitors to the amplifier to the mixer?

[@sweetwater]

Hello, rodericksmith1482! Yes, you would need two amps, unless you’re running a mono mix. In which case you could run the mains off one side of most amps, and the monitors off the other side. Thanks for the interest! Spunde, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, [phone] ext. 1732, [e-mail]

[@kb8796]

Great video

[@MeadeSkeltonMusic]

I have a yamaha stagepass with a monitor cable outlet but the pa system won't power the passive speakers through the ones labled for monitor. It only powers it through the main jacks. Why is that?

[@DaveMcCall]

In the STAGEPAS manual it says the Monitor Out jacks are to connect to powered speakers. Same with the Subwoofer out. Those jacks are not for powering passive speakers.

[@fish9654]

He did ok to a point, but you really need to RING in the monitors before any live show! For that you need an EQ in the signal path.

[@chrishalliwellmusic]

What does that mean can you explain?

[@lastxp]

Maybe he means to find the frequency feedback is occuring in and avoid that zone

[@train4905]

Exellent sir😊

[@dazzarg5]

Thank you. Really useful

[@alderladybius9385]

What is room send, same with aux send? I have both on my mixer

[@bradharris1110]

I love this guy

[@jamesmitchell2804]

After setting up the stage monitor and adjusting the aux volumes. Will the effects such as reverb work through the floor monitors also ?

[@sweetwater]

Hello, jamesmitchell2804! That will depend on the mixer that you’re using! Most digital mixers have the ability to mix your FX sends through your monitors as well. Give us a shout and we can discuss in more depth! Thanks for the interest! James Masterson, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, [phone] ext. 1641, [e-mail]

[@wally7856]

You don't normally want any effects through the monitors. Monitors are almost always run dry. The only reason I can see to use effects in monitors is if you are mixing your own show from stage while playing.

[@donimartin]

Thank you for such a great info. I have one question, if I use a wired IEM setup (with a headphone amp like Behringer MA400 in my pedalboard), can I connect it to the nearest floor monitor on stage?

[@sweetwater]

Hello! This seems like a question that requires a back and forth conversation. Feel free to email or call me! Thanks for the interest! Spunde, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, [phone] ext. 1732, [e-mail]

[@AJRecordsOfficial.]

If you have 3 monitors can you daisy chain all 3???

[@lb.baitseng]

Thanks for this, please do a video on connecting passive subwoofers with active speakers

[@davemccall9594]

It would be kind of a mashup of both concepts in this video. You'd take the main outs from your mixer to the active speakers. Then you'd run the outputs from the speakers to a power amp. Then you'd connect the passive subs to the power amp with speaker cable. The big, important thing would be to make sure your active speakers have a built in crossover and that you dial that in correctly for your subs. It might take a little more work to dial in and balance levels than an all-active system, but it is doable.

[@lb.baitseng]

Thanks so much Dave, I appreciate the help.

[@ArkensBros.]

Please suggest top active stage monitor-1000 RMS watt.

[@duldigitalsound5380]

Which is the best monitor active vs passive monitor

[@virupaksharudra2128]

Good xplainations.

[@darbydrummer5298]

Great thanks

[@branislavvidovic3517]

Question,how to send exects in active monitors(reverb,delay),usualy at gigs PA guy gives you monitor but there is no efects in them,i am talking about clubs,amateur gigs?

[@Charles-ui4rx]

Yo Dude, very good job explaining and demonstrating how things work setting up stage monitors but, what about stacks to the side as monitors to allow the sound to be more present to the stage

[@LightYagamiVSL]

That’s called a side fill. Typically until necessary on smaller stages

[@jerialice]

Do the effects route into the auxes?

[@nathanwahl9224]

Help! We've got a mixer with ONE monitor output. There are three of us, EACH with a powered monitor. We have signal issues trying to daisy chain all three inputs using THRU ports. What do we need to do? Will an "passive splitter" suffice, or would an active one be needed? I looked all over and the only other thing that I could come up with is a multi-out headphone amplifier, but I know that isn't the same as a line level signal; the impedances wouldn't match. Help! TIAs!

[@sweetwater]

Hello, nathanwahl9224! Give us a call, this would be much more quickly fixed speaking with us on the phone! That said, there’s no reason you should be having trouble with the way you’re running it; so possibly there’s a gain staging hold up some where? In a pinch you could definitely use a headphone amp like you described. Give us a shout and we can discuss in more depth! Thanks for the interest! James Masterson, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, [phone] ext. 1641, [e-mail]

[@ljules44]

I love you guys ❤️

[@ThatBaritoneGuitarGuy]

Come to think of it, I have never once used active monitors. Is that just a convenience thing, one less thing to set up? Or are actives significantly cheaper than buying a separate monitor and rack unit?

[@sweetwater]

Hello, Guitar Nerd! Active monitors are more convenient because there's less stuff to transport, and they take up less space and weigh less overall. Passive speakers and a separate power amp offer an advantage in sound quality (if you're buying nice gear...), but usually folks aren't breaking the bank when it comes to what monitors they choose. Price-wise it about equals out with passive and active setups. Thanks for the interest! Spunde, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, [phone] ext. 1732, [e-mail]

[@MikeyRussell88]

How would placement of these monitors work when dealing with a choir who use a backing track where you're using cardinal pattern pencil mics? For creating a good master recording I want to avoid as much sound bleed from the monitor as possible whilst maintaining a good dynamic range of the choir.

[@sweetwater]

Hey, Mikey! I would recommend placing the monitors 180 degrees behind your microphones. If you’re running cardioid microphones, they will reject any signal coming from behind them - cardioid is front address, so they’ll only pick up the signal of what they’re facing. Here's an article with some more details on placing monitors in a live setting: www.shure.com/en-US/performance-production/louder/how-to-control-feedback-in-a-sound-system I hope this helps! Nick Pasquino, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, [phone] ext. 3230, [e-mail]

[@vincentrema1006]

How do we do different mixes using more than 2 aux sends

[@BoundaryElephant]

Thank you!

[@satyamsatyamanchim8182]

1 ur connected at 3:55 both monitors and aux 2will be how can connected sr

[@satyamsatyamanchim8182]

Why not use group out put for monitors

[@tru3nz]

Quick question, we do not own a digital mixer, but would this work with in-ear monitors? Meaning, the same way you connect the stage monitors, would it be the same connecting the in-ear transmitter?

[@sweetwater]

Hi there! Yes, you can hook up in ear monitors the same exact way that you would setup stage monitors. Instead of plugging into the speaker, you would plug into the wireless transmitter (which would then transmit to your bodypack receiver). You won’t need a digital mixer to run this. You’ll just need to make sure you have auxiliary or monitor outputs that your mixer can run a separate mix to. I hope this helps!! Nick Pasquino, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, [phone] ext. 3230, [e-mail]

[@tru3nz]

​@sweetwater Thank you so much for your reply. Everything runs perfectly, could I ask another question? could I mix my own in-ear volume without affecting others in-ears, or is that only possible with digital mixers? Just wondering cause I really want to low some instruments a tad bit down and bring the vocals up, just for my in-ears. But I have a feeling it isn't possible?

[@sweetwater]

@@tru3nz That would only be possible if you’re running your mixes from multiple auxiliary or monitor outputs on your mixer - analog OR digital. If everyone is sharing the same output for the mixes (monitor or in ears), then you will have to keep the same mix for everyone. Feel free to give me a call if you’d want to discuss any further! Nick Pasquino, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, [phone] ext. 3230, [e-mail]

[@bcain5823]

I have an old Peavy 400SC power mixer that is driving 2 main (8 ohm) speakers from one channel and would like drive 4 monitor speakers from the other channel. From what I understand about impedance, each monitor would need to be 16 ohms. Monitors are typically 8 ohms. Is it possible to add some type of crossover network and still be able to hook up 4 - 8 ohm monitors in parallel?

[@andyevans2336]

Your best bet would be to add a separate 2 channel amp to power all 4 spkrs( 2 per channel) and feed the amp from your mixer Aux out. Then you can use all of the Peavey’s power to the mains.

[@bcain5823]

@@andyevans2336 Actually I found a better way without having to buy another 2 channel power amp. Found a simple circuit that will maintain no less than 2 ohms impedance load when using up to 4 - 8 ohm monitor speakers.

[@DalontaeDavis]

Thank you

[@smithmarksjoseph1309]

Can we connect active speaker and power amplifier at a same time

[@sweetwater]

Hi, thanks for your interest. You should not connect a power amp to an active speaker, since the speaker has its own power amp built in. However, you could certainly run both active and passive monitors as part of the same rig. You would just need to go through a suitable power amp for each passive speaker, and connect the active speakers directly to the output from your board or stage box. I hope this helps - feel free to contact me directly with any further questions, and thanks again! Caleb Lowrey, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, [phone] ext. 1620, [e-mail]

[@buluemas]

too fast. a closeup of the aux knob is missing. But still I learned something here. TQ Sweetwater, youre so sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet

[@SJ-fx8gu]

Hi Captain Shake. Try tapping the settings icon on the video and you can choose the playback speed

[@nigelsherriff]

thanks

[@Dj_Badman_]

Thank you sir

[@kaislivesoundchannel4706]

Maybe this is too advanced for this video, but it is crucial . If you insert an eq to get rid of feedbacks , don‘t take it too far. Learn the point where taking out more frequencies doesn‘t make any sense and this is just the „ this is as loud as it gets“ point.

[@anthemmakersmusic]

Clean power , conditioned power all change things even in the studio your only as good as your power and wiring.

[@LightYagamiVSL]

Dude you can run balanced XLR line level signals hundreds of feet without loss, distortion or picking up interference. You don’t need to be running “speaker cable” for that.

[@king_ofgames3650]

True

[@angelh1743]

Thank you so much. Just realized what I did wrong.

[@Johnnybang916_]

💥

[@waimeaguyz9074]

I use an eq with my monitors. Musicians are deaf and want them loud.

[@FreeKeenan]

He forgot to mention disconnect the daisy chain jumper when running two separate mixes.

[@fatbabyparker2438]

👍👍 Nice