In Ear Monitors Part 1

A short video on setting up an "In-ear Monitor System". What in -ear systems are, what you need to put one together, and how to connect them.
KZbin does not allow me to monetize this video. If this video helped you and you'd like to pay something (absolutely no pressure) please consider buying one of my albums:
Saturday Night
theinfinityball.com/album/202...
Space Between The Words
rickreedmusic.net/album/17062...
Return Of The Funky Rat Mole
theinfinityball.com/album/207...
Undressed For Success
theinfinityball.com/album/604...
Disclaimer: This is how I did it for my own band working on a tight budget. There are many options out there for equipment but, given that we had never even tried them, we wanted to keep our investment low.
For a wired system it was roughly:
$500 mixer
$200 for 4 headphone amps
$400 for 4 Shure 215s
$1500 For 4 used Shure Wireless PSM200s
The music tracks are from my band The Infinity Ball. www.iballmusic.com
You can also check out more music at www.rickreedmusic.net

[@DaveMcEvoyMusic]

Great video easily explaining IEM thank you

[@GtwoManila]

This is the best explanation of IEM system I’ve seen so far. It’s very beginner friendly and I was able to share it with my bandmates who were not familiar with these kinds of things.

[@rickreedproductions8128]

Thanks! I'm glad it helped you!

[@riquelmediaz9725]

Did it worked? Im trying to do the samw thing with my band mates

[@rafsnchz]

Wow, thank you so much for those videos. This is simple yet very informative guide. This help me a lot to understand how i can use in-ear with my band.

[@svetlinsimeonov6485]

Best video with exact explanation so far I found - short and very informative!

[@davidkekstroll5836]

Great video! Short, snappy (if that is the right word) and REALLY helpful. Thank you so much!

[@rickreedproductions8128]

Sorry for the delay in creating part 2. As a freelance video editor my schedule is often "feast or famine" and Q1 and Q2 is a busy time of the year. I will try to get part 2 published as soon as I can. It might be a week or two.

[@1face]

Omg I’ve been watching tens of videos and still didn’t get it and stumble across your little 3min video and boom makes more sense now thank you so much

[@rickreedproductions8128]

Glad it helped!

[@realitydrip3293]

Best video hands down with a simple explanation. Thank you! 🙏🏼

[@rickreedproductions8128]

Reality Drip Thanks! Let me know if there are any other topics you’d like to learn about.

[@johnyapkw]

Very easy to understand explanation. Many thanks!

[@rickyromero84]

I can't believe you only 816 subscribers. You deserve more than that. Thank you for this video with easy and understandable instructions.

[@rickreedproductions8128]

Thanks! This is a few years old and I've thought about updating it. When I tried to set up my own in-ear set-up I found it frustrating that no one explained the whole system and how it works together. After I finally worked out how to do it I wanted to share that information so other people could skip that lengthy research. Anyway, thanks again and let me know if there is anything else you'd like to learn about.

[@pbenson56fran]

Thank you very much for your help.

[@rickreedproductions8128]

Happy to help!

[@gali4577]

Great explanation for a begginer with in-ear monitors :) Thanks!!

[@rickreedproductions8128]

Thanks!

[@CardiacRocks]

Fantastic guide! I am looking forward to part two!

[@GoSTLBlues]

Never even gave IEM a thought till now, I am not a gear/sound guy so this gets super insanely confusing for me, but your the only person to really break it down so very well instead of just "hey plug this here this here,with no explanation." Thank you for breaking this down barney style.

[@rickreed9990]

LGB Man I’m glad it helped. When I was trying to put together a IEM system for my band it was super hard to figure out what was needed and where to start. After going through all that work I wanted to ease the pain of my fellow musicians. Let me know if you have any suggestions for other topics you’d like to learn about.

[@rickreedproductions8128]

On another site someone said to me that "with 260K views you must be making money on that video!" Unfortunately KZbin doesn't work that way unless you generate lots of content so I don't qualify to monetize this video. If this video helped and you feel like you'd like to pay something (absolutely no pressure) please consider buying one of my albums. I will post the links in the description. Thanks!

[@groundzero9627]

Your 690 Subs deserves to be 690k! Thanks for this!

[@rickreedproductions8128]

Thanks! I appreciate the support! Let me know if you have anything else you'd like to learn about!

[@ashxis11]

This is deff the best tutorial out there.

[@rickreedproductions8128]

Ashley Acoustix Thanks!

[@blokjekaas8365]

Clear explanation! When does part two come out?

[@kickback73]

Thank you. Perfectly explained.

[@rickreedproductions8128]

Dan Kernya Thanks!

[@iguanabartola]

This is awesome, thank you

[@rickreedproductions8128]

Thanks for watching!

[@joshsum71]

This is very useful. Thank you so much

[@rickreedproductions8128]

Josh Sum glad to hear it helped. Thanks

[@SlashsBluesBall]

thank you, really, thank you for this video

[@smunderground]

Great Video! Helped a lot!

[@rickreedproductions8128]

Glad it helped! Thanks!

[@thorbjorgm]

owesome video!!!

[@MichiMallu]

1. Earbuds -> Shure 215 2. Headphone Amp -> Rolls PM50s (wired) / Shure PSM200 (wireless) 3. Mixer with aux Outputs Wired: Connect output to input of amp, Connect to the Amp Wireless: Connect output to the input of the , and Connect ear buds to the Receiver (Bodypack)

[@rickreedproductions8128]

Michi Mallu that sums it up. 👍

[@tuesdayzrain]

Cool!

[@ThusithaThanthirige]

Great

[@thangliancin3846]

I am having difficulty to choose between Rolls Pm50s and Behringer p1?

[@sandradavis7384]

Thanks for this video. Super helpful! I have one question: What if your mixer doesn't have enough aux outputs? Would using a sub output work?

[@rickreedproductions8128]

I believe aux outputs are the same as sub outputs but I’m completely sure of that.

[@davidwiese7803]

Thanks so much for the video. (Excellent production as well!). Similar situation (used to do bands in the od days way before any of this cool stuff was available). Now do some occasional gig and one big one that we only do twice a year. But typical problems. Rehearsal sounds great. Then performance night (with a few hundred people in the room and lots of noise). Guitar player (that doesn't sing) turns up. That makes me turn up. Drummer and bass step up and . . . wa-la . . . can't turn the monitors up loud enough to hear the vocals without ugly feedback. I can't hear my vocals, other singer goes horse from trying to scream over it. You know the drill! Too much stage noise! but . . . you might want to try the new Westone AM line of ear monitors. they're expensive but .. . they let in ambient noise without degrading the sound. You can still hear the drum kit (but reduced by about 12 or 13 decibels) and still hear your audience, etc. I got the triple driver version - but really nice! Also, Behringer makes a cool beltpack version of that Rolls that you use (smaller - I think it's the PS1). Anyway, thanks again for the excellent video. And if that was your music - sounded great!

[@rickreed9990]

David Wiese thanks for the comment! I will check out the Westones. When I started putting together our in-ear system we weren't sure we would like them so we wanted to keep our cost to a minimum. It only took a few rehearsals to know that we didn't want to go back to wedges. The westones sound like a great solution to one of the biggest problems with in-ears, the isolation from the crowd/room. I admit that I miss the "wall of sound" from the stage but the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. Also, thanks for the compliment about our music. That is my band The Infinity Ball. The music is from our record "Saturday Night". You can find us on Spotify, iTunes, Cd Baby, and KZbin. Please give us "like" on Facebook and/or subscribe to our channels. Thanks again

[@officialWWM]

That is such a common story, lol.

[@nanamensah5543]

Hi there if you have a click track or a music director mic that you want all members of the band to hear, how would you set it up? e.g. how would you get it to each headphone amp?

[@rickreedproductions8128]

Nana Mensah the “aux” sends are separate from the “front of house or Main” mix. Let’s say that your music director mic is on channel 10 and your click track is on channel 11. Using the Aux knobs on the mixer dial up as much of each as you want to hear in your in ears. Keep the main faders on channels 10 and 11 all the way down and they won’t go out to the main mix. That way the audience won’t hear it.

[@rockinglukas]

Do you use IEM also in small locations ? And if so, would you recommend to mike (i hope that's the right vocab - I'm not a native speaker^^) the complete drum kit or just Hi hat, snare and Bass drum ?

[@rickreedproductions8128]

Rockinglukas We use them everywhere including our practice space. We have done it both ways but typically we mic bass, snare, hi-hat and then two overhead mics to catch the cymbals and toms. Most drummers want individual mics on everything which is totally cool as long as you have enough mic inputs on your board. Our drummer likes to have everything mic'd up and all of it in his monitor mix. In a small club we usually only have his bass drum and a little bit of hi-hat in the main mix. His snare and cymbals are usually loud enough on their own for a small room.

[@rockinglukas]

Thank you for your answer. We just use it in our Practice Room at the moment, so we don't have any experience using it live. But with your advice we'll give it a try!

[@souvikishere]

Very helpful information. Our band is thinking about doing in ear monitors and this is one route we are considering. However another alternative we were thinking of is to plug in each instrument into individual di boxes, take output of the di box to the mixer, but take the thru from the di to headphone amp, take output of headphone amp to earbuds, do you think this will work? We can still hear the mix from floor wedges( monitors)

[@rickreedproductions8128]

As far as I can tell that would give you more of yourself in your in ears. It would only be your instrument or your vocals not both and none of the other instruments. It all depends on what you want to hear.

[@souvikishere]

@@rickreedproductions8128 thanks, for the reply, its true that what we want to listen to....my question was sort of more on the technical side, as in, if the di thru is at appropriate level for input to the headphone amp...

[@rickreedproductions8128]

Souvik Pal I’m not an audio engineer so take my comment with that in mind. Most di’s provide an instrument level output so that should be correct for a headphone amp input.

[@GiardinoStrings]

Hello, very nice video!! We have a wireless system, LD Systems MEI ONE 1 and 4 belt packs receivers. How can I connect it in stereo with a beringher xenix X1832? It has 2 Aux sends and 2 (left/right) stereo aux returns. Do I need 2 XLR to Jack cables? Many thanks for your help!

[@rickreed9990]

I want to be clear, I am not a pro audio salesperson. I've only set up the system I described in the video. With that said, your MEI One 1 has "combo" XLR and 1/4 inch input jacks so you can use either 1/4 to 1/4 cables or 1/4 to XLR. With two AUX Sends, you will only be able to have two mixes. With four body packs and two channels you will have to share mixes.

[@GiardinoStrings]

Amazing, thank you for yoru prompt reply!! Really helpful!

[@thedowntowncollectiveband]

Any suggestions on how to provide separate mixes for up to 9 musicians? I'm having a hard time finding a mixer that has more than 8 aux sends.

[@rickreedproductions8128]

You could try this "QSC TouchMix-30 Pro 32-channel Touchscreen Digital Mixer". It looks like it can do 14 mono mixes as well as record your shows for you. www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/TouchMix30--qsc-touchmix-30-pro-touchscreen-digital-mixer

[@johnpaulporrelli6208]

How would you share an aux send? in my band the bass and the drummer share an aux. would a splitter cable be sufficient? or would it need to be something else

[@rickreed9990]

You should be able to use a cable splitter into two separate headphone amps.

[@surasidnoneex2086]

When Aux Send (I used Analog Mixer) to headphone Amp. Signal has loud just left ear in my headphone!! Why???

[@rickreed9990]

Surasid NoneEx You’ll have to do some troubleshooting to figure out where the issue is. We know that the Aux send is mono. And we know your earbuds are stereo. 1. Check your ear buds on a different device to be sure they are working correctly. Are they plugged completely in to the headphone amp? If they aren’t plugged all the way in you can get signal to only one ear. 2. Check the headphone amp. Does it have two inputs or one? If two does one side have “mono” written on it and if so are you plugged into that? Does the amp have a “mono/stereo” switch on it and is it set to mono? Is there a “pan” knob and if so is it set to the middle? 3. Are you using a mono cable from your Aux out to the headphone amp? It should be mono. (A regular instrument cable). If your headphone amp has two inputs and no way to run it in mono then you might need to get a “Y” cable that splits the mono signal out of the mixer into two mono cables. You could plug those two mono cables into the two inputs on your headphone amp. Hopefully that helps. Good luck.

[@Hainghainggg]

i'm wondering if you can hear your voice on the in-ear monitor, there's no delay?? i mean from the mic to the earbuds.. especially when you use wireless amp..

[@rickreedproductions8128]

I’ve never had any issue with a delay using wireless or wired in-ears but that’s just me.

[@DonnyBartoo]

Great Tutorial! but how to go about giving the front of house the channels?

[@rickreedproductions8128]

Donny Bartoo this set up is assuming that you using the same mixer to mix in ears and front of house using the same mixer. The Aux outputs are separate from the main outputs. So you use the aux knobs on each channel to adjust how much of that instrument is in that aux (in ear) mix. So if the drummer is using the Aux 1 mix you use the Aux 1 knob on each channel to adjust how loud that channel is. The Aux 1 fader (sliding control) controls the over all Aux 1 volume. The Aux 1 output (or any Aux output) doesn’t interact with Main (front of house) outputs. The faders on each channel go to the Main outputs. So for example when my band would practice we would have our in ear mixes dialed in using the Aux knobs. If you looked at the mixing board all of the faders (the sliding controls) except for the Aux Faders were all the way in the down position. The regular channel faders control the mains. The Aux knobs control the aux levels. Only the Aux Faders (sliding controls) have to be slid up. If the Aux Faders are all the way down, you won’t have any signal. If you are trying to use your mixer to mix your in ears and send a completely separate, duplicate set of inputs to the front of house you will need to buy a splitter to split the signal. Hopefully that helps.

[@fefasadg]

I have got a mixer beringer xenix. An amplifier monitor beringer p2 and I plug in the aux send (anu of them) and it works only in the left ear! What can be wrong?

[@rickreedproductions8128]

The trick is that the aux out is a mono output but your P2 is set up for stereo. A quick look at the P2 site shows that it has an internal switch to choose between mono and stereo. Whichever on it's on now (probably stereo) switch it to the other setting. That should send your mono signal from the aux mix to both sides of your headphones.

[@thangliancin3846]

Rolls Pm50s or Behringer p1?

[@jazzland69]

Hi nice video. I've used the se 215 with Allen heat zed 10 fx without headphone amply and sound was horrible, metallic, without bass and space. Do you think depending that I didn't use headphone amply? Thanks

[@rickreedproductions8128]

Thanks! I’m not an audio engineer but, yes, I would say that the sound is horrible because you didn’t use a headphone amplifier of some kind. The aux output is mono so the sound would come out of only one side of your headphones. It’s also a really low signal strength so it would likely distort as you cranked up the volume loud enough to hear it.

[@jazzland69]

@@rickreedproductions8128 Thanks Rick.I was tried also from mixer headphone output, but result didn't change.It was the same with the se 415 .So i was thinking to try with se 535.

[@rickreedproductions8128]

@@jazzland69 that seems odd. It might be something else. I’d start with: 1. Vocal mic or electric guitar into mixer 2. Pull your “trim” knob on the top of the input channel to zero 3. Bring your fader up to zero 4. Bring the trim up until your meters read at around 0db Then see if your signal is distorted

[@jazzland69]

@@rickreedproductions8128 it is not distorsion but doesn't sound good. Could be the use of backing tracks with voice and guitar it is to much for headphones?

[@rickreedproductions8128]

@@jazzland69 I would recommend working step by step through the signal chain. Does your backing track sound good on a computer? Ok move to input and make sure it’s not clipping ( hitting the red on the input meters). Does it sound good on the main outputs? On the headphones? On the aux outs? There is some point where things are breaking down and sounding bad. Once you figure out where that is you can work on fixing it. Good luck.

[@deadkingrises1]

Um..., I know I'm late to the party here, but can we get some more footage of your band performing? That song playing at the beginning was something I didn't know I needed in my life.

[@rickreedproductions8128]

Thank you for that! It's always nice to hear that people like our music. All the music in the video is from our 2nd album, Saturday Night. kzbin.info/www/bejne/m3rdn3pplqqIl68 It's a concept album where all the songs are chapters in the story. You can also check out our music at iballmusic.com. You can find more footage of us at our youtube channel kzbin.info/door/V9dY3jL6fmHr1xOL6c3zUA there you can find indvidual songs as well as a full concert of us performing the entire album of Saturday Night at the Cincy Fringe Festival. kzbin.info/www/bejne/oaXEoYevg9Jrg6s In addition, if you are feeling adventurous, you can find my solo music at rickreedmusic.net. Finally we are releasing an EP soon so please keep your eye out for us. Thanks again for your kind words. We truly appreciate it.

[@NM-nd3gc]

Does each memmber need his own headphone amp ? Greatvideo ❤🎉

[@rickreedproductions8128]

Yes. Everyone needs their own.

[@pnwcc8961]

Hi, can i know what type of cable you are using from the aux outputs to wireless transmitter? How do you get the mono sound without causing only the left in ear louder than the right in ear? I know about using two aux to create stereo, but since im running out of aux outputs, im trying to get only one aux channel/mono sound for each IEM. Trs to trs and ts to ts doesnt work out well, do i need ts to trs? Btw im using presonus studiolive 24.4.2.

[@rickwreed]

I used regular mono guitar cables. Mono Aux out to Mono transmitter input. I'm using an older wireless system so it's only Mono. Newer ones might be stereo but they probably have a switch to make it mono. Without knowing the wireless system I can't really tell you anything more.

[@pnwcc8961]

@@rickwreed im using takstar wpm-200, just a cheap wireless system cost about 50dollars. I just checked and i think its stereo only. So what cable should i use?

[@rickreedproductions8128]

@@pnwcc8961 What kind of mixer are you using?

[@pnwcc8961]

@@rickreedproductions8128 its presonus studiolive 24.4.2

[@rickreedproductions8128]

@@pnwcc8961 From what I can see of your set up you should be getting an even sound to both ears. The Mixer uses mono aux outputs --> mono guitar/audio cable --> Takstar wpm-200 mono input --> stereo headphones that are being fed the mono signal into both ears. I would check your guitar cable and your headphones. Maybe one of the sides of your headphones is broken or damaged.

[@meherbaba-godinhumanform7926]

💗💗😍😍💕💕

[@bellamckendree]

Hi, I'm new to all of this. Can I connect my headphone monitor to the mixer and then my mixer to my interface if I'm live online? Thanks

[@rickreedproductions8128]

Most mixers have at least three types of outputs: Main (left and right), aux outputs (the number of outputs varies depending on the mixer), and headphone output. The main output(s) should be going to your interface. That way all of your instruments and vocals will be mixed together by the mixer and output via the main output to the interface to the computer. Where to plug in your headphones? That depends on what you want to monitor. In your situation you will want to plug them into the headphone jack on your interface so that you can monitor the sound/quality of what is going into the interface/computer. You don’t need to use aux channels or headphone amps because the interface acts as the headphone amp in this case. Hopefully this helps. I can make a video on how to set up an online connection for use in performing on Facebook Live, Twitch, etc.

[@bellamckendree]

Thanks for your quick reply! It's for my vocal and guitar or piano. Previously I tried connecting my audio interface straight to my Mac (not using a mixer) but I couldn't individually control the volume of my vocals on my interface. When I turned it up, it increased the piano and vocal together. Do I need a different interface that has individual volume buttons for the 2 inputs? I have the Scarlett Focusrite 6i6. Thanks@@rickreedproductions8128

[@RobinJesba]

what sound signature iem is recommended for bass players

[@rickreedproductions8128]

I'm not sure what you mean by "sound signature" but there lots of IEM ear bud options. Seems like a lot of people like quad-driver IEMs. It depends on your budget but these KZ ZS10 Pros might work for you. I buy foam tips for my in ears so that seal is tight. You can find them on Amazon.

[@ronskiezagada3470]

Hi why do i need headphone amplifier? Cant we directly connect our iem to our mixer? Via aux outputs?

[@rickreedproductions8128]

Two reasons. 1. The aux sends are not powered so you probably won’t be able to hear anything. 2. The aux sends are usually mono so you would only hear the signal coming out of one side of the headphones.

[@RexyFan]

Hi Do you know how to set a wireless IEM system that runs stereo, to run two mono mixes instead ? I have about 5 people on the one transmitter and I’d like to create at least 2 mono mixes for them. I did try panning things hard left and hard right in mono mode, but that didn’t work at all. And then I tried pressing the stereo button and panning hard left and hard right ... which did work. But the only issue with that is, only one ear bud worked... either your left bud or your right... and that was no good either. I did hear it was possible, but I don’t know how to do it .., Any ideas ?? Thanks.

[@rickreedproductions8128]

No guarantees but this might work. It would be an ugly work around but it might work. If you use the "stereo button" set up that worked with only on earbud you could try using these. Out of the belt pack receiver plug in a "breakout cable" into the earbud headphone jack. That should split the signal left and right. Then plug a 3.5mm Stereo Female to 3.5mm Mono Male Adapter into the side you want (red/right or left/black). That should "sum" or combine the signal back together so you have the same mono signal going both left and right channels. Then plug your earbuds into the female end of the adapter. Let me know if it works. If so I can make a video on it explaining it more clearly. Links below. Good luck! Hosa YMM-261 Stereo Breakout Cable - 3.5mm TRS to Left and Right 3.5mm TS Female www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/YMM261--hosa-ymm-261-stereo-breakout-3.5mm-trs-to-dual-3.5mm-tsf-6-inch 3.5mm Stereo Female to 3.5mm Mono Male Adapter www.amazon.com/dp/B0002EOHX0/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_w1kgEbHV91J2V

[@RexyFan]

Rick Reed Productions Actually yes that would work. You’re a genius! I’ll have to order a few of those splitter cables to try em out. Eureka! Thank you! 😁😊

[@rickreedproductions8128]

@@RexyFan I emailed Shure and their new stereo transmitters can do what you want as well. They sent me this link kzbin.info/www/bejne/pqHQpaCte8-poqc

[@thangliancin3846]

Can you do talkback mic set up with Rolls Pm50s

[@rickreedproductions8128]

Thang Lian Cin yes. Just set up a vocal mic and plug it into the mixer. The rest of the band can bring up that mic in their monitor mix. As long as you don’t bring up the mic in the Main Mix only the band will hear you. The rest of the band can talk to you using their mics but, again, if their mics are up in the Main mix the audience will be able to hear what they say. The monitor (aux) mix and the main mix are separate things. Changing one does not effect the other.

[@user-tz7yg8ck3i]

Help me understand something i'm very confused about. I already have wireless mics set up to their receivers and those receivers go into my mixer. If i want to go wireless in-ears, does that replace the receivers that are synced to my wireless mics? Or is it an add on to what i already have?? I understand how to connect the wireless receiver and transmitter for the in ears but what do i do with the existing receivers i have?

[@user-tz7yg8ck3i]

i have those wireless mics going into floor wedges, which is why i want to make the switch but i'm confused how to go about the part that i mentioned above. I've been looking every where for an answer but every video just shows how to connect the body pack and the receiver

[@rickreedproductions8128]

Your mic receivers are completely separate from your in-ear receivers. Think of your mic/receiver as one “thing”. Everything happening there is happening before it get to the mixer. The same would be true is you had a wireless guitar set up. It happens before you get to the mixer. The in-ear body pack and receiver happen after the mixer.

[@user-tz7yg8ck3i]

@@rickreedproductions8128 ah, thanks so much. I was searching everywhere for an answer. So 2 more questions, i have my mic receivers connected via xlr to my s32 (i have a x32 behringer). Would i need another sub snake to plug in the in-ear receivers? if i've run out of inputs? and 2nd question is; Say i have a mic receiver plugged into channel 18 on my s32, and i've already connected my in-ears as well. How do i get the in-ear receiver and body pack to connect to a specific mic, if i have multiple wireless mics.

[@rickreedproductions8128]

@@user-tz7yg8ck3i for question 1: your mics should be connected to your XLR INPUT jacks. Your in-ears will be connected to one of the six 1/4 inch aux OUTPUT jacks. No need for a snake. Question 2: Mic -> Mixer -> In-ear system. I am not familiar with how to route the signal on your x32 because I don’t own one but you will be able to route the signal of any INPUT to any of the AUX OUTPUTS.

[@user-tz7yg8ck3i]

@@rickreedproductions8128 man, thanks so much. Appreciate it

[@mentz_music6882]

im kinda stupid so i have to ask. do i need a headphone for each bandmate or just 1 big one we can all connect to?

[@rickreedproductions8128]

Not stupid at all. In order to have each person have their own individual mix you will need a headphone amp for each person. You will also need a set of headphones for each person.

[@mentz_music6882]

@@rickreedproductions8128 thank you sir

[@thangliancin3846]

What should I plug to Mic Thru

[@rickreedproductions8128]

Ok. You are talking about the mic thru on the Rolls PSM50. The only connection you need to make is out of the “Aux send” from the mixer INTO the “monitor input” on the PSM50. It is usually a 1/4 inch instrument cable. You shouldn’t need to do anything with either the “mic input” or the “mic thru”.

[@MelvynHaas]

how can I get an indivual mix for a 7 members band though? are there mixers with 7 aux outs? or can I get around this problem some other way?

[@rickreedproductions8128]

Melvyn Haas I want to start by saying that I am not a professional Soundman nor am I a salesman. Please do your own research and don’t just take my opinion. That said, there are definitely mixers out there that have 8 aux sends. I found the Soundcraft GB4 24-channel Mixer at Sweetwater.com $1900. I also found PreSonus StudioLive 24R 24 Channel Rackmount Digital Mixer for $1100. This has up to 16 sends. With 7 performers you are jumping up to a higher price point to create individual mixes. If you want to try working around the problem you can try using a headphone amplifier that has a “mic thru” option. Like Behringer MicroMON MA400 1-Ch Monitor Headphone Amplifier I have never used one but I believe you create a basic “even” mix with everything in it. You put that into the headphone amp input. Then you run your singer’s mic straight into the Headphone Amp. Then out of the “mic thru” into the board. The singer can then dial up more of themselves in their in ears without altering the other mixes. It’s not ideal but it’s a way to work around the issue. You might look around on church Soundman forums. Church bands seem to have a lot of people and they might have some good advice. I would also contact a store like Sweetwater or your local music store and tell them what you want to do. They might be able to offer suggestions.

[@MelvynHaas]

thank you very much for the rensonse. I did do a bit of research and found the Behringer X32 Rack mixer that could fit nicely into what I imagined as a in ear monitor system. your video helped a lot as well.

[@luthfimuhammad5248]

Hi, what mixer you are using? Thanks in advance 😊

[@rickreedproductions8128]

My mixer is probably 12 years old so definitely not the newest technology. It’s a Presonus 16.0.2.

[@rodrigocarrillo8980]

Part 2?

[@suzanbanan]

how do i set up a click track for live performance?

[@rickreedproductions8128]

In my band we set up an iPad with a click track and plugged that in to the mixing board. We then turned up the click track in the Aux sends but kept the click track fader all the way down in the main mix. That will put the audio in your monitor mix but not in the main mix

[@Eddievjr5]

I guess part 2 is not till next year , just wait guys , hold your horses

[@officialWWM]

So I assume you have to now mice the entire band up in order to hear everything?

[@rickreedproductions8128]

Darren Turner yes. We mic the guitars and drums. The bass goes direct into the board. We also use in-ears when we rehearse. Our rehearsal space is small so in that situation we don’t mic the drums because they bleed through the ear buds.

[@officialWWM]

Rick Reed Productions that sounds like such a hassle, especially for a small gig :/ How do you deal with the isolation issue? Do you set up a room mic?

[@rickreedproductions8128]

Darren Turner sometimes we set up a room mic. If we don’t set up a mic and someone wants to talk with us we just pull out one of the ear buds. Honestly, in-ears are not a magic bullet. Sometimes they are great but sometimes you can’t get the mix dead on and it’s frustrating. But for us 90% of the time it’s great. Our band relies heavily on vocal harmonies. Previous to in-ears we would mic everything but only vocals and maybe a tiny amount of guitars/bass went into the monitors. Our guitar amps would be placed directly in front of us on kick back stands right next to the monitors. The goal was to hear our vocals clearly above the drums and other instruments. We often only had one monitor mix for all four of us. Our biggest challenge was that we could either choose to have an even mix loud enough match the drums or we could hear ourselves sing without feedback. We rarely seemed to get both. Once we moved to in-ears the feedback issue was gone. The isolating earbuds knocked down our drummer by several (15-20db?) and let us have completely individual mixes. It works for us. It might not work for you. No stress. I hope you find a mix that works. 👍

[@officialWWM]

Rick Reed Productions thanks for the info. The cost involved with making the jump and the risk that I dont like it is what is holding me back. Im the only lead singer and I also play guitar. Im worried that I wont hear my guitar properly or like the tone. Im also worried that the rest of the band wont cooperate and take the time to mic everything up. Im also kinda sick of feedback issues and not being able to hear myself, lol. Thanks for your info, I think the best way forward is to just try it with a cheap headphone amp setup and go from there.

[@rickreedproductions8128]

Darren Turner sounds like a solid plan. I know of lots of bands where only one or two guys have in ears. In my opinion getting the shure 215s will let you know if you like the in ears. As a singer, give it a little time to get used to singing with your ears plugged up. It took me a little time but it has been worth it. Good luck.

[@boydagust9179]

what if, in a band, only the drummer is using IEM can you only hear your drums and not your other band members instruments?

[@rickreedproductions8128]

You can hear anything that is plugged into the mixer. Usually if you are a small band (not touring with a dedicated soundman) the amount of monitor mixes can be limited by the PA setup. Almost all bars will have a mixing board with four AUX sends which means you can have your own mix. Talk with the soundman (in advance if possible) and let them know that the drummer uses IEMs and will need his own monitor mix. The soundman can give you a 1/4 cable that you plug in to the input of your headphone amp and you tell him how much of each instrument you want in the IEM mix. Then follow the steps from here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/e5DVl4aOaJmNiJo

[@jebaselvan6697]

can i use it for keyboard?

[@rickreedproductions8128]

Jeba Selvan yes. It can be used for any instrument

[@guapanmessi4470]

Wait... so if each player was to have their own mixers. How can we be able to hear each other’s instruments?

[@rickreedproductions8128]

Each "Aux" mix is it's own little world. If you look at the mixer at 2:00 you will see that each instrument has a knob for Aux 1. The person listening to Aux 1 can turn up as much of any instrument as they like. By doing that they create their own personal mix. Aux 1 has no effect on any other Aux mix or on the Main Mix.

[@guapanmessi4470]

@@rickreedproductions8128 ohhh I seee. I thought each person needed their own physical mixer system. thank s

[@AlcaHolicGamer]

So... does that mean that you have to have a Transmitter for every member of the band if they all want individual mixes?

[@rickreedproductions8128]

Yes. Each player has to have their own headphone amp. If you are going wireless then the Transmitter takes the place of the headphone amp and each player has to have their own transmitter.

[@rickreedproductions8128]

Part 2 is now available here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nZq7l3aOmNRpgNE

[@Sorazfr]

Do you need the headphone amp if you're not moving around?

[@rickreedproductions8128]

Yes. In that case you can use a wired headphone amp which are much cheaper than wireless.

[@Sorazfr]

@@rickreedproductions8128 hm so for example if i have a bomge 4 mixer i still need a headphone amp? I can't just connect the iem to the mixer? Sorry i'm really new to all this iem stuff so i'm really confused

[@rickreedproductions8128]

@@Sorazfr in your case no. The Bomge 4 mixer is a small personal mixer without AUX sends so you can’t use them in the way I described in the video. You can use the headphone out on your mixer which will give you the exact same mix as what is coming out of the mains Or you can use something like the Behringer MicroMON MA400 Monitor Headphone Amplifier which allows you to run your mic through the headphone amp and then passes on to the mixer. You can take one of your main mixer outputs to the headphone amp and add more of the mic if you need that. It’s not a great solution but it might give you what you need. If you want a full individual monitor mix you will need a mixer with at least one Aux send.

[@Sorazfr]

@@rickreedproductions8128 isn't that the whole point of in ear monitoring? You hear back what you play?

[@rickreedproductions8128]

@@Sorazfr Yes the point of any kind of monitoring is to hear what you play. The trick is that some musicians want to hear certain things and not others. For example in my band hearing our vocals clearly over the top of the drums was always a challenge particularly in a small bar. the levels were right for the audience but not for me to sing in tune. I needed to hear more of me and less of the drums to get the right mix. So when we used floor wedges we would only put vocals in them. No other instruments. In that case we needed at different mix of instruments than the one going to the main pa speakers. So we needed a separate “auxiliary mix”. When I play solo acoustic gigs I use a bose solo pa that is behind me so I hear the same thing the audience hears and it works fine. In that case I use a small mixer without an Aux mix because I don’t need it. That would change if I wanted to play to a click track because I wouldn’t want the audience to hear the click. In that case I would need a separate monitor/aux mix just for me that included the click. Hopefully that makes senses. I’m still drinking my coffee.

[@facudemario3825]

cant u use a mixer from the computer?

[@rickreedproductions8128]

In our situation we have a band with 3 vocalists, 2 guitars, bass, drums (with multiple mics) and an ipad with a click track on one channel and a some backing tracks on the other. Using a Presonus board lets us get all the inputs mixed, aux outputs, main outputs, and individual control over our monitor mixes. The great part about hooking it up to the computer is that you can use the Presonus Studio One app to record everything that comes out of the board. Great for demos, capturing live shows, etc. for mixing later.

[@tomjansing3344]

Why does the lead singer always get Aux1? And the drummer? Aux4? Damit Jim! I mean, Rick.

[@korneeldevos7790]

IEM should always be stereo... it's a night and day difference!

[@rickreedproductions8128]

I wish I was able to do that. We have a small budget and would need a bigger mixer to pull that off. Our presonus 16.0.2 only has 4 mono aux mixes.

[@zechpatrick]

At first... YES to Korneel Devos... every in nature is stereo (because of room/ different noises)... so listening in Mono ist really unnatural and for me very hard to hear the difference in my mix. I also use the 16.0.2 for my stuff and i have found some "cool trick" (sorry for some wrong english/ I'm from germany) I use the "MonitorOut" / "ControlRoomOut" and send it in stereo to my Samson S-Phone 4channel headphone PreAmp (could be any headphone PreAmp with AuxIns per channel). So every Headphone is getting a copy of my MainBusSignal WITHOUT the 31Band EQ. The Samson S-Phone has for each channel a "External AuxIn". I made 4 cable from 6.3 stereo to 6.3 mono jack and connect it from my 4 AuxOut from the mixingdesk to the 4 AuxIn of my headphone PreAmp. So everyone has the same mix and is able to "boost" his own instruments. So we have a stereo mix with Mono boost. I use this setup in 2 coverbands and i also mix a PunkRock/PopRock Band with the same SetUp. MPORTENT... EVERYONE needs the same InEars because of the EQing... PS: form the company A.R.T or LD Systems (and some more) there are some 6 channel headphone PreAmps... so you can use it with an 16.4.2/ 24.4.2 with multiple headphone PreAmps. StereoSignal link und more Auxes on the desk to manage more "boosts" for more InEar Signals (i've never tried this on more than 4 people and the 16.0.2 but maybe this will work). So i hope that helps and i don't make to many mistakes while writing this :D

[@rickreedproductions8128]

Sounds like a good work around for the problem. Thanks for sharing!

[@paginini]

Hi do i need a digital mixer for wirless transsmitter?

[@rickreedproductions8128]

No. Digital vs. Analog mixers are the same in this situation. The mixer provides the signal to the wireless transmitter. Your signal flow is "Instrument" -> "Mixer" -> "Headphone amp(hard-wired) / Wireless System (wireless)".

[@paginini]

@@rickreedproductions8128 thank u for ur respose i saw video stating not 2 mess with the transsmitter with digital mixer.. thanks

[@rickreedproductions8128]

@@paginini If you can post a link to the video I can try to address what you saw. I don't know why a wireless in-ear transmitter would interact with a digital mixer but who knows?

[@paginini]

@@rickreedproductions8128 k i will sir thanks

[@paginini]

@@rickreedproductions8128 its embarassing dont know how to link im watining ask my brother

[@christianohlemeyer2983]

How does this connect to a amp?

[@rickreedproductions8128]

You connect the Aux output of the mixer to the input of the headphone amp with a standard 1/4 inch guitar cable. Is that what your are asking?

[@limoncr5205]

@@rickreedproductions8128 so for instance, as a guitar player i want to hear my guitar clear in the mix plus the rest (bass etc), so you must get a mic in front of the guitar amp, connected to the mixer, right ? Then, from the mixer, the signal goes to the IEM amp ?

[@rickreedproductions8128]

Thomas CRuivo yes. That is correct. 👍

[@thangliancin3846]

So the mic Thru is like communicating with other musicians only they can hear

[@rickreedproductions8128]

My apologies but I’m not sure what you mean by “mic thru”. If you are the drummer you will need to mic the drums in order to hear them in the mix. If you want to talk to the other members of the band so they can hear you in their mix you will need a vocal mic that is plugged in to the mixer. They can pull up the vocal mic in their mix and hear you talking. The monitor mixes are completely separate from the Main (Front of house) mix. As long as your vocal mic is not turned up in the Main mix the audience will not hear anything you say into the mic.

[@chryssemansmilanes7304]

I badly need an iem headset but i dont have money :(

[@sulitian25]

Sell your soul

[@jam_northstar6912]

is that a digitech?

[@rickreedproductions8128]

jamil quinto the earbuds are “Shure”. The head phone amp is a “Rolls”. The first mixer is an analog Mackie board. The second mixer is a digital Presonus 16.0.2 board. The wireless headphone amp is a Shure.

[@jam_northstar6912]

No, the pedal effects on the picture lol

[@rickreedproductions8128]

jamil quinto lol. I don’t have the other guys gear memorized but if you are referring to the picture from behind us at :25 seconds then from right to left: bass is using a boss foot pedal (he later added a Hartke amp pedal), I’m using a vox tonelab se and a cry baby wag, second guitar is using digitech pedal.

[@thangliancin3846]

Do u need mic thru if u are drummer?

[@rickreedproductions8128]

If you want to talk to anyone in the band and have them hear it in their in-ears then you will need a mic.

[@GarryWan666]

In ear monitors???????? Shure, why not Xd

[@RexyFan]

Hi Can you connect a wireless in ear system to a analogue mixer or does the mixer have to be digital ?

[@rickreedproductions8128]

RexyFan you can connect a wireless in system to either analog and or digital as long as the mixer has an “aux out”.

[@RexyFan]

Rick Reed Productions perfect. Thank you :) One more question... How would I set up our music director to be able to come out of the in ears only and not the main speakers so only the band people can hear him ?

[@rickreedproductions8128]

RexyFan In the way we are setting up our mixing board, there are two sets of “volume” controls on the mixing board. One is the “Faders” that look like sliding buttons. Those sliders are for the Main mix that goes out to the audience. The second set is the “aux” twist knobs. That one controls how much volume goes to the Aux output. In order to hear the music director in your in ears you turn up his mic in using the Aux knob. As long as you leave that mic sliding fader down you won’t send him to the main mix and the audience won’t hear him. Hope that helps

[@RexyFan]

Rick Reed Productions thanks Ric. That’s exactly how I had it pictured in my head. I wasn’t sure if there was another way. Thanks for your quick response. New sub ! 😁

[@rickreedproductions8128]

RexyFan I’m not a professional Soundman but that’s the way I set things up. I would recommend finding a message board for pro sound guys and ask them. They might have another option. Good luck!