The Cheapest In-Ear Monitor (IEM) Setup - That You Might Already Own!

I've been using this mixer with a PA for over a decade, but a few years ago, when I started looking into in-ear monitors and put this together, it blew my mind. It may not be news to everyone, but considering it took me so long to realize what I could do with it, I'm sure I'm not the only one!
Here's an example diagram:
drive.google.com/file/d/1USNX...
*Included some product links, not affiliate, just to give you a starting point, always good to shop around and do your own research based on your needs!
You will need:
An analog mixer:
a.co/d/86t8yzW
IEMs with memory foam tips:
a.co/d/cmDdUQM
a.co/d/81M1JxE
Headphone extension cables and adaptors:
a.co/d/hXvAy10
XLR Y-cables:
a.co/d/2IrG7zr
and a 4-channel headphone amp with a TRS cable (for multiple IEMs):
a.co/d/c0FsiqY
a.co/d/7JJGWSq
0:00 What and Why
2:39 The Setup
7:57 Questions You May Have
#iem #musicproduction #soundengineer
Come hang out on the Discord and download my free IR's: / discord
If you want to help support this channel, buy my music on bandcamp!
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[@peeweesermon2231]

Thank you for this! As a dude in a hardcore/metal band playing in a less than optimal practice space, this is exactly what I was looking for. For whatever reason every other IEM tutorial on KZbin seems to be tailored to people going on world tours and shit. Thanks again man.

[@NickLeonard]

I agree, that's why I wanted to share it! Hope it helps. I was able to get a pretty nice mix going in the rehearsal room with vocals, cab mics, kick, and snare

[@peeweesermon2231]

@@NickLeonard random question, but do you know if the mixer you're using would work for a 4 piece, with one vocal mic, one drum mic, one guitar line, and one bass line?

[@NickLeonard]

@@peeweesermon2231 yes, it works perfectly for that. it has 4 mic preamps and 4 pairs of line inputs. that exact model isn't made, but there are similar ones.

[@kmputertechsupplies2374]

To extend your system to have 2 different mixes, you can pan the signal and have a left and right playing 2 completely different things from the mixer, Then send that signal to the headphone amp.

[@Pinkybum]

Not sure how this would work. Wouldn't the mix between left and right be fixed once set? I guess you can mix it by pan and volume which is OK but a little complicated.

[@keyikush]

​@@Pinkybumthe input to mixer are monos. Which you can pan any channel ie (guitar to right, and bass to left)

[@Pinkybum]

@@keyikushI think my point still stands. Say for example you want more guitar in channel L than channel R you have to use the pan pot to mix that correctly - say put it at half to the left so there's maybe 70% in L and 30% in R. Not impossible, just a little more complicated than just assigning the level in a dedicated buss. Of course, it's made more complicated if you have to make changes on the fly where the pan and the level might need to be changed.

[@riddlin4u]

Outstanding vid! I am careening toward this exact setup without ANY roadmap (or seemingly brakes...)! This was a great find...thanks!

[@chrishershey5033]

We used this setup in rehearsals years ago. It’s a lifesaver. Great video

[@robertpira4389]

Your channel is criminally underrated. Keep it up!

[@NickLeonard]

thanks!

[@zacharydbooth]

Ordered all of the above! Thanks so much for this video!

[@darrylday30]

I use a Rolls PM351 mixer. Three inputs: Instrument in with DI OUT, vocal in with DI OUT and a monitor in from the board. No eq or panning but the instrument and monitor in are stereo. I get the sound guy to give me a the house mix and then I dial in a little bit extra keys and maybe some more of my vocal. If I can’t get anything from the sound guy, I just plug in my zoom recorder instead and point it in the least offensive direction. Sometimes I point it at the mains. Wireless units are getting affordable. If the sound guy has a digital mixer, I’ll try to plug my wireless into an aux or two and copy paste the house mix and add a little more me. I might take out effects and some drum mics to keep it cleaner. I’ll pan the vocals for better separation. I can even set this up while the previous band is playing if the sound guy is cool with it. I might try your little mixer next. I like the eq, panning and flexibility. BTW, if you’re sharing a vocal mix with your mates, try panning. It really helps people identify individual vocals without “adding more me”.

[@RJWPG]

THANK YOU for this straightforward explanation and the diagram!!!

[@RudeRecording]

I too am a vocalist/bassist/recordist. I've been doing all that for years. There are currently several mixers that will do that internally. The Mackie DL 16s/32s come to mind, I now have the latter. I've been doing what you describe since the 90's when we had an attic practice space that was a couple of blocks from the local police station. Everything had to be direct, drums silenced and triggered except vocal mics [haven't engineered a direct vocal patch, yet] on headphones or we'd have cops at the door before we finished a tune. We even did a couple shows that way back then running everything to the SR system and using slant monitors for stage monitor. These daze I routinely run FOH sound from a tablet on my DL 32s while recording on a laptop. If I'm on stage, I can hand the tablet to the sound tech and they can rout, as or if needed to the house system. BTW: I would recommend a transformer isolated mic splitter box with ground lift for your mic, not that expensive but it may save ground loop noise problems at some venues.

[@eholmberg]

This is great. I am building a similar system. Just purchased for $43 CDN the MWave / Btuty SWS10 wireless IEM to extend it to my earbuds and so far working great/zero latency.

[@kylescott4]

Great info, thanks 🙏

[@worthrag2568]

This is great! I use Zoom L-12 with my band. You can have individual mixes on 5 Headphones channels and 1 Master output. All stereo. Also it has effects and EQ but it's not for individual mixes. If you EQ the vocals, compress and pan it right, It would be the same for everyone else. But levels are great and easy to mix with it. You can save 9 "scenes" and recall them for each situation. I use the same mixer as a soundcard for recording and it's just awesome!

[@aleksandarmarkovic4913]

Great video!

[@normanpaolo6438]

You earned a like and a sub! Thank you for this vid

[@brandoncross4254]

All facts! Just recently made this discovery with our band.

[@ThisMichaelBrown]

I used a rig very similar to this 20 years ago and it worked like a charm....could hear my vox and guitar perfectly....the rest of the band just bled into my beta 58 vocal mic....here is a tip that worked for me....I tucked the 1/8 chord just under my posterior belt so it extended above the belt bout an inch, and it took the cord weight off the headphones. Did dozens of shows in a very LOUD room and I was always comfortable as can be in what we called "The Bubble"....my ears and voice felt great at the end of the night! It was like singing in a studio booth....I am debating a wireless system right now versus just recreating that old rig...Thanks for the vid!

[@NickLeonard]

It's a great system! I've even micd most of the band that way with drums and guitars going in too. Funny too, our drummer is Michael Brown as well!

[@ThisMichaelBrown]

@@NickLeonard Hey Nick, another Michael Brown, ha.....my channel is called THIS Michael Brown cause there are so many of us...ha.....check out some tunes, RUSH, STP, 311 on the hard rock side....you may enjoy...ROCK ON! im debating the Sennheiser G4 versus a simple Behringer mixer on the ground in front of me...Fun stuff....again, thanks for the reminder how these simple systems work so well!

[@NickLeonard]

@@ThisMichaelBrown good luck! And I'm not the only Nick Leonard on youtube either, but I made sure to beat out the others so I could claim the url lol

[@ThisMichaelBrown]

@@NickLeonard 😂👍🏻

[@SachaHeck]

I really like this easy solution as I'm currently looking into how to setup band rehearsals with backing tracks and a click track. I think this would work for the lowest budget. Only thing is that you cannot have individual monitor mixes.

[@fergalomahony7716]

Very helpful, thanks,

[@mnbass]

Thanks for this. Really great. As a gigging bass player with some high-end hearing loss, trying to protect my hearing on small, but loud bar gigs while still being able to hear my bass articulation and sometimes vocals is a real struggle. The full blown in-ear solution for established bands is fantastic, but just not feasible for these smaller gigs. I feel like it’s a common problem in need of a solution. I tried something similar to this a couple of times, but maybe I need to experiment a little more to come up with something that works for me. Perhaps adding a simple, graphic EQ pedal to my bass signal to emphasize the mids for the in-ear. And and also some kind of simple mic to blend in some of the stage sound.

[@NickLeonard]

You could mic your own cab, or run a DI to a pedal sized modeling amp or sansamp. I get a decent amount of the room sound just through my vocal mic in addition to what makes it past the in ears acoustically, but a condenser mic on stage somewhere can get the room sound much clearer. You could use a stereo pair, but just for monitoring, a mono mic is fine.

[@compucat]

I use my custom molded IEMs or Shure foam tips for most things. However, when I don’t have a good mix (and want some additional room sound) - I’ll swap over to SE215s with silicone tips. In my ears they don’t isolate as well, and the bleed proves beneficial. Similarly, you could achieve that effect using vented IEMs with reduced isolation. At some point I’d love to build a small utility pedal: bass DI in, headphone amp out, blended with an integrated pair of ambient mics. Not glamorous, but good enough in a pinch perhaps!

[@themusketeer9458]

Great video! Considering getting the behringer p1 as a guitar player, tho i play wireless guitar, so it will be a step back to be on wires again tho.. tho i mostly stand still as pub stages are small😂

[@Jason22Douce]

This was awesome. While this is great for a total band setup, I'm curious about the options an individual would have not knowing if the rest of the band is using amps on stage/ going straight to foh/ iems or not. Any thoughts on individual iem setups ?

[@NickLeonard]

I do use this for just myself usually, though I've done both. If you have multiple individual mixers, everyone could make their own mix, but you're not gonna want to run a huge mess of splitter cables, so you'd want to have a central box where all the signals went that could then feed everything without being lossy. At that point you should look into a system for that like Hearback, Behringer Powerplay or X32

[@pilot140467]

I use a cheap SC UI12 Digital Mixer which has 4 AUX outputs. For a small band it allows FOH mixing, as well as 4 separate monitor mixes. For about $330 it is quite good, not mentioning that it is packed with features and it sounds great. I did build some headphone amps for my band mates with a rechargeable 9V battery inside. But there are some quite cheap headphone amps out there. Another thing I have tried was to use a cheap wireless guitar system (mine is from LEKATO and works on 5.8Ghz) and connected it the other way round to work as a wireless in ear monitor. It will be only mono of course, but It works fine, although I still didn't gig with it. It is a very interesting idea though, as both transmitter and receiver are powered by rechargeable Lithium batteries. They charge in about one hour or so. This is my experience. EDIT: Forgot to say that the Ui12 Mixer can also record the master track into an USB memory stick. That is awesome for band practicing.

[@luukterdenge269]

Can you explain me how this has 4 separate monitor mixes?

[@Marcink126]

With my band we are using almost exactly the same setup :) Behringer headphone amplifier + Behringer mixer + KZ ZSN PRO X in ear headphones. Btw I changed analog mixer to FLOW 8 digital mixer. You can also use it as digital interface 8 inputs, 4 outputs, so you can do multitrack recordings during rehearsals. Btw, in our band, drummer uses AUX channel + mix from metronome and others uses master out without metronome.

[@NickLeonard]

Sounds like a good setup. If I were shopping for one today, I'd go with one that can record like that. We always recorded rehearsals, but I just had a pair of mics in the room, and it didn't sound great, plus it used an extra interface and more mics

[@Marcink126]

@@NickLeonard strong side of the FLOW 8 mixer is that it works as a mixer and interface at the same time. So we are recording full 8 tracks and people still hear what they play. Then when I don't want to take computer nothing changes. We are just playing without changing anything.

[@EvanSam]

This is my setup and it’s perfect

[@jensonluke12]

the way i got around the cable ripping out my in ear problem was getting a belt clip like on a tape mesure and taping a 3,5 female to female adapter to it and plugging my in ears to that and it gives polenty of strain relefe

[@cetifoxproductions]

Since I do a lot of musical theater as well, I run all cables under my clothes, down my back, to the belt packs,

[@Hmpryyyy]

you can actually record with that mixer (if u want to), run an RCA cable (red and white) from the line out into a 3.5mm jack, get a 3.5mm to PL adapter, then plug that into your recording interface :))

[@NickLeonard]

It's not ideal, but could be useful if you want to expand a small interface and don't care about changing the mix later! I could've done that when I had it set up in my band room, since I only had a 2i2 with a pair of condensers to capture everything, amd it would've been better blended with the close mics.

[@four4r92]

hey!! thank you for this video! i have a question though, if i want to put a click source to our monitors and sound effects TO front of house, how should i do it? i have the fx and click in my daw, should i use an interface?

[@russellstratton7065]

I have this sort of setup and added the Lekato wireless. 50 dollars and it works great

[@deekod1967]

Zoom L12 mixer does all of this - with separate in ear mixes and digital recording too..

[@Rhythmic1]

I'm thinking of putting together a simple analogue IEM system like this. Right now I have an X32 rack and expensive UE custom in-ears along with a PM16. It turns out that the X32 is way too complex for me. Between the rack, power conditioner and splitter it also weighs a lot more than I bargained for and takes up too much room in my car. I can't fit it and my drum kit in my car and the extra setup time would be prohibitive. We got it semi functioning but not enough to warrant the expense and hassle. I also had to update and figure out a mic setup for my drum kit. Nobody talks about compatibility issues either. You're not always going to be able to run a CAT cable from the mixer to FOH. There are a few different digital protocols that vary from manufacturer to manufacturer that require the right interface in order to communicate with each other. For example, you need to install a Dante card in the X32 in order for it to work with a Yamaha soundboard through a CAT cable. Personal mixers need to be compatible as well. It's pretty depressing to have spent so much time and money on something that would have been great if only for all the other insurmountable problems. But there's no way I'm ever going back to earplugs. The music sounds like mud through them. You can't hear anything and what little you do hear sounds so bad it sucks all the enjoyment out of playing music.

[@NickLeonard]

That's a bummer, but not surprising. Even if money wasn't an issue, the setup and amount of gear is way too much without a touring crew. It's a great system for a nationally touring act with ample time and help to set up, plus nice FOH boards and engineers who can hook it all up, but for 90% of bands, it's just not practical. Hopefully you can sell it off and not lose too much. A setup like I have, with a few extra mics around the kit (or split from FOH) can do a great job. It's not going to sound like a studio mix, but you can hopefully get to a point you're happy with. As for earplugs, I've tried a bunch, and I really recommend the Eargasm ones, they have by far the most transparent sound of any and don't kill the treble like Etymotic and Hearos.

[@cetifoxproductions]

The Behringer X32 doesn't have to be any more complex to use than an analog mixer. The tablet interface really mimics the physical board. The Soundcraft Ui24r we use looks more similar to the Behringer XR18 (no LED panel, relies entirely on tablet interface). I'm definitely the tech geek in our band, but it took very little time to show the guys how to manage their own Aux mixes. Soundcraft also makes the 16- and 12-channel version (Ui16r and Ui12r) that you can simply set on a table or stand ($549, $409 respectively). I think what happens often is musicians are "sold" more tech than they realize they can take advantage of. In our case, most of the time we're running all our own sound without benefit of a sound guy, so I needed a solution that was easy to understand (using faders on a tablet is no harder than faders on a board), very quick to setup (it's plug-and-play) and could be run from anywhere (built-in wifi and our cheap Android tablets make this a breeze). Before going this route, we were stuck with wedge monitors with a max of 4 mixes for 5 band members, more complex setup/cable runs, and the never-ending stage volume competition (most of my band mates already have some hearing loss, so that added to the problem). So, the first advance we made was just replacing the wedges with the XVive IEMs. This solved the stage volume battle, but still required everyone to visit the board to adjust their own mix (the guitarists had to share the same mix, since our analog board only had 4 Auxes). Eventually, the Ui24r replaced the analog board. BTW, no CAT cabling...still using XLR, compatible with virtually everything out there.

[@joshuamccoig8533]

Great video. I'm in the painstaking process of buying my first in-ear system. Does each member of your band have their own mixer? Do you always rely on the house's PA in addition to this set up? Thanks, Josh

[@NickLeonard]

I ran it all through one mixer. Multiple mixers would require splitting a lot of individual mics into multiple and you may get signal loss pretty quickly that way. There are systems for multiple individual mixers, they're just more expensive: hearback, behringer poweplay or X18, etc.

[@wilkopiano]

I have still yet to find the cheapest wireless stereo in ear more me + overall mix equipment under 6k senheiser and shure transmitters alone cost £600 and you would need 12 of them for 6 stereo iem mixes plus a license to use frequency. Even direct iems with more me stereo mix involves a matrices of cabling or digital mixers with 16 aux outs. We are talking thousands

[@streaming917]

Why do I need a splitter cable?

[@niaralosusa]

Great video! When shopping for mixers I see that some are "powered" (internal amp) and some "unpowered" (no internal amp). I'm new to the mixer/monitoring side of things so: - Is the Behringer mixer you show in the video "powered" or "unpowered"? - For an in-ear monitor setup does having a "powered" or "unpowered" mixer make a difference? Thanks!

[@NickLeonard]

This would be an unpowered mixer, it wouldn't drive passive loudspeakers, but it's got a headphone amp. For this use, you don't need a powered mixer and they'll be a lot more expensive and heavy.

[@cetifoxproductions]

In previous versions of my band we had big analog boards, a massive power amp rack (with active crossover, effects and EQ...the thing was as tall as me), massive twin subs with dual 18's and twin 4-way cabinets. Setup was long and complex, the amp rack took 4 people to move (even though it was on wheels). Powered speakers are so inexpensive now and very lightweight considering the kind of sound they produce that it doesn't make sense these days to use a powered board and passive speakers unless that's all you have and you don't have a large band. As for in-ear monitoring, it comes down to what signal you're passing to the IEM system. If you're just coming out of a headphone jack on your board (powered or unpowered) that's going to just be a pre-amped signal, so Nick's solution is easy and ideal for you. If you were trying to come out of a Aux/Monitor send from a powered board you'd have to check the specs for the board to see if that channel is also powered (or is switchable)...you don't want a powered channel to use an in-ear system.

[@russellstratton7065]

If I added a vocal fx pedal and wanted to hear then in my monitor and in the engineers mix, where would one put the fx in the chain ?

[@NickLeonard]

Mic>pedal>y-cable to FOH and mixer>Mixer>IEMs

[@jones1749]

The snare channel looks like it gets a line input. How are you getting any signal if the snare mic is at mic level without a pre?

[@NickLeonard]

It was quiet, but snares are also loud. It wasn't ideal, but it worked. More pres would be good though

[@conan2566]

Just wondering if there can be an ultraportable wireless setup for IEM monitoring? Thanks

[@NickLeonard]

If you can count on the sound guy at a show, or have a mixer already at the rehearsal room, you just need a wireless pack. The part you wear is small, though you need to hook up the base station to transmit the signal too. I have only really worked with the Shure ones before but there are lots out there. Bear in mind you still need a traditional mixer with mics hooked up to that

[@Pinkybum]

It would help the sound person if you had a labeled snake to hand them the split signals.

[@danroxas]

always nuy the pro KZ's for an extra $3 to $5. they sound better than the regular kz iems

[@damiengarcia6944]

Hey brotha, well i started practicing with my son, i drum and he plays guitar. Well i wanna not mess his little ears up, with his halfstack and my drums/cymbals. So what exactly would we need to use in ear monitors. And i have no idea on this subject lol! Thank you in advance man! 🤘🏼✊🏼

[@yapjy69]

Hi, thanks for the info. May i know if the xlr splitter half the signal, ie assume the original signal is 1, and both signal sent out become 0.5 each? Also i would like to use mono quarter inch splitter as well. Will the signal half? Thanks in adcance.

[@NickLeonard]

I haven't measured it exactly, I'm sure there's a reduction, but I don't think it's half

[@Doa616]

I want to build a guitar rig ,, just so I can be able to listen to myself while I move around ,, I ordered a wireless iem to start but would i just need a mixer and mic with cables or extra stuff ???

[@NickLeonard]

Yes, you need a signal to send to the wireless unit. You could have a separate rig for your headphones, for example, a modeling amp/pedal going into the wireless unit. If it's a normal tube or solid state amp with no headphone out, you'll need to mic the cab, and that will have to go into a mixer.

[@darlin5167]

Where do you plug wired in-ear monitor to the mixer board? Aux 2? Aux send?

[@NickLeonard]

Most have a Phones out you can use, or Aux if you prefer

[@frankstern7287]

Do you use splitters for instruments as well? Why not use outs on the mixer instead of splitters?

[@NickLeonard]

The splitters are just so I can split off the same signal that's going to FOH. The mixer only has stereo outs. Now if I was running mics just for me, I wouldn't need to split anything.

[@samslenderman]

Quick question, and maybe you clarified already in the video and I missed it, with the recommended items for this setup, I assume I'm able to connect to our bands rehearsal PA with this so that my vocals will still play through those speakers, as well as in my ears directly? I'm having the precise issue you mentioned- every time we rehearse, I cannot hear myself well at all, it causes me to sing out of tone and I blow my vocals out because I subconsciously sing louder and harder with the mic basically in my mouth. And any time we try to turn up my Mic or angle the speakers towards me, of course... ear drums explode from feedback. We are really good.. but really poor. Can't afford a big setup or extra floor monitors, I just need to hear myself well and clear, balanced with the audio of my guitar, our bass, our drums and our lead guitar, so I can sing comfortably and with passion

[@NickLeonard]

Yes, if it's already hooked up to the PA, all you need to do is connect your headphone cable to the phones out

[@JackPaylor]

do you encounter any issues with the Y split? i’ve always imagined there being issues with feedback especially with microphones and even signal lost

[@NickLeonard]

I haven't measured the signal loss, I'd imagine there is some, but in practice it's never been an issue, and I doesn't make it feedback more

[@cetifoxproductions]

While you're absolutely right that this is the most basic way to get in-ears running and reduce stage volumes, I can't stress enough the value of individual monitor mixes. I'm in a 5-piece band, with three of us on vocals. We were running 4 monitor mixes when we could only have wedges (our analog mixer had 4 pre-fader aux-out). When we went digital and replaced that board with the Soundcraft Ui24r, the transformation was dramatic. It supports 8 aux-outs and is wireless, so we now each of inexpensive Android tablets (any tablet or phone will work) to control each of our own monitor mixes, and we all use in-ears. Amazing difference. Feedback is a thing of the past, overall sound design is improved, and voice strain is dramatically reduced. Of course, you have to start somewhere, and your layout is a great start. I would at least advocate for optimizing the use of your main mixer Aux options for at least SOME custom monitor mixes. BTW, another huge advantage of going with a A/D mixer with more Aux outputs is that you can already have your monitor mixes tight from practice, and then when you show up to a venue, using the splitters like you showed allows you to plug into the house snake (or your own, if you also provide your own house sound) and the sound guy doesn't have to worry about also controlling your monitor mix....they just worry about the house. That being said, the Soundcraft ui24r also has stereo outs, and I'm able to actually run the house mix from the stage (or anywhere) with my tablet. It has a "sound check" mode that lets you record your band's sound check, then you can go out in the house, play it BACK with complete control of all the main mixing, effects, etc. as if the band was playing live. Once you have the dialed in, you can make minor tweaks as the performance goes. I'll never go back to a traditional board.

[@NickLeonard]

All good points, and if it makes sense for your band, it's totally worth it! For me, even if I had the budget for a fancier system, the setup time makes it impractical for small bar gigs with 20 mins between bands for all setup and sound checking. I tried micing everything up with my Model 12 at a couple gigs so I could record us in multitrack and have a great monitor mix. It was so stressful running 8 mics and cables all over and I was so rushed I clipped mics sometimes so the recordings weren't even great 😅

[@cetifoxproductions]

@@NickLeonard I understand your concerns. Ultimately, most of them can be mitigated by how much you're pre-setup. Again, that's one of the things we like most about the rackmount digital mixer. Since our monitor system is built-in to the Ui24r (I believe Behringer has similar features in their digital mixers) and we're already mixed from the last time we practiced/performed, I can connect to a house snake in a couple of minutes. It literally takes us longer to setup our individual instruments than it does the sound system. If we're not running our own house sound, we literally have one question for the sound tech: Do you want individual feeds from us or a simple stereo feed? If he/she wants individual feeds, we have the splitter cables like you featured, and plug them all into their snake--done in a minute. If they are good with a stereo feed, we plug our left & right main into their snake and hand them a tablet to manage individual channels for the house--done in seconds. I've learned that a lot of bands use this combination when they gig different venues frequently because you come into the place virtually plug-and-play. Each band member already knows where they plug into our rack, so that's now part of their individual setup, and plugging into someone else's house system is either 2 or 8 short cables (we always put our rack right next to their snake). BTW, most of us are running wireless in-ears, going with the XVive U4 systems ($183, 6 separate channels, decent range, rechargeable, no cabling needed) and the CCA C10 five-driver ear buds ($40). If you're okay running mono monitor mixes, this is the cheapest, but still great quality, wireless IEM combo we've found and are satisfied with. Sweetwater sells a 1 transmitter + 4 receiver set of the XVive system for $455---which, if you're using the mixer you featured and the single monitor feed, this would be ideal (and quicker) since you'd only be concerned with the one mix and all receivers would be on the same channel. Literally set up and ready to go in seconds. Just some suggestions for those reading along.

[@xoyleid8358]

Hy Nick ..great video By the way ❤ I have an issue. . My Monitor ..doesnt ..Sound good ..soundslike "not Bass /basscut/Mono .. can You Help .. is it possible To Sounds Surround ..like we Listen To Music player ...? Cus it too annoying For bass Player .. Thx Nick 🙏🏻

[@NickLeonard]

Are you using IEMs or monitor speakers, do they sound okay when listening to music? For stereo monitoring, you need stereo sources. A bass or guitar amp is mono. If it's missing low frequencies, reset any eq on the mixer, make sure there's no low cut enabled and that cables are good. Most bass amps that have a DI output won't have a speaker simulator on them and will sound very harsh, you could buy an IR pedal to go between the bass amp and mixer or just cut a lot of the treble. It could be a lot of different things, but see if any of those work

[@xoyleid8358]

@@NickLeonard iem . 🙏🏻

[@xoyleid8358]

Mixer "phone output " > earphone AMPLIFIER ha400 4channel>. Then.. "6.5 Akai Trs To 3.5 Female > Earphone Player. 🙏🏻 .. But dunno why ..sound Like" Bass Cut "or Full Treblee. . no ambience

[@NickLeonard]

@@xoyleid8358 are you connecting to the mixer with a stereo (TRS) 3.5mm to dual mono (TS) cable? If you're connecting to just one input you could have a mono summing issue

[@mritorto1]

can you connect the mixer to an amp and share it with bass and guitar and singers microphone

[@NickLeonard]

Yes, if the amp has a line out you can use that, or just mic up the speaker

[@NickLeonard]

Or maybe you mean using the amp for all three, in which case, yes you can plug all the instruments into the mixer and use the main outputs into the amp. It's just line level so that will be safe. I don't know how great they'll all sound together though

[@jurecehovin4039]

Hi..I made this setup for practicing congas with some backing tracks. I don't have to put the level really loud before I get a kind of buzzing sound in my headphones. First I thought there was a buzz coming from a loose screw or something but I checked everything and couldn't find nothing in the room that would make the buzzing sound. Then I played around with some settings and I found out that the buzz starts to come in at the certain loudness and especially on the low conga drum. So I killed the low frequency and it also killed the buzzing. So buzz is depended on the level and the low frequencies it seams. Are my headphones the problem? I use this equipement: Behringer Xenyx X1204 fx, Vic Firth DB22 headphones, Audix dynamic mics (i5 and d2). And help would be appreciated!

[@NickLeonard]

I would check the mic clamps for anything buzzing, but assuming you have, it could be overloading the headphones. Even if it's not clipping the mixer, it may be pushing the drivers in the headphones too hard. Without a compressor or limiter, drums are very dynamic, and there can be a brief spike of very low frequencies that is just overdriving the headphones. Given that those aren't super expensive headphones, I'm sure the drivers in them aren't the most impressive. I'd use the low cut switch first, since you really don't need under 80hz for congas, then maybe dial back the lows on the eq if needed.

[@robo5911]

where do i get the signal from the rest of my band into my mixer?

[@NickLeonard]

You would either have to use splitter cables off their mics if you're using the same mics as the house, or mic them up yourself into the mixer, or get a feed from FOH of whatever they're running through the PA. It's a lot more cables and setup, which is why I recommend only monitoring what is crucial to your performance

[@joaocardoso6681]

Great setup. I've used this same setup with a 2 band (acoustic guitar+ voice) and also with a full band (different mixer). The issue is that with a simple mixer you only have one aux so all of the band will hear to the same mix, and usually each player wants to her themselves a little more so that's a problem. Do you know any solution for that?

[@NickLeonard]

Zoom LiveTrak and the Behringer X series do, I'm sure there are more that can do multiple monitor mixes, they are going to be a fair bit pricier than a simple analog mixer, but the Zoom ones aren't too expensive. I haven't used them, but they seem interesting.

[@jasonpaulin5999]

If you already have the mixer and you are not using it for FOH you may want to experiment with using left, right, and aux as separate outputs to individual headphone amps. You can use aux and pan controls to control relative volumes in 3 separate mixes. I imagine this would be difficult to dial in to everyone's satisfaction and it would make the headphone output of the mixer useless. Unless you wanted to split the left and right headphone channels as clones of your main mix left and right outputs. If you used the tape out left and right to two more headphone amps you could have clones of the left and right main mixes bringing you up to 3 mixes to 7 monitors. My old Behringer mixer also comes with left and right control room out which could also be used to send to headphone amps. It's a bit Frankenstein's Monster, and careening further from the design of the product, but possible.

[@DingleDut]

Please help me out My band is a 4 piece. 2 guitars, bass, drums, singer that plays guitar. If I mic up all of my cabs, my drums, and vox, send them into my mixer, plug in my Xvive 4 into the Aux output, will I be hearing it back on my IEMS?

[@NickLeonard]

Yes that should work fine

[@DingleDut]

@@NickLeonard thank youu so much!

[@jimsuber6784]

Nick, I should be able to come out of fully populated (audio) aux's from my main mixer to a channel in the in-ear mixer and do the same thing? Am I correct?

[@NickLeonard]

sure! if you're blending a mix from another source, line out to line in, and monitoring and extra vocal mic or instrument, you can do that

[@jimsuber6784]

Thanks@@NickLeonard

[@Volgin.]

My use case is a bit simpler, Id like to power two IEMs for two guitar players, but I'd like my guitar to be louder for me on my IEM, and the other person's guitar be louder than mine for theirs. Im very noobie at this, so Im not sure what would be a simple solution for this. Is that analog mixer a good way, or do you have any other ideas?

[@NickLeonard]

You say that's simpler, but it's more complex! This mixer can't do individual mixes like you describe, but some can. You'd have to have a main mix for one of you who will monitor through main outs and a sub/aux mix for the other who will monitor the aux outs. It can be done, you'll just have to be a little more choosy with what kind of mixer you get and be sure to understand the routing, though it's not too hard.

[@Volgin.]

@@NickLeonard Yeah man, I went through the rabbit hole and got what you mean lol. Think i'll just stick with the basics for now

[@calebpettis9971]

​​@@Volgin.If the mixer has a pan setting then set one guitar towards the right and one to the left

[@firepitband23]

Another related question, on a side note. Do you think the mixer(linked) would be loud enough for powered PA speakers? I ordered one for the monitor setup, and I'm thinking about another one for my powered PA speakers, since they each only have one mic input, and I need 2 vocal mics. Trying to keep things minimalist etc. Thanks!

[@NickLeonard]

Sure is, it's basically a preamp. I ran mine straight to a power amp in my PA setup. Just be careful not to distort the preamps on your PA with too much volume

[@russellstratton7065]

.

[@russellstratton7065]

.

[@clarenceglem]

Can I ask a question? Why does our headphone amps to mixer have grounded sound? But when we transfer to other mixer. It doesnt have any grounded noise?

[@NickLeonard]

It has to be some ground issue between the power supplies or cables. You can try plugging into different outlets. I guess it's possible some mixers are poorly grounded or just don't work well with some headphone amps. There are hum eliminators you can try, but that's more gear and cables. Ground and EMI noise issues can be a real headache

[@clarenceglem]

@@NickLeonard thanks for the info, really helps. We're gonna try to plug it on an outlet direct from the main panels.

[@DustyFixes]

Thanks for the video. It explained a lot, but I still have a few questions. When I practice at home, I have an acoustic guitar with a pick up and I can get a set of IEM's so I can hear myself sing. I need a microphone to sing into, but I'm not sure which one to get. So, what I'M setting up at home is going to be: me, my mic, my guitar and a set of IEM's. No other singers or musician's. I don't have a mixing board nor do I want one if I don't need one. I only want to hear my guitar and myself. What is the bear minimum I can get away with to practice at home? Thank you. Doug

[@NickLeonard]

You don't need IEMs if you have other headphones already, they're just useful in a loud live setting because the memory foam tips are basically earplugs too. For a microphone, I'd just get a shure SM58 or 57, you can't go wrong with those. You will need a mixer, because that has mic preamps, and a mic is way too quiet without them, it will also allow you to control the balance of your voice and guitar and the level of your headphones. At the minimum, you'll want one with two preamps. You can find them under $100 and easily on the used market. If you get one with built in digital effects, you can add some reverb to your voice which is more natural than going completely dry. If it's a USB interface as well, you can even use it to record to your PC.

[@DustyFixes]

Ok. If I must have a mixer, what would you recommend that won't kill my budget?

[@NickLeonard]

@@DustyFixes I don't know what your budget is. I'd look on Facebook market, Craigslist, Amazon. There's lots for $50-100

[@Casokat]

I am VERY new to this. I bought a mixer a couple of months ago and i’m just curious: Can i use the mixer to run both in-ear sound and PA speakers or should i get another mixer to run the speakers? haven’t tried it yet

[@NickLeonard]

You can run both off of one, but for the PA, you'll either need powered speakers or a power amp

[@Casokat]

@@NickLeonard do you have any speaker suggestions $100-200 range for a group?

[@NickLeonard]

@@Casokat not really, there's so many options, and it depends on your needs as far as volume and positioning. Years ago I picked up some used passive speakers for around $150 - 15" PA speakers. You aren't gonna find active speakers that size in that price range though, and you need to find a power amp if you go passive. I'd look at the local used market, but you aren't going to be getting a big loud PA for under $200, maybe a single powered floor monitor...

[@okay1904]

What microphone is used in this video.

[@NickLeonard]

I'm just using a standard Shure SM57 with the pop filter they make for it. I use it for voiceover a lot as well as performing live.

[@thimon1986]

Sorry if I misunderstand something, but with this setup a person can't turn himself up above the rest without it affecting everyone since the levels between say vocals and guitar are set for everyone at the board, the mixer can only turn up or down everyone equally? Isn't that one of the big purposes to have individual inears

[@NickLeonard]

You are correct, and you can get a mixer that does individual mixes, the Zoom L series are probably cheapest for that. Not everyone needs that though, so I think people should try something easy before making a bigger investment!

[@dylanvity]

Just to double check, would the headphones run straight from the Behringer to your ears or would you need a receiver pack on your person with the headphones plugged into it?

[@NickLeonard]

You can run them direct for wired, or to a headphone amp to split them out

[@dylanvity]

@@NickLeonard excellent, thanks so much!

[@travelingman186]

I'm just a hobby drummer but looking for a way to mix my DB90 click and my laptop to my iem. What would you recommend?

[@NickLeonard]

You'll need some kind of analog mixer like this, but it only needs 2 channels for that, most are at least 4. Of course, you could just import tracks to a DAW and use the metronome there, and just run IEMs straight from the laptop

[@travelingman186]

@@NickLeonard thank you

[@oncaaxe8225]

can you run this set up with backing tracks

[@NickLeonard]

Yes, any mixer should have inputs for a laptop, mp3 player, etc.

[@SpaceMonk33]

Could you use a behringer powerplay p1 instead of the headphone amp?

[@NickLeonard]

Sure, but if you're only running monitors for yourself, you don't need one at all. I only use it to split out 4 sets of IEMs with individual volumes

[@SpaceMonk33]

Thanks man. Just trying to set up a cheap inear monitor system for our singer. So perhaps the powerplay is better because he would be able to move more on stage?

[@NickLeonard]

@@SpaceMonk33 won't really make a big difference, since you can get a super long headphone cable and he'll be wired in either way, only real advantage is he can adjust volume on his belt rather than the mixer

[@SpaceMonk33]

@@NickLeonardThank you man!

[@steverinogateserelli]

cool

[@Gravewitch]

Would you be able to include snare & kick drum triggers with this IEM rig set up for practice & live shows?

[@NickLeonard]

@@Gravewitch sure, it would work the same way as a mic. A splitter cable so you can run one to the main PA and one to your mixer

[@Gravewitch]

@@NickLeonard One splitter would be needed, or two? Thank you so much for this video and for your insight!

[@NickLeonard]

@@Gravewitch one per signal, so if there's to triggers, you'll need two cables. Be sure they're the right type, probably 1/4" for triggers

[@Gravewitch]

@@NickLeonard Noted. Thank you! 3 XLR splitters total? Two for kick + snare triggers & 1 for vocal mic? How would the distorted guitar & bass plug into the analog mixer if each of the two instruments gotta be plugged into their amps to get their distortion? Wanna have a good idea how this works before we make the purchases. Not very tech savvy. Appreciate your responses very much!

[@NickLeonard]

@@Gravewitch yes, assuming the triggers are XLR, that depends on the device you use. For guitars are bass, you have to just mic up cabs unless they use a modeler with a line out

[@Just_living2203]

What if you need more than 4 IEMS? What would you do?

[@NickLeonard]

Someone must make a headphone amp with more than 4 outputs, it's just less common

[@RalphCunanan]

What's the exact model of that mixer please

[@NickLeonard]

Xenyx 1202

[@firepitband23]

Thank you!! Any links for the items would be cool lol im on a time crunch

[@NickLeonard]

Added some links in the description, of course, some things, like the exact size of the mixer you need depends and some is optional, but that should get you started!

[@firepitband23]

thank you!@@NickLeonard

[@firepitband23]

@@NickLeonard would it be female to male2 for the y cables?

[@NickLeonard]

@@firepitband23 yes, the female end goes into the mic, and the male ends split off, one to the mixer and one to front of house

[@firepitband23]

@@NickLeonard thanks for doing the thinking for me haha taking mental shortcuts today. I'm totally doing this for our next show, thank you again!

[@russisaac813]

I have just been told that it is a bad idea to have a mic split into two signals without using a dedicated splitter. Buggers up the impedance apparently.

[@NickLeonard]

I've had impedence issues introduce noise into a guitar amp (hence the need for a reamp box). I'm sure it's not ideal, but I've never noticed any issue for this application. For a critical recording I wouldn't recommend it. I did use the splitters on some ribbon mics and a piano to test preamps and didn't notice anything funny there either, for what it's worth.

[@streaming917]

If I'm not a vocalist do I still need a splitter?

[@NickLeonard]

Depends on what you're hooking up. If you're running off an amp output and it's not being sent to FOH, then no. Anything you plug into the mixer you will hear, nothing fancy going on

[@fripsebibs]

the headphone monitor levels on max scare me lol

[@streampunksheep]

can you make a diagram?

[@NickLeonard]

I added one to the description

[@EvanPilb]

presonus hp60 moment

[@streaming917]

Why do I need to send a cable to FOH?

[@NickLeonard]

You don't send anything, it's a split off their cable. Otherwise you'd need a mic for the audience and one for you.

[@streaming917]

​@@NickLeonard I don't understand

[@streaming917]

Why do you need a splitter cable?

[@NickLeonard]

@@streaming917 to split the vocal mic between the house PA system and your monitor mixer. If you're just setting it up for a band rehearsal, you don't need that, but for a live show you will

[@simonekakabor9020]

Can you do talk back with it?

[@NickLeonard]

Not exactly, you could have one mic with a mute set up for that, it's just not a specific function

[@simonekakabor9020]

@@NickLeonardif we connect a mic to it, it wont sound at front of house, right?

[@NickLeonard]

@@simonekakabor9020 there's no way to route FOH and anything else separately, so yes it will. All channels go to the same outputs

[@jouebien]

the elephant in the room being that nothing here provides limiting. The equipment will rip through your hearing if your are not careful. It only takes one dumb-ass mistake and your hearing is irreversibly damaged.

[@NickLeonard]

that's a good point. I've always been careful, but you can also buy a separate limiter to run through

[@stevedunch581]

I am still so confused

[@NickLeonard]

Plug stuff to monitor into mixer, listen to mixer

[@InvisionLabsAdam_Kobyshev]

Technically you did not explain how you set it up😄

[@NickLeonard]

Mic>Y-cable>mixer>IEMs It's very simple. You could expand that setup for more mics or instruments, but a big part of it is being quick and easy to set up.

[@tyrosebtc]

Yeah it seems like the music industry is just a bunch of hobbyists and lobbyists it's like dude you don't need that crazy of a system.People just like to spend their daddy's money...

[@Neil-Jones]

"......and you can hear the important drums." Sure, you are a jackalope! As a bass player you should be more respectful to your drummer..."the important drums..." How about the important strings on a bass. You don't really need that "G" string on your bass. Actually a good bass player only needs one string just like when they used to use a wash tub, and a broom handle in the old days. Therefore, as a one-armed drummer, I cast sarcasms in your general direction. 👻

[@ilyaliner]

This is silly. Where is your group? Did everyone run away? Theory or pleasure are the main enemies of the musician. FRIENDS! You will spend pennies to no avail!

[@Jason22Douce]

This was awesome. While this is great for a total band setup, I'm curious about the options an individual would have not knowing if the rest of the band is using amps on stage/ going straight to foh/ iems or not. Any thoughts on individual iem setups ?

[@NickLeonard]

I've used this for both, it just depends on how you hook stuff up. Anything you need to monitor can go into the board and anything with enough stage volume on its own you can save the trouble and not hook up.