Understanding In-ear Monitors - Personal IEM rig and system breakdown

[@MographVideo]

There are a LOT of these videos out there. Yours I think is the best I've seen. VERY clearly presented with detail and knowledge, well done!!! Thank you!

[@Damo_Drummer]

You’re welcome. Glad you enjoyed it!

[@jee86]

What a kick ass explanation of your system. It was clear, well explained, and the photos/diagrams were SO helpful! Thank you!!

[@Damo_Drummer]

Thanks for the positive feedback...Glad it made sense!

[@Shred_Rocket]

Dude, what is great about this video is that you cover most base scenarios that I have encountered, especially doing fest gigs, with no time for setup and sound check. In this case, rehearse the setup with the band to ensure the setup and timeframe prior to the gig and it will make things much more apparent, making sure you have provided a stage plot with basic line feeds from your IEM closed system to the FOH engineer at least a few days in advance. Believe me, the FOH person will thank you for it.

[@Damo_Drummer]

Absolutely… and great additional advice! Thanks for watching

[@littleprincess4417]

With the X32 rack and an S32, you don’t need the S16, the splitters, or patch panel, not to mention all the patch cables. . With proper routing, you can send 16 channels directly out to the S32 outs and still have your 8 xlr outs on the rack to use for monitor mixes. Less overall costs, less weight, and using scenes, configuration is a snap.

[@Damo_Drummer]

I understand that can be done using AES50 connections. But what about when you are running more than 16 inputs and more than 8 outputs?

[@littleprincess4417]

@@Damo_Drummer The S32 gives you 16 outputs that can be routed as direct outs with no processing. Input 1 goes to output 1 on the S32. With the latest firmware, you can do channel by channel routing instead of groups of 8. The S32 gives you all the inputs on the front if you want, or you can use a combination of inputs physically on the x32 and those on the S32. Routing takes longer to set up, but then save it as a scene and just recall it. The same goes with configuring as a stand alone system. You use the same configuration whether you are using all your stuff for FOH, or if you are sending a FOH stereo mix to an existing house system. At one time, we had a full X32 desk, an X32 rack, and a SD8 stage box all connected. It is amazing what you can do with the new firmware.

[@littleprincess4417]

@@Damo_Drummer Also, don’t forget that the 1/4” Aux sends are balanced TRS, just line level, so they can be used to feed IEM transmitters as well. The X32 has 16 mix bus outputs, so you can get 16 ‘mixable’ outputs in addition to your direct outs.

[@briankita2044]

You are correct.. Especially with aux sends. We often run five stereo iem mixes and two sub outs and two main outs. But about just using s32.. When you're playing a large fest with a very large system.. I'm much more comfortable sending a clean copy to foh through a passive splitter than running the FOH feed through my x32. Not good. I don't think the sound company would even like that.

[@littleprincess4417]

@@briankita2044 To each his own. Using the direct outs, the only thing you affect is the gain. Your FOH guy will never know the difference. Before we upgraded to the large X32 desk, we used the 8 xlr outs on the rack and the 8 xlr outs on an SD8 as direct outs to our FOH, and you couldn’t tell the difference from the inputs being connected directly to the FOH mixer. In that configuration, we used the TRS outputs to feed stage monitors and IEM.

[@OhMyGardenRock]

Worked in studios for years and never had a clue about IEM. I want to take my band on stage and really really needed a quick and easy fix. Thanks for the awsome video, especially going through all the different scenarios. Would love to see a video about integrating backing tracks etc.

[@Damo_Drummer]

Thanks for the kind words! These vids take time to put together on my own, but it’s totally worth it when viewers tell me they got value from the effort. You’ll be happy to know that I’ve just scripted a video explaining how I run backing tracks, and should have something uploaded within the next few weeks. Thanks for your patience!

[@OhMyGardenRock]

@@Damo_Drummer Definitely!

[@Wampe]

Again a great video about IEM and your rig. And again a phenomenal presentation of the scenarios. I'm really jealous :)

[@Damo_Drummer]

Thanks, buddy - Glad you enjoyed it!

[@DubSilenceTv]

Just thank you this video is so great for me who wanted to do the same thing with my band ❤

[@Damo_Drummer]

You’re welcome!

[@AlanHamiltonAudio]

You might want to check that AES cable for continuity shell to shell with a DMM. My experience has been that that brand/type of connector doesn't actually make contact with the metal of the RJ45. Which means you don't get that secondary connection to ground (shell to ground, shell to shell) for the shield as is recommended for the X/M 32 spec.

[@Damo_Drummer]

I'll check that out - Thanks for the heads-up!

[@littleprincess4417]

With such a short cable, and both pieces in the same rack, you can get by with CAT5 cable with no shield.

[@joelkeendrummer76]

Hats off brother, awesome explanation for all scenarios.

[@Damo_Drummer]

Thankyou!

[@gpcr01bb84]

Hey man, great video !!! Probably the best out there to explain the different scenarios. We are thinking of building a very similar rig for our band and I was wandering why you do not use the Aux outs TRS as additional outputs for additional in ear stereo mixes ? Thanks for your help with that 🙂

[@Naaackers]

This was an amazing video. Thank you for making it.

[@Damo_Drummer]

My pleasure!

[@DrRONYmusic]

that was GREAT! one question, Would it not be quicker to keep a 16 XLR snake cable (secured) or 2 x 8 XLR and that stayed hooked up to all the ins of the X32 or WING (it s got 24 ins preamp), leaving enough space in the rack to keep it there and never unplug it? that way, when you set up you just have to plug in mics and jacks the other end of the snake (labels!!). As per splitter, why not use a digital splitter (1 cable from X32 via AES50 or ETHERNET to something like a MIDAS DN4816-I), and again keep that one hooked up (forever) to a second 16 XLR snake cable (that lives in the rack too) ready to give to the sound guy (labeled!!)? it would speed up the set up/ packing, minimize the risk of error, and likely cheaper as all these snake cable would cost about $100? sorry if that question is silly...I'm new to this ! looking forward to read you :) and thanks

[@Damo_Drummer]

Great questions! It absolutely would be easier to leave everything plugged in, but one thing that occurs often which I didnt cover in the video is that the rig is often being broken down and repackaged depending on what is needed for the evenings show. Sometimes we wont run in-ears at all but will multitrack record the show. Sometimes we'll use IEM's and we'll be streaming the show live to Twitch. Sometimes we're using only a small portion of the whole thing so we break it down to pack lighter. As for the AES50 connection - Again, absolutely valid question. Why bring the splitters and looms? Because often, the FoH desks we're hooking up to aren't digital and/or don't accommodate an AES50 connection. Bringing all that ourselves is more to pack, but it also means we won't be starved for options when we get there. Hope this helps!

[@DrRONYmusic]

@ that’s great! Re AES50 that was just to go from X32-> Midas outs -> analogue snake -> FoH That would work right? And again the snake cable out to give to the sound man could live in the rack and stay plugged in forever?

[@yigitcihanoglu]

I almost watched all IEM setup videos on youtube and it is the best!

[@Damo_Drummer]

Thanks for the kind words!

[@Pinkybum]

I didn't bother with the patchbay for the FOH I just plugged a snake into the back of the splitter. It is 20 feet long and that has been long enough for the venues we play.

[@Damo_Drummer]

Yep - Absolutely. We included the patchbay, so that we can: a) Keep the outputs at the front of the rig b) Avoid having to carry a 16 channel snake inside the rig or have to reconnect it each time we do a show.

[@briankita2044]

Very good video. My setup is very similar. I like the s8 since the splits are transformer isolated and you can't send a bad signal to foh. Instead of a patchbay, I have two 8 channel xlr to db25 connectors connected to the s8s, coming out of cabinet, then on site I connect long db25 to xlr snakes that connect to the stage boxes. The actual rack is only a 5u rack. But I do have to bring cables. Great job.

[@Damo_Drummer]

Always great to hear of other peoples takes on the concept. Thanks for sharing!

[@DebraAudio]

Hi Bro, I think you can test our stereo wireless IEM system (Debra Audio ST-102). Although it is simple, the noise floor and the stability of wireless signal transmission are well controlled. I think it can be used at a low price. A set of ST-102 is a good choice.

[@Engineering240]

Fantastic video! I’m considering picking up the XR18 as a simplified version of your rig. Our guitar players use modelers (Axe-FX) so we can just run directly to a splitter snake, then through the XR18 to wireless IEM transmitters.

[@Damo_Drummer]

Perfect!

[@iamNathanGreen]

Hey man, by far the best video on In-Ear rigs. I'm planning to build one as well and this answered many questions. I do have a couple more tho, which I would really appreciate if you could answer that. - So you have 2 ART S8's and one ARTP16 patch bay for 16 inputs you can split the signal to the FOH as well as the X32. But if you need more than 16 inputs you use the S16 snake inputs? What if you need to send those channels to the FOH as well? You do that directly through the X32's outputs? - Most bands I play in also require backing tracks to run on Ableton. I know the X32 rack also has USB functionality to act as an interface. Is it possible to do all of the stuff you mention in the video, plus let some track from Ableton also come into the X32? Or do you recommend using a separate system for backings and sending the outputs of that system to the X32?

[@Damo_Drummer]

Hey Nathan - Great questions! Lets look at them one at a time... [ But if you need more than 16 inputs you use the S16 snake inputs? What if you need to send those channels to the FOH as well? You do that directly through the X32's outputs? ] So technically, using the S8's, we can split 16 analogue inputs at the source - 16 flow through to FoH, with a copy of theose first 16 going to us. At that point our S8's are maxed out and we cannot split any more channels. Thats okay though because remember that were only running in ears through the X32racks, and it would be VERY RARE that we would ever need more tghan 16 channels through our iEM mix. If however, that situatiobn did exist, the better way (assuming its an option) would be to send all channels directly to FoH anmd hope that they could give us an AES50 return from the FoH desk (via CAT5e) which would give us access to manipulate all 32 channels digitally, as a SEPARATE feed to ther FoH mix. Again thought, its RARE that this situation ever comes up. [- Most bands I play in also require backing tracks to run on Ableton. I know the X32 rack also has USB functionality to act as an interface. Is it possible to do all of the stuff you mention in the video, plus let some track from Ableton also come into the X32?] It is absolutely possible, but your Ableton tracks should be thought of as separater tracks that will use channels of your X32. It also means that your X32 will need to be set up a certain way to be able to achieve what youre asking. The X32rack has two signal 'flow' modes... record and play. On record mode, all your channel flow through USB onto a computer so they can be, well, recorded. In 'play' mode, USB runs the other way and plays back audio from Ableton through the X32 and out to FoH. This is how youd want to have it set of course, if youre intending to run backing tracks. In my band, the X32 is set on play mode, where channels 1-24 are my band instruments, and channels 25-32 are playback channels for various intruments and clicks which are primed and sent through Reaper, from a Surface Pro. Im actually part way through putting togther a followup video on running backing tracks,. Stay tuned! ;)

[@iamNathanGreen]

@@Damo_Drummer Oh wow thanks for the fast and detailed response. Very clear. I look forward to your video on using tracks. The reason I asked about the 16 inputs is drums. I see you're using a digital kit. But what about acoustic? It almost always needs at least 8 mics. Most places I played at more. How do you suggest implementing that? In particular in your scenario 3, where you only need to do your IEM, but the venue or festival does FOH. Most of the times they already have mics in place for the drumkit, already plugged into their stagebox. And you only swap the drumkit. It's not convenient to ask them to unplug the mics, so you can plug them in your IEM rig to pass them through to their stagebox again ... Maybe ask them to send 4 drum sends with maybe kick, snare, hi hat and overheads from their table to yours or something?

[@mikegreenebass]

What an amazing set up you have. Great info. Thanks for posting

[@Damo_Drummer]

Thanks, Mike!

[@stevelawmusic]

Excellent video! thank you

[@Damo_Drummer]

Thanks for watching, Steve!

[@Soydaime]

what do you think about the 4816-O Splitter insted of your art s8 8 channel splitter??

[@Damo_Drummer]

I haven't really had a chance to look at it close up yet, but I DO like the ART splitters being passive.

[@Soydaime]

@@Damo_Drummer thanks so much

[@PocketDrummer]

@@Damo_Drummer I was looking into the 4816-O to cut down on rack units, but I really don't like how gain in the mixer will be directly tied to gain at FOH. The S8s will split the signal before the mixer and both the IEM system and FOH will have complete control without interfering with each other. I do suggest the S8 3-way instead of the regular S8 so that you can plug everything in at the front at the venue, though.

[@niko9079]

Awesome video, I'm very grateful for your easy-to-understand explanations! But I have 2 questions: 1) Is it possible for the IEM to use the additional AUX Outputs of the X32? For example, let's they we have 5 musicians at total and everyone wants to have a stereo mix for themselves, then the 8 XLR Outputs of the X32 wouldn't be enough, could I also use two of the AUX Outputs? 2) When connecting the S16, is it possible to run the additional Outputs individually? Like the example before, now let's assume I use an additional Laptop for backingtracks etc., am I able to run these Outputs of the S16 in my DAW and use it for a stereo mix for one of my musicians or to send backingtracks to the FOH guy? Thank you in advance!

[@Damo_Drummer]

Thanks for the comment! The answer is “yes” to both questions! :)

[@JoeBaermann]

Thank you for sharing, the one thing that I didn’t consider was the patchbay. I will go with a dual rackcase that has more space between the front of the lids and the front of the rails though since the Ui24R has all in and outputs at the front. Why do some of the members in your band need more than 1 AUX?

[@Damo_Drummer]

Hi Joe. Most of us use one output (mono) or two (stereo). Our keyboardist sometimes wants three because: 1) He needs a stereo mix, and 2) He sometimes runs a speaker onstage anyway, just for some extra clout 3) You know... keyboardists :D

[@itaydobrin]

Great explanation, Excellent video! thank you

[@Justwantpeacelove]

The best freaking youtube video ever! Thank you!

[@Damo_Drummer]

You're welcome - Thanks for the kind comment!

[@nathanielasamoah1419]

Awesome video Dabo can you explain all the cables you guys use for patching?

[@Damo_Drummer]

Heya! Not sure what you mean by 'patching', but instruments are all mic'd or DI'd either: a) directly into the X32 Rack, or b) Split through the S8's, where one send continues on to the X32rack and the other copy goes to Front of House. Not sure if that answers your question?

[@abchighway]

Amazing video Damien, thank you. Great job with the step by step clarification. Planning on building a very similar rack and after hours, days, weeks of research, I decided to see if anybody was doing the same thing on KZbin and found your video. The only question I have is, do you have any issues without using any IEM combiner or extra antennae? I am a newbie to IEM's and having trouble finding if it is overkill, but I'm very concerned about signal drop off. Planning on purchasing the Shure PSM300 or PSM900 system, but not sure if I will need a combiner or extra antennae. 5 piece band, Going to start with 3 WIRED IEMs and 1 transmitter sending TWO mono mixes, before upgrading to an additional transmitter to get 4 mono IEM mixes with 1 wired (for our drummer). The rack will be used 75% of the time as your Scenario 1 and 25% of the time as Scenario 3/3.5.

[@Damo_Drummer]

Thanks for the kind words, @abchighway The EW IEM G4 wireless units are about as reliable as they come. That said, Sennheiser themselves strongly recommend using a combiner if using two or more of them together. I haven't yet added a second G4, but will almost certainly be adding the combiner down the track. I haven't had dropout issues with mine - ever - but the recommendation is to use the combiner. Shure may have different recommendations, to be sure to read their manual and go with what they recommend. Hope this helps!

[@frankkeys92]

Very illuminating video, cheers from the same latitudes in Chile! I'm incursioning on a similar setup, and i had lots of questions regarding the technicals and the scenarios. Have you had situations like N3 where the on stage engineer refuses to use your splits and allow the use of your portable IEM system, What to do in such cases?

[@Damo_Drummer]

Great question, Frank! No, we haven't had a sound engineer refuse our IEM gear, but in the early days we did have several who were concerned about the concept of splitting from their main system. This was mostly because at the time it was an unfamiliar concept. These days however, it's safe to expect that engineers working in live sound seriously will understand the basics of an IEM system, and their live stage/sound setup will take IEM systems into consideration. Most professional bands - especially touring bands - would expect that splitting of channels be made available to them. But - as I also keep pointing out - the band needs to *be prepared* to use IEM's. This means making it as simple as possible from your side, too. Ensure the sound engineer and stage crew have a copy of your stage plot, including where the IEM rig will typically be positioned, it's channel assignments clearly marked, etc. Ultimately, remember that you always want the setup to be as simple as it can be to get the job done. Don't overdo it! The more gear you need to set up, the more time it's going to take, and the greater the risk of a technical issue occurring - especially if scheduling is tight. Hope this helps!

[@andym7333]

rosalia sings with 10 ms latency i think i can handle 9 ... my brain sort of conpensates what do u think ? also using 1 interface for input and 1 for output only works using as agregate device for ableton

[@Damo_Drummer]

I'm unsure what you're asking. Latency shouldn't be an issue with an in ear monitoring system - and your brain shouldn't notice latency at all if its 9-10ms. In fact, most people won't notice it at all until at least 15ms or so.

[@andym7333]

@@Damo_Drummer what would be to risky for monitoring ? terms latency

[@andym7333]

also if u think the brain adjusts and conpensates for it?@@Damo_Drummer

[@GeorgeFalconer]

A brilliant breakdown of your set up and application. Cheers. Do you know if it would be possible using a Behringer X32 and S16 digital snake for 6 band members each have a stereo IEM mix with instruments panned which they could adjust themselves on the ipad etc? Or is there only one possible stereo mix which they'd all have to share? Thanks in advance.

[@Damo_Drummer]

Hi George! Assuming youre talking about X32 rack and not the X32 desk? The X32 rack has 8 bus sends (outputs) and the S16 will provide an additional 8. Bus sends can actually be linked together, so sends 1 and 2 can either be two separate mono sends, or one linked stereo send. This is true for the other channels too. Two sends are used for the main outputs (By default these are sends 7 and 8 on the X32rack) but with 6 band members you could link the following way as an example, and each player could have their own unique mix for each stereo bus send: Bus 1/Bus2 - Stereo linked on the X32Rack, bandmember 1 Bus 3/Bus4 - Stereo linked on the X32Rack, bandmember 2 Bus 5/Bus6 - Stereo linked on the X32Rack, bandmember 3 Bus 7/Bus8 - Stereo linked on the X32Rack, bandmember 4 Bus 9/Bus10 - Stereo linked on the S16, bandmember 5 Bus 11/Bus12 - Stereo linked on the S16, bandmember 6 Bus 15/Bus16 - Stereo linked on the S16, Main outputs Hope this helps!

[@GeorgeFalconer]

wow, thanks for this extensive response, you are a gentleman! @@Damo_Drummer

[@Damo_Drummer]

Welcome!@@GeorgeFalconer

[@0419210317]

You mentioned that if the FOH has a Midas/behringer that you can use AES50 To take their split instead of plugging into your splitter, how does is work and the routing for it to work? I also want to use my closed iem to run tracks and my Own stereo mix and take a feed from another iem system running the same components, how would I do that?

[@Damo_Drummer]

As I'm sure you can appreciate, these are big topics to cover, and not something that can be adequately covered in a text-based reply. That said, there are some good videos already made which go into connections and I/O routing. This video covers most of it - kzbin.info/www/bejne/pXaZm6qrocygjbc - But there are a range of X32 videos By Drew Brashler which are very useful, also. As to your second question, it depends very much on what you are using to run your backing tracks, but also I'd ask why you would have a need to take a feed from a separate IEM system?

[@0419210317]

@@Damo_Drummer the seperate feed is due to the first system not having playback capabilities and not enough iem systems, where the 2nd one does. They’re both x32’s. If you would like to organise a video chat to maybe get some help, I’m based in brissy

[@aplica6006]

Crazy! Thanks!

[@Bob-en9sw]

I’m not clear on how the splitter can send inputs to any of the 16 inputs on the S16

[@Damo_Drummer]

Hi Bob, and thanks for your question. Well spotted! The two ART S8 splitters allow for a total of 16 channels to be split. These 16 splits currently all go into the back of the X32 (as inputs). If I needed to split more than 16 channels (which I currently do not) then I'd have the option of adding 2 more ART S8's to my rig, which would then feed an additional 16 splits into the S16's front XLR inputs. Of course, if Im in an environment where AES50 (CAT5) connectivity is an option, I can split all 32 channels with one cable.

[@Bevsworld04]

​@Damo_Drummer quick question. If you did add more S8s splitters to split more than 16 channels, how would that look like in the rack considering the inputs on the S16 box are on the front rather than on the back like the X32? Would you have to feed the XLR cables out from the back of the extra S8 splitters into the front where the inputs on the S16 are? Or is there an easier way to do this? Also im assuming you'd then need another 16 channel patch bay at the bottom to allow you to send it to FOH as well? Of course, as you say at the bottom, if the ability to send the signals to another desk via AES50/Dante is an option, but just in case it's not, just wondering how it'd work. I'm quite new to all this, so sorry if I got anything wrong. Thanks.

[@Damo_Drummer]

@@Bevsworld04yes, if I’m splitting more than 16 channels, then I’d need more s8’s and use those to split channels 17-32. To connect channels 17-32 into my X32, I’d need to connect from the back of the s8’s to the front 16 inputs of the S16. I would also want another P16 so that all 32 channels for the sound engineer are available from the front of the unit. Although it’s a more expensive option than what I have, the S8’s are also available in a 3-way variant. This means they not only have a split on the back for each of the 8 channels, but also one on the front. If you were to say, purchase 4 of the 3-way S8’s, you can use the front connectors to attach your loom to the front of house desk, and remove the need for the P16’s entirely. Hope this helps!

[@iTsDrUmZy]

QUESTION ON SCENARIO 2 COZ THATS USSUALLY WE ENCOUNTER. WHEN YOU MIX ALL THE SOUNDS FROM YOUR RIG THEN YOU WANT IT TO GO ON THE 2 CHANNELS OF THE IN HOUSE MIXER AND USE IT AS LEFT AND RIGHT. YOU WILL TAKE THE 2 OUTPUTS FROM YOUR X32 THEN CONNECT TO THE LEFT AND RIGHT OF THE IN HOUSE MIXER OR CAN YOU JUST USE THE 2 OUTPUTS FROM YOUR S16 TO GO TO IN HOUSE MIXER AS IT IS ALREADY IN FRONT OF YOUR RIG? IM PLANNING TO MAKE THE EXACT RIG YOU DID. THANKS CHAP!

[@Damo_Drummer]

By default, the X32rack's main outputs are configured to be 7 and 8. If you have the X32 desk, its channels 15 and 16. The point is, you can actually assign which output channels are going to be used as your main outs - including assigning them to the S16. In fact, this is actually how I do it, personally. My main outs are on the S16, output channels 7 and 8. Hope this helps!

[@iTsDrUmZy]

@@Damo_Drummer Big help mate! im still learning on this rack rig world. So how do you assign them to your s16? Do you connect the main out of x32 rack to the input 7 and 8 of the s16 then connect the output 7 and 8 of s16 to the in house mixer? Correct me if im wrong mate.

[@TinoSchulz1990]

Nice Video. But remember that you can also utilize the x32 Rack's Aux outputs for additional InEars.

[@Damo_Drummer]

Absolutely correct!

[@LunaSoturi]

Damo!!! Helpful vid! Been looking into building my IEM and wireless system

[@Damo_Drummer]

Buddy! Glad you found it useful. There are of course several ways to do it, and most don't involve going as in-depth or spending as much as my rig did, but then as you know I also stream live shows and wanted to ensure I had flexibility foir this rig to be not just for IEMs, but also as a reliable, on-site band streaming rig. Great to hear from you!

[@girmadaniel1324]

Thanks for taking the time...we needed this

[@Damo_Drummer]

And thanks also to you for taking the time to watch! Much appreciated.

[@Dommak89]

Not sure if this has been asked before, but: In Scenario 3 you mention "other bands that have their own IEM rig". Let's assume two bands come with the same equipment like you in the scenario 3, how do you connect each rig? Does every rig run through each other? Do you switch the rigs after the band's set? Or is there another solution?

[@Damo_Drummer]

Great question! In my experience, there is another scenario for these kinds of situations which I didnt discuss in the video. It still involves splitting, but the splits for your IEM are set up within the stage boxes, and not your own rig. In other words, all the stage mics plug into the stage boxes first and on to the main desk. you plug into the splits ptovided from their stage boxes. This makes it easier for bands to plug/unplug to the sources easily, while the mics can all remain plugged straight into the stage boxes. Make sense?

[@Dommak89]

@@Damo_Drummer Yes, definitely. I would argue why not do this in the first place? I mean isn't this the "safer" option for the sound engineer anyway, regardless of whether to handle one or multiple IEM rigs?

[@Dommak89]

Provided every stage box has splits

[@DionisisChristodoulatos]

@@Damo_Drummer Unfortunately I've been in many small venues that do not have stage splits. In the scenario of 2 or more bands showing up for the typical 3-4 band night with their own IEM rigs and 20 minute changeover, I would definitely relate to the sound engineer refusing to help at all.

[@Dommak89]

@@DionisisChristodoulatos I've just been on my first gig with our IEM rig and we did put our rig in front of the stage box. We had the 16 cables that we needed ready and plugged mics and guitars into our rig and then used two snakes to go to the stage box. This way we did not move the original cables from mics to stage box and when changing bands it was just a matter of pluggin cables back into mics and stage box. We managed a change over of under 15 minutes, which I thought was pretty decent.

[@chef4582]

How to do connect the iem reciever when the furman has iec320 c13 socket but the sennheiser uses a type e socket? Do you use some sort of adapter?

[@Damo_Drummer]

Correct, @chef4582. The adapter will obviously differ by region, but here in australia its something like this: m.media-amazon.com/images/I/518QKuprECL._AC_SL1000_.jpg

[@88Nikoli]

Why does the keyboard player need three channels out dors he have three ears , or dies he use wedges ?

[@Damo_Drummer]

Great question! Its actually a combination of both, depending on the gig. Essentially, he has a stereo IEM mix, plus occasionally will have a speaker with him in case he wants a little more oomph onstage. Its a keyboardist thing, I guess... :D

[@willischwope9249]

Thank you for the video, there is only one thing I couldn't understand: How do you handle the whole situation with more than 16 Inputs? Okay, I guess you can use the 8 Outs from the S16 to send the Signal to the FOH, but then 24 would be the limit, right? Or you would need an extra splitter. But in this setup, you could never use all 32 Inputs or is there something I didn't quite get? A response would be very helpful, because we want to build a similar Rack... Thanks in advance!

[@Damo_Drummer]

Yep, great question @willischwope9249! Right now, if we have to take splits at a show, we're going to be limited to splitting using the two Art S8's.. so the 16 channels into the X32 can be split. We COULD use the S16 to passthrough additional signals as well, but then we lose outputs which are currently being used to run IEM mixes for the band. It is very rare that we would need, nor want more than 16 channels sent to us for our in ear mix, but if it does start to happen more often, all we would need to do is add two more S8's to the rig. The extra mics would pass through these new splitters and into the front of the S16. Keep in mind also that on larger production stages its quite common for the stage setup to include its own splits/boxes onstage. In situations like this, you wouldnt need to split anything, but instead just bring either a 32 channel loom (or a single AES50 cable, where available) and take your feeds into the X32/S16 directly from the stage gear rather than using your S8's. Hope this helps!

[@willischwope9249]

​@@Damo_Drummer Thank you very much for the detailed answer :) It definitely helped. The question arose because we need 24 Channels and I just wanted to know if there is a way to skimp on an extra xlr splitter. So thanks again :)

[@steveburke1509]

Very nice presentation and very informative. Thank you

[@Damo_Drummer]

Glad it was helpful!

[@J_NASH]

How do I connect the router? I’m struggling to create and connect the router/x 32 to network🤦🏼‍♂️🤷🏼‍♂️ any advise?

[@Damo_Drummer]

As in the video, the router doesn't allow you to connect the X32 to an existing network, but instead creates its OWN network, so that other devices can connect to the X32 and control it via an app - such as ipads and/or phones. There is an ethernet port in the back of the X32 rack labelled 'Ethernet/Remote'. The router will plug into there. Be careful not to plug it into the other ethernet port, labelled 'Personal Monitoring/Ultranet' - This is for the P16 personal monitoring units and is the wrong port to connect your router to. Once connected, you should be able to see your router as a wifi source on your phone, and off you go. Now, in terms of accessing your routers credentials, that is of course dependent on the router itself and how you have it configured, so I cant help there :) Hope this helps.

[@chef4582]

Hello, I just got the same exact router. How did you set it up with the X32? Which switch on the side did you use because I got kinda lost in the manual and also did you change the network name and password to be different from the router's default and if yes how?

[@Damo_Drummer]

I believe I have mine set to "Share ETH". The X32 plugs into the WR902AC, which then uses wi-fi to share the X32's info across the network to other devices. Rename the WR902's network to something youll recognize and update the password. Page 20 from the manual (static.tp-link.com/upload/manual/2023/202306/20230601/1910013420_TL-WR902AC%204.0_UG_REV4.0.0.pdf) should help with this.

[@dirtylittlesecrettheband]

Great Job mate!!… ❤ This is how you do it… 😎

[@Damo_Drummer]

Thanks for the kind words!

[@alexgreenling]

Great vid. I’ve been looking at this same rack case for my rig built around a Soundcraft ui24r. Are the lids deep enough to put back on and leave xlr cables plugged in if they were plugged in the face of a device?

[@Damo_Drummer]

Yes it should be deep enough, although if you’re concerned there’s always the option of right angled xlr tips

[@alexgreenling]

@@Damo_Drummer thanks

[@0419210317]

Hey man, could you explain how to route the x32 for playback as well as in ear monitoring ? Cheers

[@Damo_Drummer]

Heya 0419210317 - This depends on what you're trying to achieve. Is your question centred around running backing tracks and clicks when you play? and if so, what Device/DAW are you running them from? I'm planning to make a separate video on this topic - as I run tracks myself using a Surface Pro and Reaper, and possibly do it a little differently to others!

[@0419210317]

I can send you what my playback rig/IEM looks like and explain how I run it if you’d like?

[@Sleepytomb]

Question! Do you not keep everything connected to the splitter? Could you not having everything going to FOH labelled coming out of your splitters to hand to FOH? I'm not understanding how the patch bay is not redundant? Is it because you disconnect your FOH cables every night from the back of the splitters? Great video by the way iv'e learned a lot!

[@Damo_Drummer]

Thanks for the question @Sleepytomb! You nailed it - The patchbay is essentially there to bring the FoH outputs from the splitters to the front of the rack. As I mentioned in the video, in hindsight I could have done this by purchasing the 3-way splitters which actually have an ouput on the front. Because we are connecting and disconnecting to the front of house console via these outputs at every show, they do need to be accessible. Does that make sense?

[@Sleepytomb]

@DamienPetrilli Don't the splitters have the outputs on the back? So technically you could send the cables out of the back to FOH and just wrap those cables up post show and tuck then into your rig. No?

[@Damo_Drummer]

@@Sleepytomb Yep - could do that, but two challenges. 1) It adds even more weight to the rack case, and - perhaps most importantly - The rack will usually back onto a wall, so getting behind it, in the dark, isnt easy!

[@Hillman1312]

Great explanation, thank you !!! Can you explain how you mix FOH if there's no sound engineer? Do you bring a non-playing band member to do that via the iPad/ computer? Just wondering as I just recently bought a digital mixer and setting up something similar (albeit smaller). Thank you!

[@Damo_Drummer]

Great question! Usually either myself or my singer will do a rough FoH mix prior to the show. We often do have our own sound guy who will accompany us for larger shows. The beautiful thing about having an IEM rig which also doubles for FoH is that you can keep the mix for the next time you perform in that venue - saving mixing time signficantly. The X32 also supports a feature called 'Virtual Soundcheck', which allows you to record a performance, play it back through the mixer and mix from the playback. This can be handy if a full band soundcheck isnt possible. Even with nobody on the stage, we can playback the recording in the venue and mix it.

[@Hillman1312]

Thanks, yes our mixer also should have that option (we can record to an SD card om the mixer), but we're not there just yet. Still trying to find the correct settings for our IEMs first. We don't feed the drums to the mixer at present as we're still only in the rehearsal room and drums are loud enough. Anyway, thanks again, very helpful!

[@calinvama1999]

What do you use for antennas with the Sennheiser IEM G4?

[@Damo_Drummer]

At the moment, nothing... since Im just running the one G4 unit. I will more than likely add the ADP UHF antenna, and the AC41 (only if required)

[@calinvama1999]

@@Damo_Drummer I'm only asking because since I rack mounted my unit (together with another 2 different brand units) the reception is quite awful with a constant hissing noise that only gets louder with each note played on bass or guitar. Upon rack mounting, I also switched from mono to stereo and I'm not sure wether it's a rf problem or something else. I'm considering trying the omnidirectional external antenna and see of that makes a difference

[@Elniniss]

7:53 you can send 1 stereo mix to 2 different musicians.

[@danielgel9645]

Hey, I was just wondering (because I just went over this issue with my own band) how you handle the whole backing track and click track thing if you are at a gig where you can't really use your IEM rig (for example festivals with short changeover etc.)

[@Damo_Drummer]

Yes, indeed this can be a tough one. I personally run backing tracks from a laptop and Reaper, and it outputs from the X32 like any other audio channel. For gigs where I cannot bring the IEM rig, I have a Roland SPD-S, which has stereo versions of the backing tracks, and can be triggered manually with a hit of the pad.

[@christopherheadcase6886]

Question. Why does your keyboard player require 3 outputs? I too have a keyboard player so I'm curious if this would assist me with my iem setup

[@Damo_Drummer]

Hi Chris - great question :) Actually, he likes 'up to 3', but its not required. The reason is that he runs a small set of stereo speakers in front of his keys in addition to having a mono feed for his in ears. His keyboard sounds are in stereo, so the obvious thing would be to give him a stereo IEM mix, but unfortunately he struggles with earphones (as he has very small ear canals) and doesnt yet have custom molds made for his ears. Having the three outputs gives us the option of feeding either his mono IEM mix, and/or his stereo speakers, depending on the gig that night. The stereo speakers monitor his sounds and mix, and the IEM feed can be reserved for clicks, vocal cues and backing tracks. Since this video, he appears to be moving toward over-ear headphones. If that becomes his preferred method of monitoring, then its likely we'll only need two sends for him (L and R)

[@christopherheadcase6886]

@@Damo_Drummer makes perfect sense.. thanks for the insight

[@RonsonLisaWebster]

Well explained! Great job!!!

[@Damo_Drummer]

Thanks for watching!

[@Maggot2767]

But the problem is, that you cannot run 5 Stereo-Mixes with the x 32 right? How can someone solve this?

[@Damo_Drummer]

As far as dedicated bus outputs are concerned, the X32rack has eight - which you could pair and then have four stereo mixes. If you need more, you can expand as I did by adding the S16 via a simple AES50 connection. The S16 adds an additional 8 outputs. I cover this briefly around 21:45 Also, if you dont have an S16, you could potentially hijack some of the 1/4" AUX OUTs to create the fifth stereo send, but this has limitations. If you have say, five members in your band, the simplest solution for five individual mixes is to run MONO mixes to each member - which is no different to how we monitor with speakers onstage. If and when you need to run stereo, you can add the S16 later.

[@Maggot2767]

Thank you for the reply! Ok, I see. Yes, we have five members and would like to have stereo mixes for each person. Maybe I'm wrong, but Mono means dead on in the middle. So you can't pan your instruments, right? @@Damo_Drummer

[@paulsp80]

​@@Maggot2767 whilst there are only 8 xlr outs that you can use for main L/R and 3 stereo iem mixes, you can use aux outs for your additional stereo iem mixes allowing up to 6 iem mixes and main L/R FOH output. Assuming you don't need the monitor out (solo bus) you can use that for a 7th stereo iem mix too.

[@JoeBaermann]

@@Maggot2767 Which advantage will an iem stereo mix have over mono? Usually you use “more me” rather than panning, like you would do with wedges anyway.

[@janvirtanen6199]

Great video mate! Greetings from Europe to Down Under ;)

[@Damo_Drummer]

Thanks, Jan!

[@morgankl797]

Thanks for the video. 👍

[@Damo_Drummer]

Thanks for watching!

[@titlenapat55]

this video is so helpful. Thx

[@Damo_Drummer]

Thanks for watching!

[@NoxMessor]

Why not use the x32 and the s16 as the splitters themselves?

[@Damo_Drummer]

Hi Nox - In what way? ie how do you suggest that be done?

[@NoxMessor]

@@Damo_Drummer Mic 1 goes to X32 In 1 then, you set x32 output 1 as Direct out Ch1 IN/LC, and so on

[@arcangel9712]

GREAT video

[@Damo_Drummer]

Thanks!

[@kamull61]

Great job mate

[@Damo_Drummer]

Thankyou!

[@gerarddelafuente]

Amazing video!

[@Damo_Drummer]

Thanks for watching!

[@Tup0007]

Great job!! And thx for sharing

[@Damo_Drummer]

You're welcome!

[@rollthetape88]

Stage box is 99times out of 100 is Down stage Left. IEM rigs on festivals should be down stage left by monitor world, not on the drum riser If your playback rack is also your IEM rack you need to split them up. Playback on riser, IEM rack D/S left. if you don't comply you can provide all your own line systems, mics, XLR and importantly your own split system, AND A LOOM to get down to D/S left. ! the best thing to do is let all mics go through line system to the house splits, and they spit you feeds out at the end of the chain at D/S left.

[@flyingrat492]

I’m really not sure who this is targeted at, the guys whole setup is built around being next to the box and not on the drum riser

[@Damo_Drummer]

Agree on all points - although two things I perhaps didn't explain very well in the video: 1) Often, I'm doing sound for the band in smaller venues - especially where theres no soundie - so logistically it makes sense to have it next to me. (although being wirelessly controlled, it doesnt need to be) 2) For bigger shows, I have the option to repackage the IEM rack, and split the components for exactly the reasons pointed out. Where possible, I dont split to FoH at all. Instead I'll take an AES50 feed from the main desk and eliminate the need for splits altogether. This isnt always an option, though.

[@JoeBaermann]

What’s a playback rack?

[@flyingrat492]

@@JoeBaermann it’s the thing with all the samples, triggers and click track for the band. Normally it’s next to the drummer because unless there’s a tech they control it

[@JoeBaermann]

@@flyingrat492 Think I never saw such in rack form, I saw drummers have 1 -2 small devices for it instead

[@juanjeanpierre5386]

Great Video!!! I'm glad to see that all the setup I did myself with X32 is correctly done 👍.. By the way, you look and sound like Bruce Dickinson 😂

[@Damo_Drummer]

Thanks Juan! As you'd know, there are several ways to operate the X32. As for Bruce Dickinson, I think you're confusing an Aussie accent from and English one, and last I checked, Bruce had a bit more hair than I. ...and Im a Maiden fan! :D

[@mattiacenacchi726]

6:40 that can really happend? oh my god!

[@Damo_Drummer]

It can indeed!

[@faisalguitar]

Hey man stupid question: but just got my hands on an X32 and we plan to run it like scenario 2 but we just have the X32 and the 3 way splitter. I take it the way to route the signal chain if we have a click is that we send the main outs via output 7+8 but is there a way to route the click track to only the outputs that go to our IEMs (i.e. the audience don't hear the click lol)? Sorry, total novice here and your video was next level helpful, if not the most helpful video to date.

[@Damo_Drummer]

Absolutely. The X32 has eight output ‘busses’. By default, 7 and 8 are treated as main outs, where the others are treated as auxiliary sends. You can change this in the x32’s routing setup, but essentially, for each bus you can tell the x32 which channels are going to it. You would simply have the click channel level at zero for busses 7 and 8. You could send the clicks to any of the other busses to your liking. Make sense?

[@faisalguitar]

@@Damo_Drummer makes total sense! Thanks man. Really appreciate it.

[@PearHellforge]

u have similar accent with warren from produce like a pro. where are you from?

[@Damo_Drummer]

This accent is West Australian :)

[@ClassicRockMan]

Hi DamoDrummer

[@Damo_Drummer]

Heya!

[@BackRhodesDrumming]

this dang video again