Tell HN: What Performers Hear in Their In-Ear Monitors During Concerts

[modinfo]

Hey HN,

I wanted to share something fascinating about live concerts that not everyone might know. As a radio amateur and tech enthusiast, I recently delved into the world of in-ear monitors (IEMs) used by performers on stage. Here's what I've discovered, and I thought it might interest you too.

In-ear monitors are specialized earbuds that performers wear during live shows. They play a crucial role in allowing artists to monitor the sound in real-time, which is essential for a precise performance. So, what exactly do they hear in those monitors? Here are some key points:

    Personalized Sound Mix: Each performer gets a customized mix of audio, which can include different levels of vocals, instruments, drums, and more. This helps them hear themselves and other band members accurately.

    Communication with Technicians: In-ear monitors also facilitate communication with backstage sound engineers. This can include cues, changes in settings, or other important information.

    Hearing Protection: IEMs help protect performers' hearing by blocking out ambient noise and allowing them to control the volume, which is especially important in loud concert environments.

    Diversity Technology: To ensure a stable connection without dropouts, many IEM systems use diversity technology, which employs two antennas to receive the signal, minimizing the risk of signal loss.

If any of you are into sound technology, wireless systems, or have experience in this field, I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences. Do you have favorite brands or models of IEMs? Or do you have questions about the tech used on stage? Looking forward to your comments!

[ChumpGPT]

/g has a great thread on iem's and some guides if anyone is interested in trying them out. They run from entry level of around $20 to very high end sets around $4k.

Here is a guide...

FAQ: >Where do I buy IEMs? Amazon, Aliexpress, Linsoul, Hifigo, Shenzhenaudio, Bloom Audio, MusicTeck, Elise Audio (UK)

>Shopping Guide (IEMs, Cables, Ear Tips, etc.):

https://rentry.org/consoomer_guide

>EQ Guide

https://rentry.org/iem-eq-guide

>Frequency Response Graph Tool squig.link

>Budget Wire Over-Ear IEMs: • Tangzu Wan'er S.G (mild V) - $20 • EPZ Q1 Pro (Harman) - $35 • TRN Conch (bright V) - $35 • Simgot EA500LM (bright V) - $90

>Bullet IEMs: • Tanchjim Zero (bright neutral) - $15 • Final E500 (dark) - $25 • Tanchjim One DSP (neutral) - $30

>Flathead Earbuds: • Blue Vido (warm) - $5 • RY4S 32Ω mmcx Plus (V-shape) - $10 • Yincrow X6 (warm) - $10

>USB-C DACs: • Moondrop Dawn Pro - $50 • Tanchjim Space - $90 • Tempotec Sonata BHD Pro - $90 • Qudelix 5K - $110

>PMPs: • Surfans F20 (Rockbox) - $120 • Shanling M0 Pro - $130 • HiBy M300 - $200 • Hidizs AP80 Pro-X - $200 • Tempotec V3 - $200

Enjoy..

[modinfo]

For those interested in specific models, here are a few popular choices among professionals:

    Shure PSM900/PSM1000: Known for their excellent sound quality and reliability. The PSM1000, in particular, offers advanced features like networkability and precision RF performance.

    Sennheiser EW IEM G4: A solid choice with a good balance of performance and affordability. It's widely used in live performances for its robust construction and reliable signal.

    Audio-Technica M3: Offers great value for money, providing clear sound and a sturdy build. It's a popular choice for those looking to enter the professional IEM market without breaking the bank.

    Ultimate Ears UE 11 Pro: Custom-molded for the perfect fit and excellent sound isolation. These are highly regarded among top-tier musicians for their superior audio quality.

[wmf]

You experimenting with AI?

[fuzzfactor]

It's another instrument for each performer to learn to play (operate) simultaneously along with whatever they were doing on the same tunes before.

If the communication feature is highly taken advantage of, then the engineer(s) almost have to be considered like band members and work toward mastering this additional instrument right along with the musicians for best results.

And this includes rehearsals, so many things are sensible to rehearse many times before performing the first time, and this is one of them. Kind of depends on how much mastery of an instrument a band expects before they feel comfortable appearing live doing it. Mastery doesn't come overnight, so rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. When you're just starting out on anything you've got a long way to go before it's pro level, so you should know what your objective is, and put in the effort if that's what you want to do.

I know a musician who joined a band where the bass player's father was an engineer about my age and bought or rented pro gear as appropriate for their booked-up gigs. IEM was required and they were able to make their pop tunes sound like the originals live. Regardless if they were in a venue where they could have heard themselves or the mix very well or not. They worked hard to get the most out of it, but got worthwhile benefits from the beginning. It was one of the secret weapons that other bands playing the same locations didn't have, but a good engineer by themself is a big part of that.

OTOH in the studio I always used traditional over-ear headphones and vocal mics for the musicians to talk to me through the glass, and they got the live radio broadcast mix in the phones but I encouraged them to set the headphones down after each talk session because more often than not vocalists (and other acoustic players) will hold back a bit rather than wail.[0] Sometimes I would tell them "You already know you sound good !" There was no physical separation of musicians and no fully isolated instruments to mix from, no noisy crowd either so it had to sound OK in the room to begin with, no real reason to hear what's going out over the air. I'll take care of that my dang self. This is when it came out sounding best. Even if it would have been more "precise" with personally crafted monitoring. Some players or vocalists would prefer the headphones for the isolation from the other players and that is just fine too, I tried to see if they were then OK with a very reduced volume on their phones, and they always had a personal volume control at their disposal.

[0] As we know, the opposite can be true if any vocalist, amateur or not, just listens to an everyday loud song on the headphones, and sings along with it even louder since they can't hear themselves at all. Lots of them definitely don't hold back whatsoever ;)