in ear monitor advice for stage-

[gem]

hi
can you please tell me your favorite models
of in-ear monitoring you have worked with?
i have been asked by a few artist to select them a
pair but i have no idea.
i guess it should have 2 channels that can be adjusted
by user...self.

hope this is not the wrong place to ask for this-
i dont chat at live-music forums thats why i post this here-


thanx gem

[drummerboy1533]

I can vouch for any of the Ultimate Ears products.Get them,pay for them and be DONE. Uses:on stage,in the studio for mic placement on loud sources-amps,drums eval stereo spread when you are working alone(also use reg. ear protectors in conjunction for uber-quietness),on an airplane(avoid the $5 movie fee-the flt attendant won't think they are headphones!) at home with a portable CD player.They will last for LIFE ,as your ear canal will only slightly change once or so your entire life.I splurged on the UE-10,s with dual drivers.You will hear stuff and mabe see dead people...

[Telecastr]

Originally posted by drummerboy1533
They will last for LIFE ,as your ear canal will only slightly change once or so your entire life.

actually that is not true. my audiologist, who is also a close friend, said that when you use custom ear molds for anything you need new ones every 2 years tops. he's not just telling me that to get my business either because he makes my molds for free.

i've never heard of Ultimate Ears before. i will have to check them out. the industry standard right now for IEM is a toss up between the Sennheiser 300 series and the Shure 600 or 700 series. most people are using the FutureSonics molds with both. the Shure ear piece sponges are crap. the Sennheiser stuff is cheaper and is just as good of quality IMO. i've got the Sennheiser 300 series with the FutureSonics SofterWear ear pieces. the SofterWear earpieces use custom molds that slip over their EM3 pieces. It is a much cheaper route than the EarMonitors, which have the drivers molded into the ear molds. here is FutureSonics website - www.futuresonics.com

the thing to be cautious of when using IEM is that your monitor guy absolutely must know how to mix for in ears. you don't want a "first day on the job" guy. if he screws up, you could go deaf. there is a large amount of trust involved. it's also a good idea to put a compressor in the chain. it also helps for the monitor guy to have the exact type of IEM to listen in on your mix so he can hear exactly what you are hearing.

[Billy Bush]

I have to suggest Sensaphonics - we've used them for years. In my opinion they're more comfortable than any of the other molds, sound fantastic and we've found them to be incredibly durable.

Also, Mike Santucci there has been amazing - he really takes care of his clients and his service is fantastic.

http://www.sensaphonics.com/soft2x.html

billy bush/garbage

[meteor]

2 different questions floating around here.

transmitter setup?

and

drivers?

for the first question - i have to give a nod to the sennheiser G2 iem300 system (must be the G2 as the first sennheiser 300 series was kind of a drag) - sounds great, uses double AA batteries and has a more precise battery indicator, weighs less, is 30% smaller. and has 1400 or so frequency choices.

the Shure PSM 700 are the touring standard (I have three sets of these) and they are incredibly durable - but for twice the price they are really about the same quality as the sennheiser - the sennheisers are a little less durable - so if the band or artist is prone to radical stage antics the PSM 700 might be the better choice. The PSM 600 really sounds the best out of all - but the 2 frequency limitation means they will only work well in the boondocks.

Drivers? For custom molded ...Ultimate Ears has 70% of the market (assumably for a reason - also, the UE-10 is actually a 3-way driver) and their service is great. However, there are some other great companies out there - FutureSonics, Westone, SensaPhonics - i think that is about it. Make sure to ask for Frequency response charts. also, the Sensaphonics may be the most comfortable.

For Universal fit drivers - the sennheisers are terrible - the Westones and the Shures (single and dual element) are about the same (Westone used to make the Shures). Except, Westone has way beter customer service and repair and the Westones have been more reliable in my experience. As a bonus, the Westones are sold direct and cost quite a bit less...

hope that helped.

cheers,