Procedure for Custom IEM molds

[andersmv]

I've never done this before so I'm not sure what the general procedure is in regards to it. My church is in the process of getting a lot of new gear and IEM's are next on the list. The worship leader wants to get some custom molds for his ears, but we have still not picked out any IEM's for him. More then likely we will order a few different ones and see what he likes. Can I just find a local audiologist in the area and have them do some molds of his ears, and then when we find the IEM's he likes....? Like I said, not really sure how to go about this or what the best plan is, I'm sure you guys can help me out, thanks!

[edwinhurwitz]

I've been doing this for a number of years and it took a while to find the right people. At first I used the local audiologist I found referred from the Westone website and they were OK. However, they were mostly used to working with people with hearing problems rather than with musicians. Eventually, I think it was from the Future Sonics site, I found Berkley Griles at Hear Inc, here in Boulder, and Berkley is a music fan who got into the business, so he knows what goes on in a venue first hand. He worked with me until we got the right fit (as did the previous audiology lab, but I never got the idea they knew exactly what the issues were). He works with most of the major manufacturers, so he knows all their strengths and weaknesses. It really made a big difference and the ones I have fit great. I also had him do molds for Westone ear plugs.

Another thing that helped a lot was using Oto-Ease from Westone. It really makes your ears feel better if you use IEMs or molded ear plugs night after night and it does create a better seal. I was discovering that after 5 or 6 gigs in a row, my ears would get irritated and change shape so the seal wasn't as good, but this really helps keep things consistent and comfortable.

My 02c. worth exactly that.
Edwin

[Enginearing]

sheesh man custom moulds are expensive i would've thought well over budget for houses of worship except maybe someone like benny hinn. as for getting a few pairs... seriously i think the members of your church should start wondering if the money they give every week is being put to best use...

is there something about shures or (something comparable) that makes them unsuitable? there is a large range of sizes and shapes of adaptors for fitting different shaped ears. honestly i don't see how an E3 or E5 couldn't be up to the task....

[rmx16]

Originally Posted by andersmv

I've never done this before so I'm not sure what the general procedure is in regards to it. My church is in the process of getting a lot of new gear and IEM's are next on the list. The worship leader wants to get some custom molds for his ears, but we have still not picked out any IEM's for him. More then likely we will order a few different ones and see what he likes. Can I just find a local audiologist in the area and have them do some molds of his ears, and then when we find the IEM's he likes....? Like I said, not really sure how to go about this or what the best plan is, I'm sure you guys can help me out, thanks!

Call Marty at FutureSonics. He hooked me up
Future Sonics Inc., Ear Monitors ® & Atrio ® professional earphones

Peace

[bishopthomas]

Originally Posted by Enginearing

sheesh man custom moulds are expensive i would've thought well over budget for houses of worship except maybe someone like benny hinn. as for getting a few pairs... seriously i think the members of your church should start wondering if the money they give every week is being put to best use...

is there something about shures or (something comparable) that makes them unsuitable? there is a large range of sizes and shapes of adaptors for fitting different shaped ears. honestly i don't see how an E3 or E5 couldn't be up to the task....

You the **** are you to tell someone how to spend their money? At what point did the OP say that they were using contributions from the congregation as payment? Perhaps each member is buying his/her own IEM/custom mold. Maybe there's a member of the band with money to burn and wants to help out his band mates. You don't have the facts but you have no problem attacking the values of the OP's house of worship. I am not defending religion or the way churches spend money, I am condemning your complete ignorance at the situation.

[bishopthomas]

As for an answer to the original question... There is no good way to try before you buy with custom IEM's. You're basically just going to have to pick one based on reputation and recommendations and go for it. I wish there was a better way but there is not. I personally have had good experiences with Future Sonics but there are many good ones out there. A band I work with use Ultimate Ears and have had great support with them. They have been very good to provide quick turn around on repairs on the road. I'm sure Future Sonics would give the same great support but I have never had to make use of it. So take that for what it's worth...

[edwinhurwitz]

The other option is to get molds for the more generic ear buds. I have found that I can use the same mold for both Future Sonic Atrios (which I think are the best bang for the buck in non custom in ears) and Westone UM2s.

Your ears change, so a mold won't fit forever. It's a lot cheaper to get a new mold for use with an Atrio or similar IEM than it is to replace the whole thing.

Edwin

[hbphotoav]

Originally Posted by andersmv

I've never done this before so I'm not sure what the general procedure is in regards to it. My church is in the process of getting a lot of new gear and IEM's are next on the list. The worship leader wants to get some custom molds for his ears, but we have still not picked out any IEM's for him. More then likely we will order a few different ones and see what he likes. Can I just find a local audiologist in the area and have them do some molds of his ears, and then when we find the IEM's he likes....? Like I said, not really sure how to go about this or what the best plan is, I'm sure you guys can help me out, thanks!

We've been on Shure and Westone buds (wired, through a Behringer 8 channel headphone amp... one piece of Behringer gear I'll recommend) for 5 of the 6 years our church has been in existence. The worship leaders (two different guys in the 6 years) came to the church from the road, and already had custom molds. The rest of the band either bring their own or use Shure E2s with the appropriate foamies. I can say that we've had great success, both from the standpoint of a greatly lowered stage volume and from the standpoint of cost: our total outlay for eight channels of IEMs over six years has been about $1,500... about the cost of one first-line wedge, minus the amp channels and processing.

There are several sources for custom molds here in Nashville... previous posts are correct: do the research as to whom people are satisfied with, and have them made for your principal player(s). Some possible sources:

Joy Bastow's Page - Nashville Music Pros
H.E.A.R. | Events | Hearing Education and Awareness for Rockers
Custom Earmolds, Earplugs and In-Ear Monitors

[drpro]

I second what Harry said. (we know each other). Two companies, one in CA and the other in TN offer both dual and triple drive IEM for fairly reasonable prices. Fidelity Custom Earphones Official Home Page and The Official LiveWires - Custom Fit In-Ear Earphones. They used to be related, but had a falling out. I have been using their dual driver IEM for about the past two years and am sold. They have a couple of nice features, such as the ability to replace the cables in the field, or only replace one IEM if you break it, like I did.

Regards
David Rogers

[Enginearing]

Originally Posted by Enginearing

sheesh man custom moulds are expensive i would've thought well over budget for houses of worship except maybe someone like benny hinn. as for getting a few pairs... seriously i think the members of your church should start wondering if the money they give every week is being put to best use...

is there something about shures or (something comparable) that makes them unsuitable? there is a large range of sizes and shapes of adaptors for fitting different shaped ears. honestly i don't see how an E3 or E5 couldn't be up to the task....

Originally Posted by bishopthomas

You the **** are you to tell someone how to spend their money? At what point did the OP say that they were using contributions from the congregation as payment? Perhaps each member is buying his/her own IEM/custom mold. Maybe there's a member of the band with money to burn and wants to help out his band mates. You don't have the facts but you have no problem attacking the values of the OP's house of worship. I am not defending religion or the way churches spend money, I am condemning your complete ignorance at the situation.

thomas at no point did i attack any values nor did i tell them how to spend money...
( the only attack i can see is this one...

Originally Posted by bishopthomas

You the **** are you .

)

I do find it surprising that such kit would be considered for this application (OP states worship leader, not band) especially considering the non-custom options out there. hey maybe they do have "money to burn" but with the current financial climate, there are endless organisations trying to trim their spending where possible, I don't know of anyone looking to splurge. hence why i would ask if they'd considered if non-custom moulds and if so what about them is not up to task.

As for congregational donations, since the dawn of christianity it is traditional for leaders to be remunerated from a percentage of tidings. Sure the cash might come from a private scource, but one would have to wonder how many blankets/food hampers for the less fortunate or sponsorships for 3rd world children could be purchased for the difference in price. Certainly i would put this to any worship leader who approached me on the subject, so it is the same opinion i offer to the OP to consider.
(please note that in no way am i trying to tell them how to spend money, merely stating opinions on a public online forum, in a manner that may be beneficial to the OP's endeavour)

hey maybe the price of decent custom moulds isn't much in the OP's world, and they can afford to get a few different pairs to see which ones they prefer, but my point is that ONE pair would be expensive. a few pairs to see which is preferred?... I hope they do have money to burn.

If that is the case i welcome the OP to come out with the worship leader and try a few pairs from the following companies

Ear Monitors Australia

Phoenix Hearing Instruments

Both companies supply exceptional quality IEM to high profile clients.

condemn away.