Backstage Class: In-Ear Monitors On A Budget
Getting to the right situation, step by step

By Will Cotter

As prices plummet on digital and wireless audio equipment, putting together an in-ear monitoring (IEM) package is now a reality for nearly any touring band. Gone are the days of having to spend $4,000 to $5,000 per band member for the luxury of in-ears; for what it used to cost for one musician, the entire group can now be outfitted with decent, dependable equipment.

I was involved in putting together two different in-ear systems: a multirack analog system for the Los Angeles trio Eve 6, and a compact, flyable, digital in-ear system for San Francisco four-piece Stroke 9.

Will Cotter, movin’ faders and checkin’ the racks.

From the start of touring, Stroke 9 knew they didn’t want to be at the mercy of a different floor monitor rig every night; they were looking for a consistency that their numerous harmony vocals required. For them, an in-ear system made good sense. The first step was getting a demo unit for the band to try, so they could actually hear what they were getting into. A pleasant phone call to Lauren Woodward at Leabody Systems in Huntington Beach, California was all it took to get a test unit sent up to us, and a couple of tunes with that unit was all it took for the band to commit to IEM all around.

We knew that there would be numerous fly dates and in-studio radio shows, so the rig had to be designed to be rugged and portable.

For the heart of our in-ear system, we chose a Yamaha O1V digital mixing console. Compact and lightweight, the O1V has 12 XLR inputs as well as two sets of 1/4-inch stereo inputs, left and right stereo outputs, four auxiliary outputs and built in digital processing. Stereo left and right were assigned to the lead singer so he could have an accurate stereo mix, while the other members were each assigned a mono mix on auxiliary sends 1-3. The fourth aux send was used for a shaker attached to the underside of the drum throne for some extra bump.

The console also offered enough assignable dynamics processors to allow us to reign in some of the problem channels (bass and snare) while still being able to strap compressors across each mix. This eliminated the additional cost and space that outboard compressors would have required.

Shure PSM 700 monitoring system that offers 32 different frequencies.

Yet more money and space were conserved by the two on-board digital effects processors; each uses the same basic effects engine found in Yamaha’s REV series of outboard effects. Likewise, tonal shaping of each overall mix was also achieved on the board, without having to rely on external graphics. For bands with more channel or mix requirements, Yamaha’s O2R has 20 XLR inputs and 10 outputs. I spoke with a colleague who used the O2R as the heart of an in-ear system for a large swing band, with great results.

Another important factor to consider regarding the consistency of your in-ear system is microphone selection and placement. If you plan on using house mics from night to night, expect to spend a lot of time getting levels and changing mixes. Carrying your own mics does add a considerable initial expense, but the resultant consistency is well worth the money spent. Developing a standard mic placement technique is especially crucial for the consistency of your in-ear mixes; just a few inches’ differences on the placement of a guitar amp mic can cause a substantial change in your mixes.

Cory Glover with in-ear system, well, firmly in-ear.

We selected Shure PSM 600s as the transmitter/receiver packages. The PSM receiver pack is solid and easy to use. Internal dip switches are used to turn on a treble boost (recommended) and built-in compressor (also recommended), switch between stereo and mono mode, and flip between two different frequencies. Each unit comes with a basic set of earpieces, which might work fine for some (or even most) members of a band. It is advisable to at least outfit your singer with a set of custom molds; a pair of tight fitting earpieces goes a long way towards helping block out excessive stage noise and lets them hear their own voice that much better.

We had custom molds made for each member of the band, and it drastically improved their overall comfort with the system. The transmitters are only 1/2 RU wide, which can save a lot of real estate in a small rack rig.

While the three front-line members of the band were on wireless IEM systems, the drummer used a hard-wired system. The cost of the wired unit was about half that of the wireless counterpart, which freed up enough dollars in the budget to complement the drummer’s in-ear experience with a pair of Auratone Shakers and matching amplifier. The shakers were simply screwed into the bottom of the throne seat. Since they only reproduce from about 150 Hz down, no crossover was needed on the auxiliary output, though the highs were rolled off of the overall mix EQ on the board.

For most small stages the standard antenna supplied with the unit is sufficient, but larger venues warrant the use of external antennae. Shure’s external antenna comes with a standard mic thread on the bottom, so elevating them on a mic stand is an easy solution. Simply attach the antenna cable from the fan to the transmitter and point the antenna at the intended recipient.

Tight fitting earpieces help block out excessive stage noise.

We had very few experiences with dropouts from our antenna/transmitter combination ­ switching the pack frequency or repositioning the antenna resolved most of them. If you anticipate playing a lot of RF-laden metropolitan areas, you might consider investing in a multi-frequency system, such as the Shure PSM 700 that allows selection of 32 different frequencies. Your level of monitoring accuracy will depend on how much is left in the budget after the rig itself is purchased. At the most basic level, you can plug a pair of standard earpieces into the front headphone jack of whichever transmitter you wish to monitor. To save all that plugging and unplugging, you can patch an output from each transmitter into a basic audio selector box, plug in your earpieces and simply push a button to monitor any mix.

At the next level, the output from your selector can feed another transmitter, allowing you to monitor using the receiver pack. This is the ideal option, since every element in the chain is identical to what the musicians are using. RF problems are easier to spot, you become aware of what a dying battery sounds like, and most importantly your monitoring pack is a spare that can be switched out with any of the band members should their system have problems.

Patching in to most club systems was as easy as simply pulling the tails from their monitor board and plugging them into the Yamaha. We had a small 16 channel snake along, in case our rig had to be located remote from the house monitor board. The overheads were the trickiest to patch, because they were relegated to channels 13 and 14, one of the 1/4-inch stereo pairs. To properly power the overheard condensers, we had to run the mics into the house monitor board, power the channels, then patch back into the 1/4-inch connectors on the Yamaha. If you have an extra rack space, an outboard phantom power unit would relieve that particular problem.

Mr. Cotter and a copiously miced drum kit.

A similar problem arises if you are using condenser mics as your ambients. We defeated that dilemma by simply using a pair of Shure SM57s placed on the left and right corners of the stage. Most nights the crowds were so thick and close to the stage that the ambients weren’t even used. During my time with the band, I set up and operated the system at each show. I found that about 80 percent of the stored settings worked for every show ­ the remaining 20 percent changed according to stage size and the proximity of the members to each other and their amps.

If you don’t have the luxury of a dedicated monitor engineer, you could have one of the members be in charge of the board. The learning curve is pretty easy to master, the controls are intuitive, and a mix can be changed in mere seconds.

I would strongly recommend, however, that only one band member be in charge of modifying mixes; I would also suggest that either the FOH engineer or the tour manager (or both) be versed in the console’s operation so they can help out in a pinch.

Every word that Will Cotter speaks comes from real-world experience. He spent years in a van with Cake before they broke through into mainstream success, and is a charming and efficient tour manager as well.

June 2003 Live Sound International