dave_bass5

1 hour ago, Al Krow said:

 

Thanks very much for this - I'm looking to get something that is a step up from my KZ ZS10 Pros, which I agree are a little harsh having gigged with then regularly for 6 months or so. So I will be putting the KS AS16 Pro on the shortlist.

 

I've maybe a budget of up to £150 - grateful for those of you who have previously upgraded from the KZ ZS10 Pros to share where you ended up? @dave_bass5 where have you landed with your own research into these?

Ive landed on the Sen IE400 Pro and have no GAS for anything else. Two of the band use IE100 Pro’s (Dawn switched to these from the KZ’s )and if i was to lose my IE400 id just buy the IE100 again. For me the fit and comfort is very slightly better on the IE100, its just a slightly different shape, but the IE400 has a bit more depth and wider soundstage, which is better for me as i monitor in stereo, but probably a non issue for those using a mono mix. Id say the sound is quite close to my old AT M50x headphones. 

I use them all the time at home now. I wouldn't say they sound better than my headphones, but it keeps the sound consistent between home/rehearsal/gigs and they are much less taxing on the ears in this hotly weather. 

It’s been a 3 year struggle to find IEM’s that don’t need any attention during playing. Nothing ive tried before would stay put after a while. These are the first that ive found that fit and not feel like they are coming out. 

I have these and find them more than adequate. A bit on the large size though. 
 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B07PLDTNWT?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

2 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

 

We have 1 main singer and me and the drummer also have solo songs, so I change the faders for that (probably should automate that), but the XControl is good for the faders (and easier to use than a screen).  Also some adjustments based on feedback.

Oh yeah, it’s an ever evolving mix most of the time. I keep mine on all the time but I refuse to touch FOH unless the venue or audience tell me it needs addressing. 
Too many times I’ve been told by the singer that she is too low in the mix, even though she is on stage using a monitor or IEM’s. I tell them the sound check is there to be used properly and we set it all then. Unless they make the effort then I’m ignoring anyone on stage when they mention FOH. 
In fact the most used slider is the bass players gain. He keeps turning his bass down on the bass itself and I have to keep tuning the gain up. I wish he would leave it alone . This is where Mixing Station’s regain feature comes in handy. You can change the gain and MS keeps the output level even.

17 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

 

My microphone stand isn't that high!

 

 

I have an iPad pro, which I don't use live (but in practices) and that has a battery life of for ever, and I had an iPad air 2 that had a decent battery life when I was using soft synths. However that one died (not live, it just one day was dead and refused to charge), so I got a cheap on off ebay but the battery isn't great. But I don't use soft synths any more and I don't use it that much on the mixer app, as I have the XControl. I use it for setup, then mostly it is lyrics, but I do go to it from time to time. Performance wise it is good, not sure whether to get something else later, or just stick another batttery in it. Maybe after a year or two I might update my iPad Pro and use that one live - I bought it as it was the last one with a jack socket for audio. 

I got the iPad 9 as that too was the last with a real headphone jack. It was 100% the killer feature back in the soft synth days, but now I stream the backing music over Bluetooth to the XR18. 

To be fair, once we have sound checked i dont really need to use the mixer app most of the time. As im doing it from stage it’s not like i can ride the faders anyway. 

Plus i have my phone as a backup should i need it. It does stay on, sitting on my keyboard, and i tweak the Aux mixes if someone needs something changing, but on the whole our mix is quite consistent these days after sound check. 

32 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

Personally if was trying to run two mission-critical apps on a single mobile device and found that they wouldn't play nicely together, I'd invest in separate devices for each one. I also wouldn't even bother trying to run anything static off batteries. Use a mains adaptor and if that requires a special USB or Lightning adaptor to allow mains power and control functionality at the same time then get that too.

 

A couple of years ago I witnessed a fairly well-known band abort their sound check because the iPad running their backing ran out of power. Then despite spending a couple of hours recharging it whilst the two support bands sound checked and played, it died again a couple of songs from the end of the set. The only battery driven devices I'll entertain on stage are the mobile end of radio transmitters and receivers. Everything else is run off the mains

I see some people use old, cheap tablets, brought sometimes second hand just for the purpose of running a mixer app. To me that makes sense on one level, but I can see that battery life could possibly be compromised compared to a newer tablet. 
I got an iPad 9 when I was the current model, as I didn’t want to be taking my iPad Pro out. This was back when I was running softsynths. I now use it for mixing station and playing background music between sets etc. I fully charge to before going to the gig, and I’ve never even come close to draining the battery to anywhere near 60%. That’s with it on for over 4-5 hours. 

I never plug it in and have never had to. I also use my iPad Pro to record directly out of the XR18 in to Logic. That too never gets anywhere near 60% and that’s with recording 15 tracks for 2 1/2 hours. 
 

I have an old IPad Air that will run MS and gets less than 3 hours out of it (so never use it). 
This is why I won’t just buy a cheap tablet. I know I can plug it in to the mains, but to me having a portable device means it’s portable and not tethered to anything. 

47 minutes ago, EBS_freak said:

But this one is. (I thought the Phenyx looked familiar)

 

https://www.gear4music.com/PA-DJ-and-Lighting/SubZero-SZ-IM2-Stereo-In-Ear-Monitoring-System/2D74

 

So looks like a generic rebrand exercise in play. Proceed with caution!

My singer has this (or at least a variation on it from G4M a few years ago).
It was a bit unreliable, but now one of our guitarists has it. He has no issue with it so far. Just running it’ mono. I keep meaning to try out the stereo part of it. 

Thanks for the suggestions. 

I do high pass all the mic’s quite high and it does help a bit. 

Looking back at my first post i think i should have asked ‘do you deal with it’. Im not sure it’s really an issue for our sort of gigs. Im sure all bands at this level will be getting this, its not so noticeable on the night and i suppose the overall mix can take this in to account.

17 minutes ago, Bill Fitzmaurice said:

Assuming you're only running the board and not playing as well you've got to ride the sliders. If not then you've got to hire someone to do so.

Nah, it’s fine. Most bands i go to see dont have engineers out front and sound great. 

2 hours ago, EBS_freak said:

Just worth noting - this is why digital desks rock. With recordings, you can see where your short falls are. If you are having difficulty mixing tracks from the recordings, you can see why you are having trouble live. It’ll be the cymbals - (think harsh treble) and you can’t separate it from the vocals!

Im not having issues mixing the tracks afterwards, just wasnt aware there was so much bleed and trying to get it lower. In fact it’s very easy to get rid of most of the bleed in Logic if i wanted to. 

When i go out front for sound check it sounds great, so it’s not really an issue live as far as i can hear. 

1 hour ago, EBS_freak said:

Throat mic!

No mic 😎😇

1 minute ago, EBS_freak said:

Headset mic for the drummer?

Totally refuses to put anything on his head. He has his reasons (medical mainly), but is still a bit traditional when it comes to gear and prefers the old teachings 🙄

Thanks Russ. So nothing i can do 😂.

I guess only 1. Is an option, and try as i might i cant get some of them to remember to even plug their mics in, let along have any real technique. 

On larger stages it's not such a problem, but we have been on a few stages really best suited to Trio’s lately and so all on top of each other. 

Ive started muting the mics of two of the occasional singers, but its then on me to un mute them for the relevant songs, and id rather leave them live so the mix doesn’t jump up slightly. 

Actually the drummer is the worst of the lot. Wont use IEM so has a large monitor, has the mic facing more towards the floor then his mouth, and due to him also drumming doesn't always get close to the mic. 

I dont think its too bad out front (i guess its always been like this anyway), but since i started to record directly off the XR18 its really noticeable when i solo the tracks. 

Hopefully this is in the right place. 
In my main band I have 5 singers. They don’t all have good mic technique, so their mics get a lot of bleed. sometimes quiet, sometimes loud etc. not consistent. 

Our XR18 has gates, but due to the poor mic technique I can’t seem to get the right balance and either lose some of the vocals or it does nothing. 

Ok, so I know the correct answer is get them to sing properly, but if they could they would. 

At the moment I feel leaving the mics live on songs they aren’t singing on will at least keep the mix consistent. Is this a good way to approach it? 

Again, I’m look for the best practice within the restrictions of what I have to work with. 

11 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

 

A contour?

Sorry, ‘controller’ 😎

I will only use my external router at gigs, but i also keep a USB Ethernet adapter handy in case the router stops working. I feel safe with a hardwired back up, should i need it, but for my band we could get buy without any type of controller once we have sound checked. For decades ive gigged without a sound engineer and a static mix, so it’s no big deal if we lose connection for a set. 

At home i use my XR18 as my computer interface now (the perks of working it outright), but i don't even bother with a controller for it. The input levels work for DAW as well as live. I like that this doesn’t necessarily need a connecting app or controller for this use. In

What about IEM threads? These will normally include PA or mixer discussions?

36 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

 

I wouldn't say 'Mixing station' as I don't like it, but I would say 'why did you need to update the iOS device you use with your mixer', what did you need the update for? The iPad i use with my mixer cost £90, and that is what it does, gigging stuff. The only time it would be updated would be if the gigging stuff needed it.

Not everyone has or wants a dedicated iPad or device. Some do, some don’t. 
Also I’ve  not had much luck with the latest version of X-Air on iOS, so I do stick with Mixing station which works perfectly on the same iPad as X-Air. 
I have a cut down layout that we can hand to friends out in the audience (ones we trust obviously) to keep the vocals and keyboards balanced. This is much better than giving them the full blown X-Air layout. 
I also like the idea that I can use it on my iPhone if I see anything going astray I can override it from the stage. 
 

47 minutes ago, 51m0n said:

Higher sample rates drop latency

 

That's the only possible advantage IMO

 

And it's very tenuous since there's nothing wrong with the XAir latency at all.

Yeah, my comment was sarcastic. 
You know how it goes. New thing comes out and suddenly the perfectly working previous model is useless 😂

Must admit they do look very tempting. More advanced than the XR18. 

I wonder how many people will HAVE to swap over because they can’t possibly gig with ‘only’ 48khz. 😇

I find Jack to be very irritating most of the time, and dont like the format he uses (give me a key Falcon etc)  but i do watch all his videos as i find it refreshing to hear an english voice, and can relate to some of things he says (especially the very jaded Social club comments). 

We recently upgraded some of our PA. The band were sort of ok with all chipping in, but I ended up buying the new desk myself (with the singer, who is my partner). It seems easier to walk away from the band, or have members leave without having to buy them out etc. 

It also means I get to keep it and do what I want with it between gigs. It’s actually now my USB interface at home. 

1 hour ago, Happy Jack said:

 

Is a URB like an ERB, only Unextended?

Yeah, the ones without the plugs on them and cant travel on the tube 😂

3 hours ago, Silvia Bluejay said:

I see your point, Dave, but the same happens with amps, cabs and quite a lot of accessories. When the main subject of a thread is clear, and it's not posted in the correct place on the forum, we move it. If it is posted in the correct place, and any references to other bits of equipment (usually inevitable) don't radically change the main subject, the thread can stay in its subforum. This would mostly be to make following or contributing to such a popular subject easier than it currently is.

And your points also taken. 

To me, it sounds like some of the Admin team are bored and looking for something to do lol. 

Id certainly find a PA/Live sound reinforcement sub forum way more interesting than a URB one 😎

Had another great night with the IE400’s. So glad I stumbled on these before going all out with customs. Its so nice not to have to keep fiddling with my right ear.

One thing id like to ask, how much noise isolation would customs give over memory foam tips that fill the ear entrance? I find im getting enough, and its nice that i can still have a conversation with them in (anlthough its hard to tell if thats from the live mics on stage picking some of the other person up). Are customs more isolating? Its hard to judge as some people say the world disappears once they have them in, but i really cant imagine thats 100% true.