FuNkShUi

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1469688764' post='3100261'] We take a spare marquee and electricity generator to every gig including a fully stocked bar, tables and chairs etc, we set up two stages and take duplicate instruments for each tent plus a spare PA for each tent, come on you are being paid guys! [/quote] Fair enough. Time to up our game. Next investment will be an Articulated Lorry to carry all our extra gear.

We've got active monitors so that is what we would do. But we don't take a spare mixing desk So if the mixing desk goes, what then? We don't take spare P.A because like has been said, it's just too impractical. You say "you get paid to do a job"...yes and we do that job to the best of our ability. Our PA with lights and all the extra bits takes up the space in a transit van as it is. So whether we wanted to take more or not we couldn't, there's no room. Unless you think we should do two trips? Like i said, I've been gigging 17 years, and we've not ever had an issue where we couldn't finish the gig because the PA has completely blown up. Snapped strings and other minor issues- yes. But we can deal with them. If for some reason something did happen where we couldn't finish the gig, we wouldn't expect to be paid.

[quote name='Twincam' timestamp='1469645998' post='3100057'] Oh I'm not poo pooing IEM at all really. And the no amp thing looking pants was more tongue in cheek lol. I just think why not take both. Ok if a pa goes down it might be an issue where you still have a channel you could use it for vocals, again a backline depending on what size gig etc etc could get you through. Or maybe you can run the vocals through an instrument amp. Or if a smaller pub gig you may get away with no pa for vocals and go acoustic but the bass will still need an amp. And you can always do an instrumental or get the crowd to sing along etc. Can't just pack up because there's no singer. I know there all what ifs and with today's electrics less likely to happen but it still could. [/quote] I think the difference here is you're talking all ifs and buts. If the PA goes down I could have my amp, but what am I going to power if the PA has gone down anyway? Bottom line for me is this, we are primarily a wedding band, we've got good kit, and have to rely on that. Can't be finishing a set with no singer or asking the crowd to sing along instead. Doesn't work like that. Not for us anyway. We do our utmost to look after our kit, and if something does happen to blow up, there ain't a lot that can be done. My plan is eventually go straight into the desk and I'll take a DI pedal in my bag. Muzz how is it not practical for some situations? Do you use different PAs depending on the gig size? We have got our PA that we use in all our gigs. Might be overkill for some, but it looks the part, and that's what a volume slider is for right

Hahaha I was going to ask why he didn't just mix guitars in ears as well. Joe- you can get both types, wired and wireless. Wired is far cheaper to get a good working solution. I'm by no means an authority on this though. Check out the thread that's about 17 pages long titled "in ear monitors, help needed..." Or something along those lines. Plenty of good info and options in there! Like I said though, I'll bring them up next time

Yeh makes sense bud. I'm probably going to DI off my amp anyway until i can become more familiar with the Behringer X18. Its the UE900s, recommended by EBS_Freak. He's the man to speak to for info on in-ears, but i'll bring mine up next time for you to have a bash at them

I'll always keep one spare amp in the house too incase i dep for a friend or whatever, but IEMs are definitely the future for me

[quote name='Twincam' timestamp='1469633666' post='3099930'] Yeah the first bit is obvious. The second bit is not always a fact there's loads of great sounding bands that have plenty of on stage volume. I understand the concept but it just seems wrong. I know things are pretty reliable but what if something goes wrong, what if you find you monitoring goes down, what if the pa goes down and your in a situation where a backline could of got you through a gig? Etc etc I just think its a back up and as equipment is getting lighter its not so much of a pain. And you can always turn your backline down if its messing with the sound out front. So imo yeah you don't need an amp at all but might you need one maybe and bands with nothing on the stage look so boring lol. [/quote] Yeh EBS_Freak has pretty much said what i was going to say. I understand your "what ifs" , but to the same point i could say what if my amp broke or my speaker popped etc Might happen but cant take spares for everything. If the PA blew mid gig it'd be no vocals so pretty crap anyway! As for other bands having loads of onstage volume, thats fine too. I don't want to be one of them, i quite enjoy hearing things! The amount of times i've gone home after gigging with ringing in my ears is starting to get more frequent, and the thing with hearing is once it's gone it don't come back! And it definitely helps us with mixing out front too. Looks a bit pants? Fair enough. I doubt many people in the general audience at the weddings i play at would even notice there was no backline for the bass. And the ones who did notice would probably be clued in to what was happening. Are you playing in a band or jamming or anything? I advise you to give them a go. Really an eye opening experience to play with IEMs. This coming from someone who had previously never used them in 17 years of gigging.

[quote name='LewisK1975' timestamp='1469631219' post='3099898'] And just to add, I think this is a brilliant idea, it's got my rusty old cogs going like the clappers. The biggest inter-band moan we get is stage/backline volume. [/quote] Same here Lew. Which is what got my ass into motion in the first place. Welcome to come and try the In-Ears i have. An absolute revelation! Can't believe i hadn't tried them before. I'm slowly converting the rest of the band too. Eventually - no onstage volume!

[quote name='LewisK1975' timestamp='1469630905' post='3099896'] It'll be fine, all Hi-Z means is high impedance, like the input on a guitar/bass amp is, so if you plug a guitar/bass into it you'll get a stronger signal. Plugging guitars / Basses into line level inputs (which is what the other inputs are) just results in a quieter signal requiring more gain... [/quote] Gotcha, cheers Lew

[quote name='Huge Hands' timestamp='1469629285' post='3099870'] I don't really know these speakers, but from having a quick look at them online, I don't think you'd be able to plug a mic straight into it. You'd need some sort of mixer first that can convert the lower gain microphone output signal into a line level signal. I'm happy to be proved wrong though. [/quote] I'd didnt look at them online, i'll be honest. I was just speaking generally, that you can usually go straight into an active speaker. I assumed it'd the case here. I might well be wrong too

[quote name='mrtcat' timestamp='1469628388' post='3099859'] I don't think you'll have a major headache plugging a keyboard in elsewhere. Our keyboard player plugs all three of his keyboards into his Roland monitor and then gives us a single DI out from there into the Behringer. [/quote] Yeh we've never had a problem before. Good to know though.

Are you not meant to plug instruments into the other inputs? The only other instrument that gets plugged in is a keyboard, but it doesn't go in 1 or 2

You can run a vocal into the monitor if you wanted. Don't know how good/loud it would be though. Don't need a mixer if you only want to run a single vocal, just plug the mic into line in or input, EQ how you want and you're away to go. Edit to say, if you were going to do this, you'd have to plug into the active monitor. Could potentially daisy chain the passive monitor to the active one too for more volume, depending on a few other things. Like i say though, probably not something i'd recommend as a long term solution in a full band, but it would work.

I voted "other" as its a bit of both for me. I wouldn't gig a bass if it looked the part but i didn't like how it played /sounded. Equally though i wouldn't gig a bass if it sounded/played great but looked crappy. On a side note, i couldn't care less what others thought of the way my bass looks. I play a Warwick Streamer primarily, and i know a lot would say they look terrible, but i love it, and i love its sound, so that's what i use. Are you not using the bass purely because it cost £60, or because it cost £60 and you dont like how it looks?

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1469622929' post='3099784'] It sounds like a great plan to me, I might do the same at some point. [/quote] Yeh the more i think about it, the more i realise it's ideal for me. Been trying to go lightweight for years, whilst keeping the quality of sound. Whats more lightweight than no amp and cab, just a specialised pre amp, being driven by the PA's power section and using the 2 subs we have as speakers?? Speaking to EBS_Freak on here has also opened my eyes to the possibility of just using the onboard pre amp on the Behringer X-18, which would mean no need for any gear other than a bass and lead?!?! Definitely going to give it a try

Well i have nothing to compare the UE900s to really, apart from standard headphones. Which isnt really fair. But i was impressed! Really impressed. To be fair the seal is good, 90% of the time. Just now and again when i go to speak or sing etc, i lose the seal. Cant complain at all really, just being picky (and justifying the custom moulds ) Yeh i would have thought you're right regarding the pre amp on the X18. I think it will take a bit of research, and trying a few things out. It's all good though, i look forward to all the experimentation with my new bit of kit

[quote name='bassman7755' timestamp='1469614111' post='3099693'] Running no load is safe on any solid state amp. [/quote] Thought that was the case, thank you for the confirmation

Yeh the personal monitors and bass bleed from our subs should be ample for the rest of the band. I usually DI from my amp anyway, so if I dont need my amp to power my own speaker, a good Pre should be fine shouldn't it? At the moment i've got 2 amps and two cabs. I'll always keep one amp just incase it's needed, but no need for a spare incase my spare gives up the ghost is there?? Thinking i may sell one and use that money to get a good Pre. Played through a Avalon U5 before and that was amazing

Tried the set up at last nights practice. I'm converted!! The seal wasn't 100% all the time from the standard memory foam tips, so will look to custom moulds next, but for the meantime, bloody hell what a difference! Don't need a speaker anymore so wondering if i even need an amp, or if its a better idea to purchase a quality Pre-amp and have that driven by the PAs power amp. Don't even know if that's possible! A Whole new world of opportunity has been opened to me

Ive recently gone the route of in ear monitoring. Tried it at last nights practice and i loved it. Cannot believe i have only now started using them! So i don't really need to have a speaker on stage anymore. This got me thinking did i even need an amp? ? So do i? Could i get away with buying a quality preamp, and going straight into one of Behringer X-18 inputs to be powered by the PAs power amp? We have monitors for the rest of the band to hear a little bass if they want, and the two subs bleed a fair bit of bass too. I've never considered this before so don't know how feasible it is really. Any thoughts? Any suggestions? Edit to add the question - If i DI the back of my existing Class D amp, without a load (no cab), will it work? I think i remember reading somewhere that Valve amps need a load to run, so not sure if that is the same case for Class D's?

I doubt he's still got it as those initial posts were 8 years ago!! And we all know how bad GAS gets on here?!

Yeh i agree, if it gets him playing it has to be a good start. Hopefully he'll get the bug and start to look to learn songs that aren't on the game.

I was struggling too ill be honest. Very scrappy entry this month, just to get something in there Edit to say just listened back to it and realised how obvious it is that I didn't use a metronome this time

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1469476777' post='3098675'] My strap is adjusted so that the bass hangs in roughly the same place sitting as standing. Then, most learning and practising is done sitting down or, if I get the urge, I stand up. [/quote] Just seen this, beaten to it!!