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In Ear Monitors - help needed...


MoJoKe

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1 hour ago, PaulWarning said:

sorry if this has been asked before, but has anybody tried bluetooth wireless headphones? I've got of the latest Bluetooth 5.0 ones, I've heard the latency issues have been improved, I can't get on with normal ear buds the wire to the receiver just irritates the hell out of me

Nope - even the latest latency figures are way over what you’d need for IEM, especially if you add more latency through other digital devices in the chain (eg like a digital mixer)

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2 hours ago, Roger2611 said:

I need a bit of help if possible, sorry if it becomes a bit of a long post, I will try to be as brief as I can....

I have recently brought a Soundcraft UI24R mixer mainly to use as an enclosed in ear monitor system, we tried the set up last night with disappointing results, the in ear bit worked ok but did show the limitations of the cheap in ear systems, however, I could not get the backing tracks and the click to separate, the idea was click to right channel and just to the aux sends and backing tracks to the left channel and to both the aux sends and FOH. 

The backing tracks are recorded correctly, I double checked them today and they are all click on one side backing tracks on the other, I then tested the MP3's we are using and other than a tiny bit of cross bleed (caused by the use of side chain compression in the conversion to MP3) again the click in on one side and the music on the other, so I then sent it to my phone and played it back through my main mixing desk via a stereo mini jack to duel mono XLR's but at that point I end up with music and click out of both channels....so either the cable is wrong or the way the phone is outputting the sound is wrong, we used the same cable last night but with the backing tracks on an Ipad with the same outcome which suggests the cable is wrong so I checked the XLR wiring....one plug has a white wire and an earth and the other a red wire and earth.....which surely suggests duel mono, which should be what I need?

Any ideas?

Cheers

Rog

Defo cabled like this?

 

9D85B324-3EEC-4BD8-8615-D329B0D15DD9.jpeg

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20 hours ago, EBS_freak said:

Defo cabled like this?

 

9D85B324-3EEC-4BD8-8615-D329B0D15DD9.jpeg

Solved...sort of! It turns out the cable is correct as is the output from the phone and the IPad, annoyingly the mini jack was not fully inserting into the headphone socket on either the phone or the IPad so was shorting between tip and ring hence the click and backing tracks out of both channels, I have trimmed a little bit of the plastic surround from the mini jack and with a firm shove we get click on one side and backing tracks on the other, so it was either the plastic surround or a crap mini jack but at least I now know what the issue is!

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Our band has finally all gone IEM's. We do Sixties covers and vocal harmonies are pretty important as well as saving the old hearing. 

We had a pretty good run of December gigs so we put some of the proceeds to an X32 mixer and we all have purchased our own IEM's and associated headphone amps etc.

Some thoughts on what we've gone through so far:

-The X32 took a full weekend for our keyboard man and rhythm guitarist to get set up. It then took 2 hours of a 4 hour rehearsal  to get everyone set up with the proper mix.

-Those of us with android phones mostly found the x32 app is crap. The app seems to work just fine with an ipad/ipone. I dusted off an old ipad to use as my mixer, should be much easier with the larger screen.

-The advantages for live performances are obvious, however, a downside is the set up for rehearsal. Rather then plug and play in our rehearsal space (Pirate studios) we have to lug our X32 and many bags of cables, extra mics, stands etc. to rehearse. A bit more work, but obviously it should pay off in the future.....just my two cents (pence).

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My battle to get my bandmates on IEMs is starting to reach the end of the beginning. 

We have a Behringer X18 (I think that's its number) which has 6 programmable monitor feeds. I use the iPhone app; it is ok, but not exactly wonderful, either. I found that the mute button on my feed was, by default, on, and not easy to tap to switch off. 

Before now, I have had a DI out from my pedalboard to a mixer and a mic for the room. It worked, but it was long from good; but, finally, I could hear myself properly.

But once we started to record rehearsals - also good for finding a new singer, which we are doing again - and once I got the XR18 set up properly, and once I got the damn mute switched off the Behringer app thing...wow! At last, all the instruments were clear and nicely piped into my ears. It was a glorious moment and one that reinvigorated my rehearsals. 

Of course, my reaction when it all suddenly started to work and sound good...well, let's just say it caused the others to realise that IEMs might be a good thing, after all. I must need to work on a bit of "if it is too loud, you're too old" line of thinking that is still left. 

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On 17/01/2020 at 17:43, Roger2611 said:

turns out the cable is correct as is the output from the phone and the IPad, annoyingly the mini jack was not fully inserting into the headphone socket on either the phone or the IPad

This is an absolute pain. Almost every audio cable I have ever used or made up has the body of the 3.5mm connector just too large to fit into a phone/tablet with a case on. If I am running the PA then I often have to ask folks to take their device out of the case.

At some point I need to butcher a pair of earbuds to make an adapter with a narrow body. But then I would worry the wires are too flimsy to withstand stage use. 

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1 hour ago, Richard R said:

This is an absolute pain. Almost every audio cable I have ever used or made up has the body of the 3.5mm connector just too large to fit into a phone/tablet with a case on. If I am running the PA then I often have to ask folks to take their device out of the case.

At some point I need to butcher a pair of earbuds to make an adapter with a narrow body. But then I would worry the wires are too flimsy to withstand stage use. 

I always find these to have a very narrow body and fit most phone sockets when the phone is in a case 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/UGREEN-Headphone-Extension-Earphone-Smartphone-Black/dp/B00LM4ON2E/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?keywords=3.5mm+jack+extension+cable&qid=1579640309&sprefix=3.5mm+jack+&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFZODFFR0M3R0pKVjImZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTEwMzQzOTdDTVVMMFpNRTRCSkomZW5jcnlwdGVkQWRJZD1BMDcyMTE0NzJBVjZZSTY5NlVZOVomd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9zZWFyY2hfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

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Rehearsal number 2 with Behringer x32 and most of the band with IEM's. I upgraded to the se535 (from the se 215) and wow what a difference. Fantastic bass response. Super happy with my mix now. The ipad was a big help as well. First big test is a theatre gig in April with some smaller gigs beforehand, so I think we'll have it nailed by then.

Also, the first time I've let go of the edge of the pool and used only my tech 21 bass driver as my "amp". Worked great.

Edited by Studio GC
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On 20/01/2020 at 21:12, Studio GC said:

-Those of us with android phones mostly found the x32 app is crap. The app seems to work just fine with an ipad/ipone. I dusted off an old ipad to use as my mixer, should be much easier with the larger screen.

Get your android users to install "Mixing Station", much better app for Android.  Better for Front of House mixing too (I've been using X32 for 5 years, I have two of them, a Rack and a Producer).  Also spend out and get some Proper wifi.  Even "prosumer" grade all in one router/wifi boxes are not designed to handle the number of devices which will try to find and connect to it at an average gig.  With a Ubiquiti UniFi AC Mesh UAP-AC-M, and a MikroTik RouterBOARD hAP ac lite, you'll be up with the pros, and properly configured you'll minimise the chances of dropout, even in busy town centre venues.  Happy to help.

Also, after I broke my second Shure cable connector (on the earpieces themselves), I gave up with Shure 535s, initially went to KZ (most recently AS10, which are great), but just bought some CCA C12, which are bloody amazing, and better than 535s.  Given they are only £25-30 (cheaper than a replacement Shure cable!) on AliExpress and they have 6 drivers a side, I don't think they can be beaten for value!  AliExpress is a safe place to shop and even if for some reason they don't last as long as your Shures, you can buy 10 pairs of them for the cost of a single pair of 535s.  Can't beat 'em unless you go to custom moulds...

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MoJoKe.....Thanks for the heads up on the router. We will certainly need to give that some thought. Also, amazing to hear that Aliexpress IEM's beat out Shure se535's! Makes you wonder what the mark up is on the Shure product? I purchased a Walnut Ric 4003 copy and it was really great quality.

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Has anyone experienced an allergic reaction to silicone tips? I have been using the CCA C12s recently and while I am happy with the quality of sound, the tips they were fitted with have been causing me considerable discomfort (redness, soreness, slight swelling) recently. Without being too specific, my ear hygiene and cleaning of the tips. is very good, but from reading on other audio forums, there does seem to be a problem for some people like me unfortunately. If you have experienced this, would you mind explaining how you coped with the situation and any workarounds. I really don't want to start lugging a powered speaker on stage as my monitor and the other three guys are using IEMs. I have memory foam tips here but will have to leave trying them for a few days until the pain & discomfort subsides. Thanks for any advice everyone.

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2 hours ago, sPiKi said:

 

 

2 hours ago, sPiKi said:

If you have experienced this, would you mind explaining how you coped with the situation and any workarounds.

Personally, I've not experienced any adverse reactions, but there could be some residual chemicals on the surface or leaching out during prolonged use with body heat/sweat etc. Have you tried giving the buds a thorough wipe with alcohol-based wipes.......like those used to clean glasses, camera lenses etc?

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5 hours ago, sPiKi said:

Has anyone experienced an allergic reaction to silicone tips? I have been using the CCA C12s recently and while I am happy with the quality of sound, the tips they were fitted with have been causing me considerable discomfort (redness, soreness, slight swelling) recently. Without being too specific, my ear hygiene and cleaning of the tips. is very good, but from reading on other audio forums, there does seem to be a problem for some people like me unfortunately. If you have experienced this, would you mind explaining how you coped with the situation and any workarounds. I really don't want to start lugging a powered speaker on stage as my monitor and the other three guys are using IEMs. I have memory foam tips here but will have to leave trying them for a few days until the pain & discomfort subsides. Thanks for any advice everyone.

I don't have an allergic reaction but I do find that silicone tips can irritate skin in my ears. I just switched to foam tips and it solved the problem for me until I got custom moulds which were infinitely more comfortable than either.

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Thanks for the replies. I noticed on a Samsung forum that some users were describing similar symptoms to me and one described it as almost like a burn which is pretty accurate. I'll give my ears some time to heal and then try the foam tips I have. Really hoping that does the trick. This is an unexpected and unwelcome occupational hazard! As if chasing the perfect tone wasn't bad enough!

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20 hours ago, sPiKi said:

 This is an unexpected and unwelcome occupational hazard! As if chasing the perfect tone wasn't bad enough!

Sorry to hear this.  I have tried silicone and didn't get on with them (slightly irritating when sweating, but more for isolation issues), so always used memory foam, and never had a problem.

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  • 8 months later...
18 hours ago, LukeFRC said:

It is - but looking at the build quality, they are dog rough.

The Tecamp is built a bit better it would seem.

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34 minutes ago, EBS_freak said:

It is - but looking at the build quality, they are dog rough.

The Tecamp is built a bit better it would seem.

true story... years back I found the last Tecamp 210 in guitar guitar... it was already dirt cheap as they had done an end of line sell off and it had avoided going on the website and just sat in store. The only other tecamp item was a "pleasure pump" amp... I asked nicely what it was and the guy told me the price... I had no use for it. 
When I went to pay the assistant was chatting to the manager about it and he just stuck it ontop of my cab... "I can't afford that too" I said ... "just take it" 

which was really nice, what he didn't know was I was taking the cab, and now the amp home half way up Crow Road on foot and public transport. Almost killed me 

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  • 1 year later...

Big apologies for not having read all 84 pages. Some great info here. 
 

5 piece band here.  Based in Australia. 

My issue is, and always has been, not hearing a clear bass tone through my IEMs. 
We run a QSC Touchmix 16 desk. I run a wired Behringer PM1 mini amp from an aux then to my in ears. 
Have used Shure SE215s.  They were ok but not great.  
Currently use Westone UM Pro 30s. Slightly better but nothing like what I expect. 
I’ve tried mono.  I’ve tried stereo. Panning vocals and instrument left and right.  Tried every combination of ear buds.  Big. Small. Foam. Rubber. Nothing gives me a bass I can hear clearly. All band members have our own personal in ear mix.  I can have my bass turned up to a squillion and still can’t hear it over everything else. 

What works best for me is running all vocals and instruments through my right ear and leaving the left bud out and relying on my cab volume to hear the bass.  Not ideal right?

 

Do I invest in a 6 driver IEM? Current Westone IEMs are 3 driver.  

 

Or am I doing something completely wrong?

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