in ear monitors? cant hear myself at practice. wired personal monitor system?

[everdrone]

are wired personal monitor systems the solution???  I just wanna hear myself and turn down the other bandmates, so I am thinking plug my guitar or vocals through a little box so I can turn myself up in some earbuds or something.  I have no idea what I am getting into but wanna avoid the wireless to cut costs, unless somehow it is cheap that way.

do you know about personal monitor systems? 

[Danny G]

The people I know who use in-ears swear by them.

And nowadays you can adjust your own monitor mix via an app on your phone. Crazy.


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[everdrone]

thats really cool!  I wanna start out super cheap, I just need something from my guitar amp going right into my ears.  I can plug in a microphone and headset to this$44 cheap box so maybe it is the key to my future:



http://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-audio/rolls-pm50s-personal-monitor-amp

[Danny G]

Find out if the input is mono or stereo.

If it's stereo you'd need to turn get a stereo cable or adapter.

My headphone amp was useless until I realized stereo cables were a thing. Without one your just blasting either one ear or the other instead of both.


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[everdrone]

cool, good advice thanks

I just remembered I should try using my amp stand to angle the speakers before buying it.  I tried stacking my orange 212PPCs on their sides, but it still was not tall enough to laser beam the sound directly in my ears and I could not hear anything really

[bbottom]

Why not just tell everyone to turn down?

[Danny G]

Why not just tell everyone to turn down?

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[Danny G]

Actually a good suggestion if applicable.

Some bands are too loud because they don't know any better (bad loud).

Others are loud because hearing music through your ears isn't the same as feeling it in your bones. (Can go either way)


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[everdrone]

lol!  everyone wants to turn up louder and is reaching for the volume! 

thats what happens in most small jam rooms that play heavy rock in my experience.  the sound just bounces everywhere and no one can hear very well really. 

[bbottom]

I practiced in a storage unit with my metal band for years. Two guitarists with full stacks, plus I had a full stack and not to mention a loud as hell drummer. I did the most damage to my hearing during that time.

The bands that I'm in now are loud, but not loud for the sake of being loud. And if shit does get out of control then I tell everyone to tun the fuck down.  

So for the sake of your ears I'd tell them to turn down. Volume doesn't equal good.

[everdrone]

the others say the same thing as me that they cant hear themselves, and they have "unplugged" low volume very little distortion and different quiet drumsticks learning time too. 

I dont turn my amp up at all, its very low like at 3 of 10, but its extremely loud in a small room. Im just hoping my amp stand with adjustable angle will help, Ill put the 212 on it and aim it straight at my head

[liquidsmoke]

Great idea for vocals and then point the PA at the other members. Not sure if it's a great idea for your guitar though.

[RacerX]

Get a wedge monitor.

Or don't—we set up with one PA speaker pointed at the bassist & drummer and the other on the floor angled up at my head.

[Danny G]

A good rule of thumb for stage volume/rehearsal volume is turn up *only* as loud as the drummer plays. THATS IT. NO FARTHER unless you kick on a boost for a guitar solo. Done soloing, turn that fucker off.


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[Danny G]

And a lot of guitar players use too much low end, which competes with the bass amp/frequencies

No. Mid range is your role. Turn lows on guitar amp to zero, roll it up and stop when it *just* fills out the low end. Anything past that is junk frequencies that just muddy up everything.


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[bbottom]

A good rule of thumb for stage volume/rehearsal volume is turn up *only* as loud as the drummer plays. THATS IT. NO FARTHER unless you kick on a boost for a guitar solo. Done soloing, turn that fucker off.


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+1

[liquidsmoke]

A good rule of thumb for stage volume/rehearsal volume is turn up *only* as loud as the drummer plays. THATS IT. NO FARTHER unless you kick on a boost for a guitar solo. Done soloing, turn that fucker off.

+2

But live you gotta crank a bit. Or more than a bit.

[everdrone]

thanks guys, all great advice!!!  I am always inclined to agree with Danny G too like yall are doing

I have seen that cat play live a bunch of times, he is the real deal!  I am sure he has the small studio practice scenario down to a science. 

[Danny G]

A good rule of thumb for stage volume/rehearsal volume is turn up *only* as loud as the drummer plays. THATS IT. NO FARTHER unless you kick on a boost for a guitar solo. Done soloing, turn that fucker off.

+2

But live you gotta crank a bit. Or more than a bit.

No you don't. Be as loud as the drummer.


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[spookstrickland]

A good rule of thumb for stage volume/rehearsal volume is turn up *only* as loud as the drummer plays. THATS IT. NO FARTHER unless you kick on a boost for a guitar solo. Done soloing, turn that fucker off.

+2

But live you gotta crank a bit. Or more than a bit.

No you don't. Be as loud as the drummer.


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Yep as long as you dont have a drummer whos adrenaline kicks in after the first few bars then proceeds to play twice as loud as sound check....its happened to me plenty.

[Danny G]

You get sound checks?!? Heh


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[RacerX]

Re: the DannyG Formula^TM: Me & Ramon get to turn up pretty loud because Jon's drums sound like heavy arms fire.

[chille01]

I found doing an actual sound check at the start of each jam helps a bit.  Just volume check against each other and the drums, bringing one instrument in at a time and talk to each other while you do it.  Rather than just have everyone set themselves to whatever volume they feel like.

Another great trick for two guitarists we eventually figured out in our jam room was to set up in kind of an X pattern.  That is to say, instead of standing in front of your own amp, stand in front of the other guys so yours is across the room from you, and you're facing it.  Guitar cabs can be pretty directional, so if you're standing two feet in front of the cab in a tiny room, it does sometimes seem like you'd need ears on the back of your knees to hear yourself.  Getting some distance from your cab helps with that. 

I would NOT recommend in ear monitors as a solution to volume issues.  You're just asking for tinnitus if you do that.  If anything, I'd say the opposite - invest in some decent, music store type ear plugs that lower volume without fucking with the frequencies (too much).

[Danny G]

Yes. Standing in front of each others amps is eye-opening.

You can also hear how everything blends together and suggest EQ tweaks to improve the tone of the overall band.


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