In-Ear Monitors

[beboptang]

Anybody out there using in-ear monitors for live concert? Wanna know what you are using and what you think about it.

Also want to find out if anybody out there is using the Shure E3 or E5 in-ear monitor. How can I go about making custom ear moulds? The ones that come with the Shure E2 are a bit uncomfortable for my small ears.

 

[rimshot]

I have been using the E2s and recently switched to E3s..

For the custom moulds you need to go to an audiologist and get ear impressions done, then send to USA.

I am actually in the process of getting the custom moulds done... I actuallly sent my impressions already, but they were too short. So i am gonna redo the impressions and send again...
If you wanna send them together, do contact me...

 

[beboptang]

Do the E3's sound better? Currently with my E2's I experience some distortion, especially from electric bass. Am rather afraid to blow out both earphones and eardrums! Haha!

Where are you getting your moulds done? I consulted the audiologist at NUH, they can do the moulds for custom ear plugs and Siemens would make the custom plug and attach the Etymotic filters. But I don't need the ear plugs anymmore, cuz I found my old ones. Just wondering if the ear plug moulds are the same as the ones you're making. And if there is info the audiolists need from me to make the moulds for the E3's.

Also how much do you have to pay for the US-made moulds and the E3's?

Sorry so many questions, but thanks for your help...Beboptang.

 

[shred5]

WAH!!! In-ear monitors!!

I'm intending to get one too but the price is EX for me. Nowadays, its earplugs to prevent tinitus.

Anyway, Luthermusic does have in-ear monitors for U to check it out.

 

[blurred]

becareful though, earplugs then to make drummers sound very harsh. very loud for one thing. i'm not saying dun use them, but u must know how u sound like as well. u miss alot of things in ur playing when u have them on.

 

[Vio]

excellent post! i read about in-ear monitors and their magic but have never even seen one in the flesh.

i also read that you need a very trustworthy soundman to control your monitor volume or you might potentially kill your ears.

someone care to post up a price and picture of one of these?

 

[BoogieMan]

I haven't used in ear monitors (yet) but with my headphones I can control the mix and the volume myself by routing the Click track, sequencer and the band all on separate channels and then mix and pan the way I like into my cans. I just bought a small Behringer UB802 mixer and it works perfect, cheap too.

 

[anpangman92]

haha noob question: WHAT ARE IN EAR MONITORS FOR? aahhha. inexperienced kid here.

 

[shred5]

In-ear monitors acts like a earplug and a monitor to the band as well..

This is a pic of Virgil Donati's live Performance with Ring Of Fire..

If the pic is not blur, u can see the In-ear monitor clearly..

 

[anpangman92]

ohhh. so it's like noise cancelling headphones but it's connected to the band's tunes. hmm cool. so it protects AND plays.

 

[soft]

not noise cancelling.

it is basically a ear-phone (as opposed to a headphone). when used with a fitting that 'fits' tightly into your ear, chances of noise from outside mixing with the signal that is coming from the earphone is minimised.

 

[rimshot]

i am not exactly an audiophile.. to be honest i can't tell a big difference between the E2s and E3s, but i haven't really taken the time to do proper testing.. The E3s are however, more comfortable for me, cos i have very small ear canals, and the tube of the E3 is smaller than of the E2...

As for the ear impressions, probably any audiologist can get them done, they are sorta the same as the impressions that are done for custom ear plugs, and hearing aids etc...

The impressions should be PAST the 2nd bend of the ear, open-mouth, with bite block. I dunno why the first audiologist i went too did it too short after my specific instructions.. but oh well...

The impression will cost between $30 - $50 SGD for each side...
The moulds that i am order are from Westone Labs, and they cost USD$100 for the pair... you would prob be looking at an investment of at least $300 for the moulds after shipping etc...

btw, Westone can make moulds for E2s as well as the E3s and E5s..

 

[rimshot]

Yes its important to not confuse "Noise-cancelling" with "Sound Isolation"

Musicians esp drummers, use Sound isolating stuff. These can be over-the-ear "Can" type headphones, (eg. Vic Firth Isolation headphones, Metrophones, shooting range cans..), In-Ear-Monitor types, eg Shure E1,2,3,4,5, Ultimate Ears etc etc etc), or normal closed-type consumer headphones (that provide much less attenuation).

Noise cancelling headphones on the other hand, use active circuits that sample ambient noise, and play a reversed-phased sample in phones, thus eliminating the ambient noise. Note these are usually only effective on lower frequency, constant noise, not the peaks of our everyday drumming.

 

[beboptang]

Rimshot: Thanks for the info! I'm gonna try to see if the people at Siemens here can make the moulds with your specs. It'd be great if they can do so for the E2. Then I won't have to spend more money on the E3.

Vio: Yes, it's pretty key to have a good sound person (though that's true even if you don't wear in-ears), if you are using a headphone amp. Like Boogie Man, I use a small separate mixer (Yamaha MG/10). I can balance the sound of the monitor mix, metronome and rhythm sampler. I can do so on the fly and change it from song to song. That way I'm not too reliant on the sound guy. I don't know why, but there's a lot of over-fiddling by some local sound guys after soundcheck.

I digress...

I had one horror in-ear monitor story... Thankfully it had nothing to do with a soundman. I was soundchecking for a gig at Esplanade Outdoor stage on the same day and time as NDP rehearsal. Somewhere in the middle of the soundcheck, the fighter jets sliced through the air above us. My overhead mics picked up the searing supersonic frequency! It felt like the sound cut through my brain! It happened so fast, I didn't have to time to react. It took me the longest 1-second of my life to pull out my in-ears and plug my ears with my fingers. The pain was sharp, tears flowed involuntarily. I thought that I was going to lose my hearing. But I thank God that when I went for my audiologist hearing test, the results show thaty I still have above-average hearing health

 

[Vaiyen]

ouch.

 

[sofyan]

wats this thing plugged to?

 

[epk]

Ouch, that was one hella experience beboptang. :?

 

[rimshot]

Bebop, like i mentioned, any audiologist shd be able to do the impressions if they bother to do it properly. Its basically just a a map of your ear, so to speak.

When you send it to the guys at Westone, you'd want to be ordering a UM56, and specify that its for Shure E2s.

As i said, i'll be sending mine soon, so maybe if you wanna send together, we can halve the shipping cost....

 

[beboptang]

Hi Rimshot,

Are you urgently needing to send your moulds to Westone? If so, please go ahead. It take a bit of time trying to get an appointment at NUH for the audiologist, because I see them on a subsidised rate.

Beboptang.

 

[beboptang]

Ouch, that was one hella experience beboptang. :?

Ya!!

But it was cool seeing the helicopter flying the giant national flag; and even cooler seeing the fireworks go off, right after a song!