IEM novice - please help

DubDee3

DubDee3

Apr 10, 2023
191
297
301
Boston, MA
#1
I have an audition coming up soon with a band that uses backing tracks. My confirmation email recommended bringing my own IEMs if I have them, as they don't use monitors, although I'd be still be able to hear the samples without IEMs. Obviously, if I were to get the gig, I'd get whatever I needed.

But I am a total novice and clueless, having only used stage monitors in my current band and all previous ones.

As I don't know what system they have, I'd be willing to shell out for a "starter" pair just for the audition...but only if I knew they'd be compatible.

I'll keep my questions simple:
  • Do IEM systems pretty much use the same wireless protocol?
  • Could I expect my Brand A earphones work with any given Brand B transmitters the band might have?
Thank you so much for any help you could offer!
 
#3
Earbuds are interchangeable. Use a good pair. That’s a rabbit hole and there are threads here just on that subject. If you get the gig find out what IEM systems the band is using and get at least equal quality. I imagine they have a digital mixer and you’ll be able to bring up your own mix on your phone or tablet. Being able to control your own mix is my favorite part of IEM’s.
 
  • Like
Reactions: eriky4003, Jtown690, Leigh Semmens and 2 others
#4
"Do IEM systems pretty much use the same wireless protocol?" - Yes, but pretty much NOT relevant to your situation'
"Could I expect my Brand A earphones work with any given Brand B transmitters the band might have?" - again yes, Any buds with a 1/8" jack should work with any wireless receiver.

However, you need to provide more details..
  1. Is this band providing you a wireless receiver to use with your OWN buds which YOU need to provide, or
  2. Are they expecting you to bring your own IEM system to plug into theirs?
If #1 - then there's a whole plethora of bud choices out there. Many on here favor the KZ series off Amazon. ZS5, ZS6, CCA10's, etc. They Run ~$50.
eg: https://www.amazon.com/Monitors-Side，HiFi-Resolution-Earphones-Detachable/dp/B07L6DCCB5
They are what are called universal fit, meaning they come with different sized "tips" that can be changed so you get the best fit/seal for your ears. Without that seal you get NO bass !! There are also [OPTIONAL] various 3rd Party tips in different types of material (eg: https://www.amazon.com/Comply-Cancelling-SoundPEATS-Symphonized-Replacement/dp/B002DY92UA) if those that ship with the buds don't work for you.

IF #2 - then you are entering a whole other world...
 
  • Like
Reactions: eriky4003, Jtown690, erayser and 1 other person
#8
If you have a decent set of headphones, you could probably use them for the audition. However, this may create the impression you don't have the right gear.

If you get the gig, you may or may not need wireless. If you are expected to roam all over the place you will need wireless for your bass as well as wireless IEMs. This can be pretty expensive if you are expected to buy your own wireless gear.

If are not expected to roam everywhere, you can use a wired IEM beltpack. Cheaper and more reliable IMHO, but of course then you have to deal with all of the wires.

If you are expected to buy wireless...ideally everyone uses the same brand and series of gear. The more wireless used by the group, the more critical this becomes. If everyone in the band is using both a wireless transmitter and wireless receiver, getting them all to work reliably can be very challenging. To mitigate this, it's necessary to select units with compatible channels. Also the best channel assignments are based on where you are.

Here's a couple of articles:
Sennheiser - Headphones & Headsets - Microphones - Business Communications

Tell Me About: Wireless Microphone Frequencies - Shure USA
 
  • Like
Reactions: DubDee3, mikewalker and Jtown690
#9
The new China Amazon offerings (CCA and KZ) blow the old Shure SE215’s out of the water.
About 5 years ago I bought the Shure se215s for $100 because I read an audio publication review on the top in-ears. 2 years ago got some CCA12s. Wow, what a difference! Night and day. Now I’m on some alclair customs that I love. I got my band to go to in-ears they ordered the CCA12s on my recommendation, then I played with another dude who used KZs and he sold me on them compared to the CCAs. I told me band members about the KZs they got them, compared to CCAs, then they ended up returning the CCAs saying that the KZs had more “depth and weight” to them..
 
  • Like
Reactions: DubDee3 and SLO Surfer
#11
Jtown690 said:
The new China Amazon offerings (CCA and KZ) blow the old Shure SE215’s out of the water.
About 5 years ago I bought the Shure se215s for $100 because I read an audio publication review on the top in-ears. 2 years ago got some CCA12s. Wow, what a difference! Night and day. Now I’m on some alclair customs that I love. I got my band to go to in-ears they ordered the CCA12s on my recommendation, then I played with another dude who used KZs and he sold me on them compared to the CCAs. I told me band members about the KZs they got them, compared to CCAs, then they ended up returning the CCAs saying that the KZs had more “depth and weight” to them..
Click to expand...
Cca is a Kz sister brand that is tuned more towards Audiophile preferences so it makes sense why most musicians favor Kz over Cca
 
  • Like
Reactions: DubDee3, Lowtonejoe and Leigh Semmens
#13
For just an audition, I'd consider picking up a wired headphone amplifier. The classic is the Behinger P2, but I recently got a Donner one - they've Behringered Behringer, and copied the P2, but added a couple of extra features and undercut on price! For about $30 it's a great backup. If you get the gig, then sit down and work with the rest of the band to work out what spare frequencies they have, and get something that works with their systems - generally you can run two or three systems fine, but past that you need to do a bit more planning, and perhaps move someone onto a different band.

I had a few pairs of KZ - sound was great but only after I switched out the tips for foam. They came with stupid rubber tips, at didn't get any kind of seal and kept falling out of my ears. Ultimately I stopped using them as I wasn't getting the isolation I wanted. I had etymotics previously which have great isolation, but kept breaking. I also found the KZ cabling system a but unreliable, but for $15 there's a lot to like.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DubDee3 and eriky4003
#15
Get some KZ’s and custom mold earplugs off Amazon. There’s a few videos on YouTube that show how to accomplish this. The seal is incredible. I’ve used this set up for over a year and a half with 150+ shows with zero failure and absolutely no ear fatigue. Cost under $100, I highly recommend. Don’t know why more people aren’t doing this.
IMG_1839.png
 
  • Like
Reactions: DubDee3
#16
s0c9 said:
"Do IEM systems pretty much use the same wireless protocol?" - Yes, but pretty much NOT relevant to your situation'
"Could I expect my Brand A earphones work with any given Brand B transmitters the band might have?" - again yes, Any buds with a 1/8" jack should work with any wireless receiver.

However, you need to provide more details..
  1. Is this band providing you a wireless receiver to use with your OWN buds which YOU need to provide, or
  2. Are they expecting you to bring your own IEM system to plug into theirs?
If #1 - then there's a whole plethora of bud choices out there. Many on here favor the KZ series off Amazon. ZS5, ZS6, CCA10's, etc. They Run ~$50.
eg: https://www.amazon.com/Monitors-Side，HiFi-Resolution-Earphones-Detachable/dp/B07L6DCCB5
They are what are called universal fit, meaning they come with different sized "tips" that can be changed so you get the best fit/seal for your ears. Without that seal you get NO bass !! There are also [OPTIONAL] various 3rd Party tips in different types of material (eg: https://www.amazon.com/Comply-Cancelling-SoundPEATS-Symphonized-Replacement/dp/B002DY92UA) if those that ship with the buds don't work for you.

IF #2 - then you are entering a whole other world...
Click to expand...

I checked back and was told:

We have an aux output on the board that you can plug into. We each have our own mix so we have different receivers/transmitters.

So...looks like I'd have to bring my own whole set up...which I don't own yet. I would really like to show up to the audition with something. Worst case scenario, I could use it for my current band.
 
#17
DubDee3 said:
So...looks like I'd have to bring my own whole set up...which I don't own yet. I would really like to show up to the audition with something...
Click to expand...

In that case, I'd suggest you go on Amazon and order a headphone amp (search "personal monitor headphone amp"). There are several to choose from...Behringer P2, Donner EM1 (nice because it's rechargeable...drummer has one and digs it) and others mono choices that they have would get you through the audition and be usable in the future.

And IEMs. You've gotten several suggestions for IEMs, and I'd add the KZ ZVX ($24).

You can have what you need in your hands tomorrow for as little as $65.

With those two items, you'd go into the audition, and they'd give you your monitor feed over an XLR cable that would plug into the headphone amp. You'd clip that on your belt/pocket and plug the IEMs into that and you're set. You might ask what the control app is and download that and just get the key instructions when you get the...or they'll get your mix set for you.

IMO/E a rehearsal room setting is the very easiest to acclimate to IEMs in. If they have e-drums, you'd probably do fine to use headphones (still needing a headphone amp).

My very first ampless experience was an audition similar to this one, but I didn't need to bring anything...they had wireless packs and headphones in the room. After I joined that band and got geared up, I usually chose IEMs over headphones at rehearsals because the only sound in the room was acoustic drums and the bleed-through was a bit much, but it wasn't awful or anything.

Good luck.
 
  • Like
Reactions: IanStephenson, s0c9, DubDee3 and 1 other person
#18
drpepper said:
In that case, I'd suggest you go on Amazon and order a headphone amp (search "personal monitor headphone amp"). There are several to choose from...Behringer P2, Donner EM1 (nice because it's rechargeable...drummer has one and digs it) and others mono choices that they have would get you through the audition and be usable in the future.

And IEMs. You've gotten several suggestions for IEMs, and I'd add the KZ ZVX ($24).

You can have what you need in your hands tomorrow for as little as $65.

With those two items, you'd go into the audition, and they'd give you your monitor feed over an XLR cable that would plug into the headphone amp. You'd clip that on your belt/pocket and plug the IEMs into that and you're set. You might ask what the control app is and download that and just get the key instructions when you get the...or they'll get your mix set for you.

IMO/E a rehearsal room setting is the very easiest to acclimate to IEMs in. If they have e-drums, you'd probably do fine to use headphones (still needing a headphone amp).

My very first ampless experience was an audition similar to this one, but I didn't need to bring anything...they had wireless packs and headphones in the room. After I joined that band and got geared up, I usually chose IEMs over headphones at rehearsals because the only sound in the room was acoustic drums and the bleed-through was a bit much, but it wasn't awful or anything.

Good luck.
Click to expand...
Thanks so much. This really is incredibly helpful! TB is like having a personal team of bass techs on call 24/7. Really an amazing community.
 
  • Like
Reactions: drpepper
#19
DubDee3 said:
I checked back and was told:

We have an aux output on the board that you can plug into. We each have our own mix so we have different receivers/transmitters.

So...looks like I'd have to bring my own whole set up...which I don't own yet. I would really like to show up to the audition with something. Worst case scenario, I could use it for my current band.
Click to expand...

Save money with KZ, and put that into either Audio-Technica, Sennheiser, or Shure wireless system. Particularly so if you play a 5-string with a low B. The cheaper systems, I've found, cannot do low frequencies like those 3.

Avoid the unlicensed band systems that use 900mhz, 2.4 and 5gig WiFi. Those never met my expectations in terms of interference. 900Mhz is surprisingly crowded since counties and cities have been using it lately for industrial/automated type use. Government has the lion share of allocated frequencies and they have to use this?

If you can find a professional Shure 600Mhz system dirt cheap and it has channels in the remaining space we can use (at the very beginning and near the middle of the band, iirc.). You might go that route. Our acoustic guitar player has an old Carvin which has 3 channels in that space. Since everyone got rid of their 600Mhz system because the government said so (they lied), he has never run into interference issues.

Get one of those cheap hard plastic cases with pluck foam on Amazon to keep the wireless system safe in transporting. Since you will have to bring your own, you'll be taking it to/from all the time.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Growling Woods and DubDee3
#20
I’ve used these from Amazon and love them:

https://www.amazon.com/CCA-Headphones-Detachable-Tangle-Free-Audiophile/dp/B07WYWGLKW

I also had a pro set made through MEE audio - I paid $100 to have a mold made of my ears and sent them in. I don’t know that the MEEs are significantly better than the ones on Amazon, but they’re well thought out and work great. Plus once they have your molds you can easily get other products - like regular custom made earplugs that I use all the time.

As for a system, I was always provided one, but I did find a cheap Carvin system for $80 on reverb last year that I have in case I ever need it (never have), but yeah, it’s worth spending your money on something better than not.

If it’s just for the audition I’d start with the CCA headphones, and a wired headphone amp.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back