IEM setup for a hired gun

Jul 30, 2013
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Having never done IEM gigs, let's say you're a hired gun player, and you want to be equipped with a proper IEM setup, so the first time someone says "do you have in-ear monitors?" you're prepared. What would be the recommendations on the more affordable side of the $ spectrum, for the minimum setup to have in your kit? Would you need your own transmitter, or just the receiver?
 
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The Rolls PM351 has been a staple of my rig for a decade. It allows me to run my own iem setup at any location, regardless of what the rest of the band or sound person is doing. I just grab the lead from the monitor and plug it into the Rolls and proceed as if nothing was any different. I and many others have sung its praise over the years.

Check it out: Rolls PM351
 
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The Rolls PM351 has been a staple of my rig for a decade. It allows me to run my own iem setup at any location, regardless of what the rest of the band or sound person is doing. I just grab the lead from the monitor and plug it into the Rolls and proceed as if nothing was any different. I and many others have sung its praise over the years.

Check it out: Rolls PM351
Interesting. That's a wired solution, correct? I'm thinking wireless. Total noob here, admittedly.
 
Interesting. That's a wired solution, correct? I'm thinking wireless. Total noob here, admittedly.
Yeah it’s wired. You can add dongles and whatnot if you like of course. My experience as a hired gun has been that wires make no difference, as I’m there to do a job - not be the star of the show.

Plus, bands that prefer wireless typically already have an IEM rig ready to go and all I need to do is show up with my peripherals, ready to go. Again, just my experience in the field - ymmv.
 
I have no idea what I'd need to spend. Under $500 would be nice. Is this the Phenyx system you speak of?: PTM-11-1B | UHF Mono Wireless In-Ear Monitor System w/ 1 Loop Output
Yes. At about $200 the X-Vive U4 system is pretty decent.
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For wired I landed on the rolls PM351.
Add a set of decent buds (kz-Zs10) and get some foam or whatever ear tips will seal well for you.

I split the 1/4” signal from my DI (capo) to the ant amp and the rolls. (Capo xlr to FOH). Then the xlr monitor feed from sound engineers goes into the rolls and I have control over the “me vs everyone else” mix.
Fits on one board. I add an instrument cable, in ear buds, and a speaker cable and can if required. Everything else lives on the board.

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I’ve used cheap wireless and had no end of problems. Good wireless will cost you if you want reliability and there’s more stuff to carry/keep charged.
Yeah, I'm just talking about having what I need on hand if I get a gig with an act that uses IEM's already, so I can just slot in. I assume I would really only need the in-ears, but didn't know if I should also have my own receiver.
 
I have a Shure PSM300 in a rack case. As long as there's a monitor send for the bass player, I'm good. Nowadays, almost everyone is running digital mixers with WIFI, so I have just about every app to mix my own monitors on the gig.
 
I have a Shure PSM300 in a rack case. As long as there's a monitor send for the bass player, I'm good. Nowadays, almost everyone is running digital mixers with WIFI, so I have just about every app to mix my own monitors on the gig.
If using the wireless I use summed mono and put the monitor feed in one side and bass from the board in the other.

I try to distill it down to just needing a monitor feed.

Now if also signing then I may need more of my voice, which is where the other rolls channel comes in but extra stuff to split the mic etc. Easier if they can send you a decent monitor mix, but at least in all cases I have control of the relative bass level in the ears.
 
For wired I landed on the rolls PM351.
Add a set of decent buds (kz-Zs10) and get some foam or whatever ear tips will seal well for you.

I split the 1/4” signal from my DI (capo) to the ant amp and the rolls. (Capo xlr to FOH). Then the xlr monitor feed from sound engineers goes into the rolls and I have control over the “me vs everyone else” mix.


I do something very similar with a Rolls PM351 and the KZ DS12 pro earbuds.

I was going to purchase the Xvive wireless IEM set, but ended up getting a EB patch cord/headphone cord combo for live wired use instead. It's a little thick as a cable, but it's very convenient and keeps thing from getting tangled.



It's a little pricey at about $70 for a cord, but it made things much simpler for me.
 
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What would be the recommendations on the more affordable side of the $ spectrum, for the minimum setup to have in your kit? Would you need your own transmitter, or just the receiver?

The answer is situational. At the very minimum you need your own quality ear buds. In many situations, I think you would also want either a preamp/DI or a pedal board fly rig that gives you the ability to dial in your sound.

Whether you need anything else depends on what the band will provide and what you need/want.

A wired solution is generally less hassle, cheaper, and more reliable. IMHO wireless is not really required unless you are expected to roam around the stage. Quality wireless is very expensive and keep in mind you will need a transmitter and receiver for bass and IEM.

Wireless can be problematic. Basically it can be very difficult to get a bunch of mix and match wireless gear to work well together. Ideally you would use the same brand the band uses. It may be necessary to get even further into the weeds. Full compatibility may require using the same series of gear and selecting a unit that operates in specific frequency bands.

As has been mentioned, many digital mixers allow you to control your mix via a phone app. So having a compatible phone and appropriate apps can be beneficial.

In contrast, the band could provide some sort of digital personal mixer. For example Behringer has the PowerPlay personal monitor system. The mixer/headphone amp is the P16HQ

The Rolls PM351 is useful for situations where the band does not provide a discrete IEM mix for each player. It basically serves as a mic splitter, DI, and basic mixer. It gives you the ability to control the level of a monitor mix sent to you from FOH. It also gives you the ability to adjust the level of your vocal mic and bass without impacting the signals sent to FOH. It does not provide any tone controls or protective limiting.

The main advantage the PM351 is it's cheap and gives you pretty good bang for the buck. I would probably opt for a separate mini mixer, mic splitter, and preamp/DI...but of course buying separates will cost a lot more.
 
The Rolls PM351 is useful for situations where the band does not provide a discrete IEM mix for each player. It basically serves as a mic splitter, DI, and basic mixer. It gives you the ability to control the level of a monitor mix sent to you from FOH. It also gives you the ability to adjust the level of your vocal mic and bass without impacting the signals sent to FOH. It does not provide any tone controls or protective limiting.

The main advantage the PM351 is it's cheap and gives you pretty good bang for the buck. I would probably opt for a separate mini mixer, mic splitter, and preamp/DI...but of course buying separates will cost a lot more.
i keep my in-ear transmitter in a 2-space rack bag along with some other stuff like an ipad mini loaded with all the monitor apps and an always-hooked up battery charger so i never get caught short on a battery for my pack

the star of the show is a shure P4M mixer, a little 1/2 rack sized 4 channel mixer-splitter that does everything you describe from the rolls box and more. it takes 1/4" TS or TRS and XLR, feeds them through unaltered to FOH and sends them to my in-ear mix, stereo or mono

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it's the perfect in-ear problem solver, so of course shure discontinued it years ago
:confused:
 
I'd go with a Mipro MI-58 transmitter/bodypack, and attach a set of Shure SE-215's for the headset.

If the FOH has the ability to send different mixes to different people, you may be able to use an ipad/ipod to control your personal mix.

If not, you might want to use your own mixer and just take a feed from foh and turn it up and down while running an out from your bass directly into the mixer to be sure you can hear yourself.
 
I saw a board once where there was a small Behringer 4 channel mixer and Xvive u4. One channel is bass, others are mixes, clicks, etc. I got the 4 channel mixer for about $18 new, but haven’t tried it yet even wired. I will soon though.
 
Yes. At about $200 the X-Vive U4 system is pretty decent.
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I've been using those for the last couple of years with my band - they haven't let me down yet! Battery life is decent (good enough for a 3-4 hour gig, easily) and they're genuinely "plug and play".
All you then need is whatever app / mixer the PA or FOH mixer is using to get your personal mix right (same as with all IEM systems).
 
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