Example Setup for Musician In Ear System

Being a pro or recreational musician with t can be a big challenge... but it is doable. While it not cheap, I'm going to share my setup for those looking for some solutions. The in ear earbuds are the easiest part... I use Shure 425's but any of their models will do as long as you use the black sponge earbuds. They provide nearly 30 db of protection. I use a size too big and shove them in so i get an absolute tight fit. Getting the sound to the earbuds I use a Sennheiser wireless system. You can see the transmitter in the picture with the orange screen. Now, getting the signal to the transmitter is the more challenging part. I use a QSC Touchmix 16 digital mixer that can send 8 individual mixes so each band member can have their own mix. That's the device sitting on top. Now, sometimes you will need to tap into the house PA. That's what we are doing in the image below. In this case, you need to split the mic and instrument lines so that you can send 1 set to your in ear mixer and 1 set to the house PA. I use an Art Rackmount splitter that has an XLR input on the front with 1 direct out. Below you can see the black rackmount splitter with the XLR cords (mic style cords) going in and out. The unit has 2 more outs for each line in the back which i feed to my in ear mixer. You can see the colored XLR's that come from the back and into the QSC. Labeling your cords ahead of time makes the stage setup much easier. Last, in addition to the vocal and instrument mic's I have 1 wide diaphragm condenser mic on the front corner if the stage to collect ambient sound. This sound can be used as a natural t masker when things are quiet so you dont need to pipe through a masking sound which is what i did prior to having the ambient mic. Also, having the ambient sound helps prevent t from amplifying due to the earplug affect of the Shure earbuds. I will admit, its a big pain but it allows me to continue playing and will save the ears of my other band mates. When I first got t i thought my playing days were over. But, this setup is what I should have been using before I got t so either way its a necessity for ear safety. By the way, this setup runs about $3000. I would consider this setup the top end of what is possible. You could have a much scaled down version if it was just for yourself and not the whole band - the principles would be the same. Lastly, there is the 1 space silver Nady mixer - I like the Art version better but its not in this pic. The rack mixer is good if you are just going to sit in with another band and you want to mix your own split of your vocal and instrument and then mix in your own ambient or masking sound without having a digital mixer to work with. The individual setup would be everyrhing below without the QSC mixer and would run about $1500. Sharing this to give other musicians a roadmap to the possibilities. Feel free to ping me with questions. I'm happy to help my fellow musicans.

 

This is awesome. I have been waiting for another musician to chime in on this subject. Have you thought about getting the custom sleeves for your 425s? I feel like I that would make your system even better. I think when I get mine done I'm going to go all out and get ultimate ears.

 

I definitely want to get the custom molded ear sleeves. It's just a matter of time to focus on that part of it. Thanks for the reminder!

 

My pleasure. Again great post.