The use of in-ear monitoring is increasing in our churches, and for good reason. They allow us to drastically reduce stage volumes, provide better sound to the off-stage participants and give better mixes to the on-stage participants.
If your church is on the fence about in-ear monitoring, I would encourage you to review many of the available articles on the benefits of this technology. For this Church Production Tech Tip, I want to focus on some guidelines to help you and your team select, use, and maintain your in-ear monitors.
Selecting a Monitor
There is a lot of confusion about driver count in a monitor. It's natural to think that more drivers are better, but that's not always the case. What you are looking for is a monitor that does what you need it to do and fits your budget. Think about what you need in terms of being able to hear your own instrument or voice best and how loud the stage will be.
First, do not plan on using consumer-grade ear buds with personal monitor systems. You really need a headphone that is designed for monitoring. Plan to spend at least $200 on a good set of monitors.
1.If you are on a budget, don't spend extra money on flashy colors and face plates. Put as much money as you can into the monitor itself.
2.If you are getting a universal fit, make sure to get extra tips and several different sizes. Properly fitting tips help the monitors stay in place, stay comfortable and are best for reducing outside noise.
3.Don't get lured by the number of drivers. Some companies have 12 driver models, but four of them are dedicated to a range that doesn't add much to the human ear. More drivers is not necessarily better.
4.Make sure you ask about repair policy and costs. There is a good chance you will need some repairs at some point, make sure the company you work with has a great repair policy.
It is pretty difficult to blow a balanced armature driver in the same way you would blow a dynamic speaker. But they are very susceptible to collision damage.
Tips for In-Ear Monitor Use
A good in-ear monitor is first a good earplug, reducing stage noise by -20-30 dB. Due to this, many users feel “closed off” and isolated from other musicians and the audience. What can we do to help ease this transition?
1.Encourage new users to keep at it and get used to this new way of monitoring. As with anything, the more you use it, the more natural it becomes.
2.Encourage the team to be more aware of visual cues. The more your team can be visually aware of the team, the more they will be able to anticipate changes.
3.Encourage users to leave both ears in. Taking one ear out can be detrimental to the long-term hearing health of the user. It's not atypical to monitor at 7-10 dB over the noise floor. When using in-ear monitors, that means we can monitor at a relatively safe 85-90 dB. But with one ear out, we see people monitoring 10 dB over the stage which means that one ear is bombarded with 105-110 dB. In this case, in-ear monitors can be more dangerous than floor wedges at loud volumes.
4.Place two directional mics at the edges of the stage pointing towards the congregation and feed that back into the monitor mixes. This injects some stage and audience noise, in stereo, back to the performers, reducing the closed off feeling. Mics placed at front of house, or hanging above the congregation don't seem to “replicate” ambient noise in the same way. The ambient noise that performers miss needs to approximate what they would hear without in-ear monitors.
Universal vs Custom-fit
When an in-ear monitor doesn't fit right, it will not work as an earplug and won't sound right. When a monitor does not give you a good seal, the low end is the first to go.
1.If you are using a universal fit monitor like the Alclair Curve, Audio-Technica ATH Series, UE 900, or Shure SE425s, select a tip that creates a good seal. Tips come in various sizes and materials so make sure to find one that maximizes that seal.
2.If you are using a custom in-ear monitor, make sure you have a good seal on both ears. Most companies will work with you to adjust the fit within a certain window from purchase. If you need to test the seal, you can apply some vaseline to the canal, if that solves a “leak” then the manufacturer can build them up a bit for a better seal. Our ears continue to grow as long as we live so it is not uncommon to outgrow your custom monitors.
Maintenance of In-ear Monitors
You might not think it, but in-ear monitors are used in a relatively harsh environment. They are subjected to sweat, wax, dropping, collision with drum sticks and more. While you can't anticipate every eventuality, there are some things you can do to keep your ears in top shape.
1.Keep your ears clean. The best way to keep your ears clean is to run some warm water in your ears each time you shower. Using a cotton swab can push wax further into your ear canal and make a “puck” of wax that is really hard to get rid of.
2.Most in-ear monitors are made with balanced armature drivers. It is pretty difficult to blow a BA driver in the same way you would blow a dynamic speaker. But they are very susceptible to collision damage. If your ears start to rattle or distort with volumes at normal levels, chances are they have been damaged from shock (ie, being dropped).
3.If you start to lose volume in one or both monitors or notice that certain frequencies are disappearing, this is almost always due to wax buildup. Often wax and sweat will vaporize and collect in the tubes or dampers. Cleaning the tube openings after every use will help reduce the likelihood of this happening.
4.Be careful how you close the monitor container. If monitors are stacked on top of each other when a lid closes, it may punch a hole or crack acrylic shells.
5.Just like mic cables or instrument cables, your monitor cables will go bad and will need replacing occasionally.
In-ear monitoring is a relatively new technology in the church and there is always more to learn. Church techs and worship leaders have a particularly important role in educating worship teams on the technology, especially those of us who rely on volunteers and non-professional team members.
