KZ ZAX

I am new to IEMs, but am getting some good experience and experimentation across the three cover bands I gig with. The earpieces themselves are important. I started with some Sennheisers that came with a transmitter/receiver bundle, but they weren't very impressive. Via another reddit thread I saw recommendations for "KZ Zax" (~$60); they have multiple drivers and a wide frequency response, and turns out I love them more than any other earpiece/phone I've used. I did need to order other ear tips to get the correct fit, I went with '3 flange' silicone tips that help the earpieces sit right with a good seal. You will need to experiment to get your own fit; but, the more drivers and freq response, the better. The connection from your IEMs to the board - I got an Xvive wireless set (2.4 GHz), and so far it's worked great. I use a small XLR patch cable so the transmitter can connect to the board without 'crowding' the outputs around it (the unit is a little wide). I have to remember to charge both Tx / Rx units before each session, but that's not bad. I did try a wired IEM amplifier, the Behringer P2. Maybe I got a couple of bad units, but I found them too noisy. Two of my drummers use them though, and have no issues. Wired is great if you don't plan to move around much. They do however go through AAA batteries pretty quickly, maybe look into rechargeables if you go that route. The mixer you're using: this is a big rabbit hole. If your band has a dedicated IEM mixer, through which to patch to someone else's FoH; if your band's mixer is used both for monitoring as well as FoH; or if you rely on whatever mixer the venue/gig has. You might just hand your transmitter to the venue sound engineer and ask them to mix your monitor; or, they might let you connect your phone/tablet to their mixer to control your own mix. If your band has its own mixer, you can set that up on your own; but which mixer, which app, which device platform, wifi router freq/setup/antenna issues, etc - it can get hairy depending on how much else you have going on. Other band members - I have some people in each band that prefer live / stage sound, so none of them are truly 'silent stage'. This is fine, but means that at least for my own ear pieces, I need to isolate as much as possible so I don't overpower what I'm hearing. I end up putting zero drums in my mix since I can still hear them around my earpieces. But I need to boost my overall volume (on the Rx unit) to be able to hear well enough over the stage volume. Amp/DI: I need to be flexible enough to have zero stage volume or full volume, depending on the band and venue. While at the same time still having an IEM monitor option. I use a Rumble 800, this one specifically has its DI output pre-master volume, so I can connect the DI to the IEM rig/FoH mixer and adjust my stage volume independently (other amp DI output levels change with the master volume, so watch for that). I also carry a Tech 21 Bass Flyrig, it's a multieffects pedal with tuner and DI, so I can go totally ampless if needed. A simpler passive DI works too, you just have less control over your tone. It's a lot, to be sure. At the end of it all, I prefer having some monitor mix in my ears that I have some control over, so I can hear who/whatever I need to be comfortable performing, without overplaying (i.e. overcompensating my volume to overcome something else that's too loud for me). It would be a wonderful world if everyone played relatively quietly and with appropriate dynamics, alas that is not my world today.