EW IEM G4 Wireless In-Ear Monitoring System

Agreed sounds great and $$. Senny g3/4 with the whips modded is my system. Great range, sounds terrific for ifb, almost a little too good for client. My issue is sourcing more in the right band for sudden gigs that want a lot of IFB.

Man, even in nyc it’s hard to find 4-5 more in the right band for sudden gigs. I’m zax too - that’s a nice idea - you put the IFB/urx bundle on a mast with an antenna?

This 1000%. Those cheap wireless systems are absolute garbage. The first one worth it is Sennheiser G4 or Shure PSM 300. Everything cheaper is crap imo.

Even the PSM300 is garbage. If you must have a wireless IEM system, Sennheiser G4 or a screaming deal on a G3. Otherwise a PSM1000. Like was stated before, get a hardwired system. One or the best hardwired IEM systems are the Albatross Audio PH9B units. The guy who makes them is based in Montreal and I think there’s an issue with sourcing the PSU parts, so new ones are probably not available. Solotech regularly has used ones for sale. You’ll be hard pressed to find a better hardwired system than the PH9B

This is it, really. If you have a great monitor tech, then you might get an amazing experience. If not, get your mic decent, with what you need, and play. The stage volume will be lower and house mix will be far better for it. Also your ears won’t ring tomorrow. You do need a couple of things though - stereo mix is essential, good earpieces with clarity rather than lots of bass, and every single one of the affordable IEM systems are just shit. Don’t waste money on them, Sennheiser G4, Shure PSM300 are the STARTING points. And they are still cheaper than a good monitor speaker. Also, for what it’s worth, I’m skeptical about many-driver IEM. I have yet to see accurate frequency or phase measurements that prove the phase coherence and crossover performance from these modern IEMs with lots of drivers and drivers of different types. I steer clear of the marketing and use a good, 2 driver unit with good local support.

>Ive done a couple of performances and because I have some mixing experience, I find myself adjusting my voice according to what I hear but the people mixing the live audio begin adjusting the volumes and it messes me up. This is all during the performance. The people mixing don't have monitors themselves, they're basically behind the speakers. So I feel the whole mix gets thrown off. They raise my volume because they can't hear me, and then I lower my own voice cuz it just sounds bassy and sticks out of mix, like it needs a compressor. Is there a monitor/wedge at your feet in this situation? What do you mean they're "behind the speakers?" (1) All you should EVER need to do is point at your monitor, then your mouth, and then point up/down or thumbs up/down to your FOH or monitor engineer / A2. (2) You shouldn't be adjusting your voice based on what you THINK it sounds like out of the FOH. That's not your job. That's the A1 / FOH's job. I'm an A2- I do some A1 work as well - and if you were on MY stage, I'd be riding your fader because you're being inconsistent. My job, regardless if I'm at the front of house or monitor world position, is to make you louder. My job. Not yours. If I'm at the FOH I'm mixing it for the audience. But if I'm in monitor world: (1) I can hear what those monitors are doing and (2) my job is to make you loud FOR YOU. So communicate what you actually need, I'll make that happen. And it will be glorious. For IEMs. Yeah- they're awesome. Get a set. A GOOD set. Spend the money on molds and don't buy cheap chinese shit reciever/transmitters. Shure or Sennheiser. If Shure, PSM300s are your bone minimum, Sennheiser G4s if the other brand. MINIMUM. Go with best system you can barely afford. When I'm mixing monitors -especially in fast-turn-around-festival situations, I'll need to know WELL IN ADVANCE that you're using IEMS so I can patch a buss in for you. Make sure this is on your plot and input list sheet. And if you're using cheap ass chinese IEM Tx/Rx units and they fail, trust me they will, consider yourself fucked. I'll do everything in my power to bring your stage volume back up through the floor wedges, but it's still going to be a massive panic moment for you. That doesn't change the above though. Talk to the crew man. We're here to make things good for YOU.

Sennheiser G4 IFB with bubblebee earpieces. Reasonably priced, works well. The bubblebees especially are excellent.

I’m obviously in the Zaxcom system. So my solution for lots of clients is one URX plugged into an IFB200 which then feeds how ever many ERX’s I need. The infamous ERX range problems become non existent because the transmitter is right there. The modded senny g3/4 is great though. Plus it always seems easy to source a few more if needed.