IEMs; what's in your personal mix?

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My band is all IEM's (and we all mix our own) and a sidefill cab on each side of the stage - no personal wedges. We all five sing, so I have all five vox, with my own just slightly hotter, then both guitars and keys slightly below those, then just enough bass to hear it. No drums. I keep the volume as low as I can get away with, and I get enough ambient stuff from stage sound and sidefills to fill in any blanks.
 
All band members use IEM. We have individual IEM mixes. I have 14 mics on my 10pc kit. All AKGs except my snare, which is SM57. 10 mics on each drum, 2 overheads, 1 hi-hat and one ride. 4 are condensers, my mix is like the FOH mix with bass and vocals slightly elevated.
 
iclug said:
Seems obvious but I never thought of it in this way. It would be interesting to have my own little kitside mixer to try and dial things in but i find so much variance room to room I think it’d be too much to approach.
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Our system is all digital and each of us in the band can mix our monitors with our iPhone's/iPad's, It is fairly easy, and once i get it mixed I rarely touch it again for the entire gig. As a whole I have not needed to adjust it very much venue to venue as well.
 
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My answer is extensive... definitely reaching outside of the original question. But I started typing and couldn't stop. I hope you'll forgive me for rambling on and on. Maybe someone will find this information valuable for their own needs.

I stopped performing for approximately years, and have been performing live again for approximately two years now. I am a singing drummer, splitting lead vocals with our keyboardist.

I played with the same band for 14 years from 1986 until 2000. It was always the unknown factor arriving at most new venues. Will I get a monitor at all? Will it be a dedicated mix? 95% of the time... NO to both questions! We'd arrive at a hole-in-the-wall venue to find two horrible sounding wedges. I'd say aloud and/or to myself, "Let's take a guess who DOESN'T get a monitor!". I compensated the best I could with earplugs which of course, lowered the sound pressure to my ears. Equally important for the purposes of this discussion though, it also allowed me to hear my own voice much better. During the early 90's when IEM's began to appear, the cost was far too high to consider, along with the fact that we did not have a dedicated sound system, engineer, etc. When we did play on large stages with monitors for the drummer along with dedicated mixes, I remember engineers being surprised when I'd request only vocals and keyboards in my own mix. It seemed strange to me to have the very drums I was hitting, sitting right in from of me also in the monitors. For me I've always been a proponent of controlling stage volume. I routinely reprimand the wonderful musicians I work with now to control their stage volume. The keyboard amp, guitar amp and bass amp I insist is, for THEM to hear... NOT for the audience to hear. That's what the main's are for. I'm not a jerk about it in the least and it's all in good fun.

So, when I first began rehearsing with other musicians a few years ago, I purchased one and then two additional spare of the MEE Audio M6 Pro. I first heard of them from "rdavidr". I've considered upgrading to other models by MEE or, to offerings by other manufacturers. However I can't imagine the sound quality being THAT much better. I'm sure I'd hear a difference in many cases spending upwards of $100, but I just don't feel it'd be worth it. I first purchased a Behringer MicroMON MA400 Monitor Headphone Amplifier and, subsequently a second one as a spare. I leave one at our keyboardist's house where we rehearse and keep a second one in one of my gig bags as a spare.

What I use live is the Rolls PM59. I run my vocal microphone through the first channel and our keyboardists microphone through the second microphone channel and, then each to the mixer (Soundcraft Ui24R). I then send one of the mixes out of the mixer back to the Monitor Input of the Rolls PM59. I also use the "Donner EM1 Rechargeable Portable Personal in-Ear..." which attaches to my belt. It allows adjustment of the master volume to my ears. This was one of the only devices with an internal, USB type-C, rechargeable battery. I didn't want to worry about purchasing and constantly changing batteries. I also purchased a "Polsen BCPM-1 Passive Belt Clip Personal in-Ear Monitor Amplifier" which I keep as a spare or, when I'm setting up and discover the EM1 battery is low (sometimes) due to me neglecting to turn the power off. The BCPM-1 works fine and I've never been lacking in gain though. When that's happened I can throw the Donner one on a charger and it doesn't take too long to charge up.

At most gigs, our keyboardist's wife works the faders remotely from her iPad, mostly to ensure whoever is singing lead can be heard as well as adjusting for bass, guitar and keyboard solos. I keep a tablet next to me and will make minor monitor adjustments for the rest of the band when they ask. Our bassist has, on occasion adjusted his mix from his phone but, for the most part the monitor mixes remain unchanged unless someone wishes for an adjustment for their mix.

I have our keyboardist's vocal mic on his own channel in my Rolls mixer simply because it has that channel available. If I had to use one of the Behringer mixers or some other solution I could get away with even just a single channel but to have a dedicated volume adjustment for my own vocal mic is beyond useful. The Rolls mixer sits on a small microphone stand tray which I clamp to my hi hat stand.

What I'm so very surprised of is the fact that these very simple pass-through microphone monitor mixers were not marketed in the 1990's, at least in the early 1990's. I know this is fact because I worked at one of the three largest music stores for approximately three years. We saw all of the newest pro audio gear and, these very basic mixers weren't widely available. When I did start rehearsing and eventually performing live with the Rolls PM59, I was ecstatic! "What an extraordinary time to be alive!" I say to myself. Why the heck wasn't a simply mixer like this available? I don't know why, but they just weren't available, plain and simple. I won't even rehearse without it. I auditioned for one or two bands before settling in with these guys and always took my vocal mic, mic stand and pass-through mixer with me.

Regarding my vocal mic, my research led me to purchase the Shure BETA 56A. Based on what I read, this seemed to be (one of) the most widely suggested solutions with the best rejection. I'm not a loud player in general and do experience a significant degree of bleed of my drums into my vocal mic and therefore my ears. If anyone has any suggestions regarding the best microphones for singing drummers please, provide your thoughts.

For my microphone stand I've modified a Mapex boom cymbal stand in black with a 8mm thread adapter. I like the stability of the cymbal stand and have it placed directly behind my throne with the boom coming over top of my head. I leave it in position as opposed to pushing it out of the way when I'm not singing. The black finish of the cymbal stand is extremely effective in terms of being non-reflective on stage. I did use a Countryman headset mic in the 90's but, eventually stopped using it due to the inability to adjust my proximity to the microphone, as well as in order to communicate to my fellow musicians on stage without it being heard in the PA system.

To answer the initial question, I set my own mix with an equal level of the three to four vocal mics, along with a small amount of keyboards. I'm able to give myself the extra boost of my mic and our keyboardist's with the two knobs on the Rolls mixer. I don't typically have any problem hearing electric bass or electric guitar with whatever bleeds through the seal on my earbuds and what the vocal mics pick up on stage. Thus far I've only used a kick drum mic and haven't felt the need to add that to the mix. Thus far with this band, the stages we've been on have been relatively small. Even the outdoor venues we've played I haven't needed any bass or guitar in my IEM's.

Again, sorry for the ramblings!
 
Eyedrum said:
I'm curious about the mix that my fellow drummers prefer, while using IEMs? Personally, the kick, snare and hi-hats (if mic'd up) have a fairly high level in my mix. The lead singer's vocal and rhythm guitar are a top priority, followed by my vocals, the other backing vocals and remaining instruments. I normally use a phone app for a relative click track.

Thanks!
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Ideally, all the drums but no cymbals.
Click
Lead singer and his guitar
Bass
All of the instruments are up just enough to help remind me where I am in the song

Before we had a silent stage, I only had the lead singer, his guitar, and bass. Everyone else and their respective amps were up so loud, they would bleed through my IEMs every time, so I never had to turn them up in my mix.
 
I've spent the past couple of years playing around with some different setups. For my mix I tend to keep the click the highest in the mix. After the click I tend to try and keep the snare, toms, and my vocal pretty loud. The next level for me is bass guitar. Everything else i try and keep at a point where I can hear what's happening but not loud enough to be louder than the previous elements at their loudest dynamic. I can't imagine it would sound if it went through the mains, but it works to give me the information that I need. I'm using a P16 to mix on the fly, so there's a channel count limit involved otherwise I'd have a room mic mixed in as well.
 
I've been exclusively on in-ears since 2003 (yes, even in bar bands), so I've had some time to really hone in on what I need and what I want in my mix.

Construct the IEM Mix from the Ground Up
The most important element in my IEM mix is the bass drum. I very quickly learned to build my mix from the bass drum up, because if I can't hear the attack of the bass drum clearly, I unconsciously start stomping on it, which leads to tension and sacrifices control, accuracy and feel. If I can hear the attack, I remain relaxed, comfortable, and confident in my beat placement and execution.

Having said that, I want my IEM mix to sound like a mixed CD, just with the kick drum mixed a bit louder than normal. That way, I get maximum enjoyment and inspiration because I can clearly hear what everyone is playing and/or singing. If you pumped my IEM mix to FOH and backed off on the kick a few dB, it would sound great.

Stereo IEM Mix vs Mono IEM Mix
For the first almost 15 years I was on IEM, I had never experienced a stereo mix. I truly didn't know what I was missing and I was ecstatic with a mono mix because it got the blaring wedge monitor out of my life for good. In 2017, I joined Beginnings where all 7 members get our own individual stereo IEM mix which we control with our tablets. It was life-changing.

Stereo imaging makes a world of difference in getting a great and inspiring sounding IEM mix. If you go mono, as two of my other bands still do, everything is competing for the sonic space directly in the center and the only way to create separation is by relative volume. With the ability to pan, you can create separation between sources just by where you place them in the stereo field; this way, the relative volumes are not quite as determinative. It's particularly effective at separating our 4 vocalists (of which I am one) and makes harmonizing much easier. And then I go back and forth to play with my other band(s), and the mono mixes are more "utilitarian", as compared to the immersive stereo mix. Once you've experienced a well-mixed stereo IEM feed, even the best mono mix is a huge compromise.
 
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Vocals mainly, maybe a low drum mix so the ambient drums don't sound muted. I can usually hear guitar and bass through the mic bleed but might need a little keyboard in the mix.
 
Interesting information from everyone. I'm glad my choices match several others. I was questioning my choice of not having drums in my mix. I might try a few slight alternatives based on what I've read.

Here's another "fly in the ointment" scenario:
What do you Mix when you are on E-Drums?
 
iclug said:
Seems obvious but I never thought of it in this way. It would be interesting to have my own little kitside mixer to try and dial things in but i find so much variance room to room I think it’d be too much to approach.
Click to expand...
That's how the majority of users do it, typically through an app like Mixing Station. For our Behringer Wing, Behringer offers a free app that I have on a tablet so I can mix my own monitor without relying on the FOH guy to read my hand signals.
 
I have all of the other musicians and none of me. I play at church, and typically have the guitars on the left ear, piano on the right, bass in the middle. Click track turned up high on the left ear. I think it helps me keep my playing light by not having myself in the mix - I know how well I should hear myself without it coming through the mix.
 
When I play with in-ears (most if the time, and always stereo)

An overall of my own set, and the band and when available the crowd mic.

I use the Porter and Davies with a split line from the bass drums for more low-end, and tactile monitoring.

When through wedges it depends on what I can hear from the band naturally.
 
drums1225 said:
Stereo IEM Mix vs Mono IEM Mix
For the first almost 15 years I was on IEM, I had never experienced a stereo mix. I truly didn't know what I was missing and I was ecstatic with a mono mix because it got the blaring wedge monitor out of my life for good. In 2017, I joined Beginnings where all 7 members get our own individual stereo IEM mix which we control with our tablets. It was life-changing.

Stereo imaging makes a world of difference in getting a great and inspiring sounding IEM mix. If you go mono, as two of my other bands still do, everything is competing for the sonic space directly in the center and the only way to create separation is by relative volume. With the ability to pan, you can create separation between sources just by where you place them in the stereo field; this way, the relative volumes are not quite as determinative. It's particularly effective at separating our 4 vocalists (of which I am one) and makes harmonizing much easier. And then I go back and forth to play with my other band(s), and the mono mixes are more "utilitarian", as compared to the immersive stereo mix. Once you've experienced a well-mixed stereo IEM feed, even the best mono mix is a huge compromise.
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Great stuff here, thank you! The Stereo vs Mono is the nail on head. Back when I played in the church praise band, we mixed everything in stereo. My band mixes in mono and I am the only one using IEM. This is probably one of the reasons, I don't hear my kick drum as well vs when I played in church.
 
iclug said:
Seems obvious but I never thought of it in this way. It would be interesting to have my own little kitside mixer to try and dial things in but i find so much variance room to room I think it’d be too much to approach.
Click to expand...
I use a mixer for my drums and it's great for getting a personal mix, even if I'm not sending much of the drums to FOH. I forgot to add that I also put a decent amount of our lead guitarist's vocals through my mix. I build my harmony off his and the lead singer's so I need to hear that directly instead of from bleed from the upstage monitors.
 
xsabers said:
That's how the majority of users do it, typically through an app like Mixing Station. For our Behringer Wing, Behringer offers a free app that I have on a tablet so I can mix my own monitor without relying on the FOH guy to read my hand signals.
Click to expand...

We use an old-school Mackie when we run our own sound but when we play venues with a digital board and sound guy this is what I do, although I use Mixing Station. I'm on the fence about us getting one because a physical fader is so much more intuitive and quicker to adjust on the fly when we're running our own sound. I think once we get past the initial learning curve it could be great though.
 
TheBeachBoy said:
We use an old-school Mackie when we run our own sound but when we play venues with a digital board and sound guy this is what I do, although I use Mixing Station. I'm on the fence about us getting one because a physical fader is so much more intuitive and quicker to adjust on the fly when we're running our own sound. I think once we get past the initial learning curve it could be great though.
Click to expand...
They make an interface that gives you a portable controller with real faders that control the digital app faders, if you have cash you don't know how to otherwise spend!

I typically can make needed changes during sound check. Once I am happy, I usually don't need to make changes on the fly.
 
Btw.

Some great wired in ear options:

Full mini mixers:
Midas M32 (two mixers in one)
Aviom A16II / A320 / A360
Behringer P24 / P16-M / P16-HQ
Allen & Heath ME-1
Presonus Earmix 16M
Roland M48

And more compact body packs:
Shure P9HW / P6HW
Behringer P1 (mono)/ P2
Fischer Amps Mini BP (mono) / BP / BP XL
LD Systems HPA-1

Some have limiters too like the DP48, P9HW, and P2.

Something that can save your ears when a FOH/MON doesn’t pay enough attention.

Some even have sd card/usb options so you can record your mix (and use it learning or for promo video’s you wants to make)
 
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