Originally Posted By: rockstar_not
There are many reasons performers will pull out one of their IEMs:
1. The monitor engineer is not sending them a usable mix
2. They can tell they are starting to sing flat (very common with bone conducted dominant hearing)
3. They want to hear the crowd or mains
4. Other reasons.

I use IEMs weekly but not for singing. I play one of the following in our worship band: electric guitar, acoustic guitar, electric bass or keys. We have no amps on stage and use a booth around the acoustic drum kit. We use a full Behringer system (X32 board, digital snake and Behringer personal monitor mixers) and sometimes I pull an IEM out in our rehearsals because our worship leader does not use a headset mic and if he gives verbal instruction/commands off mic, I really can't hear him whatsoever. Our FOH guys often forget to use the talkback mic as well, so if they are shouting from the FOH board, I can't hear them if they forget to use the talkback mic.

The Behringer stuff is really easy to use - much easier than the original AVIOM systems and light years easier than the insanely complicated Roland V-Mix systems.

However, I've never been able to sing on pitch with my IEMs. I have Westone ES5 custom models and Westone UM3x universal fit models by the way.


This is basically what I do. we have Avioms in our worship band and I use IEMs connected to the Aviom, but I only use the left IEM and I disconnect the right one so that I can hear everything else going on around me, including the WL when he's "off mic" but giving directions, I can hear the choir that way (they're not going thru the Avioms, but they're mic'd going into the house), etc.

one difference is that I have the SE-215's but they are customized. I paid a company to have them make custom IEMs for my ears. made a mold of my ear canal, sent it to them and they sent back the custom IEMs.

and our FOH NEVER use the talkback mic. most of them don't even know how. [rollseyes]

Scandalous Grace
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