While some old school rockers prefer keeping their wedges for posterity and a place to put their foot during guitar solos, the new school of professional musicians have grown up with their own personal monitoring system wedged in their external auditory meatus (ear canal). Along with wireless microphones, in-ear monitoring (IEM) systems have paved the way for new and innovative stage set ups that bring the audience closer to its fans, while personal monitoring systems offer a user-controllable interface. These systems are essentially personalised monitoring systems that allow each musician, actor or speaker to take hold of their own mix during live and studio performances.

Shure PSM 700 Personal Monitor Systems
Shure has several IEM systems used by high profile acts. Primal Scream’s drummer Darrin Mooney uses Shure E3 IEMS for the band’s intense live shows. With so many different sound sources going on at once, he relies on the E3s to monitor guitars, vocals and his kit, all mixed along with a click track.

The company’s premier IEM system is the PSM700 series, which offers advanced controls designed to provide user-friendly features for quick access to the clear frequencies and to minimise distortion and antennas.

PSM700 is a two-channel UHF monitoring system that is compatible with other Shure UHF and VHF wireless systems. It takes up only half rack space and features a built-in audio limiter and internal power supply. It also provides users with Stereo or MixMode control for custom monitor mixes, 32 user-selectable frequencies per system and up to 16 compatible frequencies for 16 different mixes. Additional features include +4 dBu/–10 dBV input level select switch on P7T and electronically balanced, combined 1⁄4-inch/XLR connectors.

 PSM700 can be used with either SCL5 or SCL3 Sound Isolating Earphones. SCL5 earphones contain high-definition tweeter and woofer drivers together with an inline crossover for accurate high, mid and low frequency reproduction.

Motown legend Smokey Robinson fought using IEMs for years. It wasn’t until he met Luther Vandross backstage after a gig at the Hollywood Bowl that he even considered using them. 

“Vandross said: ‘Smoke, let me tell you, the ear monitors, they are really what’s happening. It’s like singing to yourself in the studio. When you saw me, when I came on, I was barely singing, because I could hear myself. I don’t have to strain; I don’t have to do anything.”

Robinson was soon fitted with the PSM700 system and loves the results. He continues: “It was a godsend. It doesn’t matter where you’re playing. It doesn’t matter what the acoustics are. It doesn’t matter if you’re outside or inside. It doesn’t matter if the wind is blowing. Whatever is happening, you can hear yourself. I tell everybody. I tell all the singers I know who haven’t tried them. I told Gladys Knight: ‘Gladys, get the ear monitor. Get it baby, because it’s what’s happening.’ I told Aretha: ‘Get the ear monitor because it’s what’s happening.’ It saves your voice. When we do concerts I sing for two-and-a-half hours. I don’t have to strain because I can hear me.” 
www.shure.com

RSS by Roland M-48 Personal Mixer
Roland Solutions Solutions (RSS) recently announced a new product to complement its line of live professional audio gear. Introduced at this year’s Prolight+Sound show, the RSS M-48 Live Personal Mixer and S-4000D splitter and power distributor provide audio mixing for musicians during live or studio performances.

One M-48 has the capacity for up to 40 audio input sources mixed in 16 assignable stereo groups with level, pan, solo, and three-band eq on each group in addition to built-in reverb. An ambient mic and physical outputs are in place for connection to headphone, wedges and powered monitors and external recording devices.

The M-48 also features Roland Ethernet Audio Communication format, REAC, via a Cat-5 cable. The S-4000D splitter and power distributor provides a digital audio stream and can power up to eight M-48 mixers. Several S-4000Ds can be used together in addition to providing users with the ability to save and recall setting from an M-48 or an M-400 mixer. The new Roland system is compatible with other digital or analog desks by using RSS digital snakes with PC software.

Bodo Feldmann, MD for RSG Euro Germany, states: “We’ve provided a way for each musician to monitor exactly what they want to – their order, their grouping, their levels, eqs, reverb – whatever. That may mean very simply a knob or two for the novice.”
www.rolandsystemsgroup.net

Sennheiser EW 300 IEM G3 Series
Sennheiser’s IEMs can be found on stages around the world in the ears of bands like King Of Leon and The Kaiser Chiefs. Sennheiser’s G2 300 series IEMs were also the only system used by performers during this year’s Brit Awards.

 Kaiser Chiefs’ monitor engineer, Llias Andrianatos explains:  “We’ve been using Sennheiser mics and IEMs since 2005. The band’s reaction towards the Sennheiser products has always been good. If they ever had to do shows when the Sennheiser equipment wasn’t available it was always missed.”

Sennheiser recently released the G3 version of its IEMs, the third in the Evolution Wireless series. New features of the series include adaptive-diversity reception, switchable hi boost and a multi-level switchable limiter as standard. Users will find a built-in five-band graphic equalizer in the transmitter for customization. Its rack transmitter can also be monitored and remotely controlled on a PC via its Ethernet connection using Sennheiser’s own Wireless Systems Manager software.
 
G3 IEMs provide 42 MHz bandwidth with 1680 tunable UHF frequencies for interference-free reception and enhanced frequency bank system with up to 16 compatible frequencies, an enhanced AF frequency range and an increased range for audio sensitivity.
www.sennheiser.com

Audio Technica M3  In-Ear Monitor System
Audio-Technica’s M3 IEM system offers 1321 UHF channels and LCD displays on its transmitter and receiver. It features up to 16 simultaneous channels, including three receiver modes, personal mix, stereo and mono. The system’s M3R stereo body-pack receiver features an aux input, M3T stereo transmitter and in-ear dynamic EP3 headphones. The M3R’s aux input has made it possible for musicians to input click tracks and allow for an extra ambient mic input to give the user a complete sense of overall stage sound.

The stereo monitor system is equipped with Personal Mix Control, which allows volume and mix control of two independent signals on stage, via controls on the M3R stereo body-pack.

Aaron Buck is a seasoned engineer who has worked with big acts like Avril Lavigne, Dizzee Rascal and The Damned. Now head of sound for the touring version of the Michael Jackson musical, Thriller, Buck has given the M3 series IEMs to the guitarist for monitoring during the show.  “It’s a very user-friendly package,” Buck explains. “With a show like this we have to apply to use and hire radio frequencies at every venue we visit. So we have to change the frequency set-up of all our equipment day-to-day. The M3 is a dream to program and work with, and the menus are set out in a sensible way that is quick and easy to use.

“And they are exceptionally durable and solid. The beltpacks get sat on, dropped, and covered in sweat but still deliver the same great result night after night. I really couldn’t ask for more from them.”
www.audio-technica.com

LD Systems MEI-100
UK Goth metal rockers, Paradise Lost, have created what they define as ‘gloom rock’. The bands new material is a more organic and raw take on their earlier material and as such they have chosen LD System’s IEM monitoring systems for its transparent sound reproduction during live shows.

LD’s MEI100 in-ear monitoring system features 160 possible frequencies, which allow ten systems to be operated in parallel without intermodulation, while its corrected frequency response provides optimised adaptation to auditory requirements.

A limiter in the system’s input provides hearing protection, which prevents distortion at levels up to an overload of +12dB. It also offers both mono and stereo options to aptly suit numerous live and theatre applications.

All operating states of both the transmitter and receiver are shown on MEI100’s multifunctional display. The sender also has a headphone output, allowing monitoring at the sender side. High-quality earphones for the receiver and an optimised power management component with long battery life also come as standard.
www.ld-systems.com

Trantec S4000 UHF IEM System
The S4000 IEM is a UHF stereo in-ear-monitoring system comprised of a transmitter and two beltpack receivers. Its transmitter is DC powered, via mains adaptor, and features a menu-driven LCD control panel, which can display the levels of both audio channels together, or an average of both along with the operating frequency or user name. LEDs are also included to display stereo/mono status and limiter operation.

The receiver features an LCD showing frequency information, volume control, frequency selection, 3.5mm stereo jack socket and LEDs showing power and RF reception.
www.trantec.co.uk

AKG IVM 4
AKG’s IVM 4 is dubbed as a wireless in-ear monitor system with unique signal processing capabilities for live applications and professional installations. A new feature of the model is integration with Harman’s communication protocol, HiQnet, with optional 4000Q.

The system features the SST 4 stereo transmitter with dbx compressor, eq, binaural room and natural room simulations. With preprogrammed frequency preset banks, 14 intermodulation-free channels and up to 1,200 manually selected frequencies, it can be used within a 30MHz wide UHF band. IVM 4’s SPR 4 bodypack receiver is housed in a die-cast magnesium case and features Auto Setup and Environment Scan functions for finding free frequencies.
www.akg.com

JTS SIEM-111
Japanese pro audio manufacturer JTS has its own brand of IEMs, the SIEM-111. Featuring the company’s UHF PLL technology, SIEM-111 offers 961 selectable UHF channels with the ability to use 16 sets of SIEM-111T transmitters simultaneously and four groups with 16 compatible preset channels to choose from. The system also features circuitry developed to assure optimum signal-to-noise ratio.

Users have a choice of IE-1 and IE-6 earphones, both of which feature JTS-designed Dyna-Driver ear buds, which reduce undesired stage noise and ambient sound levels. Three variations of the silicon sleeves are included with the earphones to comfortably fit the user’s ears.

Avoim Pro16 Personal Monitoring System
ATK Audited monitor engineer Tom Peas chose Aviom’s Pro16 system for the personal monitoring and communications setup at the lead-off event of President Obama’s inauguration, the Neighborhood Ball, held in Washington DC this fall.
Audited has used the Aviom system many times for numerous large and important events, including the Democratic National Convention.

Aviom’s A-16II Personal Mixer lowers stage volume and gives performers the ability to customise their own mixes, giving them control over volume, grouping, pan, stereo spread, and master volume and tone. Users can also save and recall up to sixteen custom mixes as presets in their Personal Mixer.
www.avoim.com