I'm passionate about helping independent musicians realize the full potential of their talents and abilities through a strong work ethic, coherent project identity and a strong logistical foundation. So, why do singers ear earpieces on stage? Additional Benefits Of In-Ear Monitors Mix Customization Singers tend to rely heavily on one particular element of the arrangement in order to navigate the song effectively.
Hearing Protection By nature, professional singers spend a lot of time in ear-splittingly loud environments. Sound Consistency The front of house sound is very dependent on the shape and size of the room a band or artist is performing in. There are three primary reasons why a singer would take out their in-ear monitors during a performance: Poor monitor mix: Before a performance, singers will usually take part in something called a soundcheck.
This is where they run through a short portion of the show in order to set the front of house level and in-ear monitor levels. In this situation, many singers find it easier to perform with the live sound instead of their monitor mix.
Faulty monitors: Occasionally, in-ear monitors will become faulty midway through a performance, leaving the artist unable to hear either their monitor mix or the live sound.
As a result, it relieves the strain on the ears and helps to preserve hearing. Increased mobility — Stage monitors can take up a lot of space on the stage and clutter it due to the presence of wires. Also, you have to maintain a certain distance and direction from it to hear them properly.
This limits the mobility of the singers by a lot. Most singers use wireless in-ear monitors which increases their mobility by a lot. Plus, they can move around the stage freely as they can access more areas on the stage.
Also, it is easier to pack and move around with IEMs instead of carrying wedges. IEM systems allow musicians greater flexibility to perform but they may also introduce a few drawbacks. A few of these are listed below:. Disconnection from the audience — The noise isolation feature of IEMs can make the musician feel a disconnect from the audience as they cannot hear them with the earpieces on. Without proper feedback from the fans, the artists may not be able to feel the vibe which is essential to perform well on stage.
Interference — Wireless IEM systems use radio waves to transmit sound signals. This may introduce some interference issues which can decline the sound quality or cause audio dropouts. Easy to lose — If the IEMs are not custom-made to fit your ears, they may slip frequently. Also, it can be hard to find them sometimes due to their small size on a dark stage.
Putting on a pair of in-ear monitors can feel like you are listening to music in an isolated room. This is due to the fact that IEMs are great at isolating outside noises. The quality of the sound itself will depend on a lot of factors such as the quality of the product, how many drivers it contains, the brand, etc Cheap IEMs may contain only 1 driver whereas expensive models may contain balanced armature drivers. In-ear monitors allow singers to check how they are performing and adjust their tune and rhythm accordingly.
Thus, it can be detrimental to their performance if they remove their IEM mind-singing. So, why do they do this? There can be three main reasons why a singer may choose to take out their earpiece while performing on stage.
These are listed below:. They are worn for two main reasons: to protect their hearing and so they can hear themselves and their band. Stages are very loud places. Traditionally, musicians had monitors on stage referred to as wedge monitors which would give them the balance of sound that they want to hear.
These are still very frequently used with musicians are not using IEMs. The balance of the music for those wedge monitors is usually controlled by a sound engineer. The balance of the music for IEMs are controlled in the same way. In-ear monitors have become very popular in recent years because they have become cheaper, there is better awareness of hearing damage among musicians, and there is better awareness by sound engineers and musicians for how to use them on stage.
In-ear monitors are like putting very strong earplugs into your ears. Typically, you need an extra mixing board just to send individual mixes to each in-ear monitor.
You will also need a wireless transmitter. Knowing that that is how they hear themselves, you may be wondering why they are doing this. If the in-ear monitor is not working properly, most artists will pull it out rather than suffer through it, because it is distracting.
In-ears can also slip out when the singer is moving, singing, dancing, and sweating. They can also be itchy. These physical sensations are annoying, and sometimes singers will just pull the earpiece out rather than worry about it falling out or causing them further discomfort. The most common reason a singer will pull out their earpiece is problems with the mix. Mistakes happen, and sometimes a musician will end up with a terrible mix in their ears. The mixing engineer could be at fault.
It can also be problematic when another musician turns up their instrument or presses the wrong button. Finally, artists will often pull out their earpiece just so they can feel the energy of the room. It is exciting to hear a room full of fans clapping and singing and shouting. They want to feel that, and sometimes that means pulling out an in-ear. Using in-ear monitors in the studio is a personal choice.
Artists who are used to using IEMs onstage may be more comfortable using them in the studio. Many artists prefer using over-ear headphones because they are more comfortable. Sometimes, over-ear headphones are better for the studio because they allow for a little bleed from the rest of the band. Be warned that when you are singing in the studio with in-ears, it can sometimes be harder to sing perfectly in tune. Something about having your voice piped directly in your ears can alter your perception of pitch.
I would also not recommend trying to tune vocals while using in-ears. You are much better off using speakers — even crappy speakers — to tune vocals, because again, headphones seem to distort your sense of pitch. If you can afford in-ear monitors and they make sense for the types of shows you are playing, they can be a huge advantage.
The extra mobility, clarity, and the consistency alone are worth having. That said, they are not for everyone. Smaller artists will almost certainly have no use for them. Some musicians just hate using them! Storytelling folk artists will probably not benefit from using in-ear monitors, as they rely on interaction with the crowd. On the other hand, artists using heavy backing tracks or artists playing with a DJ will benefit from using in-ears.
Large bands using backing tracks will also benefit from using in-ears.
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