August 9th, 2021
by Roman Hendricks
by Roman Hendricks
Let me start off this post by saying this: how you set your in ear mix is totally a preferential thing. No one else is sharing your mix with you so if you want to hear all drums and no electric, more power to you! While your mix is your mix, there are some best practices for what to look for in a good in ear mix, so whether you have used in ears for awhile or this is your first time, this will be a good starting point or reference for you.
While you can approach building your mix from a variety of ways, below, I have broken it down to a few simple steps that show how I personally set up my in ear mix. Some vocalists don’t care about hearing every instrument, they just need their voice, click and acoustic guitar. That is fine if that works for you! Personally, I play/sing my best when I am not isolated from the rest of the team. Hopefully this helps you get the most out of an in ear monitor system!
From Scratch In-Ear Mix
1. Start with every channel turned all the way down.
A good principal to remember is: It is always easier to turn things up than to have to go through and turn everything else down
2. Set the volume of your pack at a good starting point.
I suggest a 6 or 7 out of 10. This leaves room for you to turn up your entire mix if you need to later on.
3. Set your primary instrument at 0db (unity) or a comfortable level.
Whether you are playing an instrument or singing, make sure that you can hear your instrument loudest and best. ***Vocalists - Don’t turn your voice up too loud though, this can lead to over singing or under singing which can effect things like pitch and vocal endurance***
4. Bring up the click and guide tracks
You don’t want the click to be the loudest thing in your ears but YOU NEED TO HEAR IT. If it get’s lost in your mix, turn it up!
5. Set a level for a few reference instruments
In worship it is common to have things like acoustic guitar or keys as a reference point. Pick one or both to "stick out” upbove of the rest of the band. ***Instrumentalist - Consider who the worship leader(s) is(are) because their voice should be easy to hear above the rest of the vocals so you can follow them.***
6. Bring up the rest of the team
At this point, you have established what you want your ear to focus on so everything else should come in to fill in the gaps and make the mix enjoyable to play/sing along with!
7. Add in some backing tracks
This is one of the last things to add because tracks are designed to be filler for the mix. Don’t let them overtake your mix because it will quickly become “muddy” and hard to hear.
8. Add in Audience mics
Especially if you have isolating in ear monitors, audience mics can help you feel connected to the people in the room. Like tracks, set these at a “helpful” level, don’t let it overtake your mix.
A good principal to remember is: It is always easier to turn things up than to have to go through and turn everything else down
2. Set the volume of your pack at a good starting point.
I suggest a 6 or 7 out of 10. This leaves room for you to turn up your entire mix if you need to later on.
3. Set your primary instrument at 0db (unity) or a comfortable level.
Whether you are playing an instrument or singing, make sure that you can hear your instrument loudest and best. ***Vocalists - Don’t turn your voice up too loud though, this can lead to over singing or under singing which can effect things like pitch and vocal endurance***
4. Bring up the click and guide tracks
You don’t want the click to be the loudest thing in your ears but YOU NEED TO HEAR IT. If it get’s lost in your mix, turn it up!
5. Set a level for a few reference instruments
In worship it is common to have things like acoustic guitar or keys as a reference point. Pick one or both to "stick out” upbove of the rest of the band. ***Instrumentalist - Consider who the worship leader(s) is(are) because their voice should be easy to hear above the rest of the vocals so you can follow them.***
6. Bring up the rest of the team
At this point, you have established what you want your ear to focus on so everything else should come in to fill in the gaps and make the mix enjoyable to play/sing along with!
7. Add in some backing tracks
This is one of the last things to add because tracks are designed to be filler for the mix. Don’t let them overtake your mix because it will quickly become “muddy” and hard to hear.
8. Add in Audience mics
Especially if you have isolating in ear monitors, audience mics can help you feel connected to the people in the room. Like tracks, set these at a “helpful” level, don’t let it overtake your mix.
Again, setting a monitor mix is preferential so I included a couple videos of other guys talking about their stratagies for setting a mix. Feel free to check these resources out and explore what works best for you. One person's preference may not be the best for you!
Posted in Ignite
No Comments