You can usually hear a music block from miles away.’ That was the introduction I received on arriving for my first-ever teaching interview and asking for directions. Amplified music has become a mainstay of secondary and further educations. One of the big dangers of amplified music is excessive output volume. I don’t think the geography department at my sixth-form college ever quite recovered from their proximity to the music block! While we, as staff, were always careful to reinforce the dangers of practising too loudly, for young musicians the thrill of being part of a band at full roar can be too much of a temptation.
In-ear monitors
A few years ago I had my first custom moulded in-ear monitors fitted. I was playing in my first ‘silent’ band; a surreal experience where all of the instruments are output through the main mixing desk to the front-of-house speakers – the instrumentalists then monitor the mix via headphones, earphone or, for the more discreet, in-ear monitors. This practice neatly sidesteps the issue of performers competing with the sound engineer by subtly sliding the volume up on their own amplifiers. That said, sitting in an orchestra pit full of musicians busily drawing performances from their instruments while simultaneously producing no audible sound is akin to being a spectator at a silent disco.
Protecting our hearing is one of the most important things we can do; noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is irreversible. Together with other hearing-related issues, NIHL not only ends musical careers but has a huge impact on the quality of life of the affected musician. It’s important to reinforce the message that NIHL is cumulative. The ringing-in-ear sensation at the end of an overly loud jam session may wear off in a few minutes – at least the first time round – but each successive trauma is building on the damage of the last.
In theory, any set of headphones or earphones can be used for monitoring. When I’m buried under the stage in an orchestra pit, I will frequently still opt for a good set of over-ear headphones. In situations where the performers are visible, headphones can appear intrusive (although BBC Live Lounge frequently features some beautiful shots of the Beuerdynamic dt 770s). Standard commercial earphones produce a much-reduced audio response, both in terms of frequency and sound separation, which makes them less suitable for any type of serious performance.
In-ear monitors (IEMs) aim to combine the best of the headphone’s accurate frequency and localisation of sound, with the discretion and convenience of a wireless earbud. For my IEMs, I turned to Read Audio, one of the most trusted names in the field. This expert team is coming up to their ten-year anniversary of producing customised solutions for a range of budgets. In addition to IEMs, Read also produce custom-built earplugs. Both products are acoustically tailored to your individual ear. The difference between these and off-the-shelf earplugs is a revelation. IEMs can be built with either two or three drivers, just like a studio monitor, and are worlds away from high-street earbuds.
Practicalities
The main issue with an earbud is that every ear is a different size and shape. Especially in a dynamic stage environment, it can slip all too easily from the performer’s ear, leaving the musician trapped in limbo with only half a (or worst-case, no) sound image. Having an IEM moulded to your ear may initially sound like the level of luxury of commissioning a tailor-made suit or bespoke shoe, but in truth the impact of a good monitoring set-up on a performance is priceless.
The process of having a mould made for your ear is very simple and can even be performed at some high street chemists. A soft, viscous liquid is used to form an impression of each ear: an experience which similar to a parent applying warm olive oil to an aching ear (an admission which no doubt ages me considerably!). More important than a secure fit, the precision e-mouldensures that there are no air pockets or gaps between the impression material and the skin of the ear canal.
Applying a vacuum to the impression material helps to ensure that it conforms tightly to the contours of the ear canal and eliminates any air pockets or voids. This helps to create a more accurate mould that provides a better fit and improved sound quality. However, the accuracyof the custom mould can impact the total harmonic distortion (THD) of the IEMs. If the mould is not precise, if gaps or air pockets appear between the ear canal and the monitor, it can cause sound to leak out and introduce distortion or noise into the audio signal. This can increase the THD of the monitors and reduce their overall sound quality.
The approach with students
Students won’t like practising with in-ears. I’m sympathetic – there is nothing quite like the roar of a band turned up to 11. They will like being introduced to a new area of professional practice – sound engineers are increasingly not only supporting performers with IEMs, but expecting it at many venues. The set-up does take a bit of getting used to, particularly for singers, who may be used to the feedback from their own ears. Hearing yourself in a mix can be a different and slightly unsettling proposition. However, this is absolutely invaluable for both hearing safety and professional practice.
For anyone wishing to set up monitoring for your practice rooms, you can start with a simple mixing desk and any wired headphones. The next stage on your journey towards silent practice rooms may be to invest in an electronic drum kit. Although purists may resist, this area of music technology has seen enormous growth in both response and sensitivity over the last few years.
Whatever your particular solution, you can be confident that teaching students how to monitor effectively will help save their hearing, introduce them to a new world of professional practice and may even save a few geography departments in the process.
For performers on stage, the battle of hearing what’s going on, what other musicians are playing and how this translates into what the audience are hearing has been going on for centuries. Having made the switch to in-ears, I’m reluctant to go back to stage monitors where I can avoid it. There are a few reasons for this:
- Improved sound quality: With in-ear monitoring, the musician can hear their own instrument or voice more clearly and with greater detail, since the sound is delivered directly to their ears without any interference or distortion from external sources. As YouTube Music Theory supremo Adam Neely pointed out, this approach to monitoring can help musicians stay in tune and on tempo. It also allows me to hear nuances in my own playing, and that of my band, which might otherwise escape unnoticed.
- Hearing protection: In-ear monitoring can also help protect musicians’ hearing by reducing the need for stage monitors or loudspeakers, which can easily produce dangerously high levels of sound. By using IEMs, musicians can control the volume of their own sound without having to rely on stage monitors, which can also reduce the risk of feedback and other audio problems.
- Mobility and flexibility: In-ear monitoring systems are typically wireless, which means musicians can move around freely on stage without being tethered to a fixed location by cables. This can give performers more flexibility and mobility, while also reducing the risk of tripping or getting tangled in cables.
- Equipment: I have spent too many years carrying a digital piano in one hand, an amplifier in the other, and trying to precariously balance anything else I need (stand, music, clothes) across the two. The removal of a heavy and bulky piece of equipment from my gig luggage is never going to be an unwelcome relief.
- Customisable mixes: One of the big advantages of in-ear monitoring it that it allows musicians to create their own custom mixes. I can decide exactly what I need to hear during a performance, and what blend of each part. This can include a mix of their own part, vocalists, as well controlling the level of other instruments. By creating a custom mix, musicians can ensure that they are hearing the most important elements of the music, which can help with ensemble, harmony and ultimately building a unified interpretation. One of the most useful tools, with a good sub-mixer, is to pan each line to its own position in space, adding to the clarity of the mix being fed into my ears.
