If you're a stage musician who has only ever performed with wedge monitors, then you might be surprised to learn how much more effective IEMs (in-ear monitors) can be for monitoring your vocals and instruments. In this article, we're going to take a deep dive into IEMs, exploring their advantages and answering important questions like how they should be tuned, how much do they cost, and how long will they last. We'll also include some examples of IEMs that are optimal for stage use.
If you're looking for a more general guide to headphones and IEMs for musicians, check out our article Recommended Headphones for Audio Professionals.
3 Advantages of Using IEMs on Stage
Hearing Protection
Given how much sound isolation they can provide, IEMs will protect your ears from excessive loudness, including harsh frequencies caused by instruments like cymbals and crunchy guitars. IEMs can also help prevent that pesky tinnitus or at least slow down any hearing deterioration.
Personalized Mixes
If your stage mixer has enough time on their hands, they can customize a mix that's optimal for your particular monitoring needs. For example, if you're a vocalist, you might ask your mixer to boost your vocals and maybe tone down the electric guitars, or bring up certain drums parts to help with rhythm.
Clearer Sound
When there are a bunch of wedge monitors on the stage, things can start getting messy, and it becomes harder to hear all of the sound elements in your band. When you get a clean-sounding IEM, it's easier to separate the instrument parts, allowing you to hear the full arrangement more clearly and facilitating a more cohesive performance with your bandmates.
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How Should a Stage IEM Be Tuned?
Although your band's mixer may tweak the balance of your IEMs to your liking, a musician's IEM should have a well-balanced tuning. Generally, your IEMs shouldn't have too much emphasis in any particular frequency range, although many drummers and bassists prefer a little low-end depth and boost. Just like mixers and studio musicians look for an evenly balanced sound in their headphones to get an accurate picture of the track, stage musicians are better off hearing an honest presentation of the band's performance, even if the levels of their own instruments or vocals are slightly emphasized.
IEM Options for Stage Use
High-Isolation IEMs
IEMs can offer a ton of natural sound isolation. IEMs made by Shure are famous for their impressive level of sound isolation, providing between 29 and 37 dB of noise reduction, depending on the shape of your ear canals and the type of ear tips used. One of Shure's most popular models (and also the most affordable) is the Shure SE215 Pro. These extremely well-balanced earphones are renowned for their clean, accurate feedback and robust bass.
Ambient IEMs
If you want to interact with your bandmates or enjoy the thrill of the audience singing along, you may want to opt for an ambient IEM, which allows some degree of sound from the outside environment. Many established brands like Westone Audio offer IEMs with passive ambience technology. Westone's top-of-the-line AM Pro X30 delivers a super-clean, articulate, and well-separated sound signature with an impressively wide soundstage.
Are Custom IEMs Worth It?
If you're using your IEMs professionally, it may be a good idea to get them custom molded. Custom molds usually result in better sound isolation and often bring out the best sound from your IEM. Of course, getting a pair of custom-molded IEMs is easier said than done. Doing so means finding an audiologist to do impressions of your ear, then sending those impressions to an IEM company that offers custom IEM models. Are custom molds absolutely necessary? No, many musicians find that a universal fit works just fine and don't feel the need to invest extra cash in getting a mold. It also usually takes about a month for the IEM company to customize your IEMs once you've sent them your molds. So, for some, it's more headache than it's worth.
Why Are IEMs So Expensive?
The reason high-quality IEMs tend to be so expensive is because of their sophisticated driver technology. Pricier IEMs usually have more drivers inside their housing, which often helps to provide a cleaner, more comprehensive sound. For example, it's not uncommon for a high-performance IEM to house three drivers inside its housing: one for the low frequencies, one for the middle, and one for the highs. More drivers don't necessarily mean better sound, but they do tend to increase the overall cost.
Do IEMs Break Easily?
As long as you treat your IEMs well and don't blow them out with an amplifier, an IEM from a reputable brand like Shure or Westone should last you a long time. That being said, when something does go wrong, it's often the fault of the cable. Luckily, most IEM makers employ detachable cables for their products. In most cases, these cables are easily replaceable and can be easily upgraded should you want a wire that is more muscular or a higher quality.
Mackie is a great example of a brand that makes super-solid cables for its IEMs. For example, Mackie's dual-driver MP-240 in-ear headphones feature an all-around durable build that includes a super-strong cable capable of withstanding the rigors of performing on stage. The MP-240 also comes with a protective hard case, so it's ready to be tossed and dropped by hard-rocking musicians.
Final Advice
IEMs take some getting used to, which is why it's a good idea to rehearse with them before your next big performance. In particular, because drummers and bass players are more accustomed to more depth in the low frequencies, the adjust to IEMs may take some time. Similarly, vocalists may find working solely with IEMs difficult, as listening to their vocals with ample volume and detail can be disorienting. For that reason, many vocalists opt to use IEM when they perform. You will probably have to experiment to discover what works best for you, but once you do, you will likely realize that IEMs are the performance advantage you were always looking for.
For more information about the IEMs mentioned in this article, be sure to check out the detailed product page of each. Or drop us a line below, and we'll do our best to answer all of your comments and questions.
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