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Author Topic: First Monitor Mixing Gig - suggestions?  (Read 4591 times)

Douglas Cyr

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First Monitor Mixing Gig - suggestions?
« on: November 30, 2021, 03:13:52 AM »

Hello,

This Friday I'll be doing my first dedicated monitor mixing job and also the biggest production I've engineered for - in an arena for a halftime show.

Luckily it's simple -
-Rapper/singer with IEMs and wedges
-DJ with side fills

Console is an M32. This is all the info I have so far and I'll definitely be gathering more as the show comes closer. It's my first time using IEMs but I've mixed monitors from FOH before.

Is there any info you guys and girls think I should have going into this? I like to be overprepared even if it is a very simple gig. I've read that in ears need a low cut as well as some added air above 10k, aswell as reverb for space. I've also heard about notching out the "pilot tone" of the RF transmission from the master EQ. If the singer is going to be moving around, whats the best technique for ringing out the monitors for a moving microphone?

Any suggestions would be great!

Thanks,
Doug
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Matt Vivlamore

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Re: First Monitor Mixing Gig - suggestions?
« Reply #1 on: November 30, 2021, 09:43:34 AM »

let the artist tell you what they want to hear.
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John Sulek

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Re: First Monitor Mixing Gig - suggestions?
« Reply #2 on: November 30, 2021, 10:28:02 AM »

Hello,

This Friday I'll be doing my first dedicated monitor mixing job and also the biggest production I've engineered for - in an arena for a halftime show.

Luckily it's simple -
-Rapper/singer with IEMs and wedges
-DJ with side fills

Console is an M32. This is all the info I have so far and I'll definitely be gathering more as the show comes closer. It's my first time using IEMs but I've mixed monitors from FOH before.

Is there any info you guys and girls think I should have going into this? I like to be overprepared even if it is a very simple gig. I've read that in ears need a low cut as well as some added air above 10k, aswell as reverb for space. I've also heard about notching out the "pilot tone" of the RF transmission from the master EQ. If the singer is going to be moving around, whats the best technique for ringing out the monitors for a moving microphone?

Any suggestions would be great!

Thanks,
Doug

Go gently with boosts above 10k with the iem. Extreme amounts of high end boost can mess with the stereo decoding of the rf signal.
High pass is your friend to help overcome the occlusion effect (try sticking your fingers in your ears while talking) without resorting to brute force volume.
Try not to make any sudden jarring changes in the iem mix. This helps with the trust factor.
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Chris Hindle

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Re: First Monitor Mixing Gig - suggestions?
« Reply #3 on: November 30, 2021, 12:41:19 PM »

let the artist tell you what they need to hear.

OK, fixed it....
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Jeff Bankston

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Re: First Monitor Mixing Gig - suggestions?
« Reply #4 on: November 30, 2021, 02:40:10 PM »

Ian Gillan of Deep Purple wants everything louder than everything else
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Steve-White

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Re: First Monitor Mixing Gig - suggestions?
« Reply #5 on: November 30, 2021, 03:15:51 PM »

Ian Gillan of Deep Purple wants everything louder than everything else

.....and all of that louder than the mains.  Been there, done that - stage volume higher than FOH.
« Last Edit: November 30, 2021, 05:25:44 PM by Steve-White »
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Douglas Cyr

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Re: First Monitor Mixing Gig - suggestions?
« Reply #6 on: November 30, 2021, 03:16:26 PM »

Go gently with boosts above 10k with the iem. Extreme amounts of high end boost can mess with the stereo decoding of the rf signal.
High pass is your friend to help overcome the occlusion effect (try sticking your fingers in your ears while talking) without resorting to brute force volume.
Try not to make any sudden jarring changes in the iem mix. This helps with the trust factor.

Is this the pilot tone I've hard speak of? Is it possible to figure out what that tone is and notch it out as I've seen mentionedm
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Douglas Cyr

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Re: First Monitor Mixing Gig - suggestions?
« Reply #7 on: November 30, 2021, 03:18:19 PM »

Also are there common gain staging practices with IEMs? I'm worried about accidentally pushing too hot of a signal, do they take line level like +4dBu and then put out an appropriate volume at the reiever?
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Chris Grimshaw

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Re: First Monitor Mixing Gig - suggestions?
« Reply #8 on: November 30, 2021, 04:05:34 PM »

Push plenty of signal towards the IEMs. The talent will turn things down at their end if it's too loud.

Conversely, if you send a low level, they turn up and then either something crackles or you accidentally send a hot signal, they'll hear some very loud sounds, and will be very angry with you.

Chris
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Peter Kowalczyk

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Re: First Monitor Mixing Gig - suggestions?
« Reply #9 on: November 30, 2021, 04:26:15 PM »

Remember this:  Whatever goes wrong, it's the monitor engineer's fault. 

Feedback?  Gear on stage doesn't match the rider?  Performer forgot his IEMs?  Huge Snowstorm caused transit delays?

"So sorry, that's TOTALLY my fault."

Once I learned to accept my role as the universal scapegoat, my time in Monitor World became much more harmonious.

********

... All joking aside - having your OWN monitor, so you can hear what you're sending to the stage, makes a world of difference.  This becomes tricky with both IEMs and Wedges.  If possible, set up a cue wedge of the same model and gain structure as those on stage.  Connect it to the 'monitor' output of the console, so that it plays whatever bus is solo'd (I forget exactly how to do this on M32, but I believe it's in the 'Monitor' settings.)  Then you can use your own IEMs or headphones driven by the headphone jack of the console to supplement.  They should have separate level controls, so you can select which one to monitor.

Then, with a bus solo'd and selected, use sends-on-faders to quickly make adjustments, and hear the results in your cue wedge / cans.  I find this much faster and easier than using the Aux Bus Send encoders from each channel.

Monitor mixing, esp. in soundcheck, is where Tablet Apps really shine.  Go stand next to the performer on stage, listen to exactly what they're hearing, and adjust.

Especially for a Rapper with wedges, I'd plan to ring out the vocal mic really well.  Nothing worse than getting feedback as soon as they ask for 'more me'.   Even with IEMs, you'll want to know your wedges are stable.  Just don't go so far as to totally neuter them.

Good Luck!

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Re: First Monitor Mixing Gig - suggestions?
« Reply #9 on: November 30, 2021, 04:26:15 PM »


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