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Good monitor mixing, especially when the band gives up and stops asking for what they need.
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<blockquote data-quote="Tim McCulloch" data-source="post: 216554" data-attributes="member: 67"><p>Hi Lisa-</p><p></p><p>My current #1 monitor mixer person has this in the preamble speech talkback to wedges - "I can read English, Spanish, and French, but I can't read your mind. If you need less or more of something TELL ME and I'll fix it for you. If I don't know you want something I can't help you."</p><p></p><p>I got my start in the biz because someone thought I was a monitor guru. I haven't mixed a lot of monitors in years (okay, decades) but the biggest thing to help me was to walk on stage and stand next to each player/singer and listen to what they heard. Not just what came out of the wedge, but the live drum kit, the amps, the other wedges; I needed to hear the mix in the same context the player was in. ONE 30 minute soundcheck forever altered my way of dealing with performers. The iPad/'Droid tablet remote control took it to another level.</p><p></p><p>{quick story} Had a 2014/2015 gig with the now-late drummer of Husker Du, Grant Hart, and it was clear that his wedge was loud enough but he didn't like it. I grabbed the tablet and made my way to the stage and stood next to him. "That sounds like shit", I said and made several alterations and watched his expression change with each one. Then I went to each player and did a quick check with them. and returned to FOH. {/quick story}</p><p></p><p>My other lesson on IEMs - so many variables, especially the IEMs themselves, then the RF link audio quality, and for singers, the occlusion effect. Headphones are not a substitute for 'in your ear' transducers and the vast array of THOSE... well, it's not realistic to own a pair of everything that might find its way into your venue. I'll leave suggestions for what you should own to others with more current experience. Occlusion is a problem because if you aren't the singer, you can't hear it. It's from the differences in the speed of sound between air and bone conductivity, and the resulting filter those create. The singer's mix that lacks low-mids and has accentuated mid-highs may well be compensated for the occlusion effect.</p><p></p><p>I mixed a contemporary country act IEMs from FOH, for a one off gig at a songwriting festival. The differences in what each player wanted were significant. When things were going well I'd solo the IEM mixes in my headphones and, well... nobody was asking for changes so I let them be. After the set I polled the band and everyone reported happiness with their mixes. We played a 2nd set without touching a mix, so I ended up believing them. Moral of this story - I may not like the way something sounds or is represented in someone else's mix, but I don't have to listen to it. If they're happy, I'm happy.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Tim McCulloch, post: 216554, member: 67"] Hi Lisa- My current #1 monitor mixer person has this in the preamble speech talkback to wedges - "I can read English, Spanish, and French, but I can't read your mind. If you need less or more of something TELL ME and I'll fix it for you. If I don't know you want something I can't help you." I got my start in the biz because someone thought I was a monitor guru. I haven't mixed a lot of monitors in years (okay, decades) but the biggest thing to help me was to walk on stage and stand next to each player/singer and listen to what they heard. Not just what came out of the wedge, but the live drum kit, the amps, the other wedges; I needed to hear the mix in the same context the player was in. ONE 30 minute soundcheck forever altered my way of dealing with performers. The iPad/'Droid tablet remote control took it to another level. {quick story} Had a 2014/2015 gig with the now-late drummer of Husker Du, Grant Hart, and it was clear that his wedge was loud enough but he didn't like it. I grabbed the tablet and made my way to the stage and stood next to him. "That sounds like shit", I said and made several alterations and watched his expression change with each one. Then I went to each player and did a quick check with them. and returned to FOH. {/quick story} My other lesson on IEMs - so many variables, especially the IEMs themselves, then the RF link audio quality, and for singers, the occlusion effect. Headphones are not a substitute for 'in your ear' transducers and the vast array of THOSE... well, it's not realistic to own a pair of everything that might find its way into your venue. I'll leave suggestions for what you should own to others with more current experience. Occlusion is a problem because if you aren't the singer, you can't hear it. It's from the differences in the speed of sound between air and bone conductivity, and the resulting filter those create. The singer's mix that lacks low-mids and has accentuated mid-highs may well be compensated for the occlusion effect. I mixed a contemporary country act IEMs from FOH, for a one off gig at a songwriting festival. The differences in what each player wanted were significant. When things were going well I'd solo the IEM mixes in my headphones and, well... nobody was asking for changes so I let them be. After the set I polled the band and everyone reported happiness with their mixes. We played a 2nd set without touching a mix, so I ended up believing them. Moral of this story - I may not like the way something sounds or is represented in someone else's mix, but I don't have to listen to it. If they're happy, I'm happy. [/QUOTE]
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Good monitor mixing, especially when the band gives up and stops asking for what they need.
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