Re: Anyone Out There Using In-Ear Monitors?
I don't know if it works for you, but IEM ruin the show for me, for sure. You totally depend on a proper monitor mix and if somethig goes wrong with it during the show - BANG! You're dead.
Back in time when I started playing music, after my first loud band rehearsal I suffered a temporary decrease of hearing (there's still a deaf "spot" between 12300 and 12400 KHz, below and above my ears are pretty sharp). As it turned out, I'm extremely sensitive of high volume levels. I had no choice but using military grade earplugs to protect my hearing. First it was muffled and uncomfortable but I got used to it and since that I've been playing all my gigs with the earlpugs in. That was 20 years ago. During that time I played metal, with beast-grade drummers who slay the snare with 100dB hits. During that time sometiemes I played in places where most people wouldn't even dare to crap in, many times with no controls at all, no proper PA and sometimes no anything. I had my cranked stack behind and 100dB snare hits - and people waiting for a show. I got used to it and realised that playing a good show and going mad onstage has nothing to do with my hi-fi enjoyment. Later when I started singing I realised that using earplugs can be a blessing because that means total independence from all the usually incompetent monitor techies and I can sing in the key and rhythm folowing my cranked amp and them snare hits. Times changed and we started to play in bigger places, with decent to good equipment. Way back I could perform well in dirt so I felt no need for a change. Up to this very day, I ask for only snare, kick, some bass and "NO MY VOCALS, PLZ" in my monitor

If the house has enough power do deal with my 2x50W rig, it stands behind. If it screams over the PA, I put it on the side.
As a co-writer of 2 songs of her new album, last summer I joinded Anges Vanilla on her yearly show in Palace of Arts, BP. 32 guys onstage: half an orchestra, male choir, four guitarists, sampler crew, Steinway piano, a roll of synths and who knows what. The producer wanted an as silent stage as possible ("classical musicians of the band would lose their playing comfort and hearing blah blah") so we were supposed to use the otherwise great IEM system of the house. I thought I'll give a try. During the monitor check it was artificial and uncomfortable but otherwise okay.
By the time of the show, something changed. Maybe some interference, a battery, maybe a sudden coffee pot on my dedicated AUX channel mix, I don't know but the mix was a bad joke. On the run of the strictly composed show of 32 guys and no pause between the songs, there was just no way to fix it. I had to deal and fight with that mess. There was no way of the required communication to make an another monitor mix for me. Then, there was a nice part when I supposed to play along with an acoustic guitar. The guy stood on the other side of the stage. I realised that key elements disappeared from my mix, for example acoustic guitar. I removed my IEM, but still heard nothing at all, not even myself properly. Silent stage, the acoustic guitar guy is far away, my cab is miles behind and no traditional monitors around, at least not around me... So instead of the tasty bluesy solo I was supposed to play, probably I did some off-the-rhythm, uncertain, slow abusive funky waka-chica in the key of Z-major whatever. That was terrible. My performance was destroyed.
There was an another show with the same big band in October. The producer forced that silent stage idea again. I said no refined mumbo jumbo this time, I'll set my rig the way I want and the only way of survival of the orchestra guys sitting before my cab and cranking back the volume pot on my amp is to put my guitar and snare in my monitor, loud. On my part, I stormed the stage this time with confidence. :firedevil
I realised that during all my life I played dirty music in dirty places for MoFos like myself the dirty way only so I should keep that way and use the methods that work for me.