In-ear Monitor

frigiliana

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Does any members use one of these within a group set-up , i've been thinking of getting one to help with hearing the solos i've been asked to play within our group? at the moment i can't hear myself above the rest of the players.
This is the sort of thing i was considering .
https://www.gear4music.com/PA-DJ-an...hBSfx3t_yDEhcp_QzuFvzEeR97qpUqOsaAtuxEALw_wcB

Might look into getting one of these personal monitors https://www.andertons.co.uk/studiomaster-livesys5-150w-personal-monitor-speaker-(each)-livesys5
 
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Unless you are hard of hearing or just really need yourself extra loud, it sounds to me like you've got a bigger problem. In-ears are most often used for drummers. Usually because by the time they could hear the rest of the band from a monitor speaker over their drums they'd be well on the way to destroying their hearing. Of course, big touring acts often use in-ears for the whole band, but it's a luxury that 99% of the gigging world doesn't know or need.

What is your set up like? Unless you are intentionally being stuffed in the corner there's no reason you shouldn't be able to hear yourself. Either you should come up in the mix or position yourself better so you can be closer to a monitor or amp. If you're playing with a drummer or an electric guitarist you might just have to be the reality-check guy and tell them to turn down. A disproportionately loud musician can ruin things for EVERYBODY. It's stunning how much focus the music can gain by one loud player turning down.
 
Thanks Hippie Guy for you advise , i normally play with about 15 other ukulele players up to 10 of us go through a mixing desk together with the singers who are miked , of late i've been doing some soloing (instrumental breaks) , i'm on the back row with my Godin Multiuke which i connect to a Fishman Loudbox mini and take an XLR from that to the mixing desk then out to the PA .
The front row are nearest to the monitors if we have enough room to use monitors which isn't always possible in small venues .
I sort of use my Fishman as my monitor but i have to turn it up and i am constantly getting feedback i think thats the term which distracting for me and anybody near me , so thought the in-ear monitor would solve the problem .
We use two these at each side of the group .
https://www.djanddiscostuff.com/sou...em-with-mixer-and-bluetooth-bags-bundle-p3483
 
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That's a decent rig. The Fishman should be more than plenty for what you're trying to do - provided you fix the feedback problem. Any chance you could bring it up closer to ear-level? At least set the front on something to angle it up so the sound is going from the speaker to your ears in a straight line.

I feel like the volume you're probably at shouldn't really be causing feedback with the Godin. Where do you have the gain set on the amp? The higher it is, the more prone you are to feedback. Better to have the master volume higher than the gain as a very loose, general rule (especially it seems on that amp, which I have). Have you played with the EQ? Try pulling back the bass (possibly the mids too - experiment) on either the uke or your amp. Also try activating the phase switch. That might fix the problem all by itself.

Worst case scenario you could get a preamp with some more precise EQ controls or a notch filter. If I were you I'd be happier putting my money towards solving the feedback problem and getting my amp a little louder than having in-ears in your situation. Being isolated from the room sound kind of sucks, IMO.
 
Thanks , appreciate your feedback , i've tried a few of the things you've recommended but you can imagine how loud i need it to hear myself over the rest of the players and singers , i will try dropping the gain though and turn up the volume see how that works , we tend to be very squashed on stage with the mike stands and we all have music stands as we can play up to 25 songs and i personally can't remember all the chord changes so you can imagine how cluttered it is .
 
The alternative to you being louder is everyone else being quieter... If you soundcheck each player strumming their uke one at a time and get the levels right, it's going to be super loud once all ten are strumming the same thing together. Same for the singers. Depending on your soundman (good or bad, they can be testy when you make suggestions to them) maybe some of the repeat parts can come down in the mix. "The music was too quiet" is not something that you hear very often, but it's always better than "too loud." Good luck!
 
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Brad knows his stuff and has given you great advise. Something came to mind when he mentioned using a pre amp to control your feedback the LR Baggs Venue DI. It will definitely solve your feedback problem and there is a boost button to increase volume for soloing. They are expensive but a long term investment that is really worth it for shaping your sound. Or you get a lesser expensive pre amp with knotch filter and a seperate boost pedal, just a thought
 
Brilliant thanks DownUpDave, i've got one of these that i use for performances it's a Digitech stomp box RP360 , i usually play about with the Compressors and Overdrives to get the sound i want . There doesn't seem to be any enthusiasm within our group as to me buying an in ear monitor so i was looking on the net for a small maybe mike stand mounted mini monitor. I struggling to put into words what i'm trying to do it's not as much that i want to hear myself (although that would help ) it's more of being able to hear what going out to the audience , sorry if i'm a bit obscure.

https://digitech.com/en/products/rp360
 
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All good advice above, but one thing not mentioned unless I missed it...

IIRC, on the Fishman Loudbox amps, in the tone stack (eq section) is there not a midrange control as well as a frequency sweep for that midrange control? If so, using this as a notch filter can help reduce or eliminate feedback.

You will need to experiment a bit with all knobs at 12-o'clock position, and use the frequency sweep to find the spot where it will feedback, and then you TURN DOWN the midrange control, which lowers that specific frequency.

Conversely, with your Digitech pedal, you can do the same thing with a graphic eq, or even a parametric eq if the pedal does not have a 'feedback control' effect in the box.

having said the above, I am surprised tha tyou are getting feedback with the Godin MultiUke, and this likely has a rood cause in the physical position of your amp related to your MultiUke, in that if you are getting feedback with the amp behind you, try placing it in front of you, and as brad said, tilted way back so the speaker is aimed at your head, which is where the sound will be projected, instead of in a linear plane parallel to the floor. if you aim it towards your head, you need less volume for YOU to hear it.

Sometimes, it is necessary to combine ALL of the above techniques to get rid of feedback, but you will need to experiment to find the right combo.

Further the LR Baggs preamps all have a specific 'notch filter' control built-in, but this is a high price to pay for one single feature which it's function can be replicated with the equipment that you already own.
 
Also, to mention, one could use one of these:

Galaxy Audio Powered Micro Spot MSPA5
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MicroSpotPwr

or one of these:

Roland Mobile Cube
http://www.gotaukulele.com/2014/08/ukulele-amplification-roland-mobile.html

mounted to a (secondary?) mic stand and at a height closer to ear level, taking a line-out from your main amp (which now needs a lower volume), and one of these need not be too loud since it is actually going to be closer to your head and ears...

Both of which will allow freedom of movement, as well as options for positioning (in case of the need to mitigate feedback)....
 
Thanks Booli, that Galaxy you linked to is something i've been considering , to give you an idea of our gigs i don't sing (if you heard me you'd now why) so i'm on the back row of up to 18 players consequently myself and the bass uke player who also has an amp are pushed up against a wall or curtain so we have no room behind us and a row of players in front, hence my search for a way to hear my solo's and riffs within the context of the songs .

Regarding EQ i'm completely lost as i have EQ on my Godin also on the Digitech (if i use the amp modeller) and EQ on the Fishman .
 
Looks like you can get the most precise control on the Digitech so I would start there. Set the EQ flat on your amp and uke. Like Booli said, boost the LOW LEVEL a bit on the Digi EQ and then sweep the LOW FREQ until your feedback goes crazy (you want to find where it's living before you try and get rid of it - otherwise you might completely miss the right frequency). Then turn the LOW LEVEL down until the feedback is manageable. Odds are the feedback range is going to be somewhere in the 180-300hz spectrum. But each uke is different.
 
Thanks Hippie Guy & Booli appreciate your expert advise , will have a play tomorrow .
 
Looks like you can get the most precise control on the Digitech so I would start there. Set the EQ flat on your amp and uke. Like Booli said, boost the LOW LEVEL a bit on the Digi EQ and then sweep the LOW FREQ until your feedback goes crazy (you want to find where it's living before you try and get rid of it - otherwise you might completely miss the right frequency). Then turn the LOW LEVEL down until the feedback is manageable. Odds are the feedback range is going to be somewhere in the 180-300hz spectrum. But each uke is different.

I completely agree with this Brad. I was searching for articles to explain, or videos to demo how to do this kind of thing, but everything I came up with was highly technical and/or involved calculus equations with lots of charts and graphs that made even my patience exhausted from way too much detail, even for me.

RANE has lots of great technical articles about audio on their site. Most of it aimed towards either designers of gear or those doing this 'work', in the trenches for their daily bread.

Further, Brad, the way you've described this method here is excellent and better than I could have said it myself.

In my mind, I am trying to distill from the encyclopedic explanation, and for me, that is sometimes very difficult to do, since my head is usually in that space, and I'm not always able to explain it for folks new to this.

I've got 'notch filter', 'reverse-bandpass filter' and things like 'Q' and 'Q-curves' going on my head, which interferes with me being able to explain without lots of visual aids and audio demos.

Sometimes I feel like 'I've seen to much' and that has poisoned me for being able to speak about certain topics with others in a succinct and concise manner, so I am grateful that you have said it the way you did. Kudos brother!

Thanks Hippie Guy & Booli appreciate your expert advise , will have a play tomorrow .

Sure thing. Please report back and let us know how you make out.
 
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