I promised a recap/review of my IEM from a rehearsal.
I ran my usual Eden rig...
then took a line out from the headphone out on the amp...to the Alesis iMultiMix8-USB 8 channel mixer.
From the mixer, I ran the headphone out into my Alien Ears.
First impression was wow, very quiet. The seal with IEMs is fantastic. Totally blocked all normal volume sound.
When the band kicked up, I was able to hear the drums and vocals (acoustic drums and vocals run thru a small PA). The rhythm guitar was totally mute and the lead guitar was a quiet background volume.
I originally had the bass too loud in my ears and there was some distortion. Through trial and error, I found a sweet spot of bass volume where my bass sat front and center in my ears with the rest of the band present but not overpowering.
The result? At the end of a four hour rehearsal, my head wasn't ringing and there was no "worn out" feeling. The worn out feeling was a result of subjecting my ears to too loud of volume for a long period of time. It actually feels physically exhausting - at least to me.
So...total success. There is a little issue of "why is there distortion?" but I will learn, over time, what EQ settings minimize it.
The only real drawback is I can't sing when I play now. I usually sing/scream the lead vocal line - or my version of it - when I play (and no where near a microphone). In the old days, when I couldn't hear my voice because of the stage volume, I always sounded great :). My screaming was what made playing boring, repetitive songs, fun.
But with these IEM plugging my ears, any vocal sound I make is loud and very audible inside my head.
And omg, my voice sounds like three cats fighting. Or what three fighting cats would sound like if two of them were giving birth at the same time.
So, I don't sing when I play. Which means I focus on my playing more, which is a good thing.
But how many times can I play "What I Like About You" or "Mony Mony" without screaming the vocal line - and stay sane?
Time will tell.
I ran my usual Eden rig...
then took a line out from the headphone out on the amp...to the Alesis iMultiMix8-USB 8 channel mixer.
From the mixer, I ran the headphone out into my Alien Ears.
First impression was wow, very quiet. The seal with IEMs is fantastic. Totally blocked all normal volume sound.
When the band kicked up, I was able to hear the drums and vocals (acoustic drums and vocals run thru a small PA). The rhythm guitar was totally mute and the lead guitar was a quiet background volume.
I originally had the bass too loud in my ears and there was some distortion. Through trial and error, I found a sweet spot of bass volume where my bass sat front and center in my ears with the rest of the band present but not overpowering.
The result? At the end of a four hour rehearsal, my head wasn't ringing and there was no "worn out" feeling. The worn out feeling was a result of subjecting my ears to too loud of volume for a long period of time. It actually feels physically exhausting - at least to me.
So...total success. There is a little issue of "why is there distortion?" but I will learn, over time, what EQ settings minimize it.
The only real drawback is I can't sing when I play now. I usually sing/scream the lead vocal line - or my version of it - when I play (and no where near a microphone). In the old days, when I couldn't hear my voice because of the stage volume, I always sounded great :). My screaming was what made playing boring, repetitive songs, fun.
But with these IEM plugging my ears, any vocal sound I make is loud and very audible inside my head.
And omg, my voice sounds like three cats fighting. Or what three fighting cats would sound like if two of them were giving birth at the same time.
So, I don't sing when I play. Which means I focus on my playing more, which is a good thing.
But how many times can I play "What I Like About You" or "Mony Mony" without screaming the vocal line - and stay sane?
Time will tell.
