docbad32
New member
Long story short, I was tired of screaming on stage to hear myself. A couple weeks ago I woke up the next day after a show and could barely talk. I play in a country/classic rock kind of band, so I should never be that horse. I decided to get some IEM's. After spending 8 straight hours on the web I took a flier on the Audio Technica M2. I couldn't find many reviews on them, but I know they make decent stuff and the price was right. This is my 2 cents on the system.
I used them at practice the first night, with the supplied earbuds. The earbuds were not complete junk, but would not hack it. The system did sound ok, but not fantastic. The next day I ordered Westone UM2 earbuds. Awesome! Took the set up to the next show. I just used a mono mix in both ears. Got a little bit of everything and a lot on me in the mix. The sound guy was slightly off, so the mix wasn't great, but it worked better than wedges. I took the system to the next practice and tweaked it. Now I can hear my vocals very good, and my guitar sounds pretty good. You probably will never get the same sound as standing next to the amp, but for my uses and skill level it is great. The only thing is that if you don't have everything miced, you will not hear a thing. Our drummer is a beast and plays LOUD. Standing two feet away I could not hear a single hit, though I could feel the kick. To solve this I just took one out and it worked great. I also do acoustic/restaurant type shows and used them there. I was blown away how good they sounded and how easy they were to setup/use. After a few more practices this system is great. Everything is clear and painless.
Now since this is mainly a guitar site I will say that I can see how some guitarist may not like these. But as a singer first, guitar player second, they are a life saver. My voice sounds better, my ears don't ring, I can hear my own playing when the lead guitar and I are playing the same riff. It really has changed the game.
If you guys want some details or have questions about the setup let me know. I know how annoying it is to try and find reviews on the interwebs. I live in a town where trying things before you buy them is impossible.
I used them at practice the first night, with the supplied earbuds. The earbuds were not complete junk, but would not hack it. The system did sound ok, but not fantastic. The next day I ordered Westone UM2 earbuds. Awesome! Took the set up to the next show. I just used a mono mix in both ears. Got a little bit of everything and a lot on me in the mix. The sound guy was slightly off, so the mix wasn't great, but it worked better than wedges. I took the system to the next practice and tweaked it. Now I can hear my vocals very good, and my guitar sounds pretty good. You probably will never get the same sound as standing next to the amp, but for my uses and skill level it is great. The only thing is that if you don't have everything miced, you will not hear a thing. Our drummer is a beast and plays LOUD. Standing two feet away I could not hear a single hit, though I could feel the kick. To solve this I just took one out and it worked great. I also do acoustic/restaurant type shows and used them there. I was blown away how good they sounded and how easy they were to setup/use. After a few more practices this system is great. Everything is clear and painless.
Now since this is mainly a guitar site I will say that I can see how some guitarist may not like these. But as a singer first, guitar player second, they are a life saver. My voice sounds better, my ears don't ring, I can hear my own playing when the lead guitar and I are playing the same riff. It really has changed the game.
If you guys want some details or have questions about the setup let me know. I know how annoying it is to try and find reviews on the interwebs. I live in a town where trying things before you buy them is impossible.
