Getting the Most Out of Your In-Ear Monitors

Performers and engineers have touted the benefits of in-ear monitoring (IEM) for decades. This guide focuses on maximizing the effectiveness of these devices. I include some best practices. I also list accessories and added components that can enhance your personal mixes and make you aware of how best to protect your hearing and well-being. Last but not least, these tips will help you perform better.

In 2002, while working as the market development manager for Shure, I was tasked with educating different market segments on applications for our products, including IEMs. The worship market was then, and remains, one of the largest segments requiring attention, as the people operating sound in most churches are volunteers and not professional sound technicians.

As a worship leader, musician and tech, I soon found that much of my time was spent helping volunteers learn the basics of sound production and best practices. At that time, IEMs were not new — they’d been around since the late 1970s — however, personal monitoring was a foreign concept to most church worship teams because they didn’t understand the “why.” I wanted to show them the why and help them realize all the benefits IEMs could offer.

I first needed to find out how many houses of worship used IEMs. So, during the audio classes I taught, I asked who used them; I rarely saw more than one or two hands raised. Today, it’s a vastly different story. The numbers have flipped, and many more churches use IEMs for their worship bands. However, it seems that a love-hate relationship exists between worship and tech teams struggling to find the benefit for everyone within the team and band.

To download the complete “Getting the Most Out of Your In-Ear Monitors” guide by Doug Gould, which includes insights on getting started, creating your own monitor mix, mono vs. stereo and listening safety, you can register at Yamaha.io/WLMOCT.

To further explore the Yamaha product lineup, head over to Yamaha.io/WLMHOW.

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