# The "Perfect" Monitor Mix



## PepAX7 (Mar 11, 2008)

OK, I'm a guitar player. I've got a rack to kill for! I've got clean gtr sounds, I've got chorus delayed gtr sounds, I've got phased/flanged gtr sounds, I've got classic amp simulation/distortion gtr sounds, I've got it all. I'm not using a guitar amp. Straight into the board. I try to normalize my patch volume so I'm not stomping too loud.

I'm on stage with a drummer, bass player, keyboardist w/synth too, acoustic guitarist, saxophone, and six vocalist. I also sing.

Give me that perfect monitor mix (floor monitor) where I can hear my guitar upfront, my vocals upfront, and yet still hear the rest of the band to keep time with.

Is there a rule of thumb for mix board settings? Better yet, what are the settings for my cohorts who don't want me to be the loudest. Assuming that 0db gain is at midway pot (12 o'clock), what are my settings and their settings? Rule of thumb.


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## spacedout (Dec 17, 2007)

It all depends... 

For staying in time, the drums and bass are obviously the essential ones, along with the lead singer. But, in smaller venues/stages, you may not need d&b in your monitors at all, if their volume on stage is loud enough... so I'd start without them at all if possible, and then add them if necessary (speaking from small, wedding-sized gig experience only here). That leaves lead vox, your vox and guitar. For the rest, depends really on the material. Do you need to hear the other guitar clearly, or just a general idea of what's going on? Is the keys player just doing background pads, or something more upfront? How important is the sax in the grand scheme of things (that's as in specific to your set, not in general :R)? Other vocalists - will they confuse you?

Those are the variables I'd be considering - my general principle is to only have in the monitors what's really needed, because that keeps the onstage volume down as much as possible, which gives more headroom before shrieking feedback ensues :yikes:

My $0.02


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## immortalgropher (Feb 16, 2010)

Keep all gains between -7 and -3, slide vocals up first, then guitar. If you're the star of the show you gotta be able to hear yourself obviously, but with 6 other vocalists... they can be put in a group or matrix and sent to your mix, all 6 mics.

If you need more of something in the monitors, add it. it sometimes takes just a tiny touch to achieve the balance you need. Kinda hard to do without actually being there lol.


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

In ear monitors really help with this and can really be the "make it or break it" scenario. Stage volume can really make it hard to hear everything you want without having to blast the volume from your wedge monitor. 
But if a wedge monitor is all you have then making sure that you have your own independent mix is crucial or at the very least the same mix as the vocalists with drums and keys.


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## Soundguy1 (Dec 3, 2008)

PepAX7 said:


> Give me that perfect monitor mix (floor monitor) where I can hear my guitar upfront, my vocals upfront, and yet still hear the rest of the band to keep time with.


One thing that will help is, Do you need the rest of the band to keep time with or some of the band. Cutting all but one or two instruments for pitch will clean it up a ton. Sax, keys, synth, a-gut, and 6 vocals will fight each other. I rarely put drum overheads in a monitor mix usually kick, snare, hat (IEM mix, may not be needed depending on your drummer and stage). 

If you have the budget and want to have your vocal out front, run a three monitor system. One center and two just to the side. Center monitor gets it's own mix with you and your guitar. Side monitors share a mix with the rest of the instruments. EAW microwedge is deigned to fit together in a three speaker cluster.


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## ngarjuna (Mar 29, 2010)

Musicians add huge challenges to making good monitor mixes.

The 'more me' crowd takes an instrument that's already too loud and blares it, obscuring the mix for everyone on stage;
The deaf musicians have the monitors cranked louder than the mains;
The guitar player who points his amp right at someone who doesn't necessarily need that much guitar.
The rushed band who have no time for proper sound check (but will gladly waste your afternoon asking you to show up for one, then leave you out there to watch them practice as they ignore requests for input). These are the same ones who will cry about the monitors all night usually.
The ones who insist on a recording-quality reverb layer in monitors;

Come to think of it, producing music would be a whole lot easier if it weren't for the musicians!


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

I've had it so bad once that I actually turned off the entire monitor mix for the band because they had their own amps cranked so loud that it was pointless to try to get a good mix in the house as I was already pushing 105db. The lead singer came out to the house board and asked me why I was being so difficult. I then un-muted the monitors and muted the mains while the band played for him to hear and his face dropped. He immediately went back to the band and insisted they turn their amps down by half and the rest of the evening went quit well.


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## Wayne A. Pflughaupt (Apr 13, 2006)

PepAX7 said:


> Is there a rule of thumb for mix board settings? Better yet, what are the settings for my cohorts who don't want me to be the loudest. Assuming that 0db gain is at midway pot (12 o'clock), what are my settings and their settings? Rule of thumb.


I think most musicians will prefer a monitor mix that has them a bit louder than everything else in the mix. Naturally, that can be hard to obtain if you’re sharing a monitor mix. Soundguy 1’s point that there is probably no need for everything on the stage to be in every mix is excellent. Myself, I all need is the lead vocal and the primary instrument driving the chord changes.

Regards,
Wayne


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## PepAX7 (Mar 11, 2008)

Tony,

Had the same problem and yes, it is amazing the level that people will accept on stage! I've also done FOH where all your doing is pushing the vocals along. Everything else is just way too loud. 

What about in-ear monitors with the Aviom system. Anyone have first hand experience using them?


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

PepAX7 said:


> What about in-ear monitors with the Aviom system. Anyone have first hand experience using them?


This is all we use at our church with the exception of the Worship team background vocals they have a wedge monitor. 
This has reduced all the complaints we have from the elderly. Our drums are even a top of the line digital kit using real crash and cymbals with triggers. We installed a butcicker under the drummers seat and the bass guitar.


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