Wired For Sound

Or, more accurately, wireless for sound. I had a chance to try my in-ear monitors with an individual mix at last nights gig. Very impressed with the clarity of the sound (as long as I had the ear buds in properly) and the ability to balance the mix of what I heard. After my second request for “a bit more me in my monitors” our lead singer exasperatedly told me to take out my phone. He then set up a Wi-Fi link to the mixer so I could alter things to my hearts content from my phone. It worked like a dream, but you can’t help but wonder at how much we take that level of technology for granted. Some more fine tuning of the whole band setup is required but we’ve got three weeks until the next gig so are hoping to get all the individual transmitters rack mounted in one case by then.
The gig itself was a bit of a strange one. At a social club in the arse end of nowhere, we had been hired by a darts team who had a load of money left over at the end of the year and fancied a bit of a party! Our lead guitarist remembered playing there many years ago, when a fight broke out whilst the band was setting up. At which point, they were paid off and told to go home without playing a note, whilst the fight continued unabated. Despite an audience of mainly young (drunk) men, there was no trouble and they really seemed to enjoy themselves. At one point I vaguely remember our guitarist playing a solo whilst being carried around the room perched on someone’s shoulders - another use for wireless technology! We even got another couple of tentative bookings from the evening.
Despite initial reservations, I am now a firm convert to in-ear monitors and look forward to getting them set up exactly to my liking over the next couple of gigs. And the added bonus of having ear buds in is that I am not deafened by the drums. It was very nice to wake up this morning without the usual ringing in my ears.