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Possible to use HD 500 headphone input as ear monitor while playing live?


jbenge08
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I original posted this under the X3 Live topics but I guess it would also apply to the HD 500...

 

 

I was curious if there's any issue(s) with using the headphone input as an in ear monitor while playing live? I was playing in a church setting last night and I tried it. I didn't have any issues but just wanted to know if there are settings for this or if there could be issues using the X3 Live like this? 

 

The XLR output was taking my signal to the house. I did have a wedge monitor that was basically the singers mix that had mostly vocals and acoustic. To help the tech guy out, and needing more of me in the monitor, I plugged in my headphones. Using earbuds I was able to leave one ear in and the other ear free to pick up the stage volume and the drummer. Seemed to work but was just curious if anyone uses this set up as an option? If this is an options, are there separate volume levels to increase headphone levels without increasing the level to the house? I just put my master volume level around 1-2 o'clock position and that was enough to get what I needed in the ear and the sound man mixed me in with the band on his end.

 

Thanks
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Thank you Brazzy. Yeah it seemed to work fine and it might be something that I may do more if needed. Just wasn't sure if there are proper settings for this or if this could somehow send a wrong signal path. Example: canceling out the signal to the soundboard and only sending it to the headphones. Which is something I wouldn't want in a live setting. 

 

Thank you

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Thank you Brazzy. Yeah it seemed to work fine and it might be something that I may do more if needed. Just wasn't sure if there are proper settings for this or if this could somehow send a wrong signal path. Example: canceling out the signal to the soundboard and only sending it to the headphones. Which is something I wouldn't want in a live setting. 

 

Thank you

 

Your Welcome jbenge08. I understand your concern with issues while performing live. Maybe someone else who actually does this can chime in. I would think if your doing it and experience is showing you it's working you would be fine. "Experience is the Ultimate Knowledge"

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I've never been comfortable with the whole "silent stage" approach of going direct in to the board and listening through a monitor or in ear monitors.  I'm just too old school when it comes to balancing and mixing with the rest of the instruments and vocals on stage.  That's why I opted to have my own FRFR monitor on stage and send my output to the board and to my monitor simultaneously.  It allows the sound man to adjust my volume for the audience blend while still giving me and the rest of band the capability to manage our stage blend.  I just makes things easier for both the musicians as well as the sound man.  In fact we do the same thing with the electronic drums sending a direct signal to the board and simultaneously feeding it to the drummer's dedicated monitor.

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Thanks for all the input. In this situation we had monitors. I typically feel rushed during sound check in general and in this case some of the players that I was playing with had play at different dynamics during sound check. So I got lost in the monitor mix.

 

In this particular situation I had had a pair of earbuds and I had put one ear in and left the other ear to hear the onstage mix from the monitors as well as stage volume. Which worked. I don't always use the X3 Live. Usually it's just the M13 with my Vox Night Train Combo so no need for ear monitors there, which I tend to prefer as well. Overall I was just curious if there would be a loss of signal to the sound board or worse, damage to the unit itself? 

 

Thanks again everyone.

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I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you're getting lost in the monitor mix you most likely getting lost in the FOH mix as well.  It's nice that you'll be able to hear yourself onstage through the headphones, but it would be pointless since no one else will probably hear you anyway.

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True True DunedinDragon, that very well could be the case. At that point it's out of my hands. I just want to make sure I just hold up to my responsibility in the band and play the right notes at the right time. 

 

Thanks again for the insight and to everyone else.

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...Using earbuds I was able to leave one ear in and the other ear free to pick up the stage volume and the drummer...

 

Do. NOT. ever. do. this. Something called "masking" happens. You will destroy your hearing without even realizing it.

 

http://www.1964ears.com/blog/2014/07/07/the-danger-of-wearing-only-one-in-ear-monitor/

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Man that's something serious, glad you mentioned it. I would've never even thought possible. Thanks!

 

There's no way you'd guess! Right? IEMs ought to come with a bright yellow warning sticker imho.

 

Now... however... if you are disciplined to the point that you can set your level, then take one out, and not touch your level, you will be fine, but you will not hear well. IMHO, you are way better off learning to deal with IEMs. Recently, I tried to go back to a floor monitor for just one service. I. couldn't. stand. it. Now that I know how to work with IEMs I don't want to fly any other way. seriously.

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