Fighting Stage Noise

Hello All!

I wanted to talk a little today about stage noise and in ear monitors, why they are important, who should use them, and the dangers involved.

In my opinion, stage noise should be reduced as much as possible all the time... What do I mean by this?  I mean that if you can find a way to lower the amount of sound coming from the stage, assuming the talent is quality, your overall sound should be better.

A couple of ways to do this...

1) Get in ear monitors... They cut several dB of sound coming from your stage via wedge monitors, and could eliminate several issues regarding frequency cancellation, phasing issues, and help in eliminating feedback.

2) Either move your guitar amps off stage in isolation cabinets, or play through a pre-amp and monitor through your in ears...

3) If your drummer will do it, play with an electric kit. (This is better when you have multiple drummers such as in a volunteer band at a church)

***Note... This does not matter as much on a large stage where the main level is much greater than the level on stage, but still is a good idea.***

Why They Are Important:

The idea of eliminating stage noise should be important because your front of house engineer has to battle your stage sound with the main mix for the entire performance.

A friend of mine used to run sound at a bar, and would consistently get complaints that the electric guitar or the drums were to loud... He would tell them that the loud instrument was not even coming through the mains and there was nothing he could do... Unfortunately, often times this makes the engineer look bad when in reality it is the band causing the issue because the guitarist needs to 'feel' his sound. (I can make fun of guitarists because I am one...LOL)

The other issue would be, as mentioned earlier, the possibility of creating frequency cancellation. unintended phasing of your sound, or feedback.  This can cause you not get the sound you are looking for in a mix easily.  There are ways to do this, but it can get difficult.

By getting rid of wedge monitors, you can potentially get rid of several dB allowing your main mix to become much greater than your stage noise allowing your front of house engineer to have a much easier time during the performance.

In my next post, I am going to explain frequency cancellation, and other aspects that cause the sound to be degraded.

Who Should Use Them:

It seems that most believe that only bands that have huge recording contracts, or mega churches are supposed to use technology such as in ear monitors.  This could not be further from the truth.  In ear monitors are actually probably better suited to small venues due to the stage volume issue.

There also seems to be this idea that in ear monitors have to be wireless... as it turns out, there are several options that allow you to have a simple wired setup for very minimal cost!

Dangers Involved:

People often times associate in ear monitors with hearing conservation... This is and isn't true... With proper management, in ear monitors can be very beneficial to maintaining your hearing.  However if played to loud in your ear, you will suffer sever damage to your hearing...

There are however a couple ways you could help yourself.

1) Get a quality pair of in ears.  You can either get a custom set made by a certified company with ear molds done by an audiologist, or you can get a quality set from Shure or another similar company... Do Not use iPod buds or something similar.  You want the isolation provided by a quality set of in ears so you can set your monitors at a relatively low level!

2) Learn how to play at a lower level... It takes a little while to get used to it, but it is well worth saving your hearing.

There is often also a feeling of isolation for people when the first start using them.  When you first start out, this is true.  You can quickly get used to the feeling and will soon appreciate the ability you have to hear!  If you are really passionate about feeling like you are a part of the room, put up a few microphones to capture the audience and run them back through your in ears.

I hope this helps a little!

Thanks!

Tom Noble