How to switch your band to in-ear monitors (wired, wireless and what it costs)

The singer can't hear herself, so she asks for more vocal in the wedge. The wedge starts feeding back, so the engineer pulls it down. The guitarist turns up to hear himself over the drums, and now the whole stage is louder than the PA. That loop is why so many bands switch to in-ear monitors. Done right, in-ear monitors for bands cut stage volume, save your hearing and give every player their own mix. Done wrong, they make the band feel like four people playing in four separate rooms.

The reason the switch trips bands up is that in-ears aren't one purchase. It's earphones for every player, a way to get each player a mix, and a new habit of building those mixes. Most bands buy the earphones first and figure out the rest at the gig. Work through it in order instead.

Pick a Way to Send Each Player a Mix

Before anyone buys earphones, decide how the mixes get to them. There are three common setups, and plenty of bands mix them.

• Headphone or aux outs from your mixer. If the band already runs a digital mixer, its aux sends can feed each player a separate mix, often adjusted from a phone or tablet. Cheapest way to start if you already own the board.
• A wired personal monitor system. Each player gets a small mixer at their spot and dials their own mix. The Behringer P16 system, for example, runs personal mixers off one input module over ordinary CAT5e cable, with up to six mixers on one module and up to 16 sources in each mix.
• Wireless packs. A transmitter sends the mix to a bodypack receiver on the player's belt. It frees up the people who move, but it costs more per player and means managing radio frequencies at every venue.

The common split: wired for the drummer, keys and anyone who doesn't leave their spot, wireless for the singer and the guitarist who roams. Wired never drops out and there's nothing to coordinate.

Universal vs Custom In-Ear Monitors

Earphones come in two kinds. Universal-fit models use foam or silicone tips and commonly run about $100 to $400 and up off the shelf. Custom-molded ones are built from impressions of your ears and run about $150 to well over $1,000.

The big advantage of customs is fit and seal, not better sound. Plenty of working players start on a universal pair around $200, learn what they like, and only then spend on customs. That's the right order for a band trying in-ears for the first time. Spend ten minutes trying every tip size in the box: a bad seal makes the low end disappear and tempts you to crank the volume, which defeats the point.

Build Mixes That Don't Isolate You

The first in-ear gig often feels strange because you hear exactly what's in the mix and nothing else. Build each mix on purpose.

• Start with yourself and the lead vocal. Then add kick and bass for time. That's the core for most players.
• Add only what you need. A drummer usually wants bass, vocal and any click or tracks. A singer wants their own voice on top, the keys or guitar for pitch, and a little kick.
• Add the room. One or two mics pointed at the crowd, mixed in low, bring back the sound of the room and the audience so you don't feel cut off between songs.
• Keep it quiet. Set the level lower than feels natural. The whole reason for in-ears is protecting your ears, and a sealed earphone at full volume can do the opposite.

Rehearse on In-Ears Before the Gig

Never debut in-ears at a show. Run at least a few full rehearsals on them, save each player's mix as a scene or preset, and agree who controls what. Players with personal mixers can tweak their own; players on aux sends need one person in charge of the board so mixes don't get changed mid-song.

Bring the setup into soundcheck the same way. Tell the engineer you're on in-ears, what each player needs, and whether you're running your own monitor rig or need their monitor sends. Our guide to soundchecking as a band covers how to ask for monitor changes fast, and the guide to choosing a PA system for your band covers mixers with enough sends to run it.

Switch Gradually and Buy Smart

The whole band doesn't have to switch at once. Drummers and singers usually get the most out of it first: the drummer because the stage is loudest at the kit, the singer because pitch is everything. Keep a wedge on stage for anyone who isn't ready yet, and keep it low.

Monitor gear holds its value and turns up used often, from personal mixers to wireless packs. Test anything used for dropouts, crackle and battery life before you pay. If the setup gets bigger than the band can run while playing, our guide to finding a live sound engineer covers bringing in someone to run monitors.

Using Bandry for this

The Market board on Bandry is where musicians sell, buy and trade gear, in-ear earphones, personal mixers and wireless packs included, with photos on every listing so you can see the condition before you meet up. When a listing fits, tap 🔗 and the seller gets your contact so you can sort out a time to test it. Browse what's listed on the music gear marketplace.