Been using these since the fall. Could say a lot but I’m just going to say GET THEM NOW. Sale that guitar you never play, unload some pedals that haven’t been on your board in a while, do what you have to do … just get them. Yes, your 6 driver IEMs will sound a little bit better, but the ability to hear the room and control how you do it is worth it. Click, buy, enjoy.
Update: these are amazing! Thank you forever, Pete Thorn and Sensaphonics! Crystal clear, no funky artifacts, adjustable via Bluetooth and the work! Running a little vocal monitor mix and line out from my amp into IEM transmitter, mixing with the ambient sound at about -12db, and rehearsal was an absolute joy! I have hearing loss, so I need to protect my hearing while still feeling the stage mix. Mission accomplished. Bravo! I can’t tell you how great it is to find a solution that WORKS. I was so excited at yesterday’s practice, and I felt so much more confident, hearing everything clearly.
Audiologist from Sensaphonics here--I'm SO happy to see your feedback! This is exactly why we designed this system--to give musicians the freedom to listen they way they want to while also keeping their ears safe :)
I recommend using a small stereo mixer along with the 3DME's. This allows you another layer of control toward achieving your own perfect IEM mix. You can loop out/through your instrument/amp/pedal board stereo D.I. into a stereo input, use a mic splitter to run your own vocal into its own channel as well as to the house, add a monitor return line from the house mixer to get everything else but your own instrument and voice, then add what you need of the room with the mics to make it sound open and natural. You can use the stereo line or headphone output of the mixer to drive the input of the 3DME, which gives you easy level control over that signal, which the 3DME pack doesn't offer. The ability to balance these primary groupings of signals is better than relying on a monitor or FOH engineer to make good adjustments to your levels all night long. Depending upon the mixer you can also do some basic 3-band EQing to of all the direct sound on each of those inputs. I've been running this kind of system using a cheap but clean Behringer XENYX802 mixer for over a year, and I couldn't be happier. The best part is that if you run your rig in stereo you can hear your own sound as if you're in the studio, even if you're not using a stereo amp onstage, especially when the monitor send from house is usually just mono. When you add in some of the ambient stereo mics at a comfortable level with just enough room sound to hear the high frequencies that get blocked out by the IEM's tight fit, but at a reasonable level (and using some custom EQ if you have high-frequency loss like I do) you'll be in audio heaven. I can actually set up right next to a heavy hitting drummer and enjoy what I'm hearing because it's at half the volume that is in the actual room.
It's not good for other instruments also.. it's a totally carp. With stage monitor we really enjoy playing and make a better music.. maybe it's good for singers
You can achieve a good sound on in ears for vocals using eq to counter the occlusion effect (there's a great video right here on TH-cam), you can try it while you save up for these monitors hehe. I did and it sounds great, you won't have to crank anything to hear yourself. I mix an extra aux out from my mixer into the headphone amp's channel aux in, game changer IMO.
I would love to try these. I started playing bass at church and I feel so isolated with inears, but these definitely aren't priced for the amateur musician. I miss my days of playing bluegrass mandolin, no inears and no click track pounding my brain.
I'm thinking that. When I'm leading worship I use cans and often push one off so I can hear the congregation. I really miss wedges and have tried various ambient headphones to get round this problem. This could be a good solution for worship.
I use the Sensaphonics ambient in ears and they are incredible!! only in ears I've ever really liked. these new ones seem to fix the few issues I had too, like going through 9v batteries pretty frequently...might need to get these I've been waiting for a new version
Wow, it's so nice to hear first hand from you about the details. So nice. That's not what you could learn from the equipment sales guy years back. Thank Pete, it's so appreciated.
I totally need these. This would save my ears. 30 years of a headphone banging in my right ear messed up my highs on my right ear. I definitely love the mic built in! I need the marketing department to hit me up :)
Man I paid a fortune for custom molded IEM w/8 drivers per side. It was so disheartening as a guitar player. I rejoiced as a singer, but all the fun of playing guitar was lost on stage. I felt like I was just going through the motions, never really feeling what I was playing. After a few years I went back to a wedge and laying up at night with my ears ringing. The ambient iem have been out for a while now. Pete, through his videos, has never led me wrong. I am all in on these! Thanks Pete!
It's such an obvious idea, but I never thought of it. I know a lot of stage setups would include mics pointed at the audience, which each musician could put in their monitor mix, but having it built into the unit is awesome. Thanks!
Pete, these look cool. I was about to ask about the ambient mics when you mentioned them. My problem was that If I was next to the drummer in a small rehearsal room, often the drummer was very loud and I could only use the in ears if I cranked them. I eventually went to the etymotic earplugs. This actually looks great.
These would be great if I were playing on a quiet stage in a large venue. But the bars and even outdoor venues we play have so much stage volume (mainly from the acoustic drums) that I couldn’t imagine dialing in any additional ambient noise. The cymbals especially just blaze into our vocal mics at the front of the stage. And me being a guitarist and singer I always have my vocal mic turned up in my mix. I’ve begged the drummer to use a shield but that seems to cause other sonic issues at times.
I think the idea is that you get molded ear pieces so that you stop getting all that "stage noise". And then you use a device like this to gently add back the amount of ambience that you want in a controlled fashion.
Correct. I have molded JH Audio in ears right now and they do great at keeping noise out. But like I said the problem is stage volume leading into multiple on stage microphones. I’m already getting so much more than just ambient noise. I would never have the need to dial in anymore. I’m actually trying to find a way to lessen the amount of ambient noise I’m getting through the use of hyper cardioid microphones and drum shields.
I feel you, mic bleed is always my concern (i sing and play bass), my mic usually picks up a bit of the audience so that's nice, but when it picks up the drums and i have some extra reverb/delay on the vocals... ughh... so I went and bought a shield for my drummer, he is fine with it as long as there's dead acoustics behind him, it does a decent job, so I'd say try to convince yours 😅
I’m fortunate to live in the Chicagoland area and for the past 25 years have trusted Sensaphonics and Dr. Michael Santucci for all things in-ear related. He and his team are great to work with!
About to order a set. Looking forward to them. My problem with ears has always been the disconnect with the crowd. These sound like the remedy to that problem. Thanks
Very cool idea. Wish the pack itself was a receiver, like say an Xvive U4, but with the ambient stuff. Take it one step further where it could be a receiver or use a house pack.
Another good video Pete. Thanks so much for everything you do. You ended this video with "what's not to like"?. Well I would like to chime in a little bit on the other side of the coin. I have had Sensaphonics in ear monitors for some years. I bought mine for well over twice what they seem to be selling for now (or at least what this version seems to be). They were, and continue to be, extremely problematic. Just about every part that you can imagine has failed. Both the inner monitor part as well as the outer microphone on each ear failed and needed to be replaced. That was extremely frustrating. Not that the company wasn't cool for a while about it but it ended up costing me money every time I had to send them back. Also, everyone should note that this system adds an additional body pack somewhere on your body. Now, you may have the "unit's" body pack as well as maybe a "Shure" body pack and, if you're a guitar player, maybe "another" body pack for your guitar wireless system, etc. Starting to look like Batman's belt! Anyway, Sensaphonics told me everything from "your ear must sweat a lot or something" to "it's difficult shoving a hi-fi stereo into your ear". Anyway, I suppose I'm sounding a little bitter but this was the most expensive musical thing I've ever purchased and I've been playing for decades. Bottom line is, when the unit was fully functional, it was great. But, it was not fully functional very much. I cleaned them religiously, bought a Zephyr unit for them, and handled them like a newborn baby... still problematic.
very cool product, can't wait to try some. Years ago (30 maybe) had some headphones that had mic's built in.. you could wear them stand infront of the amp .. and your head is the mic.. and send the mic output straight to recording.
So glad you made this video Pete, ever since you mentioned them on the classic rock show tour I've been rewinding the videos to get the name of the product etc and really wanted to hear a review from you about using them so this is very helpful. IEM is great for performing in tune but at a gig you need to experience the actual gig itself and these sound like they will deliver! Thanks again
I’ve grown so accustomed to using IEMs, I don’t know what it would be like, on stage, without them. All of us have our own personal mixers, that we each control. I basically set my guitar lvl, barely above unity for the main mix. That way I know how I’m contributing to the “feel” with rhythm, swells, and such. Then I have a 3dB volume boost, at the end of my chain, to jump up in the mix.
Audio Technica did something similar with its systems. The receiver pack had an input for a lav mic that you could combine with the monitor mix. I used it for a while and it was cool. The ASI 3DME sounds cool but I really don't have an issue with regular IEMS. I adopted them many years ago to save my ears. After getting used to it I realized IEMs were a huge advantage over the wedges. Most of the gigs I play are quiet stage so IEMs are mandatory. I'm to the point where I'm usually giggin an HX Stomp instead of taking an amp. I guess the moral of the story is it's a great time to be a musician as we have a lot of great tech that gives us choices we didn't have twenty years ago.
Loud stages and IEMs is where it's weird for me sometimes. Mine don't have great isolation so I end up either turning it too loud or hearing mostly the room, which can be terrible. What kind of gigs do you play that are quiet stages?
@@user-oy7gz5bf2h mostly cover band gigs. Ocassionally I also do fly gigs. However, I've been plqying with some artists as well who are exploring alternate venues including house/backyard gigs where the full band is in play and everyone is on IEMs. V-drums, direct processors, and IEM equals great sounding gigs even in smaller venues. What's funny is I played with an artist recently that staged a show at a private residence out near a pool. They charged a cover and made far more than they did on a previous club gig.
@@shakarocks Cool. Around here, silent stages are not that common. When I play smaller venues for private events or even clubs, we're an acoustic trio. So in a way, it's the same. The downside of a rock band direct to PA is where the sound comes from. It can really be jarring to be next to the stage and hear the band from another direction. Seen a pretty big band at a club once and you simply could not hear the guitars unless you went back towards the desk where the sound converged.
I have Sensaphonics musician's passive earplugs and they're fantastic. I need to get the right ear re-made because my ear canal has changed shape a bit and it's loose now, but they're really good. Great for going out to see a live show as well.
@petethorn - I bought some of these and love them. They completely solved my issues with traditional in ear monitors. I thought it was just my inexperience in dealing with in-ears, but after watching your video, I can see that it isn't just me having these feelings of disconnection, particularly as a guitar player. One question - where did you go for your custom molded tips? I'm using Comply barrel foamies now and they're really good, but the sweating/sealing issue is real.
I bought these on your recommendation a while ago now. They’ve been great, but I could use a deeper dive on dialing them in. I use them cut the volume and as well as bass out of the practice room, so they are a filters as well as protection. I can hear what I’m playing now
Awesome, was not aware of these. Not that I will need them anytime soon as I’m just hobbyist but if I ever make it to the big stage is good to know about this option.
I'm with you with IEMs! If the mix is bang on and E.Q.'d properly, it's fine. But most of the time, it's an uneasy compromise. Distorted tones can really sound like crap.
I have some Westone's that have an ambient port in them for this same reason. You can swap out the filters for the amount of db roll-off you need. I generally only run guitars, keys, and vocals in them and just pick up drums/bass through the ports. Works great for me.
@@PeteThorn I'm sure. I got mine like 5 years ago. Wasn't even aware of these then. Just saying I had the same problem with in-ears, but found them necessary to go to for preserving my hearing. These do seem quite fantastic in the level of control they have. May have to look into them for my next set.
These looks great. I'm currently using "custom silicone sleeves" on regular Shure in-ears (SE215/425/535 etc) after multiple versions of Ulitmate Ears and similar. I never got a good experience from the hard plastic stuff. They would slide out of my ears within a few songs. The silicone sleeves and Shure works really well for me. They stay in my ears the entire gig. But this would up the game by a few notches, Thanks for the informative video😊
I played a gig with in ear monitor for my first time the 9 of july 22 ( it was mandatory , no amp and no wedge allowed ) because of dB thresold rule in that place . I have to say that it was a bad experience 😪 because I spent all time to move back and forth my ear plug to be able to have a good balance between my own volume with my band and the "ambiance" sound ( hearing the folk + my guitar sound over the front speakers ) so ..... I understood today it can be mandatory to play gig without amps and wedges . I understood it was necessary to hear a balanced sound between ambiance and my own sound . So I am very interested to purchase by that 3DME monitoring system but looks very expensive to me 😱 Thx for that review @Pete Thorn , and Hi from Paris 🤟
Going to check these out, interesting fact which seems almost archaic now. I worked at the company that helped give birth to the in ear monitor. It was a joint project between Chris Lindop and Martin Noar. The company was based in London in the 80s and called Hardware House Sound. Martin and Chris went on to form Garwood who made the worlds first IEM system. Martin gave me a pair of the first IEMs to try out one day in the warehouse when I was about 17 and just joined the company, I can remember walking up and down the warehouse and saying the prophetic if ridiculous words “nope… These will never catch on!” Sadly they were never able to match the funding of Sennheiser and Shure and the Garwood system fell into decline but you gotta hand it to them they pretty much changed the world of music as we know it.
I wonder if they would be better for recording vocals as well.. since I like to hear some of my natural voice in the room when I sing, and yet still hear the track of course.
I was getting 3D scans in the UE booth a few days ago (NAMM23) while you were getting your impressions. I should have taken at least a moment let you know how much I enjoy your playing and channel but didn't want to interupt.
I pull the cup of one in-ear and just let the outside sound come in past the sound tube. This only works with in-ears that have removable cups. Anyway, try it you'll be surprised how liberating it is.
I solved this very early on when mixing monitors. I’d run x/y stage mics and an overhead audience mic and blend that with the mix. I never had a problem then (early 90s) or now.
Well, it’s not a problem to ANY sound engineer. It’s common practice. Good practice. Without ambience mics it’s not a live show from artist’s perspective. It’s like being in the studio with a lot of crazy dudes waving at you. Live music needs interaction. I am kind of surprised this wasn’t presented before to him.
@@carlospentes7436 and I was doing it in the 70s anytime we recorded etc, to control ambiance and how much of the audience was added to the recording. I was living and working in Nashville when ear monitors came into use, and almost immediately they wanted live stage and audience sound in their individual mixes. I specialized in mixing monitors instead of FOH cause mixing 12 + mixes was much more challenging to me than mixing FOH, though I did that also. What they are doing here with the ambient mics on the receivers we were doing from the beginning with dedicated mics. If you were using these, it seems you’d get a different “ ambient “ sound according to where you were standing onstage. Musicians and singers don’t need to take their minds off the music and crowd to fiddle with belt packs all the time, that’s the job of a good engineer. We used an x/y overhead to capture full stage and an overhead audience mic. Drummers specifically hated the in ears without the ambient mics, and many still used subs also. At one time there were drummers from 35 major acts using my drum monitor system instead of in ears. And many drummers used in ears along with my patented “Subseat”, which added a 1000 watt 18” sub aimed straight up, the drummers seat was mounted to it so he sat right on top of it, it unloaded right beneath him straight up his back. Yes , Carlos, it is common practice and it’s Not a problem to Any knowledgeable engineer. I think many smaller bands doing clubs are using in ears without adding the ambient mics and the result is what this guy was getting. With proper ambient miking, you’re not isolated from the stage or the audience. I never had this problem even in clubs. And in case they still haven’t caught it,the ambient mics don’t go through the mains or wedges,lol!! All the best, Sonny T
Also, most of these guys commenting here seem to be church and club players who are using in ears with no ambient micing, which is definitely sealing them in from the stage experience. It seems this is a first for most of them, but I’ve been doing it since the 70s, almost 50 years, so it ain’t nothin new. Sonny T
thanks Pete . Very interesting . I have all the challenges you discussed ,using traditional iems weekly . One day I will have to check these out . Right now the $800 price tag will prevent me from giving them a try . Thanks for the info though .
InEarz has a similar product, but there is no body pack. Everything is in the ear monitor and rechargeable. Price is roughly $2k for a 6 armature unit.
What a kool idea! In ears are becoming more prevalent than amps on stage it seems. I was surprised to see Crypta on their current tour with stacks and wedge monitors. So 90’s! Thanks for the tip Pete! 👍😀
Might have to give these a try. I've apparently developed some kind of allergy to materials. I get some serious reactions in my ears that last for weeks after I use them. This always makes me hesitant to spend money to invest in quality in-ears. I don't want to spend a bunch of money to find that Im sensitive to these.
Oh, I need these. Not so much for guitar playing, I can work with two mics in front of my amp and a stereo belt pack. But playing violin with In-ears is horrible. I allways mis the direct connection and throw out my left earbud.
THIS is what I have been waiting for! Exactly. I've been using the Etymotic music pro elite earplugs, but I just bought some Apple Earbuds Pro, with an ambient mode, and thought there's got to be some IEM with an ambient mix. That brought me here, and I just ordered some of these. I am looking forward to using them both as IEM and as sophisticated hearing protection.
I wish this was implemented on the pack, rather than the drivers at the ear level. Being able to retain existing expensive IEMs would be good financially and for waste.
The guitarist in me says yes, but the singer in me wonders if I will lose the clarity. When singing high notes regularly, clarity is paramount. I can't stand the sound of my guitar in my Sennheisers, but I love the vocal clarity.
Great video Pete! I was looking get this IEM and use it as an ambient mic only in order to keep the original tone as much as I can. The main reason I never used IEM is because you are at the mercy of the cabinet's mic, mic placement, quality of the mixing board, EQ and the sound guy on live performances. The 3DME seems to remove all that from the equation. How would you rate the sound accuracy using the 3DME this way and not as IEM? Any thoughts would be extremely appreciated. Thanks!
I think this product looks great, however, it's not hard to put a crowd mic or MD mic in your mix or, what about just putting one of your in-ears in then you get the both as well?
On the mono guitar thing. I’ve always run my IR send into a delay with a 30ms repeat on the right side to give me some space in my in ears. I don’t think I could deal with a pure mono guitar sound in my IEMs. But these monitors sound like a good solution as well.
Pete! This is the exact video I was hoping to find as I'm trying to find some quality IEM's but also HATE my past experiences with them because of that direct "what the mic is hearing" sound. I use an AxeFX 3 and messed around a bit with the cabinet IR settings to get more of an "in the room sound" but because it also has to go to the front of house mix, the guitar in the house had a weird room ambience to it but was an acceptable trade off. I'm on the fence between these and the Westone AM Pro 30's. The AM's are half the price of these but also passively let in room sound with a -12dB reduction. Our dB meter we've taken on stage has seen sustained 105~115 dB's so a 12 db reduction would certainly help but I'm curious how the ASI's handle actual SPL reduction from those dB's? Also, 3 body packs at that point with the ASI's so no easy way to swap guitars as my les paul and charvel have very different strap lengths.
cool stuff Pete - that sounds like it would make IEM's much more natural (rather than my one ear out approach which is pretty lame). Just FYI, the link to the product in the description is broken
I did not know about the difference silicone makes as a fit. But here's a question: how well do they function for singers? My experience as a singer/guitarist is that as your jaw moves when singing, the IEM works its way out. I even like to use IEMs during online video chats and the same problem happens. So would these silicon IEMs stay in place for people who sing and/or talk a lot as part of their performance? Thanks for the info. I am now a subscriber. Have fun on the tour.
Pete! thanks for a great informative video. A quick question(s) if I may. Can you add this system to your current IEM belt pack so you can have your individual IEM mix then add the ASI 3DME and then do an ambience final blend on the 3DME blutooth app on your phone? Or just use the 3DME system and not use any other IEM system? How did you use the 3DME system on the Rock show dates last time out?
Both! If you need to get a mix from a sound engineer, you need to jump the ASI 3DME pack into your main IEM system. This allows you to blend the ambient mics with the IEM mix. However, you can also use the ASI 3DME system as a stand alone system by listening through the ambient mics only (i.e. no sound engineer mix).
For years I had been interested and wanted to get into IEM's. But I was never able to convince other members of my band to do it, even though I pointed out all the great benefits, we already had all the speakers and power amps we needed for stage monitoring with plenty to spare should something go wrong. But a couple years ago my new band(with new members) finally got into IEM's. I used the same shpeal that I used before on multiple occasions...of course they were hesitant at first, because the cost can be ASTRONOMICAL! But I convinced them that I could build an introduction to IEM's system for under $100 each...a kind of tryout so they could better determine if the investment was worth it. Well they agreed as long as I foot the bill. So I did. I used cheap wireless guitar units to make the system wireless, and Behringer headphone amps(the little ones) and my digital mixer. Well they are in love, and they don't even want to move up to better systems because they sound so good. I find the benefits far outweigh the negatives. But this new system is pretty sweet. I like the built in little ambient microphone. How many times has my wife comet to band practice and started talking to me between songs with me just standing there nodding my head as if I can hear her, only to shortly after see her looking at me confused and frustrated? I can't hear you...duh! Talk into my mic please! lol Man I love how my guitar sounds through them too, and the entire mix is great. It was always hard for me to get my guitar mixed well before, because the acoustic volume was different than what the mixer was getting and the meters kind of lie to you. I would set my guitar to where the meter would read the same number as say a vocal mic...and they would both hit that number at the same time, but my guitar would be BLASTING in the mix. Now that's not an issue. Also I have gone speakerless with my guitar rig for practice to get our volume down, and my drummer went electric and my bass player went speakerless. We are now only as loud as you sing....and the drummers cymbals because let's face it....they are just better and easier to deal with than electric ones. His woman had a baby a couple years ago right before I talked about going to IEM's, and doing so made it easier for us to practice without disturbing a sleeping baby as we practice at the drummer's house. Yet she slept perfect. No fuss! I have wanted a set of good active ambience headphone for my IEM's, so I might check these out soon! Very cool!
These inears with mics could be awesome for military use. You limit the sound of your own gun firing and other loud transient sounds, but also you still hear your surroundings. Only issue, do the mics on these handle sound pressure levels of up to 160dB or even more? Or will the mic membranes break?
I use the Phenyx Pro UHF Stereo Wireless in Ear Monitor System. It's cheap, but works really great. Yeah, I have no money :) These in ears look like a great idea.
I have active ear muffs for the range and my earpod pros have it as well and they are fantastic. This is kind of a “duh” moment for me as I am kinda surprised it took this long to get to IEM’s. Wish I thought of it ‘ears’ ago when I bought those active ear muffs.
Are the in-ears and pack compatible with other brand systems (Shure, Sennheiser, etc) based on matching a frequency, or do you have to convert the entire band to new in-ears and an ASI transmitter?
I've been trying to rig something like this for years, out of cheap hearing aids, made my own custom molded plugs over drivers but couldn't get a normal omni capsule wired in properly, ear muffs with mic capsules attached (amplifying was impossible) Not to use as IEMs (I prefer wedges) but just as ear plugs that bring stage level down and still sound "normal". So I'm wondering how much the stock plugs cut, and how well the integrated mics can be eqed to ;match bone conduction somewhat? With the molded plugs without a monitor feed how close does it sound to "standing on stage without plugs" but at a lower volume?
I used to dislike them too but a few years ago I joined a worship band in our new church. It had the latest gear.The band leader was awesome and I learned at lot. Mainly, with in ear monitors. Basically you are at the mercy of the sound guy controlling your instrument and voice. If you trust him to make you sound your best it's awesome but if they just volunteer once in a while on the soundboard, it's a nightmare!
It's surprising this is a new thing. Us in the pew pew world have had amplified shooting ear pro for a LONG time and that's basically all these are. My cheapo Howard Leight headset can even have music/a radio plugged into them. Theoretically, I could use them on a stage like this if I wanted...all it'd take is a cable running from them to the wireless pack. But yea, looks cool!!
Hah I was thinking the same thing. I even ponied up for the Walker's with bluetooth and I could have bought 8 of those for the price of one pair of these. Hopefully time/competition will give us better, cheaper revisions. I'm also not a fan of having to pull out my phone to do all the fine tuning with these in the app. Is there a desktop PC/Mac software to do the same thing?
Great video Pete. No mention of how you hear the mix from your in-ear system. Do you need to wear two packs? One being your usual receiver from you IN-Ear System (Shure). Then take an 1/8" stereo jack cable, plug that (output or where ya used to plug in your earbuds) into this new 3DME packs input? Then use the 3DME to control your volume and settings?
Yes that’s correct it adds a little bit of complexity because you have to add the extra pack. But in practice I’ve grown really used to it and it’s not a big deal
There not cheap for the average musician. Hopefully prices will come down in the future. Plus I use a Kemper profiler straight to the front of house/PA with no guitar amp on stage. I wonder if you will hear too much of the rooms ambient sound so loose clarity/definition and sort of defeat having IEM's that are supposed to cut out background noise. In a room that has bad acoustics IEM's are good for isolating you from if the rooms has bad acoustic ambience. but I can also see the advantages of stage ambience. IEM's can sound a bit clinical and sort of remove you from the audience and other players but I have got used to them. As long as there not moulded, in-between songs I can easily pull one IEM out of the ear to hear the crowd or chat. During songs I am normally too concentrated on what I'm doing to worry about what people are saying or doing although I loose a bit of interaction.
Having scoured their web site, how the heck do you connect to the PA?? There' is no transmitter and no mention in the documentation as to how you pair these to a transmitter signal.
These are the in ears that Dr Floyd Toole uses and recommends. He is the author of sound reproduction former scientist for Harmon and the NRC and music lover
799? Not really. Compare to JH, UE etc. You can get molded tips for the generic set and you’ll have the advantages of custom molds plus the ambient feature for the price of their competitors entry to intermediate level models.
Hey Pete. I play in a pub/club band where my cab mostly isnt even miked up. We are a 5 piece and quite loud so monitoring my guitar is never easy. I was thinking of taking the DI from my Friedman via wireless to the ASI 3DME which would allow me to have a bit of my guitar in my ears whilst still hearing the rest of the band via the ambient mics. And protecting my ears at the same time..do you think this scenario would work?
Might be a stupid question ? Do you set your PA system up without iem to hear what the crowd would hear then put the iem in once your satisfied the sound is good
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I was all in except the $800 price tag. If I were a pro and could afford it I would definitely go for it but I’m a truck driver who plays in church!😂
Been using these since the fall. Could say a lot but I’m just going to say GET THEM NOW. Sale that guitar you never play, unload some pedals that haven’t been on your board in a while, do what you have to do … just get them. Yes, your 6 driver IEMs will sound a little bit better, but the ability to hear the room and control how you do it is worth it. Click, buy, enjoy.
Update: these are amazing! Thank you forever, Pete Thorn and Sensaphonics! Crystal clear, no funky artifacts, adjustable via Bluetooth and the work! Running a little vocal monitor mix and line out from my amp into IEM transmitter, mixing with the ambient sound at about -12db, and rehearsal was an absolute joy! I have hearing loss, so I need to protect my hearing while still feeling the stage mix. Mission accomplished. Bravo! I can’t tell you how great it is to find a solution that WORKS. I was so excited at yesterday’s practice, and I felt so much more confident, hearing everything clearly.
Audiologist from Sensaphonics here--I'm SO happy to see your feedback! This is exactly why we designed this system--to give musicians the freedom to listen they way they want to while also keeping their ears safe :)
I recommend using a small stereo mixer along with the 3DME's. This allows you another layer of control toward achieving your own perfect IEM mix. You can loop out/through your instrument/amp/pedal board stereo D.I. into a stereo input, use a mic splitter to run your own vocal into its own channel as well as to the house, add a monitor return line from the house mixer to get everything else but your own instrument and voice, then add what you need of the room with the mics to make it sound open and natural. You can use the stereo line or headphone output of the mixer to drive the input of the 3DME, which gives you easy level control over that signal, which the 3DME pack doesn't offer.
The ability to balance these primary groupings of signals is better than relying on a monitor or FOH engineer to make good adjustments to your levels all night long. Depending upon the mixer you can also do some basic 3-band EQing to of all the direct sound on each of those inputs. I've been running this kind of system using a cheap but clean Behringer XENYX802 mixer for over a year, and I couldn't be happier. The best part is that if you run your rig in stereo you can hear your own sound as if you're in the studio, even if you're not using a stereo amp onstage, especially when the monitor send from house is usually just mono.
When you add in some of the ambient stereo mics at a comfortable level with just enough room sound to hear the high frequencies that get blocked out by the IEM's tight fit, but at a reasonable level (and using some custom EQ if you have high-frequency loss like I do) you'll be in audio heaven. I can actually set up right next to a heavy hitting drummer and enjoy what I'm hearing because it's at half the volume that is in the actual room.
What a great invention for guitarists. I've always hated using in-ear monitors for all the reasons Pete states. I could definitely see using these.
It's not good for other instruments also.. it's a totally carp. With stage monitor we really enjoy playing and make a better music.. maybe it's good for singers
This is what Ive been waiting for! As a singer I can't stand hearing my vocals through the in-ears only.
You can achieve a good sound on in ears for vocals using eq to counter the occlusion effect (there's a great video right here on TH-cam), you can try it while you save up for these monitors hehe. I did and it sounds great, you won't have to crank anything to hear yourself. I mix an extra aux out from my mixer into the headphone amp's channel aux in, game changer IMO.
I bought a pair 6months ago on Pete's reccomendation.... Total game changer!!! You an even pipe in a click or inear mix! Thanx Pete! and Thanks ASI!!!
So how is it hooked up?? Monitor out (from mixer) and into your cell phone ...then bluetoothed over to these IEM s ?? Thanks for any feedback ...
I would love to try these. I started playing bass at church and I feel so isolated with inears, but these definitely aren't priced for the amateur musician. I miss my days of playing bluegrass mandolin, no inears and no click track pounding my brain.
I'm thinking that. When I'm leading worship I use cans and often push one off so I can hear the congregation. I really miss wedges and have tried various ambient headphones to get round this problem. This could be a good solution for worship.
I use the Sensaphonics ambient in ears and they are incredible!! only in ears I've ever really liked. these new ones seem to fix the few issues I had too, like going through 9v batteries pretty frequently...might need to get these I've been waiting for a new version
Wow, it's so nice to hear first hand from you about the details. So nice. That's not what you could learn from the equipment sales guy years back. Thank Pete, it's so appreciated.
I totally need these. This would save my ears. 30 years of a headphone banging in my right ear messed up my highs on my right ear. I definitely love the mic built in! I need the marketing department to hit me up :)
Man I paid a fortune for custom molded IEM w/8 drivers per side. It was so disheartening as a guitar player. I rejoiced as a singer, but all the fun of playing guitar was lost on stage. I felt like I was just going through the motions, never really feeling what I was playing. After a few years I went back to a wedge and laying up at night with my ears ringing. The ambient iem have been out for a while now. Pete, through his videos, has never led me wrong. I am all in on these! Thanks Pete!
It's such an obvious idea, but I never thought of it. I know a lot of stage setups would include mics pointed at the audience, which each musician could put in their monitor mix, but having it built into the unit is awesome. Thanks!
The stationary audience Mic thing was never very successful for me. You can’t put very much of them in there or just turns your mix to mush
@@PeteThorn of course we are thankful for Pete trying all the gear out in live situations and reporting back what products really cater to.
The "Raptgo Hook X" planar IEM's are open-back so let in a bit of sound and also sound really awesome 👌
Pete, these look cool. I was about to ask about the ambient mics when you mentioned them. My problem was that If I was next to the drummer in a small rehearsal room, often the drummer was very loud and I could only use the in ears if I cranked them. I eventually went to the etymotic earplugs. This actually looks great.
These would be great if I were playing on a quiet stage in a large venue. But the bars and even outdoor venues we play have so much stage volume (mainly from the acoustic drums) that I couldn’t imagine dialing in any additional ambient noise.
The cymbals especially just blaze into our vocal mics at the front of the stage. And me being a guitarist and singer I always have my vocal mic turned up in my mix.
I’ve begged the drummer to use a shield but that seems to cause other sonic issues at times.
I think the idea is that you get molded ear pieces so that you stop getting all that "stage noise". And then you use a device like this to gently add back the amount of ambience that you want in a controlled fashion.
Correct. I have molded JH Audio in ears right now and they do great at keeping noise out. But like I said the problem is stage volume leading into multiple on stage microphones. I’m already getting so much more than just ambient noise. I would never have the need to dial in anymore. I’m actually trying to find a way to lessen the amount of ambient noise I’m getting through the use of hyper cardioid microphones and drum shields.
I feel you, mic bleed is always my concern (i sing and play bass), my mic usually picks up a bit of the audience so that's nice, but when it picks up the drums and i have some extra reverb/delay on the vocals... ughh... so I went and bought a shield for my drummer, he is fine with it as long as there's dead acoustics behind him, it does a decent job, so I'd say try to convince yours 😅
I got these earlier this year. They work great, highly recommended.
Dude!!! This has to be a game changer. I am in
I’m fortunate to live in the Chicagoland area and for the past 25 years have trusted Sensaphonics and Dr. Michael Santucci for all things in-ear related. He and his team are great to work with!
About to order a set. Looking forward to them. My problem with ears has always been the disconnect with the crowd. These sound like the remedy to that problem. Thanks
The limiter is also a must have! These seems to be really awesome!
Ambient mic feed and my 64 audio customs with a stereo iem mix is heaven
Supposedly the only system radiohead was happy with!
Very cool idea. Wish the pack itself was a receiver, like say an Xvive U4, but with the ambient stuff. Take it one step further where it could be a receiver or use a house pack.
Another good video Pete. Thanks so much for everything you do. You ended this video with "what's not to like"?. Well I would like to chime in a little bit on the other side of the coin. I have had Sensaphonics in ear monitors for some years. I bought mine for well over twice what they seem to be selling for now (or at least what this version seems to be). They were, and continue to be, extremely problematic. Just about every part that you can imagine has failed. Both the inner monitor part as well as the outer microphone on each ear failed and needed to be replaced. That was extremely frustrating. Not that the company wasn't cool for a while about it but it ended up costing me money every time I had to send them back. Also, everyone should note that this system adds an additional body pack somewhere on your body. Now, you may have the "unit's" body pack as well as maybe a "Shure" body pack and, if you're a guitar player, maybe "another" body pack for your guitar wireless system, etc. Starting to look like Batman's belt! Anyway, Sensaphonics told me everything from "your ear must sweat a lot or something" to "it's difficult shoving a hi-fi stereo into your ear". Anyway, I suppose I'm sounding a little bitter but this was the most expensive musical thing I've ever purchased and I've been playing for decades. Bottom line is, when the unit was fully functional, it was great. But, it was not fully functional very much. I cleaned them religiously, bought a Zephyr unit for them, and handled them like a newborn baby... still problematic.
very cool product, can't wait to try some. Years ago (30 maybe) had some headphones that had mic's built in.. you could wear them stand infront of the amp .. and your head is the mic.. and send the mic output straight to recording.
So glad you made this video Pete, ever since you mentioned them on the classic rock show tour I've been rewinding the videos to get the name of the product etc and really wanted to hear a review from you about using them so this is very helpful. IEM is great for performing in tune but at a gig you need to experience the actual gig itself and these sound like they will deliver! Thanks again
Pete is such a cool guy to listen to, tons of experience, nice reviews and awesome playing, thanks !!
This is soo true.. you have put together everything nicely! Stage monitors are the best
I’ve grown so accustomed to using IEMs, I don’t know what it would be like, on stage, without them. All of us have our own personal mixers, that we each control. I basically set my guitar lvl, barely above unity for the main mix. That way I know how I’m contributing to the “feel” with rhythm, swells, and such. Then I have a 3dB volume boost, at the end of my chain, to jump up in the mix.
Audio Technica did something similar with its systems. The receiver pack had an input for a lav mic that you could combine with the monitor mix. I used it for a while and it was cool. The ASI 3DME sounds cool but I really don't have an issue with regular IEMS. I adopted them many years ago to save my ears. After getting used to it I realized IEMs were a huge advantage over the wedges. Most of the gigs I play are quiet stage so IEMs are mandatory. I'm to the point where I'm usually giggin an HX Stomp instead of taking an amp. I guess the moral of the story is it's a great time to be a musician as we have a lot of great tech that gives us choices we didn't have twenty years ago.
Loud stages and IEMs is where it's weird for me sometimes. Mine don't have great isolation so I end up either turning it too loud or hearing mostly the room, which can be terrible. What kind of gigs do you play that are quiet stages?
@@user-oy7gz5bf2h mostly cover band gigs. Ocassionally I also do fly gigs. However, I've been plqying with some artists as well who are exploring alternate venues including house/backyard gigs where the full band is in play and everyone is on IEMs. V-drums, direct processors, and IEM equals great sounding gigs even in smaller venues. What's funny is I played with an artist recently that staged a show at a private residence out near a pool. They charged a cover and made far more than they did on a previous club gig.
@@shakarocks Cool. Around here, silent stages are not that common. When I play smaller venues for private events or even clubs, we're an acoustic trio. So in a way, it's the same. The downside of a rock band direct to PA is where the sound comes from. It can really be jarring to be next to the stage and hear the band from another direction. Seen a pretty big band at a club once and you simply could not hear the guitars unless you went back towards the desk where the sound converged.
I have Sensaphonics musician's passive earplugs and they're fantastic. I need to get the right ear re-made because my ear canal has changed shape a bit and it's loose now, but they're really good. Great for going out to see a live show as well.
@petethorn - I bought some of these and love them. They completely solved my issues with traditional in ear monitors. I thought it was just my inexperience in dealing with in-ears, but after watching your video, I can see that it isn't just me having these feelings of disconnection, particularly as a guitar player. One question - where did you go for your custom molded tips? I'm using Comply barrel foamies now and they're really good, but the sweating/sealing issue is real.
I bought these on your recommendation a while ago now. They’ve been great, but I could use a deeper dive on dialing them in. I use them cut the volume and as well as bass out of the practice room, so they are a filters as well as protection. I can hear what I’m playing now
The price is pretty reasonable too. I'm definitely interested in these for myself.
Awesome, was not aware of these. Not that I will need them anytime soon as I’m just hobbyist but if I ever make it to the big stage is good to know about this option.
I'm with you with IEMs! If the mix is bang on and E.Q.'d properly, it's fine. But most of the time, it's an uneasy compromise. Distorted tones can really sound like crap.
I have some Westone's that have an ambient port in them for this same reason. You can swap out the filters for the amount of db roll-off you need. I generally only run guitars, keys, and vocals in them and just pick up drums/bass through the ports. Works great for me.
I’ve got UE with ports but it’s not the same as this. This is totally next level
@@PeteThorn I'm sure. I got mine like 5 years ago. Wasn't even aware of these then. Just saying I had the same problem with in-ears, but found them necessary to go to for preserving my hearing. These do seem quite fantastic in the level of control they have. May have to look into them for my next set.
These looks great. I'm currently using "custom silicone sleeves" on regular Shure in-ears (SE215/425/535 etc) after multiple versions of Ulitmate Ears and similar. I never got a good experience from the hard plastic stuff. They would slide out of my ears within a few songs. The silicone sleeves and Shure works really well for me. They stay in my ears the entire gig. But this would up the game by a few notches, Thanks for the informative video😊
Where can you purchase silicone sleeves
@@oao8227 You need to see an audiologist for earmold impressions. Then you can send the impressions to Sensaphonics to manufacture a custom tip!
I played a gig with in ear monitor for my first time the 9 of july 22 ( it was mandatory , no amp and no wedge allowed ) because of dB thresold rule in that place .
I have to say that it was a bad experience 😪 because I spent all time to move back and forth my ear plug to be able to have a good balance between my own volume with my band and the "ambiance" sound ( hearing the folk + my guitar sound over the front speakers ) so .....
I understood today it can be mandatory to play gig without amps and wedges .
I understood it was necessary to hear a balanced sound between ambiance and my own sound .
So I am very interested to purchase by that 3DME monitoring system but looks very expensive to me 😱
Thx for that review @Pete Thorn , and Hi from Paris 🤟
Going to check these out, interesting fact which seems almost archaic now. I worked at the company that helped give birth to the in ear monitor. It was a joint project between Chris Lindop and Martin Noar. The company was based in London in the 80s and called Hardware House Sound. Martin and Chris went on to form Garwood who made the worlds first IEM system.
Martin gave me a pair of the first IEMs to try out one day in the warehouse when I was about 17 and just joined the company, I can remember walking up and down the warehouse and saying the prophetic if ridiculous words “nope… These will never catch on!”
Sadly they were never able to match the funding of Sennheiser and Shure and the Garwood system fell into decline but you gotta hand it to them they pretty much changed the world of music as we know it.
These will be a game changer for sure
I wonder if they would be better for recording vocals as well.. since I like to hear some of my natural voice in the room when I sing, and yet still hear the track of course.
Could be? Might take a little getting used to but yeah might work for that
I was getting 3D scans in the UE booth a few days ago (NAMM23) while you were getting your impressions. I should have taken at least a moment let you know how much I enjoy your playing and channel but didn't want to interupt.
It's one of those kinda why didn't anyone make something like this before things 😀
I pull the cup of one in-ear and just let the outside sound come in past the sound tube. This only works with in-ears that have removable cups. Anyway, try it you'll be surprised how liberating it is.
@PeteThorn - are you still using these? Curious to see how they're holding up...
I solved this very early on when mixing monitors. I’d run x/y stage mics and an overhead audience mic and blend that with the mix. I never had a problem then (early 90s) or now.
Well, it’s not a problem to ANY sound engineer. It’s common practice. Good practice. Without ambience mics it’s not a live show from artist’s perspective. It’s like being in the studio with a lot of crazy dudes waving at you. Live music needs interaction. I am kind of surprised this wasn’t presented before to him.
@@carlospentes7436 and I was doing it in the 70s anytime we recorded etc, to control ambiance and how much of the audience was added to the recording. I was living and working in Nashville when ear monitors came into use, and almost immediately they wanted live stage and audience sound in their individual mixes. I specialized in mixing monitors instead of FOH cause mixing 12 + mixes was much more challenging to me than mixing FOH, though I did that also. What they are doing here with the ambient mics on the receivers we were doing from the beginning with dedicated mics. If you were using these, it seems you’d get a different “ ambient “ sound according to where you were standing onstage. Musicians and singers don’t need to take their minds off the music and crowd to fiddle with belt packs all the time, that’s the job of a good engineer. We used an x/y overhead to capture full stage and an overhead audience mic. Drummers specifically hated the in ears without the ambient mics, and many still used subs also. At one time there were drummers from 35 major acts using my drum monitor system instead of in ears. And many drummers used in ears along with my patented “Subseat”, which added a 1000 watt 18” sub aimed straight up, the drummers seat was mounted to it so he sat right on top of it, it unloaded right beneath him straight up his back. Yes , Carlos, it is common practice and it’s Not a problem to Any knowledgeable engineer. I think many smaller bands doing clubs are using in ears without adding the ambient mics and the result is what this guy was getting. With proper ambient miking, you’re not isolated from the stage or the audience. I never had this problem even in clubs. And in case they still haven’t caught it,the ambient mics don’t go through the mains or wedges,lol!! All the best, Sonny T
Also, most of these guys commenting here seem to be church and club players who are using in ears with no ambient micing, which is definitely sealing them in from the stage experience. It seems this is a first for most of them, but I’ve been doing it since the 70s, almost 50 years, so it ain’t nothin new. Sonny T
thanks Pete . Very interesting . I have all the challenges you discussed ,using traditional iems weekly . One day I will have to check these out . Right now the $800 price tag will prevent me from giving them a try . Thanks for the info though .
People crying over 800$ to save your hearing and have a better live experience? U that broke man
I would have one monitor in my left ear and a weak ear plug in my right so I could hear the stage and crowd. These seem really nice.
InEarz has a similar product, but there is no body pack. Everything is in the ear monitor and rechargeable. Price is roughly $2k for a 6 armature unit.
I love the idea, it would be cool to try... maybe one day.
Great video Pete, bit of a no brainer for you guys? And protection for the old cranium flaps. 👍🥃Respect to you mate.
What a kool idea! In ears are becoming more prevalent than amps on stage it seems. I was surprised to see Crypta on their current tour with stacks and wedge monitors. So 90’s! Thanks for the tip Pete! 👍😀
This video aside, that is cool, I fully support the stacks and wedges 😂🤘
Might have to give these a try. I've apparently developed some kind of allergy to materials. I get some serious reactions in my ears that last for weeks after I use them. This always makes me hesitant to spend money to invest in quality in-ears. I don't want to spend a bunch of money to find that Im sensitive to these.
Oh, I need these. Not so much for guitar playing, I can work with two mics in front of my amp and a stereo belt pack. But playing violin with In-ears is horrible. I allways mis the direct connection and throw out my left earbud.
Absolute game changer!
THIS is what I have been waiting for! Exactly. I've been using the Etymotic music pro elite earplugs, but I just bought some Apple Earbuds Pro, with an ambient mode, and thought there's got to be some IEM with an ambient mix. That brought me here, and I just ordered some of these. I am looking forward to using them both as IEM and as sophisticated hearing protection.
How did these work out for you?
IN EARS... NO WAY MAN !! 🙄
Gotta feel those Marshall's BaBy and the goosebumps!😜👍🏻👍🏻
I wish this was implemented on the pack, rather than the drivers at the ear level. Being able to retain existing expensive IEMs would be good financially and for waste.
I disagree - I think the “listening” experience would be all wrong. As you don’t hear with your behind… you can use your headphones for other things.
The guitarist in me says yes, but the singer in me wonders if I will lose the clarity. When singing high notes regularly, clarity is paramount. I can't stand the sound of my guitar in my Sennheisers, but I love the vocal clarity.
Our band got around this problem by placing two condenser mics on both sides of the stage and mixed to taste.
Great video Pete! I was looking get this IEM and use it as an ambient mic only in order to keep the original tone as much as I can. The main reason I never used IEM is because you are at the mercy of the cabinet's mic, mic placement, quality of the mixing board, EQ and the sound guy on live performances. The 3DME seems to remove all that from the equation. How would you rate the sound accuracy using the 3DME this way and not as IEM? Any thoughts would be extremely appreciated. Thanks!
I think this product looks great, however, it's not hard to put a crowd mic or MD mic in your mix or, what about just putting one of your in-ears in then you get the both as well?
Taking one out can lead to hearing damage. You don’t realize how loud the other may be turned up.
Yay this is what I've been looking for! $800? Nevermind
On the mono guitar thing. I’ve always run my IR send into a delay with a 30ms repeat on the right side to give me some space in my in ears. I don’t think I could deal with a pure mono guitar sound in my IEMs. But these monitors sound like a good solution as well.
Worse is mono mix. Having keyboards and guitar compete in a flat mono mix is not fun.
I just dropped for Shure 846 which are awesome but these with the ambient addition seem pretty cool.
Pete! This is the exact video I was hoping to find as I'm trying to find some quality IEM's but also HATE my past experiences with them because of that direct "what the mic is hearing" sound.
I use an AxeFX 3 and messed around a bit with the cabinet IR settings to get more of an "in the room sound" but because it also has to go to the front of house mix, the guitar in the house had a weird room ambience to it but was an acceptable trade off.
I'm on the fence between these and the Westone AM Pro 30's. The AM's are half the price of these but also passively let in room sound with a -12dB reduction.
Our dB meter we've taken on stage has seen sustained 105~115 dB's so a 12 db reduction would certainly help but I'm curious how the ASI's handle actual SPL reduction from those dB's?
Also, 3 body packs at that point with the ASI's so no easy way to swap guitars as my les paul and charvel have very different strap lengths.
cool stuff Pete - that sounds like it would make IEM's much more natural (rather than my one ear out approach which is pretty lame). Just FYI, the link to the product in the description is broken
I did not know about the difference silicone makes as a fit. But here's a question: how well do they function for singers? My experience as a singer/guitarist is that as your jaw moves when singing, the IEM works its way out. I even like to use IEMs during online video chats and the same problem happens. So would these silicon IEMs stay in place for people who sing and/or talk a lot as part of their performance? Thanks for the info. I am now a subscriber. Have fun on the tour.
I think that’s the idea with the silicone is that as your ear heats up a sweat a bit in this helps the silicone make an even tighter seal
Awesome video and information.
Pete! thanks for a great informative video. A quick question(s) if I may. Can you add this system to your current IEM belt pack so you can have your individual IEM mix then add the ASI 3DME and then do an ambience final blend on the 3DME blutooth app on your phone? Or just use the 3DME system and not use any other IEM system? How did you use the 3DME system on the Rock show dates last time out?
Both! If you need to get a mix from a sound engineer, you need to jump the ASI 3DME pack into your main IEM system. This allows you to blend the ambient mics with the IEM mix. However, you can also use the ASI 3DME system as a stand alone system by listening through the ambient mics only (i.e. no sound engineer mix).
For years I had been interested and wanted to get into IEM's. But I was never able to convince other members of my band to do it, even though I pointed out all the great benefits, we already had all the speakers and power amps we needed for stage monitoring with plenty to spare should something go wrong. But a couple years ago my new band(with new members) finally got into IEM's. I used the same shpeal that I used before on multiple occasions...of course they were hesitant at first, because the cost can be ASTRONOMICAL! But I convinced them that I could build an introduction to IEM's system for under $100 each...a kind of tryout so they could better determine if the investment was worth it. Well they agreed as long as I foot the bill. So I did. I used cheap wireless guitar units to make the system wireless, and Behringer headphone amps(the little ones) and my digital mixer. Well they are in love, and they don't even want to move up to better systems because they sound so good. I find the benefits far outweigh the negatives. But this new system is pretty sweet. I like the built in little ambient microphone. How many times has my wife comet to band practice and started talking to me between songs with me just standing there nodding my head as if I can hear her, only to shortly after see her looking at me confused and frustrated? I can't hear you...duh! Talk into my mic please! lol Man I love how my guitar sounds through them too, and the entire mix is great. It was always hard for me to get my guitar mixed well before, because the acoustic volume was different than what the mixer was getting and the meters kind of lie to you. I would set my guitar to where the meter would read the same number as say a vocal mic...and they would both hit that number at the same time, but my guitar would be BLASTING in the mix. Now that's not an issue. Also I have gone speakerless with my guitar rig for practice to get our volume down, and my drummer went electric and my bass player went speakerless. We are now only as loud as you sing....and the drummers cymbals because let's face it....they are just better and easier to deal with than electric ones. His woman had a baby a couple years ago right before I talked about going to IEM's, and doing so made it easier for us to practice without disturbing a sleeping baby as we practice at the drummer's house. Yet she slept perfect. No fuss! I have wanted a set of good active ambience headphone for my IEM's, so I might check these out soon! Very cool!
Not bad starter setup $800. This will revolutionize in ear technology.
That's why I always just leave one ear bud in. This sounds interesting.
These inears with mics could be awesome for military use. You limit the sound of your own gun firing and other loud transient sounds, but also you still hear your surroundings. Only issue, do the mics on these handle sound pressure levels of up to 160dB or even more? Or will the mic membranes break?
this is a great share!!! thx Pete!!!
I use the Phenyx Pro UHF Stereo Wireless in Ear Monitor System. It's cheap, but works really great. Yeah, I have no money :) These in ears look like a great idea.
I have active ear muffs for the range and my earpod pros have it as well and they are fantastic. This is kind of a “duh” moment for me as I am kinda surprised it took this long to get to IEM’s. Wish I thought of it ‘ears’ ago when I bought those active ear muffs.
Are you talking about "airpod" pros? Don't they have bluetooth and latency issues?
Are the in-ears and pack compatible with other brand systems (Shure, Sennheiser, etc) based on matching a frequency, or do you have to convert the entire band to new in-ears and an ASI transmitter?
There is an input jack on the pack that allows you to bring in audio from any system (wired/wireless).
this video was something else. should be titled "i never really know about in ear monitor but sponsor came"
I've been trying to rig something like this for years, out of cheap hearing aids, made my own custom molded plugs over drivers but couldn't get a normal omni capsule wired in properly, ear muffs with mic capsules attached (amplifying was impossible) Not to use as IEMs (I prefer wedges) but just as ear plugs that bring stage level down and still sound "normal". So I'm wondering how much the stock plugs cut, and how well the integrated mics can be eqed to ;match bone conduction somewhat? With the molded plugs without a monitor feed how close does it sound to "standing on stage without plugs" but at a lower volume?
These seem perfect, but already got expensive items, is there any accessory that they do to add these to other items?
I used to dislike them too but a few years ago I joined a worship band in our new church. It had the latest gear.The band leader was awesome and I learned at lot. Mainly, with in ear monitors. Basically you are at the mercy of the sound guy controlling your instrument and voice. If you trust him to make you sound your best it's awesome but if they just volunteer once in a while on the soundboard, it's a nightmare!
That mean you have to wearing a Wireless transmitter, in ear receiver and the box?
Very interesting idea!
I’d like to try them. I’ve never used in ear monitors before because I value my hearing and my tone. I’d like some info!
It's surprising this is a new thing. Us in the pew pew world have had amplified shooting ear pro for a LONG time and that's basically all these are. My cheapo Howard Leight headset can even have music/a radio plugged into them. Theoretically, I could use them on a stage like this if I wanted...all it'd take is a cable running from them to the wireless pack.
But yea, looks cool!!
Hah I was thinking the same thing. I even ponied up for the Walker's with bluetooth and I could have bought 8 of those for the price of one pair of these. Hopefully time/competition will give us better, cheaper revisions.
I'm also not a fan of having to pull out my phone to do all the fine tuning with these in the app. Is there a desktop PC/Mac software to do the same thing?
Thanks Pete, that could make a real difference on stage. Any info on distribution in the UK?
Not sure but I think you can get direct from the US
Great video Pete. No mention of how you hear the mix from your in-ear system. Do you need to wear two packs? One being your usual receiver from you IN-Ear System (Shure). Then take an 1/8" stereo jack cable, plug that (output or where ya used to plug in your earbuds) into this new 3DME packs input? Then use the 3DME to control your volume and settings?
Yes that’s correct it adds a little bit of complexity because you have to add the extra pack. But in practice I’ve grown really used to it and it’s not a big deal
@@PeteThorn Thx Pete
Hi. Just wondering how these are working now for you live? Thx
There not cheap for the average musician. Hopefully prices will come down in the future. Plus I use a Kemper profiler straight to the front of house/PA with no guitar amp on stage. I wonder if you will hear too much of the rooms ambient sound so loose clarity/definition and sort of defeat having IEM's that are supposed to cut out background noise. In a room that has bad acoustics IEM's are good for isolating you from if the rooms has bad acoustic ambience. but I can also see the advantages of stage ambience. IEM's can sound a bit clinical and sort of remove you from the audience and other players but I have got used to them. As long as there not moulded, in-between songs I can easily pull one IEM out of the ear to hear the crowd or chat. During songs I am normally too concentrated on what I'm doing to worry about what people are saying or doing although I loose a bit of interaction.
You can control the level of the ambient mics via the app (or even cut them off completely so you only hear your IEM mix).
Having scoured their web site, how the heck do you connect to the PA?? There' is no transmitter and no mention in the documentation as to how you pair these to a transmitter signal.
It has an input. So you plug the output from your receiver pack into this pack.
Thanks @@PeteThorn I'm gonna have to put on some weight for all my belt packs (wireless, IEM, ASI). I've always wanted a Bat Belt!
:)
Wow great product and design.. but THE PRICE.. dang guess I'll be waiting awhile
These are the in ears that Dr Floyd Toole uses and recommends. He is the author of sound reproduction former scientist for Harmon and the NRC and music lover
Brilliant advancement of an an existing product. Wow. I have only used IEMs a few times and it was a horrible experience.
Very nice, I like the added features. But the price is very expensive.
799? Not really. Compare to JH, UE etc. You can get molded tips for the generic set and you’ll have the advantages of custom molds plus the ambient feature for the price of their competitors entry to intermediate level models.
Hey Pete. I play in a pub/club band where my cab mostly isnt even miked up. We are a 5 piece and quite loud so monitoring my guitar is never easy. I was thinking of taking the DI from my Friedman via wireless to the ASI 3DME which would allow me to have a bit of my guitar in my ears whilst still hearing the rest of the band via the ambient mics. And protecting my ears at the same time..do you think this scenario would work?
Absolutely! I know a lot of musicians who use the 3DME set up in scenarios like these!
Awesome technology- it will set a new standard surely
Might be a stupid question ? Do you set your PA system up without iem to hear what the crowd would hear then put the iem in once your satisfied the sound is good
Do you need two packs one for these and one fire the wireless mix?