This article is a transcript of the video of our friend Nefo Tut.

This type of monitoring system is not a luxury or a whim, rather it is a necessity. I grew up using floor monitors, which in any church was standard, was normal.

Is it important to use monitors? Of course it is important! Since it is the reference you have to listen to yourself or play your instrument with clarity, however, here and on the other side of the world there is always the same problem, The war of volumes. Being next to a drummer is not easy, if you do not use in ears and you can stand next to the drummer you will not hear anything, you will end up tired and fatigued by the loud volume of that instrument.

If you want to listen to yourself you will have to increase the volume of your instrument, here the volume war begins. We want to be at the same volume as the drums, so we turn up the amplifiers or the floor monitors. Imagine how the stage looks, it is completely acoustically polluted, it ends up sounding louder above than below, it is something that the floor monitors do not allow to control.

This is why it is necessary to use hearing aid monitors, but why use them? Maybe you already use them but you don't know why, today I want to share with you why.

Auditive rest

Using floor monitors makes everyone want to hear themselves, that way we will end up polluting everything at high volumes. Without realizing it at the end of the first song, even if you like it you will need to turn it up a little more and you will start to turn up the volume of everything and it will end up being a disaster. By using inears you can control the volume in a completely different way, the volume levels will decrease, and will decrease also in your own ears, because you are already isolating them from any other noise.

Best execution

By listening to your instrument or your voice in your ears, you have completely direct reference sound. It is not the same that the whole band is playing and the volume is loud and medium you appreciate what you hear on your guitar, bass or piano. You try to believe that there is good sound and that everything sounds good, however by putting on headphones and listening directly into your ears, you can notice the details and thus improve your sound. Your performance changes because the noise of everything else does not allow you to play with clarity and safety, on the other hand when using headphones you see the need to do it well. You start listening yourself and say, "It sounds very ugly" or "I'm doing very well" allowing you to have a better execution.

Best Ensemble of the Band

Drums and bass should always go hand in hand, they are the basis of every song and when those two are heard clearly, they can be tied and tightened much better. This makes the whole band feel safer, I assure you that if those two are well tied, the pianist, the guitarist, the singers and the whole band will have an incredible ensemble.

Full control of the stage

You completely clean the sound because the need to use floor monitors is completely over and there is no need to make a volume war, although if your drums are exposed it will be the only thing that will be heard and it would be counterproductive. If you can, I recommend enclosing the drums in acrylics or giving it an acoustic treatment, the sound will most likely decrease and improve. Although it is good to use a single floor monitor to have a reference to the entire mix.

Internal communication

It is much more discreet and more efficient and clear to give directions from a talkback microphone and use headphones, because you are not going to distract anyone, nor are you going to raise your hand and signal, the music director simply begins to speak into his microphone and give the indications and everyone pays attention without the need to be making signs, so there is a direct, very clear and discreet communication.

Personal mix

Who doesn't like to hear everything right but prioritize their instrument? a singer will always prefer to listen to his voice a little more, perhaps the bassist wants to hear only the bass, the drums and the metronome, the guitarist perhaps only wants to hear his guitar and nothing else. By using in-ear monitors you can make a personal mix to your preference and taste and you will already know why you do it that way, personally, as a director, I prefer to listen to everything at once.

To my liking these are some of the benefits of using in-ear monitors. Very simple and basic but very very effective.

Can I use any type of headphones for monitoring?

At first yes, to start experimenting and knowing how it works if you have never done it, however I do not recommend that you use any hearing aid as monitors for a long time.

You cannot use the typical headphones that come with your phone since their shape is different and they do not allow you to isolate the ambient sound, the great advantage of in-ear headphones is that they allow you to completely isolate the sound. It is also not advisable to use headband headphones, they can be heavy, they can fall and they can be hot, they are definitely for other uses.

If you are looking to start, there are headphones that can be used at a very low cost, you will also find high-end headphones and finally there are fully custom mold-made headphones that are a very good option for professional musicians who have made music their career.

To start, get cheap headphones and once you master personal in-ear monitoring, I recommend that you invest a little more and go to a more professional model to get more out of it.

This is all I had prepared for today, if you know someone who might be interested in this article, share it with them and tell them… Bro, you need to see this because you're going to go deaf! Goodbye and God bless you.