Throughout my years as an A1 sound engineer for broadcast and corporate events, I have observed and practiced several approaches when using wireless In Ear Monitors (IEMs) or Interruptible Foldback (IFB) for presenters and musicians. Although both deliver audio directly to the listener, they serve different needs. Here’s how those needs affect mixing from front of house (FOH), how that compares with a dedicated monitor position for a live band, and when additional support becomes necessary.
An IEM mix helps a performer hear the sources needed to perform. An IFB feed typically lets a presenter hear program audio while receiving private instructions from a director or producer. When a cue is delivered, the program feed may be lowered or interrupted so the instruction is clear
At a corporate event, the A1 may be responsible for the main PA, audience fills and delay speakers, stage foldback, and feeds to additional rooms or production systems . There also may be ancillary locations that require sound from your console. This is where the RF Venue RF PA Extension Kit comes in handy. More on that in future blogs. For the foldback mix on stage with wedges, you are generally supplying a post fader mix for the entire stage so all the presenters can get an even spread of sound on stage. Presenters may need playback audio and voice-of-God (VOG) announcements in their stage monitors. Whether they also need their own microphone depends on their preference, the stage acoustics, and the available gain before feedback Most key presenters will ask for a wireless IFB so they can hear directions and cues from the director or producer to help make sure the event runs smoothly without any stops. This can not be done with floor wedges because everyone would hear the private instruction from the director or producer coming from the stage. The director and producer are giving the talent a heads up on what’s next or specific instructions to change directions in the run of the show. If the talent can’t get a wireless IFB, then usually the Stage Manager will give them cues verbally or with just hand motions.
Since there are not many IFB mixes needed in a broadcast/ corporate events, the FOH engineer can mix those signals from the FOH console out into a wireless IFB or IEM system.
For an in house sports broadcast event, the A1 can also mix IFB from FOH as well as any IEM mixes for an anthem performer. At the most in sports the FOH engineer needs to be able to handle 3 monitor mixes for talent total. 2 for IFB and 1 or 2 IEMs for anthem performers.
As you can see, an A1 has a lot to deal with and they cannot be bogged down by too many monitor duties. For example, a half time event at a sports venue sometimes requires a separate monitor engineer if there is a live band playing. Once the amount of band members goes past 2, then the A1 must get another person to mix monitors for the field. The monitor console can be near the field or tucked away in a separate room. As long as the engineer has line of sight or can get a video feed to see the stage, everything can go smoothly. Some acts use playback tracks and some are all live. A live act will require more audio technicians on the field and also a larger amount of IEM channels.
In smaller clubs, one engineer often handles both FOH and monitor mixes. As the number of independent mixes and performer requests increases, a dedicated monitor engineer can give musicians more individual attention while allowing the FOH engineer to focus on the audience mix. Some larger productions use multiple monitor engineers, with one dedicated to a lead performer and another handling the rest of the band. Others operate successfully with a single monitor engineer, depending on the complexity of the show
One great advancement has been the ability for the musicians to remotely mix their IEMs from the stage with a tablet controlling parts of the FOH console on a LAN. This is great for bands that can’t get a 2nd engineer to just mix monitors. Mixing Station is a popular app for that.
A traditional wired system for musicians to make their own mixes is using Aviom Personal Monitor system from Aviom or an ME system from Allen & Heath. Most bands have performers that can use a wired system and the other performers will benefit from using wireless IEMs.
In general, an A1 must speak about any additional technician and equipment they might need to cover more mixes. Their main focus should be successfully hitting all their cues and not be distracted by monitor mixes.
Richard boasts 30 years of professional experience as an audio engineer and RF specialist working in event production, technical sales, customer support and training for a host of venues, production companies and manufacturers. He has a passion for wireless RF audio, and sound and music in general, and he finds...
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