Wireless stage monitors

[KK4JUG]

Our band is about to upgrade our stage monitors from floor speakers to wireless in-ear monitors. It's gonna set us back about two grand. (For those who don't know, the monitors let band members hear the music more clearly. The main speakers are pointed toward the audience and don't provide quality reproduction for the performers on stage.)

There's been a lot said about the frequencies used by these types of wireless devices and some frequencies that were previously used by wireless devices are now not allowed. We looking at a system in either the 516-558 mHz or 556-608 mHz range. This is a Shure brand and is designed to find a frequency within the set range of the unit and then send that information to the receivers (that are carried by the band members).

Question: Are either of these frequency ranges in danger of being deadlined by the FCC for use in wireless devices and which would probably have the least amount of interference? The band members will rarely move beyond 50' from the transmitter and the receivers will be worn on the belt. In addition to the internal antennae in the receivers, Shure said the earphone cords serve as "back-up" antennae. Thus, reception should not be a problem.

 

[Karl-NVW]

Both frequency windows are primarily assigned for TV Broadcasting and actively used by television stations operating at power levels up to one million watts ERP. You need to ask your Shure dealer if registration or an FCC license is required to use them, and what areas of operation are allowed, and whether there's a money-back guarantee if you book a gig in an area where the system can't find a clear assignment. Loss of pay from one gig could be more than the system costs the band and you won't know until it's sound check time.

 

[KK4JUG]

Your point is well-taken. There's a 1500+ foot TV tower putting out 250kw about 8 miles from our primary gig. To make matters worse, it's on top of a small mountain which is one of the higher points in the area.

A little more research is necessary on our part.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

A bit off topic, but I am curious how performers can hear themselves without being tripped up by delay in the sound system. Especially with digital processing. Also, how does feedback get controlled?

 

[KK4JUG]

If you can hear the monitors, that's about all that matters. Actually, what's coming out of the audience speakers (mains) can be distracting. (The delay is minimal if you're close to the mains but if you're hearing the sound from the mains if it echoes off the rear walls, it can cause a problem.

With monitors (whether it's speakers on the stage pointing at you or wireless in-ear monitors) you're hearing truer sound without any delay. Some monitor systems allow you to hear the entire band in one ear and your own vocal or instrument emphasized in the other ear. It takes some getting used to.

If you watch performers on stage, they always have monitor speakers in from of them or earpieces (and sometimes both).

Re: Feedback. First, there are electronics now that help detect and remove feedback before it's heard by anyone else. We don't have that. Our biggest problems with feedback comes when we're playing on a relatively small stage. In that scenario, the monitors (speakers) are close to the microphones and the sound from the speakers sometimes feeds into the microphones causing feedback. Moving the speakers away from the microphones minimizes feedback. In-ear monitors eliminates that problem.

Another advantage of in-ear monitors is the ability to hear your music regardless of how loud the crowd is. Really loud crowds can make it difficult, and sometimes impossible, to hear your own music through the monitor speakers.

 

[prcguy]

They do have to be licensed and there are no current FCC plans that would affect their operation. Not too long ago the wireless mics and monitors in the 700MHz band had to be discontinued due to the roll out of new wireless frequencies there.

The mfrs of the wireless devices have absolutely no guarantee on how you use them or if they get interfered with.
prcguy

Both frequency windows are primarily assigned for TV Broadcasting and actively used by television stations operating at power levels up to one million watts ERP. You need to ask your Shure dealer if registration or an FCC license is required to use them, and what areas of operation are allowed, and whether there's a money-back guarantee if you book a gig in an area where the system can't find a clear assignment. Loss of pay from one gig could be more than the system costs the band and you won't know until it's sound check time.

 

[bharvey2]

Wireless stage equipment is far from set and forget. If you're mobile (meaning house to house) you need to run a scan of the RF in the area each time you move. Some of the newer Shure wireless systems will look for open frequencies.

I use about half a dozen wireless setups at a fixed location and can go for weeks without a problem and then experience no end of trouble on a given day. As noted, the vendors can't predict what the FCC will do with any given band.

Going "in ear" definitely helps with the feedback problems and often makes the "house" sound cleaner as you don't have sound from the monitor mix fighting with the house mix.

 

[KC8ESL]

From the frequency ranges you supplied as options, I'm going to guess you are buying Sennheiser G3 IEM's. Damn awesome gear.

That said, if you're only doing local gigs, do a sweep of your area to find out what DTV/Analog stations (some still exist) are around and make a judgement call around that. 516-558MHz would be more ideal for now but once the FCC crunches everyone down to the 470-598MHz range, I have a feeling that the lower channel numbers (lower frequencies) will be used up faster than the upper channels available at that time. So, in reality, you might be better moving up to 566-608MHz. On some of our larger tours, we offer 8-10 units in range "A" and 8-10 units in range "B" - with "A" and "B" in no specific order, just offering options from city to city.

 

[KK4JUG]

Thanks, guys. It's gonna take a little research before we spend the money.

KC8ESL, you're right. It's the Sennheiser G3 IEMs. I've heard only good stuff about them. (At that price, it oughta be good.)