3 Tips and Tricks for Learning to Play with Tracks and In-Ears

In-ear monitor systems (IEMs) have become almost standard on the worship stage. The benefits of using in-ear monitors instead of floor monitors are plenty and well documented. Just a few benefits include:

• In-ear monitor systems provide benefits to your sound technicians, including mixing the room without extra noise;
• Most musicians prefer using in-ears as opposed to wedges because they can control their mix and have the added perk of being able to control overall volume in their ears and save their hearing;
• IEM systems make rehearsals more efficient due to the above points – a must for busy worship team members.

If your church is just getting on board, or you, as a musician are just getting started, here are our top 3 tips for using in-ears and playing to tracks.

1. Use High-Quality In-Ear Monitors Engineered for Your Instrument

Not all in-ear monitors are equal. Deciding which in-ears will work well for you depends on the sound spectrum and the frequencies most appropriate for your role on the worship team. Bass players and drummers will want more lows in their ears, guitar players will want more pristine mid and high tones with controlled lows. Guitarists will also want to be able to clearly hear all other instruments and articulate chords. According to Worship Vocalist, worship leaders and singers will want to pick IEMs that help you achieve “more clarity in the mid/high frequencies, and not as much in the lower bass frequencies.” This is because the detail and clarity in the higher sound frequencies will help you achieve the best sound for your instrument (your voice) as it relates to the rest of the band. There are a lot of options on the market today – from the more budget-friendly KZ line to the custom IEMs from 64Audio and others.

2. Spend Time With Your IEM Equipment and Hone Your Mix

Your sound engineer can show you how to use your IEM equipment and can give you instruction specific to your system. However, there are a few universal truths when it comes to getting a good mix. At the heart of getting a good in-ear mix is wearing your in-ears correctly. IEMs should fit tightly in your ears and block out the sound around you. This gives you a good foundation for dialing in the mix you want. The more room noise you hear, the harder it will be to get a proper mix. Another tip is to spend time panning musicians and vocalists to varying degrees of left and right in your ears. Notice where vocalists are standing on the stage, and place them in the same spots on the audio soundscape – making everyone easier to hear. The same goes for different instruments. Pan other guitar players slightly to the left and right as well as keys, and you’ll be able to hear everyone without having to turn up the volume. At rehearsal, spend time dialing in your mix so you can hear everyone – it is a band after all. Some musicians remove instruments completely (like drums) or they have everything at the same volume or panned in the same spot – right up the center. This can make your ears sound “muddy” and loud. You should be able to hear all the other elements of the mix and be able to distinguish them. This includes the click, tracks and guide. The better your mix, the lower you can keep your click and track levels, allowing you to stay in time with the other musicians and play more confidently. Experiment with the mix and find what works best for you. Try different levels of the click track, the backing tracks, and the other elements of the mix. This will help you get the best sound out of your in-ear monitors.

3. Practice With Tracks and In-Ears At Home

Mastering in-ears can be a challenge for many musicians, especially when it comes to playing to a click and tracks. Experienced musicians are usually familiar with a click, but for church musicians, a click may be unfamiliar. Whenever you have the opportunity to practice with a metronome, your playing skills will improve. Keeping time is an essential part of musicianship, and the more you do it, the more comfortable it will become.

One complaint from musicians making the transition to IEMs is how isolating it feels when you can’t hear noise around you. To get used to this, when you practice at home, use your IEMs or noise-canceling headphones to recreate the feeling. It’s important to push through the awkwardness and get used to it as opposed to playing with one ear in and one out. This can be a bad habit to break and is hard on your hearing, as well as contributes to problems for FOH (read: click bleed-through). If it really bugs you, use IEMs that let some room sound pass through, but wear both IEMs at all times.

Bonus tip 1: Turn Down the Click and Tracks at First

This is one of those lessons you don’t want to learn the hard way. Prior to sound check, before you even put your IEMs in your ears, adjust your click and track volumes down low and once those levels are being checked, adjust them up. If you don’t play every weekend, you never know where the musician who used your unit had levels set. I’ve personally had to rip in-ears out of my ears quickly because the click was excruciatingly loud when it was turned on. Make a habit of turning these specific elements down before you put IEMs in your ears.

Bonus tip 2: Follow The Guide, But Follow Your Leader

If you’re playing to tracks, you most likely have a guide “person” in your ears telling you where to go, i.e. “intro,” “chorus,” “verse 2,” etc. While it’s important to listen to where the track is going, what’s more important is to follow your worship leader. He or she may be taking an unexpected left turn, and you, as their band, must go with them. Even if it’s a mistake, it’s more important to stay with your leader because that’s what your congregation will do.

There’s a lot to cover on this topic. We’d love to hear your tips in the commentsH