What do CATS have to do with IEM mixing?

When I was preparing for my Live Sound Summit 2020 lecture on in-ear monitor (or IEM) mixing, I was trying to come up with a better understanding of key concepts that seem to be underlying every interview or article I came across with monitor engineers that mainly work with IEM users. A soundbite that I could present to anyone who came up to me, asking “how can I become a better monitoring engineer for IEM users?” To my surprise, it has a lot to do with… cats.I presented the question to the panel at LSS2020 and the most common response was “mixing IEMs is like herding cats.” While that might be true with some artists (and some engineers), I had a different answer in mind. Although you might have guessed it is an acronym, in my mind every key concept is now represented by an image of a cute feline pet.

Consistency

The first cat of the herd is called Consistency. The role of the monitoring engineer is to provide a consistent sound in the artist’s ears on every show. You might think this is quite easy, if you use the same microphones, the same mixer and the same earphones, but in fact the sound in the earphones is still greatly affected by other factors. The size and sound of the venue can dictate if the overall mixes will sound brighter or darker, reverberant or dampened, big or small. Your target sound can also be thrown off by different PA setups, especially when it comes to sound directivity. Subwoofers can be the biggest offenders here, since an omni sub positioning will spill much more low end towards the stage than a cardioid or a gradient setup. With all these variables in play, your responsibility as a monitor engineer is to reduce their effects and bring the sound of the mixes into the “zones of minimum tolerance”, defined by the sensitivity of your act or artist. What makes a great IEM engineer is the ability to assess these influences when the room is empty and deploy countermeasures to bring the sound closer to what the artist is used to hearing. Since a lot of IEM users tend to skip soundcheck and you might not have the option of checking with them if things sound ok, that first moment of the show will be the first time the artist will experience everything in that room - the stage, the crowd, the venue. And no matter how many times you do this, that first hit is always the biggest reveal of your work. If nothing happens and the show goes on, you have done a great job. But if you get perplexed stares from the band members, you have to rethink your workflow and redefine what “minimum tolerance” sounds like to you and what it means to your artist.

Altruism

The name of the second fluffy creature is Altruism. When you are mixing for IEM users, you are not mixing for yourself. Period. There is no room for “I know what you need to hear, so that is what you are getting, no matter what you are asking for.” In other words, if you bring your ego behind the mixing board, this cat will scratch the ego’s eyes out. Granted, you are the one who is shaping the initial sound for the users, but once the artist gives you their notes, those notes become the law of your land. The only scenario where I would intervene is if I believe the user is giving me directions that might permanently damage their hearing. Even then I would bring up my concerns in a conversation with them and if they still insist on their way, that is what they are getting. You might come across an artist that does not really communicate with you in terms of what they like or don’t like, so you have to sort of “guestimate” what they might need, but after any alteration you have to check with them if the corrections sound better or worse than before. They might not even notice, and if it sounds better to you, you might decide to keep it. But the bottom line is this- the user has the final say. I say that fully aware that you will have to create mixes that sound just awful to you and nothing about them seems right, but they could be exactly what someone needs in order to combine the sound from their ears with the sound from the stage, or to find a timing or pitch reference. Embrace it, remember it, work with it however you can, but it has to be their sound in the end.

Timing

The third lovely creature is called Timing. A true signifier of an experienced and well versed IEM engineer is the speed of their responses to their client’s demand. You hear about this from just about every successful engineer when talking about their craft- the requested change has to be made the moment someone asks for it. That is why we spend so much time developing a console layout that is consistent no matter what console you are working on. It is also the reason why monitor engineers are more reluctant to change their console for another model or brand. If you want to achieve that level of speed, you have to know where your most crucial channels are laid out, how your sources are divided amongst layers, how to press that shortcut you have programmed to do three moves with one switch, just so you can get there faster. It has to become muscle memory, which is even more important when you consider we are sometimes placed on the actual stage and have to have our console lights dimmed not to ruin the visual experience for the audience. There is actually another Jedi level of this timing game, which you can get to when working with an artist for a long time - anticipating their needs and meeting them before they become expressed. The best engineers will become extremely familiar with not only the sound of a mix, but also with all the minute mannerisms an artist might have. They can deduce something needs to be changed by the way someone is standing or what they are looking at. When that change is done, they can immediately notice the effect of it, even when no cues or words have been exchanged. Again, this can only happen when you work with an artist for a long time and you should definitely not try making guesses on levels if you don’t know the artist that well. 

Safety

The last cat of them all is the alpha, the biggest, baddest, most important cat of the herd. Her name is Safety. She is the mother of all cats. It is the one single most important concept that should never leave your mind when working with IEM users. If you feel I am completely exaggerating this point, let me tell you what I think about every time I mix IEMs. It is about the fact that we have put a device, capable of extremely high sound levels, mere fractions of an inch next to a highly sensitive vital organ of the human body. As the operator of that device, I am the sole person responsible for making sure that a human being does not experience permanent damage to one of his senses. Call yourself “The Gatekeeper”. Call yourself “The Protector”. Shout “You shall not pass!” to the levels that might be detrimental to the user’s health - go full Gandalf mode. Do whatever you have to do to realise that if everything else goes south, your last stand will be the safety of the artist. That means having complete control over your system and the users. You have to know exactly what will happen when those packs get turned on and those ears plugged in, and you have to be on top of that every single moment of your gig. Not only the show, but the line check, sound check, changeover - from the moment a signal could potentially pass through the system, until your gear gets turned off. 

If you want a successful and long lasting career as an IEM mixer, you should be aware of these four concepts at all times. They sum up everything we do, and when you bring them into your approach, you will have a shot of working with and for the best. Lose sight of just one of them, and your path can quickly lead astray. Now that I think of it… maybe it does have something to do with herding cats afterall?