Newb Question-LR + Vox in Monitor Mix

[skydogg]

Hi-
First off, sorry for the noob question.  I did some searching but wasn't able to figure it out.

My band just got the DL32R (we've been using the 1608 for awhile, but only in the most basic manner).  The keyboard player would like to use in-ears to monitor the LR mix (we don't have a sound guy out front) in his earphones, but he'd also like to add a bit more of his vocals to that.  So essentially, he'd like LR + Slightly More KeyVox in his monitor mix.

What is the most straightforward way to achieve this.  If you can just point us in a direction, we can dig through the manual and work it out. 

Thanks!!

[shufflebeat]

Hi skydogg.

There are a couple of ways to achieve this, the most conventional of these would be to feed an aux send to the IEMs, ensuring that all channel sends for that aux are at 'zero' and the aux is set to 'post fade' to ensure it reflects the FOH mix - then just add a little more KeyVox.

There are limitations to this:

Any non-amplified sounds which are adding to the mix (drums, bass amp, other instrument amps, wedges) which are adding to the FOH without (or only partially) going through the PA will not show up in the IEMs at the appropriate level. The listener might be tempted to stick a bit more in to balance the IEMs but knock out the FOH. You could, over time, calibrate your IEM mix to account for this with patience, wisdom and a good ear, depending on your band, venue(s), etc.

Room acoustics can make some elements appear more prominent than others, again a good mix in IEMs does not guarantee a good FOH.

I'm sure others will have experience of other issues with balance EQ, etc. It may be worth a try if your lineup and venue permit but there's nothing like being in the room to inform your decisions.

[skydogg]

Ah, I didn't realize I could do that "for free" with the aux send, post fader.  I ended up reading the manual again and decided to try building a Matrix.  The matrix contains just the L and R and also Aux 4 which only has KeyVox sent to it.  I can mix the levels within the matrix.  Then I just sent the Matrix out XLR11 and patched xlr11 to the headphone amp.

You make a really good point about there being nothing like being in the room, but hopefully this will be better than the setup we have now, which is really just doing a sound check and then hoping for the best.

Thanks,
Jeff