Handbook for Sound Engineers

Personal Monitor Systems 1415

37.1 Background

The emergence of modern sound reinforcement systems
for music in the 1960s brought with it the need for
performers to be able to better hear themselves onstage.
Prior to the days of arena concerts and stacks of
Marshall™ amplifiers, it wasn’t that difficult for
performers to hear vocals through the main PA loud-
speakers. Most concerts were held in smaller venues,
with a few notable exceptions. When the Beatles played
Shea Stadium in 1964, the only PA was for voice; guitars
were only as loud as the guitar amplifiers. Of course, the
crowd noise was so loud even the audience couldn’t hear
what was going on, let alone the band! As rock and roll
shows continued to get bigger and louder, it became
increasingly difficult for performers to hear what they
were doing. The obvious solution was to turn some of
the loudspeakers around so they faced the band. A
further refinement came in the form of wedge-shaped
speakers that could be placed on the floor, facing up at
the band, finally giving singers the ability to hear them-
selves at a decent volume, Fig. 37-1. With the size of
stages increasing, it became difficult to hear everything,
not just the vocals. Drums could be on risers 15 feet in
the air, and guitar amps were occasionally stowed away
under the stage. These changes required the use of a
monitor console—a separate mixer used for the sole
purpose of creating multiple monitor mixes for the
performers—to accommodate all the additional inputs as
well as create separate mixes for each performer. Today,
even the smallest music clubs offer at least two or three
separate monitor mixes, and it is not uncommon for local
bands to carry their own monitor rig capable of handling
four or more mixes. Many national touring acts routinely
employ upwards of sixteen stereo mixes, Fig. 37-2.

The problems created by traditional monitor systems

are numerous; the next section examines them in detail.

Suffice it to say, a better way to monitor needed to be

found. Drummers have used headphones for years to

monitor click tracks (metronomes) and loops. Theoreti-

cally, if all performers could wear headphones, the need

for monitor wedges would be eliminated. Essentially,

headphones were the first personal monitors—a closed

system that doesn’t affect or depend on the monitoring

requirements of the other performers. Unfortunately,

they tend to be cumbersome and not very attractive. The

adoption of transducer designs from hearing aid tech-

nology allows performers to use earphones, essentially

headphones reduced to a size that fit comfortably in the

ear. Professional musicians, including Peter Gabriel and

The Grateful Dead, were among the first to employ this

new technology. The other major contribution to the

development of personal monitors is the growth of wire-

less microphone systems. Hardwired monitor systems

are fine for drummers and keyboardists that stay rela-

tively stationary, but other musicians require greater

mobility. Wireless personal monitor systems, essentially

wireless microphone systems in reverse, allow the

performer complete freedom of movement. A stationary

transmitter broadcasts the monitor mix. The performer

wears a small receiver to pick up the mix. The first

personal monitor systems were prohibitively expen-

sive; only major touring acts could afford them. As with

any new technology, as usage becomes more wide-

spread, prices begin to drop. Current personal monitor

systems have reached a point where they are within

many performers’ budgets.

Figure 37-1. Floor loudspeaker monitor wedge. Courtesy

Shure Incorporated.

Figure 37-2. Large frame monitor console. Courtesy Shure

Incorporated.