Guide to Audio Monitors

An often under-looked part of audio are monitors. Many people, musicians included, don't quite understand their uses and why they're often necessary. This brief guide will detail the two kinds of monitoring and they're benefits and disadvantages. Firstly, let's establish the primary usage of a monitor. The primary function of any monitor is to enable somebody to hear themselves as they are playing. Sounds a bit redundant, there's already a speaking pointing towards the crowd after all. However, these don't provide and ideal listening environment for the musician. Thus, monitors are very necessary. Let's talk about the two types of monitors now.

Speaker Monitors

You've seen these monitors many times in live playing situations. Often they are wedge shaped and positioned directly in front of the musicians, facing them. They are usually controlled via board either backstage or elsewhere. These monitors are known for their volume, and many musicians are forced to wear ear plugs in tandem with this type of monitor usage. Because of the volume, they're ideal for many situations. Unfortunately, the volume of these devices have been known to cause many hearing problems to musicians who have to deal with the decibels of clarity they provide.

In recording situations, you often find these in normal speaker form near the engineering console. They are the preferred medium to mix on as they provide a flat frequency response compared to headphones. This leads us to...

In Ear Monitors

Don't be fooled by the idea of in-ear monitors. They are not simple ear bud headphones. Many are very complex, some being molded to the musicians ear and some having as many as three different speaker types in a monitor.

The advantages are fairly obvious: there is no bleed with extraneous noise. You can work with your sound engineer and create a mix that enables you to hear things clearly without damaging your hearing. It's a harmless process for the most part and many musicians today simply can't function without in ear monitors.

The disadvantages are also fairly obvious. Having the speaker right next to your ear on a volume that's uncomfortable can really damage your hearing permanently extremely fast. Also, it can be a very strange experience to not hear the other instruments in their natural environment.

In studios, you will rarely see in ear monitors but they can be as useful as speaker monitors provided you have the knowledge to work around the differences.