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May 2012

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Networked Personal Monitor Mixers

How well musicians can hear each other can spell the difference between celestial clarity and murky muddle.

by Bruce Borgerson

Mixing stage monitors demands keen audio instincts, the patience of Job, and a talent for reading minds. In the secular world, it sometimes requires taking considerable verbal abuse. We can only speculate how many times a monitor engineer has declared in exasperation, "Why don't you just come over here and do it yourself, Mr. Zophar!"

Bingo. That's the idea exactly, except now you don't have to leave your place on stage. You can mix your own monitors right where you are, thanks to advancements in digital audio networking technology. Several new systems have just come into the market, so you have options at different levels of sophistication, features and cost.

All systems covered in this article are based on the same underlying technology. They all take multiple channels of audio, convert the signals to digital, break up the digital data into network packets, distribute them via thin and lightweight Cat-5 cable, reassemble the data at the user end, convert it to multiple channels of analog-and let you mix them.

But that's about all they have in common. If we say audio networking is like fruit, then this article is about fruit salad. It's hard to make apples-to-apples comparisons, because the systems take the same technology and apply it in different packages using different proprietary networking protocols.

No "Fruit Salad" Systems
So, although this article may be fruit salad, your church's monitoring system can't be. Despite superficial appearances, this is nowhere near line-level analog audio: you can't take a user station from one manufacturer and plug it into a distribution interface from another and expect it to work-even though both units use the same cables and connectors. In other words, you'll be married to one system for years to come. Make sure it will be compatible with your needs. Carefully considering the following points:

Audio channel capacity
How many channels can be put on the network? How many are accessible by each personal mixer at one time?

Input formats
What type(s) of digital and/or analog signals go into the system?

User interface
What can you do with dedicated knobs and switches? What requires accessing menus? Can non-technical musicians manage it?
Programmability and presets
What features can be preset for instant recall? How do you program and access your presets?

Analog outputs
Can you easily connect what you need to connect, including wired IEM (in-ear monitor) earbuds, wireless IEM transmitters, headphones and stage wedges? Also, check specs for noise and distortion.

Reliability
Does the system have a solid track record, or is it fresh and yet unproven?

Cost
You get what you pay for, and with most of these systems you get a lot.

With those criteria in mind, let's take a quick tour of offerings.

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Bruce Borgerson networks around the industry via Wavelength Communications while monitoring technologies at the First United Methodist Church of Ashland, Ore.