Playing metal in the 80's I travelled with two 2x15 cabinets. Set on end they gave me a wall of sound that could fill a large club. The advent of in-ear monitoring in the early 80's has completely changed on-stage monitoring. Future Sonics' founder, Marty Garcia is widely known as virtually inventing the concept of in-ear monitoring when he outfitted Todd Rundgren and Utopia for a tour in 1985.
Today, Future Sonics has many more competitors than it did in the late 80's, but the company has spent most of last 20-plus years developing a list of clients many of those competitors could only dream of: Reba McEntire, Kelly Clarkson, Steve Miller Band, U2 and Zac Brown Band just to name a few.
Late last year, Future Sonics introduced what, for them, is a down-market ear monitor: the mg5pro custom in-ear monitors. Like its predecessor, the mg6pro, the mg5 sports Future Sonics' single full-range, dynamic-driver design. Unlike some other in-ear monitors, which use an armature transducer, the Future Sonics believes monitors with a single full-range, dynamic driver produce warmer, more natural sound with less ear fatigue. “Bigger sound at lower volume” is a phrase on which the company has built a reputation. They believe in the phrase so much, they've trade marked it.
I received my new mg5pro ear monitors just in time for rehearsals for our church's Christmas production. With all the starts and stops—waiting to set the actors in the next scene—I had a chance to switch back and forth to do some A/B testing between the mg5pro's and my standard custom in-ear monitors.
As a bass player, getting good bass response from in-ear monitors (IEM) has often been difficult. My monitor mix requires more low-end than those of other players. But it's not just frequency response I'm looking for. I want monitors that can give me the subwoofer-like sound for the kick drum, while holding together the low-mids where a bass guitar gets its growl and bite. Having used several mid- and higher-end universal fit (i.e. non-custom fit) IEMs, I was never able to get that low-end experience that I wanted. Sometimes I'd find it for a few moments, but then I'd turn my head and the universal fit would loose its seal in my ear, and the low end was gone. Just a change of facial expression would sometimes do the same thing. Now you hear it, now you don't. That potential variability is not something any musician wants to have to worry about, especially a bass player who is holding down a complicated groove, or providing a solid foundation to a tender song in church.
Since my first experience with custom molded IEMs several years ago, I have enjoyed a whole new dimension in monitoring, and I've encouraged all the fellow players at my church to consider making the investment in custom ear buds. The custom molds produce a much more consistent listening experience, as it's nearly impossible to break the seal with the ear canal. The deep penetration of the custom ear bud helps create a physical connection with inner ear canal, producing the bass response I want.
At $750, plus the cost of the ear molds—another $80—these “down-market” ear monitors from Future Sonics are not cheap. They arrived in a very smart, military looking case with my name engraved in the top. Inside is a pouch for the monitors, a cleaning wand for getting rid of earwax build-up in the sound holes, and a user manual.
My first impression was “Man, these things are big.” I presume the 10mm dynamic driver takes up more space than the armature-based system I had previously used. Once they were in my ears, however, the size difference was completely unnoticeable.
I found the mg5pro's offer deep bass, with a level a clarity I've not experienced in an IEM before. And unlike other monitors I've used, the tonal balance of the mix holds together very well when you turn up the volume. Even at lower volumes, I can get the desired low-frequency punch and tone, and turning up to volume just gives me more of what I want—not the harshness and distortion other monitors can produce.
Any musician or sound engineer will agree that the better quality the instrument or sound system, the better the result. So why should a church invest tens, or hundreds of thousands of dollars in the sound system for the con- gregation, and cheap out on monitors the worship team uses? If your church expects professional-grade results, it likely will invest in professional-grade systems. That mentality should carry through to the monitoring systems the musicians hear. Should custom-fit monitors be on the list of investments for your church in the New Year, the mg5pro's from Future Sonics should definitely be on your short list. They are not the cheapest custom-fit IEMs on the market, but they most certainly offer more dollar value than many other less-expensive models.
