Trent Shipley wrote:Yeah. Well that's not quite _it_.
The crucial feature is being able to *group* the receiver appliances into groups.
Russell Chapman replied:
I *think* that's what these systems do. Some hear only the backing track (ie the filler stuff not being played by anyone on stage), some hear the music in total, and some only hear the stage manager's instructions, but who hears what can be switched from the backstage console.Having done a little recording studio and live audio work...
I imagine that your dance floor proposal could be done much cheaper than these things, and would require less expertise to operate. Perhaps IR could be utilised, with ceiling mounted transmitters. IR receiving headphones are very cheap in department stores.
Yes, it's certainly possible to have multiple separate monitor mixes (mixes for the headphones or earphones or monitor speakers used by each performer). If there are only one or two separate monitor mixes, the person doing the main audience mix might also handle the monitor mix. Sometimes there are separate mixes for each person, and usually that means three or four different mixing boards, often located backstage, each manned by a different mixer. I was backstage at a Neville Brothers concert (part of a big weekend-long outdoor festival here in KC a few years ago), and I saw no less than 5 backstage monitor mixers and two people manning the main audience mixing board, and two or three other people setting up mixing boards to be used for monitors for the next group. That's the most mixing boards I've ever seen in the same place outside of a music store.
But Trent, for what you're talking about, it's as simple as having low-power transmitters on different radio frequencies and headphones that can be tuned to those frequencies.
Schools have been doing something similar (only in a wired version) for a number of years with keyboard labs. Each student sits at an electronic keyboard with headphones on, and the teacher is able to listen to each individual student. In some systems, the teacher can group two to four students who are working on duets or trios or who are each playing a separate part of a four-part chorale so that all students in a given group hear the keyboards of all the other students in that same group, but no one else hears them and they hear no one else. Many of these systems also have microphones built into the headsets so the teacher and student can communicate to each other without either one having to get up from their desk. I think I've seen the mixers and headsets sold separately from the keyboards.
My wife and I are going to a music education conference in late January where they might have some things like that set up in the vendor area. I'll see if there are any wireless systems currently available and sold without keyboards and let you know. You might want to send me a reminder email around January 20 or 21. I think the conference is that following weekend.
Reggie Bautista
_________________________________________________________________
MSN 8 helps eliminate e-mail viruses. Get 2 months FREE*. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus
_______________________________________________
http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
