I have reviewed a ton of personal monitors for FOH and other books. It is at the point where I have pretty much decided to pass any future reviews on to someone else because there is so much good stuff out there that it really comes down to a question of sound quality versus price. And sound quality is a totally subjective thing. There are units that I like a lot that others think stink, and units that I am not fond of that others swear by. So, it is fitting that my swan song on P.M. reviews is for something that is unique. Others have talked about it and said it was in the works, but to the best of my knowledge, no one else is doing what the Sensaphonics 3D Active Ambient System does.
The Gear
Like most P.M.s, the Sensaphonics are armature-based. That means they use vibrating rods to produce sound. This is basically hearing aid technology that has been refined and adapted for use in pro audio. Unlike most P.M.s I have used, the actual earpiece is made of a soft silicone that is very comfortable and that Sensaphonics says is “unbreakable.” (Having once ruined one side of a pair of custom P.M.s by running over them with a car — long story — I really appreciate that.)
Where most P.M.s terminate in a stereo mini-plug, the 3D earphones use dual stereo miniplugs to connect to the system’s bodypack mixer; they can’t really be used with anything else. Built into the actual structure of the earpiece is a pair of mini mics (the reason for the second plug). The whole deal plugs into a belt pack that is essentially a mixer. The belt pack lets you mix sound from the mics with the monitor mix from the console.
The version we tested uses a stereo 1/8-inch jumper to plug in to your wireless belt pack receiver, while the standalone wired version takes a stereo signal straight from the monitor board via a pair of XLRs to a LEMO input.
There are two operating modes — Perform and Full Ambient. In Perform mode, you dial in how much of the mic signal you will hear mixed with what is coming from the monitor feed. A flick of an easily accessible switch puts you in Full Ambient mode, which bring the mics up to full unity gain and dials back the input from monitor world. This results in something very much like not wearing P.M.s at all. The idea is that the performer (or monitor engineer) uses the Perform mode during performance, and the mics are there to dial in enough stage and room sound to eliminate the feeling of isolation that is common when using any P.M. system. If you need to talk to someone on or off stage without resorting to a talkback mic, you simply switch to Full Ambient mode and speak — and hear — normally. Let’s see how that idea works out in real life.
The Gigs
I did the gigs for this review differently than I usually would have. Since I did not have any standalone monitor gigs on the books, I used them in a situation that — for me anyway — is way more stressful. When I rehearse my own band, I get to be frontman, guitar player and monitor engineer at the same time for a nine-piece band. We use the Hear Technologies Mix Back and Hear Back system, which has made life easier as each person has a degree of control over his or her own P.M. mix. But it is still a hell of a juggling act, and I almost always end up with the “one-in, one-out” P.M. situation just so I can both hear and communicate.
I used the 3D system in three situations: a straight rehearsal, a live recording and a lip-synch video shoot. When I first plugged them in, I did what I normally do — wing it. And, not having read the manual fully or called for any advice, I was, of course, using them all wrong. I thought that Perform mode was just the MON feed and that Full Ambient brought in the mics. So I played the whole time in Full Ambient, which actually worked fine. The only problem was that another player was sharing my Hear Back output, which I had cranked up to compensate for the “ducked” MON level in that mode. Almost ripped his head off with sheer volume. But I was happy, which is all that matters….
Next time out, I actually took the time to figure out what I was doing. Dialing in just a bit of ambience in the Perform mode gave me a better feel for what was actually happening in the room, and I found myself laying back just a little both vocally and playing. It made for a better performance on the recording.
So how does this apply for a monitor engineer? First, the ability to communicate with another crewmember by flicking a switch instead of yanking out an earpiece is a huge improvement, and the 3D system is worth checking out just for that. But the biggest advantage is in getting a performer who is fighting the whole P.M. thing comfortable with the idea.
The 3D system totally negates two of the three “reasons” I get from performers I am doing monitors for as to why they stick with wedges — the isolation factor from both the audience and other band members, and the ability to communicate among each other onstage. This is especially true for looser acts that tend to mix up arrangements and song order in the middle of a set. For bands like that, onstage communication is vital. The one excuse that this system does not really address is the perceived lack of low end in P.M. systems. The 3D sounds very good, as good as any balanced armature system – and the sound from the onboard mics is natural and undistorted — a neat engineering trick. The system is spec’d out as going down to 30 Hz, but I did not perceive the bass response of something like the Future Sonics Ear Monitors. On the other hand, the 3D offers advantages that are not even available using any other system, so it comes down to what is best for the situation.
The entire world of monitoring is changing, and the increasing use of P.M.s is inevitable. They result in a cleaner stage sound, which makes it easier to mix a good show out front and — if you keep both of them in your ears all the time — they cut the level by up to about 26 dB, which can save the hearing of both a performer and a monitor engineer. And that really says it all. No matter what the client is using, if you are mixing a band whose stage volume constitutes a hazardous work environment, P.M.s are simple self-defense. The 3D system lets you defend your hearing (and extend your career) and still hear the bass player screaming for more kick in his mix. No other P.M. system does that.
