i see ppl wearing ear filters...why do they do that? to monitor themselves??? does it really work?? because i watn to get one if it does help monitor...

I used in ear's ONCE at practice and it drove me completely insane. I couldn't stand it at all.

Personally, I sing with only enough vocals in the monitors for the other guys. I hate vocal monitors. They're spotty and people rely on them TOO much. If you do your practice/homework and work on your songs, you don't need to hear yourself.

Case in point - The Beatles played the Cotton Bowl in front of 105,000 people with no monitors...you don't need em either.

:)

That's just a ridiculous statement!
Good monitoring is a key factor in good live-singing. The Beatles would've given their left nuts for decent monitors and complained incessantly about not being able to hear themselves on stage. Lennon once stated that it was one of the reasons why they gave up live gigging.

so if i dont have a good monitor system...ear filters works the same or waht??? how do ppl use ear filters..??

Dogears,

Calm down buddy. I personally hate them. I look at it like this:

1. All they do is let you hear what you're doing.
2. If you know what you're doing, do you need to hear it?

I for one have had too many engineers get drunk/tired or whatever and as soon as my monitors magically heat up, they aren't on it and the crowd gets to hear some lovely feedback. Personally, I'd rather sing with none.

But I'm just one man.....with one opinion.

It's dependent on the person. I know bands like Black Stone Cherry that just depend on the resonance of their own bidy to stay in tune. But then again look at Ashley Simpson when she got booed for sucking so bad. She didn't have any monitoring. But then again, she's not that great of a singer, but still monitoring for her helps. If you don't want earplugs, check out www.vamacoustics.com

JV

Jaime further proves my point:

1. Ashlee Simpson, who is quite possibly the absolute worst singer ever signed, needs monitors or she is atrocious.
2. Killer singer in BSC doesn't.

But do whatever you need to do to kick ass all over the place. If a wall of monitors makes it more fun for you and enjoyable for the crowd, man stack em up!

:)

Uwedinho, If you're looking for some actual information on in-ear and external monitoring check out http://forums.voicecouncil.com/viewtopic.php?id=9
The Voice Council instructors promote good monitoring as a path to vocal health as far as I can tell. I'm pretty sure one of the vocal coaches has written a whole article about it and I know Jeannie Deva mentions it in her a couple of her great articles.
I'm not quite sure whether you mean in-ear monitors or acoustic damping earplugs (hearing protection)when you say "ear filters". Which do you mean?
The case for effective monitoring is well established, and it's not just a case of monitoring your own voice but rather a workable mix of all that you need to hear in order to perform at your best and not over-blow your vocal cords. As far as I know, there are NO major acts working without audio monitoring of some sort but I'm quite willing to stand corrected.
Wylde, I didn't mean to sound like I was flipping out but your choice of the Beatles concerts just seemed too weird when they've repeatedly stated in print and interviews how much they hated not being able to hear themselves at concerts ie: no monitors!
From reading his posts, it sounds to me like Uwedinho is just starting out on the great adventure and needs sensible advice to help him on his journey.
Peace bro', Dave.

LOLZ at Jaime's post haha

yo respect dogears! i really am starting out and there are loads that i dont understand...thx for the opinion...since i am just starting out...its important for me to hear myself....maybe later when i am using to "feeling the sound" then i dont need to use monitors maybe?? or it may really be a personally perference...i might feel more safe with a monitor, dont know yet....i am still trying to "feel the sound" that i am making...the VAM...its a very cool thing...but i can't stand the look of it...its too much...

I love my set up for monitoring. Just get an in ear monitoring system (I use a Nady PEM 500 system and Shure E2 earphones; believe it or not the audio quality is perfectly fine, despite some negative reviews), and I just run vocals only through them. This way, theres no feedback, doesn't take forever to set up, none of that. If you keep the volume about mid level, you'll hear a perfect blend of your voice and the music. The earphones themselves provide hearing protection as well, so I suggest everyone try this. I think the Nady system is on sale for $200 now and the E2's went down to $50 so its not that bad of an investment at all.