What Should Come Out of Monitor Speakers on Stage?
Man, I remember my first band gig. We were crammed into this tiny club, barely enough space for the drummer, and I was so focused on my guitar tone, I completely forgot about the monitors. Like, zero thought went into what should come out of monitor speakers on stage. The sound guy eventually yelled, “Can you hear anything?” My answer was a deafening silence, punctuated by the roar of the main PA drowning out everything I was trying to do.
That was a harsh lesson. You spend hours dialing in your sound, only to be completely disconnected from it when you’re actually playing live. It’s like trying to cook a gourmet meal with your eyes covered.
This isn’t rocket science, but it’s also not something you can just wing. Getting the monitor mix right is probably 60% of what makes a live performance feel good for the musician. Forget the smoke machines; this is the real magic.
The Golden Rule: What You Need to Hear
Let’s cut the crap. When we talk about what should come out of monitor speakers on stage, we’re not talking about replicating the main mix. That’s a common mistake, and honestly, it’s why so many musicians struggle. Your stage monitors are your personal dashboard. They need to give *you*, the performer, exactly what *you* need to execute your part of the song.
For a guitarist, this often means a clear representation of the bass and drums so you can lock into the groove. Maybe a bit of the lead vocal if you’re the one singing harmonies or if it’s your song. Rarely is it the full, booming guitar sound that the audience is hearing from the mains. That would be like giving a chef the same ingredients the diners get and expecting them to create the meal from scratch on their plate.
My first expensive mistake? I spent nearly $400 on a fancy in-ear monitor system because the band all agreed we needed better isolation. Turns out, the problem wasn’t the isolation; it was that the sound engineer was sending us basically the same 20-track stereo mix that was going through the PA. All that money and still no clarity. What a waste.
For the drummer, it’s often a solid kick drum and snare, the bass guitar for timing, and maybe their own vocals. Singers, obviously, need their own voice front and center, plus the rest of the band to keep them in time and tune. Bassists usually want a clear picture of the drums and guitar so they can anchor the rhythm section. (See Also: Is Dual 32 Inch Monitor Too Big )
Frequency Wars: What Frequencies Matter Most
The frequency spectrum is where the real battle happens. You want enough low end to feel the groove, but not so much that it turns into a muddy mess that makes your ears ring. High frequencies are your friends for clarity, especially for vocals and cymbals, but too much can be piercing and fatiguing. Finding that sweet spot is key.
Think about it like this: if the bass guitar and kick drum are fighting over the same low-mid frequencies (say, 100-300 Hz), neither will cut through clearly. They just sound like a rumble. You’ve got to EQ them so they occupy their own space. The kick might own 60 Hz and 120 Hz, while the bass guitar might have its fundamental somewhere around 80 Hz and a nice upper harmonic around 200 Hz to give it definition. This isn’t about making one sound ‘better’ than the other; it’s about making them coexist harmoniously in your monitor mix.
I once worked with a guitarist who insisted on having his entire overdriven guitar tone shoved into his monitors. He swore he needed it to play. The result? A constant, ear-splitting screech that made it impossible for the singer to hear themselves, let alone anyone else. After about five songs, he admitted his ears were ringing so bad he could barely feel his face. Seven out of ten times, a guitar player asking for more guitar in their monitors actually needs more bass and drums so they can hear the rhythm they’re supposed to be playing along with.
Consumer Reports, in a survey of live sound engineers, noted that improper monitor EQ is cited as a primary cause of performance anxiety and technical difficulties on stage more often than any other single factor.
The ‘everyone Says X, I Disagree’ Section
Everyone says you need a perfectly balanced mix, and sure, that’s the ideal. But I disagree that it has to be perfectly balanced in the way the main PA is. My contrarian take is this: sometimes, a monitor mix needs to be intentionally unbalanced to serve the individual musician. If the singer needs their own voice at 90% volume and the drums at 30%, so be it. That’s not ‘unbalanced’; that’s functional.
The common advice is to send a consistent, well-balanced mix to all musicians. This sounds great in theory, but in practice, it often leads to musicians having to fight against their own monitor mix or, worse, not being able to hear themselves at all. This leads to sloppy playing, missed cues, and general frustration. (See Also: Is Dji Spark Compatible With Crystalsky Monitor )
In-Ear Monitors vs. Wedges: The Great Debate
This is less about what should come out and more about *how* it comes out. In-ear monitors (IEMs) offer isolation and a consistent, predictable sound. Wedges, those classic speakers on the floor, are open and allow you to hear the room sound and connect with your bandmates’ stage presence more directly. Each has its pros and cons, and what works depends on the venue, the genre, and personal preference.
I used wedges for years. They’re clunky, they feedback if you push them too hard, and they’re heavy. But there’s a certain raw energy you get from feeling the sound vibrate through the stage floor. Then I tried IEMs after a particularly deafening gig where my ears rang for three days. The clarity was astounding. Suddenly, I could hear subtle nuances in the bassline and my own vocal pitch with precision I’d never experienced. It felt like stepping from a blurry photograph into a high-definition film.
The biggest hurdle with IEMs isn’t the technology itself, but getting everyone to understand that the monitor mix is *their* mix, not a shared buffet. You’re not going to get the same sound as the guitarist who wants more guitar and less vocals. You’re getting what *you* need.
| Element | Typical Need (Guitarist) | Typical Need (Singer) | Typical Need (Drummer) | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bass Guitar | Moderate – For timing and feel. | Low – To stay in key. | High – Essential for rhythm. | Needs its own space, not buried. |
| Drums (Kick/Snare) | Moderate – For rhythmic anchor. | Low – To keep time. | Very High – The drummer’s pulse. | Kick needs punch, snare needs snap. |
| Vocals (Own) | Low – To hear lyrics/harmony. | Very High – The primary instrument. | Low – Can be distracting. | Singer’s voice must be clear and present. |
| Guitar (Own) | High – For performance cues. | Low – Unless they’re the lead. | Very Low – Can cause bleed/feedback. | The guitarist needs their tone, but not overwhelming. |
| Keys/Synth | Low – For texture/harmony. | Low – For harmonic context. | Moderate – For rhythmic interplay. | Depends heavily on the song’s arrangement. |
Troubleshooting Common Monitor Nightmares
Ever had a monitor speaker that just sounded… wrong? Like it was coated in Vaseline and playing through a tin can? That’s usually down to a few things. Feedback is the most obvious culprit, that ear-splitting squeal that happens when a microphone picks up the sound from a speaker and amplifies it back out. This is a direct result of gain staging errors and improper EQ.
Another common issue is phase cancellation. This happens when two sound waves hit each other out of sync, effectively cancelling each other out. You might notice certain frequencies sounding thin or absent. This is often due to a speaker being wired incorrectly, or sometimes even just the physical placement of microphones and speakers relative to each other. I once spent an entire soundcheck trying to figure out why the bass sounded so weak, only to discover the monitor wedge was wired backwards. A simple polarity flip fixed it. That took me about twenty minutes of pure frustration.
The best way to avoid these issues is to have a sound engineer who understands the fundamentals. But even if you don’t have a dedicated engineer, or if they’re new, taking a few minutes for soundcheck to communicate clearly about what you’re hearing (and not hearing) can save a lot of grief. Don’t be afraid to speak up. (See Also: Is Edge Cts 2 Monitor Calif Compliant )
When you’re trying to figure out what should come out of monitor speakers on stage, remember that clarity trumps volume. A mix that’s too loud is just as useless as a mix that’s too quiet.
Faq: Your Monitor Mix Questions Answered
Why Do My Monitors Keep Feeding Back?
Feedback usually happens when the volume of your monitor speakers is too high relative to the microphones. Microphones are designed to pick up sound, and if the speaker is loud enough, the mic will pick up that speaker’s sound and send it back through the amplifier, creating a loop. Try lowering the monitor volume or repositioning microphones further from the speakers. Sometimes, specific frequencies can be dialed out with EQ, but the root cause is almost always volume or proximity.
Should My Monitor Mix Sound Exactly Like the Main Pa?
Absolutely not. The main PA is for the audience. Your monitor mix is for *you*, the performer. It should give you the specific elements you need to hear to play your part effectively, which is often a different balance than what the audience needs to hear. Trying to match the main mix in your monitors will often result in you not hearing yourself clearly.
How Much of My Own Instrument Should I Hear in My Monitor?
This is highly personal and depends on your role. Singers and lead instrumentalists often need a significant amount of their own sound for reference and control. Rhythm players, like drummers or bassists, might need less of their own instrument and more of the other band members so they can lock into the groove. A good rule of thumb: if you can’t hear your bandmates or yourself clearly enough to stay in time and tune, adjust your monitor mix.
What Are the Best Monitor Speakers for Live Gigs?
There’s no single ‘best.’ It depends on your budget, venue size, and genre. Brands like QSC, JBL, and Yorkville make reliable powered monitor wedges. For in-ear monitors, Shure, Sennheiser, and Audio-Technica are popular choices. The most important factor is that they are powerful enough and have decent frequency response for your needs, and that they are set up correctly.
Verdict
Ultimately, figuring out what should come out of monitor speakers on stage boils down to one thing: what helps *you* play your best. It’s not about impressing the sound guy or the audience with your monitor mix; it’s about creating a functional feedback loop between you and your band.
Start by communicating clearly with your sound engineer. Don’t just say “more guitar”; say “I need to hear the kick and bass more clearly to stay in time.” If you’re using in-ears, experiment with different balances. I’ve spent probably three solid hours in my life just tweaking my own monitor mix between songs at soundchecks until I found what felt right for my band.
Don’t be afraid to ask for what you need. A little bit of honest feedback, and a willingness to adjust your own EQ and levels, can make the difference between a frustrating gig and a performance where you feel completely connected and in control.
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