Front of house V Monitors

As a monitor engineer working with well-known bands like Jerry Cantrell, Travis, and Hollywood Undead, I have gained insights into the distinctive roles of front of house and monitor engineers that I want to share.

During live performances, the front of house sound engineer is positioned within the crowd, using a mixing console to amplify and balances sound feeds from each instrument on stage, through a finely calibrated public address system.

Conversely, a monitor engineer remains on stage, often off to one side, and after setting up a similar console accommodates individual tastes of the performers in what they need to hear. The goal of the monitor engineer is to ensure that performers can hear themselves and one another clearly. This was achieved through wedges positioned on the stage (or in recent years) engineers have by provided the performers with in-ear monitors, which can be custom-made by companies all over the world for various costs (between $300-$3000) The fitting process involves audiologists' assistance to make an impression of a client's ear, which is then sent to the manufacturer to place a tiny speaker inside an acrylic mould of the ear impression which is connected via a mini jack connector. To a wireless receiver pack and During the live show, the digital mixing console provides a rehearsed & refined mix for each member of the band. Song by song.

The front of house engineer also utilizes the same recall system to summon similar settings for their stereo mix. Compression, EQ and reverbs can be recalled at the push of a button and or recalled by computers locked to playback computers using time code.