Stage Monitors
The new Martin Audio LE100Since we started 10 years ago, all our fully engineered PA packages include monitor speakers (also known as foldback). The reason why is simple, if a musician can not hear themselves they are never going to perform with all the nuance and expression that they are capable of, in worst case they may feel distinctly uncomfortable, not being sure if their tuning or notes are correct, and this will immediately effect the audience experience. The quality of the monitoring experience we offer has gradually increased, and is now one of the best in the market. So what makes a great monitor system?The first thing is totally free! Take care as to where you put your backline, and control your individual volumes considerately. Tilt guitar amps back or place cases between them and other musicians. Lift amps up on furniture or cases. Dial out the bass in the bass amp to give more headroom and clarity in the mids. Position the band away from reflective surfaces.The next thing is the mixing desk. How many monitors do you need? Ideally one for each musician, but considering the cost (see final point) of monitors this is not always possible. Every monitor speaker needs to have a dedicated aux send on the mixer in order to give that speaker a specific mix. This quickly affects the cost of the mixing board as basic mixers at £50-80 often only have one aux send, whereas a mixer with 4-6 mixes will be over £500 and many digital mixers costing £0000s have 14 or more. Take time to adjust the monitor mix AND the backline levels and remember you can turn things down as well as up or point the monitors in different directions as required.