New gear!
First off, I played the Sennheiser EW-300 G2 IEM tonight. They’re great. I never thought I’d enjoy these while rehearsing as much as I did tonight.
I went early so I could set the system up and fool around with it. Installation was actually easy. I looped an XLR from my Eon G2-15 to the back of the IEM transmitter, plugged it in, set the mode to “mono” on the transmitter and … nothing happened. I turned off the “pilot” mode on the receiver and voila, instant signal!
When the others arrived and we went into the first set of songs, I was told that my speaker was way too loud. I hadn’t noticed. I turned it down, turned the volume on my IEM up a bit and continued playing. Halfway, I checked the peak level on the transmitter and they were a bit high. I dialed the transmitter to “sensitivity” and lowered it. That was all I had to do. It was simply fantastic. I have no buzz in my ears like I usually have. We all know that a buzz in your ears means they’ve been damaged so I’m glad to be rid of the buzz. All the studio sound was reduced to maybe a third of what usually pounds on my ears, and I could hear myself perfectly clear. All in all, I’d say this was worth the money.
The other system I had in mind was the Shure IEM system. It was more expensive but had a hybrid XLR-jack connection, which is good. The Sennheiser only has XLR. Then again, the Shure doesn’t have all the options the Sennheiser does. And while the Sennheiser is a lot more intimidating at first sight (what with all the options and elaborate menu-structure), it’s actually as plug and play as the Shure system is. So, my wallet dictated me to buy the Sennheiser although I’m not a huge fan of Sennheiser - but that’s an entirely different story.
As to the other gear I’ve ordered this week-end.
A DAP Showmaster 48 case. I’m not actually having or going to buy a showmaster 49, but it’s ideal for an effect board. It’s 723 mm wide and 360 deep on the inside which means it’ll fit my Pod XT live perfectly. On the side, I’ll have room for the VWAH and there should still be room for the two active DI’s I also purchased. There’s room for a power supply or powerblock and the lid actually comes off (but only if you want it too ;)). There’s also a slot in the back the opens so you can send all the wires through without having them spilling out over the floor. The front is not too high so I won’t have to actually put the pod on a riser inside the case. All in all, I’ve been looking for this one but it had been discontinued for a while. I’m happy they brought it back.
Also purchased are 2 Active DI’s so I won’t have to rely on the venue to actually supply me with DI’s.
A complete 19″ 4he rack. I purchased a 2he drawer to go with it, and an extra 19″ mounting panel. This way, I can put the EW300 and the PGX-14 in the same rack and put all cables etc. in the drawer underneath.
When I gig, I’ll only need to bring the 19″ rack, the Showmaster case and two guitars. Oh, and a big with gig clothes. That’s a while lot better than bringing the EON-15 G2, a mount, the pod, a small case for cables and to hold power supplies and two guitars. Setting up should be a lot easier now. Since I can leave everything connected and in place in the Showmaster case, setting up should be as easy as putting down the case, opening it up, finding a power outlet and plugging into it. A lot less cable hassle altough I’ll get MORE cable hassle with the extra wireless and the two DI-boxes. But my back is going to thank me for not having to carry the EON around all the time.
I’ll post a picture of all the new gear when it arrives.
