If you’ve been to a concert or seen any kind of live performance, chances are you’ve noticed musicians wearing earpieces while on stage. Although they might look similar to those wireless earbuds runners use, they’re actually very different. Referred to as in-ear monitors (IEMs), they offer many more benefits than simply staying in your ear during physical activity.
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IEMs play concert audio back into the musician’s ear so they can clearly hear their performance. They offer a tight, in-ear fit that blocks out external noises like the crowd. They’re also beneficial for long-term hearing health. According to a 2104 study published in Occupational and Environmental Medicine, musicians are four times more likely to develop noise-induced hearing loss, and IEMs help combat this by playing their audio at a lower level. If musicians are part of a band, IEMs also allow each member to hear their individual mix. Similarly, the devices help singers hear themselves over the band, eliminating the need for them to sing louder and, in turn, reducing vocal strain.
Before IEMs, musicians would point speakers toward them to hear their performance. Understandably, this could create unwanted feedback if the microphone picked up the speaker’s audio and forced the musician to stay in one place during their set. The shift to IEMs not only eliminates any unwanted feedback, it also lets performers be much more mobile on stage. Plus, they’re much easier to travel with on tour than an extra speaker.
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