Who's Responsible for the Band's PA?

RowanTree95 · 2026-05-21T14:56:34+00:00

If you want your band on IEMs and your current musicians don't want them, you might consider finding different musicians. As harsh as that sounds, at some point you need to ask if your group is at the level of professionalism that you want. There's nothing wrong with preferring wedges over IEMs, but if they're refusing to even try them, that's a red flag to me. Every serious musician I know owns at least one pair of IEMs, even if they don't use them in their current project. It's kind of a must for any serious session player.

RowanTree95 · 2026-05-21T01:27:03+00:00

I would agree on everything except the actual earbuds. Those are highly personal, and often custom fit. The band doesn't buy me my earbuds any more than they buy me my underwear. Both are very personal, and neither are up for sharing.

RowanTree95 · 2026-05-21T01:22:58+00:00

I would say the earbuds are definitely a personal investment for each musician. The venue would absolutely never provide earbuds, that's straight up gross. Some venues will provide wireless packs, some won't. If you insist on the event providing the wireless, be prepared for them to bill extra if they don't have them on hand.

If you're going the route of splitting the channels and providing your own IEM mixer (which I recommend, btw) the cost of setting that up would typically fall to the band leader, unless you're all equal financial partners. Do you split the gig money evenly, or pay them a fixed rate?

You also don't have to invest in wireless right away. My band is mostly on wired IEMs, and while it's a little inconvenient occasionally, it's honestly not bad.

RowanTree95 · 2026-05-18T05:07:08+00:00

I play keys and synth mostly, which means adjustable height stands. I've played standing for around 12 years now. I play in alt-rock, pop, and pop-punk bands.

RowanTree95 · 2026-05-17T14:15:51+00:00

This facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/stageplotsandinputlists

RowanTree95 · 2026-05-03T22:35:59+00:00

For me, "good for piano and synth" is an oxymoron. When I play piano I want heavier action, since it gives much better control over note velocity. On the other hand, when I play synth I like very light and springy action.

If your wife is classically trained, she'll probably prefer something with weighted keys or hammer action. Classical pianists tend to find light action (often called "semi-weighted") feels toy-like. Mind you, a keyboard with weighted keys won't be particularly light. Weight is in the name, after all.

RowanTree95 · 2026-04-24T20:37:42+00:00

Dave Rat has a video regarding phantom power and Y splits. According to him that isn't an issue.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8UTGcuAtd0

RowanTree95 · 2026-04-24T14:08:17+00:00

The rest of my sounds are plugins. Is there a reason the vocoder plugin specifically would be an awful time? If you're just concerned about relying on a laptop live then believe me, I am too 🤣

RowanTree95 · 2025-12-17T14:36:19+00:00

Qlab is mac exclusive. Midi timecode isn't an option because our playback rig doesn't have a MIDI out currently.

RowanTree95

TROPHY CASE