I’ve been thinking about listening today. Partly because I’ve been turning the studio upside down trying to find my trusty Shure E3 in-ear monitors. They are missing in action. Not good. They were a very special part of my bass kit.

There is little that beats the feeling of your insides being liquidized by the sound of your own playing. Doing a big gig with a thousand people in the crowd and an 8×10 cab behind you is something that sticks in the mind. Even my Accugroove 110, with nothing bigger than a 10 inch driver, makes my clothes flap in the breeze. I love bass, don’t you!?!

However, sometimes you have to minimise the stage volume, and that is where in-ear monitors win the day. No bass cab to carry either, just a set of earphones to plug in. Bass creates special challenges for in-ear monitoring, since you really need ear pieces that can handle the low-end. You also need to watch the volume. Without those vibrations shaking you, it is all too easy to forget how loud things are. Excessive sound pressure of any sort can damage your ears.

I think that my E3’s are no longer made, so I’m checking out the SE210MPA and the SE310MPA (Sure’s full range of personal monitoring systems is here). They aren’t cheap ear pieces, but they isolate any remaining stage noise, meaning that you hear yourself really well (a big crowd is surprisingly loud).

Speaking of being heard, it’s good to have you here. Do you know any other bass players that you could invite here? Then let them know about the blog, and if you are socially inclined, add it to your favourite link sharing site. There are some very cool things coming up in the next few weeks…