ABSTRACT
The emergence of modern sound reinforcement systems for music in the 1960s brought with it the need for performers to be able to better hear themselves onstage. Prior to the days of arena concerts and stacks of Marshall™ amplifiers, it wasn’t that difficult for performers to hear vocals through the main PA loudspeakers. Most concerts were held in smaller venues, with a few notable exceptions. When the Beatles played Shea Stadium in 1964, the only PA was for voice; guitars were only as loud as the guitar amplifiers. Of course, the crowd noise was so loud even the audience couldn’t hear what was going on, let alone the band! As rock and roll shows continued to get bigger and louder, it became increasingly difficult for performers to hear what they were doing. The obvious solution was to turn some of the loudspeakers around so they faced the band. A further refinement came in the form of wedge-shaped speakers that could be placed on the floor, facing up at the band, finally giving singers the ability to hear themselves at a decent volume, Fig. 37-1. With the size of stages increasing, it became difficult to hear everything, not just the vocals. Drums could be on risers 15 feet in the air, and guitar amps were occasionally stowed away under the stage. These changes required the use of a monitor console-a separate mixer used for the sole purpose of creating multiple monitor mixes for the performers-to accommodate all the additional inputs as well as create separate mixes for each performer. Today, even the smallest music clubs offer at least two or three separate monitor mixes, and it is not uncommon for local bands to carry their own monitor rig capable of handling four or more mixes. Many national touring acts routinely employ upwards of sixteen stereo mixes, Fig. 37-2.
