The Secret Technology Behind Every Major Concert
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Learn more about Can I Get A Little More Me: https://www.canigetalittlemoreme.com/
Monitor Engineer for Pitbull: https://youtu.be/mDbs5rAhWy8?si=tBTy_APii_GpOIl4
What Is A Monitor Engineer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fEwbZx8Dp8
Touring Monitor Engineer at Glastonbury: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iE-6N_sy0CY
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 The most important part of any live show
00:46 What are in-ear monitors?
01:20 I need some help
02:38 Who invented in-ear monitors?
05:04 The one thing tying the “inventors” together
06:20 How important are in-ear monitors?
08:33 How playback tracks impact live music
09:43 Are artists lonely on-stage?
12:35 Mike’s documentary about in-ears
ROYALTY FREE ASSETS USED
Video by Kelly
Photo by Josh Sorenson
Photo by Tirachard Kumtanom
Photo by Raphael Brasileiro
Photo by Alexas Fotos
Video by Los Muertos Crew
Video by Tom Fisk
Video by cottonbro studio
Video by Yan Krukau
Video by Adrian Hoparda
Video by Luis Quintero
@mikediasspeaks
February 22, 2026 at 12:53 pm
This story belongs to the side-stage heroes. If the episode sparks questions, ask away—I’ll answer in-thread and add sources where I can.
@Cosmstack
February 22, 2026 at 12:53 pm
IEMs during shows are super important, but for me there was always one massive downside: you mention isolation as a plus, but for me it's often a downside. I feel cut off, as if I'm the only one there. I struggle more with the performance side and connect with the audience and bandmates. I ironically feel more nervous too because the monitors make small mistakes a lot clearer, because it's so much more focussed.
@edgy55
February 22, 2026 at 12:53 pm
9:55 Yeah but there's a difference between a product that actually enables a more personalized listening experience (portable cassette players) and a product that gives off the appearance of a more personalized listening experience to hide the fact that it's only trying to squeeze out as much attention from people as possible (Spotify and its imitators)
@blissfullycat02
February 22, 2026 at 12:53 pm
I don't think I could perform anywhere near as well with my band if it weren't for the wireless in-ear monitors… I had to perform once with just a speaker monitor by me and I just felt so off for the entire performance. There is just so much ambient noise beyond the band around you. I tend to like to keep one out but sometimes you just need to drown everything else out and just stick with the monitors.
@vanzzini
February 22, 2026 at 12:53 pm
I have worked in Mexican television for over 20 years. Here, it is very common for presenters to use the chícharo: a small earpiece through which, in most cases, we listen to the control room.
However, this comes to mind, and I am not entirely sure where it fits. During the 1970s and 1980s, all Mexican soap operas used the chícharo in a very different way: someone would literally read the script to the actors, and they would deliver their lines in real time. This was because, at that time, most soap operas were produced live. Is this is also part of the story? Great video by the way
@alisterfolson
February 22, 2026 at 12:53 pm
Mariah Carrey's NYC show was shit bc she thought she was more important than the decades-long show. 😂
@mybigfatpolishlife
February 22, 2026 at 12:53 pm
I've seen clips of Michael Jackson calling out his monitor engineer
@fookuall
February 22, 2026 at 12:53 pm
Interesting topic but I won't subscribe when your inserts remind me of Sesame Street.
@amai_zing
February 22, 2026 at 12:53 pm
First time I ever performed with in-ear monitors was an absolute ga,e changer and would never go without again
@dougreacts
February 22, 2026 at 12:53 pm
I use my in-ear monitors to listen to videos on youtube since the speakers on my computer arent that good of quality. I get amazing sound from my in-ears
@maxxkata
February 22, 2026 at 12:53 pm
As a huge proponent of IEM usage instead of gross foldback speakers…
I had no idea UE was a real IEM manufacturer for real stage usage. I only knew them as Logitech-style overpriced rubbish earphones for Xbox COD bros
@casondave
February 22, 2026 at 12:53 pm
Hummm, total newbie channel huh …… ?! to anyone in any sort of music thing – its meh. Having that guy Mike Dias offered up nothing to the video except a way to pad it out and make it longer too ……
@DiamondPaintWithDiamondDave
February 22, 2026 at 12:53 pm
LOL…imagine making the first wireless in-ear monitors so that artists can move around on stage while working with the one artist who never moved around on stage…Stevie Wonder…
@Grumpy-OldMan-1963
February 22, 2026 at 12:53 pm
Taylor Swift needs in ear monitoring so she can mime / lip synch to her fraud backing tracks…..
@alan-freeman
February 22, 2026 at 12:53 pm
Can I suggest a topic to expand on this great video. You mention "Click" frequently. It would be a great subject to deep dive into. Explaining how click allows a performance start from nothing to full song in sync with no "conductor".
@ProjimoSerpien
February 22, 2026 at 12:53 pm
Fake artist..real performers dnt need none of that ..
@kcgunesq
February 22, 2026 at 12:53 pm
I'd argue that if the Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin, CCR, early Rolling Stones, etc didn't need them to create some of the best music ever and perform live, then it is far, far from the most important tech for concerts. If in-ear monitors disappeared tomorrow, would live concerts stop? Of course not. Are they incredibly useful? Sure. But if we want to really want to credit a particular item, I'd lean much more towards Owsley Stanley's "wall of sound".
@Prellium
February 22, 2026 at 12:53 pm
BRB going to watch a band from 40 years ago play perfectly without in-ear monitors.
@GodBless0007
February 22, 2026 at 12:53 pm
Yes For track singer .. karaoke singers
@Arlo360-Official
February 22, 2026 at 12:53 pm
This one time….. at band camp…..
@mckymcobvious3043
February 22, 2026 at 12:53 pm
lol from the thumbnail, my brain thought "ears??" are EARS the "secret technology behind every major concert" ??.. I have some news:.. … ears , um…. AREN'T A SECRET!!
@xerxese7909
February 22, 2026 at 12:53 pm
As an engineer, I understand. Doing FOH I just make myself happy. Doing monitors your job is to make everyone onstage happy. ( not always easy, with speaker monitors, I've been up to 115 db onstage. Nightmare. )
@psykickg
February 22, 2026 at 12:53 pm
Wow, did people not know about IEMs in this day and age
@PhilipCooper-w9b
February 22, 2026 at 12:53 pm
yes but much of this is bollox
@PhilipCooper-w9b
February 22, 2026 at 12:53 pm
11.27 – -'dominating STO much of every day life' – ??? – STO ???
WHAT ??? – Who thr hell produced this CRAP !
@Thomas-s5d3u
February 22, 2026 at 12:53 pm
Its that the person performing on stage has a microphone that's not connected, an earpiece where they can hear the studio recording of their voice being played to the audience so that they can mouth the words in time.
@Cawigula
February 22, 2026 at 12:53 pm
Many years ago, my drummer showed me the cue system he has with his metronome and now my entire band has that in their ears. It's the best!
@ewenchan1239
February 22, 2026 at 12:53 pm
I would LOVE to hear a little sample of what musicians/vocalists actually hear from their monitors.
@dgwdgw
February 22, 2026 at 12:53 pm
Doing my part by getting the doco added to TMDB 🤘
@edialves3756
February 22, 2026 at 12:53 pm
What a great video ❤
@Wuko_819
February 22, 2026 at 12:53 pm
as someone who’s used in ear monitors for coming up on 3 years now, not only do I find them more comfortable than headphones but I actively recommend them to people.
@BlazonStone
February 22, 2026 at 12:53 pm
Having inears doesnt mean you gotta have playback and stuff
Its just a way to hear yourself and others easier
@BeautyoftheUniverse333
February 22, 2026 at 12:53 pm
I use them to listen to music since they have noise canceling and are comfortable since they go into the ear better.
@unicorndrums
February 22, 2026 at 12:53 pm
I'm a singer-songwriter and I've been playing drums semi-profesionally for 2 years. The monitors protect your ears. In fact, I have tiny ears and need to get custom ones made. It's time.
@iTzDritte
February 22, 2026 at 12:53 pm
JH Audio > Ultimate Ears
@jihsiang
February 22, 2026 at 12:53 pm
Amateur audio engineer here (mostly for churches and events), and I remember introducing IEMs to people 10-20 years ago, it was a bit of a battle. They didn't like how IEMs fit in their ears, isolating them from the stage sounds.
@ivansoria2242
February 22, 2026 at 12:53 pm
What kind of earplugs would you guys recommend for concerts?
@Mixer-he2wb
February 22, 2026 at 12:53 pm
Worked a small venue where I was foh and monitor. I'd spend half of sound check tuning the monitor mix with a blind foh mix. If it was a regular, id be signing parts myself sans mic to get a feel for balance. Sometimes it was checking certain musician's egos from playing a solo over someone else's solo.
@pscherry78
February 22, 2026 at 12:53 pm
Forgot the whole part about stage monitors coming before in-ear
@deleonforrester
February 22, 2026 at 12:53 pm
Lovely thank you for sharing!
@mbrew3244
February 22, 2026 at 12:53 pm
Playback is the death of modern live music… absolute crap.
@veronicafinocchi9550
February 22, 2026 at 12:53 pm
I always just assumed it was a particular song the artist needed to sing in case they forgot the words.😂 Like being able to remember a song from a few albums ago. Or maybe just drown out crowd noise and hear yourself and the band. Can't ever remember it being a problem before they were invented though.
Comments are closed.