Ambient or Classic Custom in Ear Monitors: Choosing the Right Customs for You
- Miles Dakin
- Mar 18, 2024
- 5 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
We often see musicians posting online, excited to be ordering new custom in-ear monitors — only to get stuck choosing between ambient or classic IEMs.
"Which is best for you? Is it worth the upgrade? Will the ambience damage my hearing? How am I meant to know which is best?"
These are all great questions that are part of a common dilemma. Musicians often turn to social media for advice, and while responses are usually well-meaning, they’re often quick-fire opinions. Most of the time, they miss a few key factors that can shape your on-stage experience — and overlook how those choices might affect your hearing and performance long-term.
In this post, we want to demystify the choice between ambient and classic in-ears, based on our many gigs using both.
As session players and engineers here in the UK, we're sharing real-world insights that go beyond opinion, spec sheets, brand preferences and budgets. This advice applies to all manufacturers, and all styles of ambient in-ears — regardless of who made them.
What is 'Ambience' and what are Ambient Custom In Ear Monitors?
Ambience is simply the noise you hear around you, and how loud it is.
Classic custom in-ear monitors offer full isolation — typically reducing external sound by around 26dB (which is A LOT).
The challenge with classic IEMs is that they can sometimes make performers feel disconnected from the stage. Ambient custom in-ear monitors are designed to strike a balance between isolating you from loud external sound, and letting in what is necessary for a more immersive and natural on-stage experience. They typically reduce isolation by around 17dB, which in our experience is the sweet spot for most gigs. We’ve experimented with lighter filters (like 12dB) but found they don’t offer quite enough control. Too much of the stage spills in, and we often ended up turning our belt packs up louder than normal just to compensate. So for us, 17dB strikes a really solid middle ground.
An Analogy We Can All Understand...
Let's explore the concept further with a relatable analogy. Choosing between classic and ambient custom in-ear monitors is a bit like picking a car for those late-night drives to gigs.
Choosing classic in ear monitors is like going for a nice, comfy, quiet drive in an estate car. You're in a safe, peaceful bubble where you can focus on the road, listen to music at a low volume, or talk to your mate on a hands-free call. You simply sit down, close the door, and hear a little rumble of the road. The rest is under your control. Even if a loud motorbike screams past you at 100mph, you know it's there, but sound-wise — it's not going to distract you too much from what you're hearing!
Opting for ambient custom in ear monitors, on the other hand, is like driving a convertible with the roof down. You're still safe and in control, but the vibe’s different — you can hear more of what’s going on around you and feel more connected to the road. However, this openness comes with compromises. When that motorbike flies past, you'll have much less control over how loud that is! It may drown out your radio or cut off that phone call on hands-free for a second or two. Now imagine that bike is actually a rogue cymbal crash, a sudden guitar solo, or spike of feedback from the main speakers. With ambient IEMs, you have less control over how much that breaks into your mix — compared to the fully isolating classic IEMs.
Our 4 Most Important Things to Consider:
1. What Level of Control Do You Want?
Classic in-ear monitors offer complete control, allowing musicians to block out external noise and shape their mix according to personal preferences.
In contrast, ambient in ear monitors let more of the room, drums, and backline into your mix — giving a more natural, immersive stage vibe, but with less isolation.
2. What This Means for Your Mix
With classic customs, musicians can experiment and add various elements to their mix, adjusting levels as needed. Ambient IEMs build on what’s already coming in from the stage. Your job is to fill in the missing pieces. That can work well, but it also means you're more at the mercy of external noise, which can affect the mix if the stage gets too loud.
3. What Is Your Typical Stage Setup Like?
Consider your typical stage environment. Classic IEMs work well on loud stages — guitar amps, bass cabs, full drum kits. They give you the flexibility to include everything in your mix without being overwhelmed. With ambient IEMs, there's a risk of reaching a point where external sounds become too loud, potentially impacting your overall performance. But is there a middle ground?
4. What Is the ‘Sweet Spot’?
Some manufacturers offer tech that hits a middle ground — like 64Audio’s APEX technology, which reduces pressure and sound by 20dB. This Air Pressure Relief system allows for a more spacious and natural-sounding mix, offering a connection to the stage without compromising on control.
We’ve been using A18t's with the M20 APEX modules throughout this summer — and they’ve held up brilliantly across every situation we’ve thrown them into.
Conclusion
The best way to understand the difference between ambient and classic IEMs is to try both — and see what actually works for you on stage.
At DCA, we regularly run demos, engaging with musicians to find the best fit for their personal situation. Whether you lean towards a controlled mix, enjoy the vibe of your surroundings, or seek a sweet spot with a bit of both, the choice ultimately depends on your unique preferences and requirements.
If you want to book in for a demo, find the information here.
If you’ve got any questions, please feel free to reach out — we’re always happy to help.
Stay tuned for more information on ambient custom in ear monitors on this blog and also stay up to date with all things custom in ear monitors by subscribing to our Youtube channel too via the link below.
Thanks for reading - Miles (Founder DCA)
Still need help?
We're here to help! We've gigged our custom in ear monitors enough here in the UK now that we do understand where they work... and more fundamentally where they don't! So if you're still. a little unsure and want some impartial advice on which might work best for you, drop us a message!
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