10
APPENDIX I:
APPLICATIONS
PERSONAL AND LOUDSPEAKER MONITORING
The greatest compromise for a vocalist or instrumentalist is having to share a mix with another performer. Rarely do
two performers wish to hear all the parts of a mix at the exact same levels. For this reason, more performers now
demand their own individual, personalized mix for live performances or recording sessions.
AuxPander gives you the ability to create these personal mixes without having to rethink and reconfigure the existing
setup of a mixing console. Any combination of stereo and mono mixes (for example, one stereo and six mono or three
stereo and two mono) is possible. You can send each custom mix to personal monitors, loudspeaker monitors, or
both.
For the following personal and loudspeaker monitoring applications, you can use the basic setup as illustrated in Fig-
ure 1 on Page 3.
Personal Monitors
Personal monitors operate within a closed acoustic system—they do not contribute to sound pressure levels in the
acoustic environment of the studio or performance space. Hence, personal monitors remove the issue of gain-before-
feedback and require less equalization. Furthermore, with personal monitors, vocalists and instrumentalists can en-
joy a natural, stereo perspective. These and other advantages make personal monitoring preferable to loudspeaker
monitoring.
In-ear monitoring and headphones are the two most common forms of personal monitoring. Connecting the Aux-
Pander to a mixing console helps get the most from a personal monitoring system by offering more mixes for greater
customization.
Headphones
Headphones are often an essential part of the studio recording environment. They are used for foldback or cueing
purposes and for performers to hear each other. The AuxPander’s eight outputs allow for a great degree of mix custo-
mization in the studio.
In-Ear Monitors
For live performances, most people prefer earworn speaker systems or “in-ear monitors” (IEMs), especially those that
can utilize a stereo mix. To give even greater personal control to the performer, Shure offers stereo PSM personal
monitoring systems with MixMode
operation—a form of two-channel monitoring. Shure PSM systems such as the
PSM
400, PSM
600, and PSM
700 feature stereo and MixMode operation.
The AuxPander, with it’s balance control knobs, makes mixing personal monitors with stereo or MixMode features
easier than with typical mixing consoles.
Loudspeaker Monitors
Some of you still use wedge loudspeaker monitors. The AuxPander can help overcome some of the shortcomings of
loudspeaker monitoring—especially in smaller venues where the mixing console does not provide enough dedicated
outputs. If there are not enough dedicated outputs coming from the mixing console, even if each performer has their
own speaker cabinet, they do not get their own mix, and therefore do not get to hear exactly what they want to hear.
With the AuxPander, you can provide those individual mixes for each member, regardless of how different each mix
needs to be.