Straight No Chaser Discussion

Wow, Ryan that was very enlightening. I never realized it was that advanced. I knew you could all hear yourselves better, but I didn't realize that you could change in between songs and things like that. And yeah, I believe there is an actual pitch pipe...that isn't the ear piece I don't think.

Hmmm...I could have sworn I heard a pitch coming from backstage or something, and I thought maybe it was coming through the earpiece. That would be a bit distracting, though... I know when I blow the pitch for my chorus with the electronic pitchpipe (sound like the same type the guys use) it is a bit of an annoying sound...can't imagine wanting that to go through the earpieces! I imagine they take the pieces out sometimes because the mix is off? Still, I guess it's all conjecture until we hear straight from the guys!

Alice: At the shows I've attended, recently it has been Walt giving the pitch on the "pitchpipe" which I don't thing goes throught the ear plugs!

DivaDonna: I was just checking back to see what Ryan's answer was. Saw your comment about Ryan teaching---did you forget that when Ryan has been home in Indy, he actually was teaching guitar!

oh man this thread was misleading. Right after reading this thread I immediately went to the tour section to see if there's any new shows. But then I saw this was from 2010 lol. But anyways I agree that was a great question =)

A little late to the game, but thanks for the info! On the off chance that this thread comes up to the top again...Do you guys also hear the pitch for the song through the earpiece? And, why do you sometimes take them out in the middle of a song?

guess that rules out Sports Center...lol

Wow, Ryan. That sound awesome! So cool.

Lynnette, great question! Never would've thought about that.

Oh, all the times I'm laughing at Ryan's humor while on the computer...snorkeling without sea turtles...haha. Love it.

I had no idea the earphones were so sophisticated. Very cool.

Ryan, thanks for a very clear and detailed answer. Not a question I would have thought to ask, but fascinating to learn.

Wow Lynnette, that was a great question!
I guess we all at one point wondered about it, but who knew it was so cool?
And of course, Ryan always adds at least a little bit of his own unique humor & style.
Ryan, when you get ready to retire from all this excitement, I hope many years away, I think you'd make a great teacher. Kids will love you, & you did a great job explaining it in a very understandable way!
I can attest to that whole listen to yourself breathe thing, because I spent 8 years on midnight shift, & the only way I could sleep was with them. I'd guess with all the guys on that bus, & all the sounds they can make, maybe you'd like to give them a try next trip!
Hey, that will be my present to you all!!!! I even have them in neon colors!!!! ;-)
I'll be sporting a few pair myself when Lynnette & I room together in AC, as I can never sleep away from home without them. They're actually pretty great when you get used to them.

Thanks for the great response Ryan. Enjoy your time off at home with Lauren. You and the guys have certainly earned a little down time.

Oh that is so cool Ryan. I believe when you were in Portland last year you still were using wired mikes. I noticed the difference and figured that it would allow you to hear the group better, but I had no idea it was that sophisticated. That must be a wonderful tool for your group.

Hi, Lynnette, and thanks for your question about SNC's in-ear monitor system. Allow me to answer by first saying how much we appreciate your support and that we look forward to performing for you in AC & Omaha.

We got special molds of our ears made (meaning each guy's in-ears are unique to him alone) a year or so ago when we shifted from using wired microphones to a wireless system. This entailed us getting putty squeezed into our ears to get the mold, which I never want to ever have done again. It felt like I was snorkeling, minus the sea turtles but including the unsettling sound of my own breathing as the only thing I heard. But I digress. There is a tiny speaker in each ear mold which allows each guy to hear himself amidst the rest of the group. What's specifically cool about our system is that each guy can have a unique mix of who he hears during the show. For instance, I can mix the tenors (Walt, Jerome, Mike, and Tyler) that I'm primarily blending with on my parts higher in volume. Not that I don't like the baritones and basses, but you know what I mean. Between tunes, you may see some of us walk over to our monitor rig now and then to tweak a certain guy's level in our ears, based upon the song we're about to sing next. This happens nightly for me before we sing Hi-De-Ho; if I'm close to the board onstage, I'll pull Charlie down a bit and Randy up a bit, since he (Charlie) is going from his typical bassline to sing solo and Randy is the sole bass during that specific song.

Hope this helped answer your question.

Cheers,
Ryan

Lauren, thanks for the info. I realize that most, if not all, singers and their backup bands use ear pieces too. I listen to all genres of music. I was just curious if it might be different for the members of an a capella.group. Even though I love listening to all different kinds of music, I don't know much about the technical side of performing onstage. That's why I asked.