Sean wrote:
We have 4 monitors, 2 powered and 2... er... unpowered? ??? Passive?
Yup. Passive.
Would it be possible to send a signal from the desk directly to headphones without the amp? Through whatever gadget/box that's needed for the headphones?
Yes, exactly that. As many headphone amps as you want separate monitor mixes (most headphone amps have at least two headphone outs, with individual volumes). How many pre-fade aux sends does your desk have? That's the limit to separate mixes (although if you have spare buses on your desk, they can be used in a pinch too), as can any spare fx sends (although they are post fade). Headphone amps are relatively inexpensive too (at least compared to powered Monitors and/or power amps).
Take a look at the Samson
S-Monitor (2 phones) and the rackmount
S-Phone (4 phones), which are about R1K and R2k respectively and are decent enough.
I was thinking of placing a condenser mic between the set. If she begins playing too loudly the desk guy can (if necessary) increase her drums to her headphones which should get her to back off ?
Exactly! One of the secrets of the trade that. ? She'll need her own dedicated aux channel, especially if you don't want any of the drum mic in the mix. An overhead usually works well (right over her head) as it tends to pick up more of the cymbals, which is exactly what closed-back cans tend to block best. Then again, open-back cans tend to be more natural on a budget and don't isolate the players as badly.
