What is the difference between a front-of-house (FOH) mix and a monitor mix?
AFOH is the mix for the recording; monitor mix is for the audience
BFOH is the mix sent to the PA system for the audience; monitor mix is a personalized mix sent to performers on stage
CFOH is the stereo mix; monitor is the mono mix
DThere is no difference — both receive the same mix
FOH is what the audience hears from the main PA system. Monitor mixes are customized for each performer — a vocalist typically wants their voice louder, a drummer wants more kick and bass, a keyboard player wants the click track prominently.
Question 2 True / False
True or false: In-ear monitors (IEMs) generally provide better gain-before-feedback performance than wedge monitors.
TTrue
FFalse
Answer: True
IEMs are sealed in the ear canal, completely isolated from the stage's acoustic environment. They cannot feed back through the main PA system and allow lower stage volume, which improves FOH gain before feedback and reduces stage bleed into microphones.
Question 3 Short Answer
What is time alignment in a PA system, and why is it important?
Think about your answer, then reveal below.
Model answer: Time alignment delays signals to different speaker elements so they arrive at the audience simultaneously. Without it, sound from nearby speakers arrives before sound from distant speakers, causing comb filtering (phase cancellation between arrivals) and degraded intelligibility.
Sound travels at approximately 340 meters/second. A speaker 10 meters closer to the audience than another sends its signal 29 ms earlier. Adding a 29 ms delay to the closer speaker aligns their arrivals, producing coherent sum rather than interference.
Question 4 Multiple Choice
During soundcheck, a monitor mix causes feedback through a stage wedge. What is the most surgical fix that preserves monitor intelligibility?
ATurn down all monitor levels until feedback stops
BIdentify the feedback frequency using a spectrum analyzer and apply a narrow parametric EQ cut at that specific frequency
CReplace the wedge monitor with an omnidirectional speaker
DIncrease the main PA volume to mask the feedback
Feedback occurs at specific room resonant frequencies. A narrow EQ notch (high Q, 3–6 dB cut) at the feedback frequency breaks the loop without significantly degrading the monitor mix. This is more surgical than broad level reduction.