Click Track Setup for Bands Running In-Ear Monitors (IEMs)
IEMs and click tracks go hand in hand. Here's how to route your click correctly, what to include in each mix, and common mistakes to avoid.
The moment a band switches to in-ear monitors, the click track question usually follows. IEMs give you a clean, isolated listening environment — which makes them the ideal delivery system for a timing reference. But getting the routing right takes a bit of thought.
Why IEMs and Click Tracks Work So Well Together
A click track needs to be heard clearly without bleeding into the room or anyone else's mix. Wedge monitors make this nearly impossible — the click leaks into everything. IEMs solve the problem entirely. Each player hears exactly what's in their mix, and the click stays in the ear, not the PA.
This is why virtually every professional touring act running IEMs also runs to click. The two technologies were built for each other.
How to Route the Click to Your IEM Rig
The most common approach is to send the click track audio from a playback device (phone, tablet, laptop, or dedicated player) to a free channel on your IEM transmitter. If you're running a stereo IEM mix, you can put the click on one side and the rest of your mix on the other.
If the whole band is on IEMs and everyone needs the click, route the click file to an aux send on your mixer and send it to each IEM mix at the level each player wants. Some players want the click loud in their ear; others prefer it soft in the background.
What to Include in the Click Track File
At minimum, your click track file should include the rhythmic pulse. If you're playing songs with complex arrangements or songs you don't rehearse regularly, add section cues — audio announcements one bar before each section change.
In Dashplan's Click Track Builder, you set the BPM, add section chips on the bar timeline, configure a count-in, and export the WAV. The section cues are pre-recorded and automatically included in the exported file.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Running the click too loud is the most common issue. If the click is dominating your ear, it becomes fatiguing over a long set and you start fighting against it rather than following it. Start quiet and increase only if you're losing it.
The other common mistake is not running through the setup at rehearsal. Testing your click-to-IEM routing for the first time at soundcheck on the night introduces unnecessary stress. Get it working in the rehearsal room first, then replicate it at the venue.
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