Jono Cary, one of the UK’s most in-demand Sound Recordists and Production Sound Mixers, has switched to Bubblebee Industries’ Sidekick In-Ear Monitors because they are so comfortable that they can even be worn underneath headphones.

“Comfort is such an important factor, especially when you have a long day ahead of you,” he says. “Sidekick fits into my workflow perfectly and makes monitoring the IFB feed when doing ‘lives’ so much easier. I’m able to wear the earpiece all day without any pain or discomfort.”

Designed to be virtually invisible, Bubblebee’s Sidekick In-Ear Monitor features the world’s first micro driver solution where the driver fits invisibly in the ear canal, eliminating the need for acoustic tubes outside the ear. This gives it an extremely small and lightweight footprint and makes it a popular alternative to earwigs. Thanks to its very discreet profile, extreme levels of comfort and ability to deliver high speech intelligibility, Sidekick is rapidly becoming a vital piece of the communication jigsaw for all those working in film and broadcast, especially in live environments. With this IEM in place, the sound crew, presenters and talent on set can easily communicate with directors and sound mixers back in the studio while still hearing everything that is going on around them.

As the Covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020, Jono was seconded to ITV to work on various shows with presenter Andi Peters, host of Dancing On Ice, Extra and The Big Reunion.

“Andi wasn’t happy with his IEMs either and wanted something more comfortable,” Jono says. “Also, seeing wires trailing down a presenter’s neck really cheapens the look of a show and he wanted to know if there was a better looking alternative.”

The Sidekick IEMs solved both of these problems and were an immediate hit.