Earplugs?

[bomofiglio]

May sound like a dumb question to some of you, but why am I being told to wear earplugs for practice? What does this benefit?
thanks

[jgroh]

Your hearing?

[nemo]

After several years you may damage your hearing and hear constant ringing in your head 24 hours a day.
Not funny. Prevent it while you can!

Check this megathread
Hearing Loss and Ear Plugs

and get these: http://earplugstore.stores.yahoo.net/profmusearpl1.html

The hearing damage is called tinnitus, check here - http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...tnG=search&lr=

[bomofiglio]

Ok, makes sense now. I was thinking it had something to do with training

we practice at the lowest volume possible; just bringing everything up to the drums. Being an avid shooter, our sound isnt even close to that.

[akaTRENT]

Originally Posted by bomofiglio

Ok, makes sense now. I was thinking it had something to do with training

we practice at the lowest volume possible; just bringing everything up to the drums. Being an avid shooter, our sound isnt even close to that.

Drums are loud. Always use earplugs. when playing. or even in the crowd. youll thank us when you can hear at 40

[Bassman7PM]

Originally Posted by nemo

After several years you may damage your hearing and hear constant ringing in your head 24 hours a day.
Not funny. Prevent it while you can!

Check this megathread
Hearing Loss and Ear Plugs

and get these: http://earplugstore.stores.yahoo.net/profmusearpl1.html

The hearing damage is called tinnitus, check here - http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...tnG=search&lr=

After reading thru the aforemention Megathread I bought a pair of Etymotic Er20's and boy do they make a difference. I play for a megachurch sit stationed in a small musicians pit where I 'm positioned next to a loud drummer, 2 guitar players both with their amps aimed towards me, a wedge monitor and keyboard amp all facing me and my Ampeg SVT410HLF/SVT4PRO aimed right at me as well. We play pretty loud and my head would be pounding after 3 back to back services. The Etymotics make a huge difference and I can hear everything pretty clear but not so aggressively loud. I even wear them during rehearsals.

Thanks guys for setting me straight.

[Deacon_Blues]

Earplugs when practicing at low volumes at home seems unnecessary to me. You easily end up turning up the volume on the amp, and there might be others in the house that aren't too happy about that. Low frequencies carry very far, which is worth keeping in mind if playing in an apartment or in a more densely populated neighborhood...

[Bassamatic]

You can buy "Musician's Earplugs" at the music Store. Mine are from EAR, and they attenuate all frequencies, so it doesn't ruin the music. I think that they were $30 at Sam Ash. I ALWAYS wear them in the rehearsal studio, as it is a confined space, and sometimes on stage.

I already have tinnitus from loud bands in the 70's - don't want it to get worse.

[Foamy]

Use ear plugs - trust the old guys here!

[elgecko]

Originally Posted by bomofiglio

May sound like a dumb question to some of you, but why am I being told to wear earplugs for practice? What does this benefit?
thanks

Maybe so you get used to hearing through ear plugs which is usually VERY different than w/o plugs

[Bassmunnky]

It's not so much the bass that will kill your hair cells..it's the snare, and on stage that's where we usually stand, right next to it...

But this is just one thing that will knock your hearing out....NYC Subway trains..ride those for 10 years...bye bye 1200HZ+

I've met a Phys Ed teach that lost his high end from 20 years in the Gym, bouncing basketballs and sneaker squeeks..

The iPod generation is going to get a big surprise when they hit 35....the stigma of hearing aids is going to go away pretty fast by 2015

[Deacon_Blues]

Originally Posted by elgecko

Maybe so you get used to hearing through ear plugs which is usually VERY different than w/o plugs

Yep, if you use those cheap disposable ones. I'd recommend investing in custom-moulded musician's earplugs, they're much more comfortable than any other ones and they attenuate sound very evenly with the separate filters you use with them. The most common ones are attenuating the sound by 9, 15 or 25 dB. I have the 15dB version but 9's would in most cases be enough. A drummer I know switched to 9's because he thought the 15's attenuated the sound too much. He's happier with the new ones....

I paid over 200€ for mine, but you can get them much cheaper than that. Be prepared to pay at least 150 bucks for them, but keep in mind that's not more than a few sets of strings or a new cheapo bass.

[WJGreer]

I've tried a bunch of earplugs and settled on these. They are dramatically more expensive than any "off the rack" item, but the quality of the custom fit, along with the effectiveness of their filters in attenuating all frequencies equally (everybody says they do that, these really do) is just as dramatically better. I really do recommend splurging on these.

Originally Posted by elgecko

Maybe so you get used to hearing through ear plugs which is usually VERY different than w/o plugs

This is the rub. When you have cheap earplugs in, you just lose a lot of the sound spectrum and have a really unsatisfying experience. Even with the custom earplugs I have, though I hear everything just fine, everything sounds kind of mellow. When you first start wearing them, these plugs make the band sound like everyone is really tired and not playing energetically. It can get into your head and affect your own playing.

It takes some getting used to. I used to play with a very loud drummer, so I wore my plugs all the time. I got used to the "mellow" and stopped noticing it. Our new drummer has a somewhat lighter touch, so I have fallen off the wagon a bit and I am struggling again to play well when I wear them. I rarely wear them at rehearsal and sometimes I take them out after a set or two. It obviously defeats the purpose.

...therefore, it is a good idea to wear them every time you play with a band, including rehearsals. That way they will eventually sound normal to you and not bother you during shows.

[prokfrog]

the constant ringing in my ears keeps me awake at night.

plug up!!!!

[elgecko]

Originally Posted by Deacon_Blues

Yep, if you use those cheap disposable ones. I'd recommend investing in custom-moulded musician's earplugs, they're much more comfortable than any other ones and they attenuate sound very evenly with the separate filters you use with them. The most common ones are attenuating the sound by 9, 15 or 25 dB. I have the 15dB version but 9's would in most cases be enough. A drummer I know switched to 9's because he thought the 15's attenuated the sound too much. He's happier with the new ones....

I paid over 200€ for mine, but you can get them much cheaper than that. Be prepared to pay at least 150 bucks for them, but keep in mind that's not more than a few sets of strings or a new cheapo bass.

I just graduated from the cheap foamies to the Hearos hi-fi plugs. They are far superior to old school plugs in just about every way and still relatively cheap. I can't wait to enjoy a good, loud concert with them.

[dmusic148]

I use Hearos, from the motorcycle shop in town. Very soft foam, and sort of tan colored so they aren't too obvious(if you're a white guy like me lol).

Took a bit of getting used to. I compare it to night vision, where you need a few minuted to acclimate, then you see just fine. My hearing seems to go through a similar acclimation when I first put them in, but after a song or two I'm fine. PLUS they help you hear your own vocals very clearly; I hardly use a voc. monitor anymore, not needed when wearing plugs.

[wkbryan]

A few months ago I saw a picture of my high school (1977-1980) band director who is retiring this year. His hearing aids weren't too terribly noticeable.

For 3 years I was a paramedic for a hospital-based medical helicopter and foam earplugs were always available for us to use in addition to the good headsets we wore. There was a running debate between the crew members on whether they really helped because if they were used you had to turn up the radio/intercom volume to compensate. I always used them because they offered extra protection against the high frequency turbine (jet engine) noise.

Put some distance &/or a barrier between you and the cymbals, have everyone turn down, AND WEAR THE EAR PLUGS!

[kanonfodr]

In relation to this discussion, what about something like this?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0014ZYYKW

I have worn a pair of these, they are freaking great. Suppresses loud engine noise in a truck very well, but in the shop test them out, I kept hearing "random" clicks very well. Turns out, when I was bending down to move something on the floor, my dog tags were hitting my belt buckle through my shirt. I could also hear my buddy's music (just barely, tho) coming from a portable speaker set that was a hallway and a few doors away. Without them on, didn't know it existed.

I think it would look cool to show up to a rock concert boasting a "tactical" headset. That would be freakin' metal!

Peace,
Greg

wow are they like hardcore compressor/limiters?