Earplug / Hearing Protection Help?

[ishouldbeking]

I know there's a massively long sticky thread about this, but I found it difficult to navigate and it seemed to be mostly raving about the virtues of hearing protection, which I already support.

So here it is: just joined a gigging band after years of inactivity and now that we're starting to play out I finally got around to getting a pair of the etymotic ER-20s. I pretty much hate the way they look when in my ears ("martian" is what the other bandmates call me, but **** 'em, I have a thick skin), but that's really the least of my concerns... I'm just having trouble adjusting to wearing them.

First off they're significantly uncomfortable. I do the whole "lift up" on your ears thing when I put them in, but I was wondering if there's a tip or trick to getting them in there comfortably. And how far do I need to shove these things? This is my first time using non-foam plugs. Also, when it comes to hearing yourself and the rest of the band, how do you guys cope? I've been forced to EQ before I put them in otherwise I can't hear the tone of the bass at all. I can hear the low end rumble, but that's it. With a few of our songs I have to switch from a thumpy bass sound to a trebly guitar sound using my stingray's onboard EQ, and it's almost impossible to tell when i've got the right tone, other than approximating the settings I usually use. And I'm having a really hard time judging dynamics and volume... the bass tends to be louder than the guitars when I wear the plugs, but I can't tell if i'm tooooo loud.

So far I've been using the plugs for the past few weeks at practice and I've found that I can kind of practice the songs we have written wearing the plugs (though it's affecting my performance), but it's completely impossible to participate in the writing of new material wearing the plugs because it's incredibly hard to differentiate pitch wearing the plugs. Anyone else had problems like this and if so, can you offer any advice? I want custom plugs but can't afford them for the moment. Thanks!

[Asa Samuel]

well as for different plugs i've heard alot of good things about docs pro ear-plugs, they do alot of sizes, you can either print out a sheet online and cut out the little shapes to see wich is your size and then buy them online or you could see if they have any in a shop, they allow you to hear other people, if you get the clear ones they're virtually invisible, nothing sticking out or anything, i only noticed my friend using them was when the light caught them, they look a bit funny but once they're in the just look like a hearing-aid kinda thing but smaller!

they also have a clear-plastic detatchable leash so you can hang them round your neck when your not using one of them or you cna take it off if you want them to be even less noticeable.

plus they're reasonably cheap.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Docs-PRO-PLUGS-E...QQcmdZViewItem

ebay is a good place to get them

try going into music shops and asking for a 'musicians' ear plug that just blocks our harmful noises but you can still hear voices.

drum shops often have ear plugs as its almost worse for drummers.

hope this helps.
Bass_Junkie.

[fenderhutz]

Bought these. never looked back.

http://www.americanmusical.com/item--i-HEA-211.html

13 bucks. You can hear people speak and it didn't kill all of the frequencies.

"Hearos High Fidelity Ear Plugs incorporate breakthrough technology to protect your hearing without muffling the sound.
You'll continue to hear all highs and lows! Super soft and comfortable, washable and reusable. 1 pair with case."

Wal-Mart has a similar version in the hunting section called hunters earpugs. Same technology, 8 bucks. Only muffles high SPL levels.

[ishouldbeking]

Originally Posted by fenderhutz

Bought these. never looked back.

http://www.americanmusical.com/item--i-HEA-211.html

13 bucks. You can hear people speak and it didn't kill all of the frequencies.

"Hearos High Fidelity Ear Plugs incorporate breakthrough technology to protect your hearing without muffling the sound.
You'll continue to hear all highs and lows! Super soft and comfortable, washable and reusable. 1 pair with case."

Wal-Mart has a similar version in the hunting section called hunters earpugs. Same technology, 8 bucks. Only muffles high SPL levels.

Yeah, IIRC, those are just rebranded Ety-plugs ER-20's which are what I have. If they're not exactly the same they're pretty darn close, as mine look exactly like that (only with clear stems).

I know they're decent plugs and significantly better than foam, but are you guys still able to hear stuff like pitch and volume dynamics with the plugs in?

[RAM]

Are you willing to replace your Etymotics? If so, do you have a budget?

The reason I ask is that I had a pair made for me 13 years ago by going to an audiologist. They lasted a long time, but ear shape eventually changes, so I had a new pair made for me this summer.

An audiologist takes a mold of your ears and sends the molds out to a factory. The factory makes earplugs with musician filters, which do a fantastic job of cutting all frequencies pretty evenly, no loss of bass, mid, or treble responses! There are different levels of protection, usually 8db, 15db (recommended for all but drummers in most cases), and 25db.

My molds were made by Sensaphonics, which are pretty inconspicuous, so unless you know I've got them in, you won't see them. And, according to my audiologist, Sensaphonics are the softest molds she's seen, made out of a soft silicone.

After having my first pair, and now this pair, I will ALWAYS recommend spending the $160. They really are awesome and will NOT disappoint.

[Lorenzini]

I tried those Hearos that look like 3 tiered mushrooms, but I have only slightly less ringing in my ears with those. I only use those on jazz gigs.

For any other gig, I use Plantronics branded foam plugs. They are freaking thick and really lower the volume, but I realized I can still hear things very clearly.. In fact I was listening to a conversation at the bar like 20 feet away, while playing We Are Family. It was bizarre.

No, I won't do a gig without earplugs. I refuse to be almost deaf at middle age.


The next thing I'm going to do is go to an Audiologist and get some great plugs, like RAM is suggesting. Is any musician's hearing worth it? OF COURSE!

[Phalex]

In ear monitors. You hear everything at a reasonable volume. There is a weird sense of isolation when you have them in, but you can hear everything that is going on (as long as it's mic'd)

[bluestarbass]

In ear monitors can actually be fairly damaging to your ears. I got the audiologist made ones RAM spoke of. Best investment in music i could ever make. Extremely comfortable and extremely flat. I cant tell they are in most of the time. I cannot go to concerts or band practice without them anymore. WELL worth the money.

[Esquillama]

I am also a firm believer in the custom formed plugs.
I started out with the 15db filters and felt too isolated,
so I switched to the 9db filters and have never looked back.

I can hear everything clearly, just softer. And as was mentioned
above, I find that I can hear conversations from the audience
while I'm playing.

As a side benefit, I can also hear myself singing very clearly.
This is of course a big help in staying in tune.

I don't know what you're insurance situation is, but mine covered
the audiologist visit, and hearing test. The plugs themselves
were not covered, but I am planning to write them off on my
taxes as a business expense.

My custom plugs are not noticed unless you actively look for them.
There is merely a small clear stem that is used for removing them
that sticks out about 1/2 a centimeter from my ear.

Here's a picture(not my best) with the plugs in.
Can you see them?


If you're getting paid from your gigs, a couple of nights work
should be able to pay for your custom plugs. I think it's the
only way to go for complete uncompromising protection.

Good luck.

[ishouldbeking]

thanks for all the advice guys, i really appreciate it. my financial situation is bordering on terrible, but i think i'll just make it a point to get the custom molded plugs as soon as i can feasibly do it. our gigs don't really pay (yet, at least, we're a relatively new indie-pop band with a 50s/60s throwback feel, and LA doesn't pay bands very well), so that's not something i can bank on.

actually our singer/guitarist uses in ear monitors, and i remember some of the company's literature saying that it was a great way to protect your hearing, but it seems like they wouldn't really block outside sound as well as dedicated earplugs, but i could be wrong.

with the custom plugs can you guys still hear the "tone" of your bass well and differentiate levels between members of the band? with the ER-20s that's my biggest problem... i can still hear everything, but my bass is far "bassier", and its really hard to tell how loud i am in comparison to everyone else. in the meantime I plan to keep working with the plugs i currently own, and only take them out when we're writing new material.

[RAM]

Originally Posted by ishouldbeking

with the custom plugs can you guys still hear the "tone" of your bass well and differentiate levels between members of the band?

Absolutely. I liken it to this:

If you could simply turn down the volume knob on your band, it would certainly sound a lot better than putting a pillow in front of your cab.

[enim]

Originally Posted by ishouldbeking

thanks for all the advice guys, i really appreciate it. my financial situation is bordering on terrible, but i think i'll just make it a point to get the custom molded plugs as soon as i can feasibly do it. our gigs don't really pay (yet, at least, we're a relatively new indie-pop band with a 50s/60s throwback feel, and LA doesn't pay bands very well), so that's not something i can bank on.

actually our singer/guitarist uses in ear monitors, and i remember some of the company's literature saying that it was a great way to protect your hearing, but it seems like they wouldn't really block outside sound as well as dedicated earplugs, but i could be wrong.

with the custom plugs can you guys still hear the "tone" of your bass well and differentiate levels between members of the band? with the ER-20s that's my biggest problem... i can still hear everything, but my bass is far "bassier", and its really hard to tell how loud i am in comparison to everyone else. in the meantime I plan to keep working with the plugs i currently own, and only take them out when we're writing new material.

1) Your bass wasnt bassier, the high end was attenuated a bit.

2) Spend some money and get a pair of custom Sensaphonics. Totally flat response, my audio professor actually says you get so used to them that he mixes on them.

http://www.sensaphonics.com/prod_erseries_customs.html
http://www.etymotic.com/ephp/erme.aspx
You can check them out there.

[SirCanealot]

I've been using ER20s the last couple of months. I have to say I've completely got used to them! It's taken some time to compensate for me on my bass's high end (I still think I'm over compensating slightly and not adding enough low end; recordings recently are coming out very trebley from me; but who cares, Geddy Lee is my god :P). Now if I take them out, things seem harsh and horrible sounding!
Although saying that, I have very sensitive hearing, and sometimes I think -16db isn't enough for me. Been to the doctors recently, and he told me to try the old olive oil in the ear trick for a couple of weeks (tons of wax in my ear from a summer of lovely, lovely hayfever! ) 'cause he didn't know too much about hearing...

Here's what I did when I was getting used to the ER20s: put them in SLIGHTLY so the seal around the ear DIDN'T form. This means the ER20s only cut off the very top of the high end (which is what does the most damage anyway); eg, softened guitars and drummer's cymbles out a bit. When you get used to it like this, push them in a bit deeper, then a bit deeper again till you have them fully in. Try doing that -- going fully in first time (god this sounds dodgy :P) can be hard to get used to.

Good luck! Got my rhythem guitarist on ER20s now too, and the drummer already wears foams (I'll offer to get him some ER20s if he gives me the cash later next time I see him :P), now I have to work on my lead and singer! Singer should really try them since you can hear yourself really well with a seal around in your ear anyway. Bahahahahahahah!

[Petebass]

I too resorted to the audiologist plugs after trying several "over-the-counter" earplugs. The augiologist plugs are FAR superior, hence the cost.

I did this for several years until one day I started mucking around with in-ear monitoring. I'm now a total IEM convert. I put together a wired IEM rig on the cheap, using Sennheiser CX300 earphones and a samson S-monitor. When I say cheap, the whole thing cost a little bit less that the Audiologist earplugs. The earphones effectively act like earplugs to reduce the SPL hitting your ears, the difference being i can feed the audio from my bass into the earphones for a level of clarity I NEVER thought I'd experience at a live gig.

For more detail, have a look at this thread:-

In-Ear monitoring on the cheap - my successful experiment.

[Matthew Bryson]

OP - I feel your pain. I have not been able to get used to ear plugs at all. By far the biggest problem for me is singing - I just can't sing with them in. Something about singing with ear plugs, I can't find my pitch.

Do the good profesional ones works better for singing?