Anybody wear ear plugs on stage?

[Marko5657]

Anybody wear ear plugs on stage? How does it work for ya, and what if any adjustments have you had to make?

I just tried those Hearo hi-fidelity ones last night.

First I’ll state that we’re not stoopid loud, I’m just wanting to get it down more for other reasons I don’t want to make into a discussion at the moment.

Made things nicer in a way, but worse in a couple others, but I’ll address those issues tonight, namely…

Vocals were way too quiet, but I’m sure it’s because I didn’t use my monitor, so tonight I’ll use it, which should solve that problem.

Bass rig was slamming, got complaints from sound guy and a little from guitarist (often too loud, himself), so I’m gonna get the cab (smallish 410) leaned waaay back pointing to my head, and figure out somewhere else to put the bass head. What I do now is just take the little wheels off the back of the cab, and use that grippy non-skid material so the head doesn’t slide, but small stages, it’s still not good enough.

Bass tone is too boomy now with the new pickups, so I’m gonna use the backup tonight to get the tone more clear, which will also help me hear it more clearly.

I think that’s about it, though. Overall, I can see it can being a nice experience.

[MNAirHead]

IEM solves all of your issues.

[IbanezBass69]

Every pro musician should wear earplugs on stage, glad to hear you are one of the smart ones! Also, look into some custom-fitted ones from an ear doctor. I have not used them, but hear they work wonders!

[pstyle]

always

[dmusic148]

Always here, too. I use the standard Hearos and they work fine for me, if perhaps a bit TOO well- sometimes I have trouble hearing certain things but generally they work fine.
To me, putting in plugs is to ears what walking outside on a dark night is to eyes- at first you don't see anything but then your night vision comes and you're fine. Usually takes me a few minutes to acclimate, and then my hearing seems normal, mostly.

[Hollywars]

Originally Posted by pstyle

always

.

[plangentmusic]

I tried every fancy - ass set of earplugs imaginable. They either cut too much, not enough, make things sound yoo tinny, or too muddy. I found good old tissue paper rolled into a tight ball works best. Cuts highs and lows , but not too much.

Incidentally, I know people who've always worn high tech protection and they're going deaf, meanwhile people who wear nothing, are fine. It's luck of the draw.

And oh yeah, when mixing with headphones, you can't use protection and you can't play the music so low that you might lose something.

It's an ironic hazard associated of the field.

[John Wentzien]

WHAAAT?

[BullHorn]

There are TWO sticky threads about ear plugs, check them out, lots of good info there (Misc forums and Live Sound forums).

I recently got a pair of custom-molded Elacin ER15db "Flex Comfort" plugs and they are fantastic.

[oggdawg]

As someone who went too long without wearing earplugs and now has some hearing loss, I wear hearos unless it's a quiet, semi-acoustic type thing. If I forget them, the toilet paper in the ear thing works fine too. Same for going to see a show.

[Podgorny]

Originally Posted by BullHorn

I recently got a pair of custom-molded Elacin ER15db "Flex Comfort" plugs and they are fantastic.

My Westone custom-molded plugs might be the best $150 I've ever spent. Switchable filters, and comfortable enough that I've worn them for hours on end.

[dmusic148]

Originally Posted by plangentmusic

Incidentally, I know people who've always worn high tech protection and they're going deaf, meanwhile people who wear nothing, are fine. It's luck of the draw.

Err, no. It's a FACT that if you are exposed to loud enough noise for long enough, you WILL lose your hearing. Not 'luck of the draw.'
Regarding your friends who "always wore high tech protection" - If true, then they are of a certain age, where hearing will diminish no matter what.
Or, their protection was simply inadequate for the task, no matter how 'high tech.' Hell, I've done gigs where Hearos were actually not enough to protect me from an extremely loud drummer.

[jdwinva]

I wear Sensaphonics. They give a 9, 15 or 25 db pad without favoring certain frequencies. I use the -15 ones. They require and ear mold that an audiologist makes.

http://www.sensaphonics.com/prod_erseries_customs.html

[Podgorny]

DMusic,

It's true that exposure to loud noise causes hearing loss.
It's also true that tobacco products cause cancer.

For whatever reason, some people get it, some people don't. That doesn't mean you should disregard the warning.


And as a side note, there are other factors that can contribute to to whether you will experience hearing loss, like how much alcohol you have consumed in the presence of loud noise.

[scotch]

Yup. If I'm not using in ear monitors, I always use my custom molded musicians plugs! I even use them when monitoring at sessions (when the producer/engineer is cranking things).

For the record, I actually prefer decent stage volume with wedges and my plugs to IEM's! (I guess I'm not typical, but I've yet to be completely satisfied with a canned mix. Even on extended tours with pro crew.)

[BullHorn]

Originally Posted by Podgorny

My Westone custom-molded plugs might be the best $150 I've ever spent. Switchable filters, and comfortable enough that I've worn them for hours on end.

Ooh, switchable filters? Did they cost extra? How complicated is the process of switching between the filters? I've paid ~$200 for mine (Everything is more expensive here..).

[scotch]

Originally Posted by BullHorn

Ooh, switchable filters? Did they cost extra? How complicated is the process of switching between the filters? I've paid ~$200 for mine (Everything is more expensive here..).

I have the same plugs. I use the ER15 buttons (flattest response). An extra pair of filters cost about $40.

http://www.etymotic.com/ephp/erme-acc.aspx

[scotch]

2nd page has frequency curves comparing the 3 db sets...


http://www.etymotic.com/pdf/erme-brochure.pdf

[Marko5657]

Yikes… I left for a minute and got a bunch of responses… thanks.

Sorry I didn’t notice the sticky.

I also started this tread kinda late, as tonight’s gig is early and I gotta go pretty soon, haha.

I’ll post back with how it goes tonight.

[chadds]

My drummer does to deal with his own snare drum.