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Hearing Loss and Ear Plugs

#421
speaking as someone who has some serious persistent ringing after some loud gigs that have been with me for quite a few months...if you abstain from loud noises including ipods ect it will subside but it only takes a loud session remixing to set the whole thing off again.

best not to overdo it in the first place.
 
#422
Alright. Today I had my appointment with the Audiologist for a
hearing test, and fitting for custom earplugs.

I was concerned about hearing damage from about 16 years of gigging,
but when my test was over, he told me that my hearing was perfect
right across the board! I thought for sure I'd have at least some
range of frequencies that I would have trouble with, but I guess not.

Anyway, then he says that he doesn't want to talk me out of the
custome earplugs, but they're expensive, and the foam ones would
still be fairly effective if I wanted to go that route. I asked him about
how far they stick out of your ear, and ease of taking them in/out.
Also, I asked about their life expectancy. He said that they could
last me up to 5 years. I didn't think that sounded too bad.
So I got my ears filled with the squishy silicone caulk-like stuff,
and a few minutes later my molds were complete. Now I just have
to wait for a couple weeks for them to be processed, and I'll have
my own custom fit earplugs. He recommended the 15db filters.
When I asked him about other filters to switch out, he said that
they range from about $20-$40.

He said that the earplugs for musicians are different from others,
in that they are designed to allow some sound in. They cut some
frequencies more than others. For example, he told me that low
frequencies are more difficult to block out than high frequencies.
That's fine with me, I don't want the drummer's cymbals to hurt
my hearing. I'm looking forward to giving this a try with the
custom earplugs, the foam ones were OK, but I'm thinking it'll be
a bit more "refined" with the customs.

I'll post after I try them out in a couple weeks.

By the way, if your insurance covers it, I'd highly recommend a
hearing test for everybody. It was an interesting experience,
and it would be good to know where you stand with your hearing
so you can take preventative steps, rather than suffering needlessly. Just my $.02 worth.
 
#423
I went to the Audiologist 2 weeks ago and had my hearing tested. The tests showed a "dip" in the high frequency range in my left ear. I had my hearing tested a couple of years ago and there were no problems.

Needless to say, I immediately had them take impressions and placed an order for a set of ER musician's earplugs.

I chose the 15 dB inserts based on the recommendations in this thread. I have practice on Thursday night and a gig on Saturday night. I do have to say I am a bit apprehensive about using them "live" with only one practice, but the alternative is not acceptable.

How much is your hearing worth?
 
#424
I just got the call today, my custom earplugs are in.
I'll be picking them up on Thursday, that means I'll get a chance
to try them out this weekend....should be interesting.
I just played at the club we'll be playing at on Friday, and the
stage volume wasn't bad at all, but it was with a different drummer.
I guess I'll have to wait and see if they're needed at this venue or not.
 
#425
Esquillama said:
I just got the call today, my custom earplugs are in.
I'll be picking them up on Thursday, that means I'll get a chance
to try them out this weekend....should be interesting.
I just played at the club we'll be playing at on Friday, and the
stage volume wasn't bad at all, but it was with a different drummer.
I guess I'll have to wait and see if they're needed at this venue or not.
Click to expand...
The guy who introduced me to custom earplugs used to swear by them. Now he doesn't use them at all. Did he suddenly start playing more quietly? I don't know. It's odd.

I will suggest that if you're playing for several hours (say more than two), pop the plugs even if the volume isn't uncomfortable. Consider this - the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) require workplaces to have hearing conservation programs when they average 85 dB over an 8 hour period. That's the volume level of average traffic (inside your car), of a blender, or even an electric shaver. Get above that, and you start getting into more trouble in less time.

Play it safe.
 
#426
I played tonight with the custom earplugs for the first set. I got
ones with the 15 db cut filters. It was kind of wierd. I felt "removed"
from everything. I could hear everything, but I couldn't "feel" it.
The wierdest thing was that I could hear our singer across the
room talking with an audience member while the rest of the band
was playing onstage. I guess the filters help to get rid of the
"white noise" and allow the rest to be more clear.

I didn't use them for the rest of the night. I think I'll use them only
at gigs where things feel too loud. I was glad that I had the
custom fit. I've tried the foam kind, and I felt like everything was
muffled and indistinct. I prefer the custom fit model.

As a side note, it was easier singing with the customs than it was
with the foam ones.

Oh yeah, it cost me $158.25 US Dollars to get them. I was told
that if I wanted any other filters (9db or 25db), it would be
about $30-$50. I think the 15db is just right for me.
 
#427
We've talked a bit about IEM systems.

I don't know if you guys are familiar with Galaxy Audio. They're the company that brought us the Hotspot monitors (those little monitors that can sit atop a mic stand or a keyboard or anything).

Anyway, I had heard a few months ago that Galaxy Audio had released an IEM system. Apparently, people have been choosing this system over the low end Shure. Well, turns out Galaxy operates out of my city... and I was able to get my hands on a free test set.

First test- just pulled them out of the box at my drummer's house and hooked them up to an mp3 player. Range seems good, bass response seems ok. Good clarity with the stock earbuds, low distortion rate.

Second test - I play drums at church on Wednesday night, so I thought I'd try the IEMs. We didn't have much time to mix, so the mix was terrible, but I was able to hear what I needed. The beltpack did keep slipping off of my belt while I was playing, however, and as I played, my ears sweated just a bit, causing the earbuds to fall out. But no real problems hearing what I needed.

Test 3 - I lead worship at church on Saturday night (tonight) and play guitar. I gave the IEM to my drummer. He has the same problems with the reciever falling off his belt. This time, though, the whole mix is muddy and bassy - no clarity at all. I don't know if it's the system, or the simple fact that Saturday night sports a piano, 2 guitars, bass, 5 vocalists, and drums... I try the IEM in rehearsal tonight, and yep. Bassy and gross.

We'll try it for the fourth time (maybe) at our gig tomorrow. It'll be the important test - seeing if it would work with our band's PA system. So far, it's not worth the price tag, even if it is a fraction of the Shure.

Looks like I might have to look into a JBL Eon or something for the drummer. And more earplugs.
 
#428
Hi,

I have had custom earmolds with ER-15 buttons for many years, ever since I was diagnosed with some loss in one ear and mild tinnitus. I want to buy some ER-25 buttons for those louder situations and didn't know if any of you may know where to get the best price. The best I found online was $60/pr and I did not even check on the shipping. If you know of a place with a good price on these, please let me know.

Thanks,
S
 
#429
After a couple loud practices with a cover band, i decided to get some custom earplugs with some extra cash I had. Turned out to be the best investment i could have made. They haven't hindered anything for me. If anything i like them b/c i can hear the inital beat of the drums without the extra noise from cymbals, etc...
It is also nice to walk out of practice and not have my ears ringing
 
#430
TheSuzie said:
Hi,

I have had custom earmolds with ER-15 buttons for many years, ever since I was diagnosed with some loss in one ear and mild tinnitus. I want to buy some ER-25 buttons for those louder situations and didn't know if any of you may know where to get the best price. The best I found online was $60/pr and I did not even check on the shipping. If you know of a place with a good price on these, please let me know.

Thanks,
S
Click to expand...

You might want to check with your local clinic. The audiologist at
my clinic told me that I could get them for around $30-$50 or so.
Good luck.
 
#431
i know exactly what all you mean. i am only 16 and i too have tinitis. i cant go to sleep without a tv or stereo going. it sucks. but ive done it too myself so ill deal with it. i have custom made ear plugs that cost me $95 but its worth every cent to help save my hearing. serioiusly if anyone out there does not use these i highly reccomend it.
 
#432
two weeks ago i had molds taken for custom plugs by the northeastern university speech & hearing clinic. I got them today, and wore them on the walk home to test them out. It's really remarkable how quiet everything is (25db flat reduction). I have a rehearsal tomorrow and two gigs this weekend, should good! I've been using ER20s for years so it will take a bit to adjust i guess.
 
#433
As we're all wearing plugs now (you are right? Go back and read the rest of the thread!), and recommending them to our friends (I've got our guitarist convinced, but he just can't quite make the leap - should be real soon), I'd just like to post the following link:
Link Removed

They're pretty cool, and fit kids from 6 months up to around 8 years. I'm really tempted to put a spare set in my gig bag to loan out, as I really worry the number of times I see kids at some of our gigs, when I know how much damage we can do (we do occasionally hand out disposable plugs to kids we think are too close).

Ian
 
#434
Im in a nine-piece band, the sax player and I are the ONLY ones who wear plugs in our ears, yeah I know,...yikes!!

Long story short......my group did a set after a group that was playing a set before and after us and and boy was their monitor volume brutal. It was a small stage in a club and I had very little space to stand. I had some serious ringing in my right ear for a couple weeks and went to an ear, nose & throat doctor. Fortunatley all is was was accumulated wax in the ear due to me pushing in the foam plug I was using (Hearos brand). I just had impressions of my ears for custom plugs last Monday with an audiologist and they'll be in soon. No way did I mind putting out the $165 for them. I can't wait to get them and I can't stress enough the importance of wearing ear plugs on stage. Do it, you'll be glad you did, because once its gone, its gone.
 
#436
Hey, all...

Bascially, I ended up going to a club last night with a DJ/band. Don't go to clubs often (met up with some old friends :D), so I didn't think it would be as loud as it was.

Anyway, now my hearing is -ing broken as hell and I have loud ringing in my ears. It'll go away in a few days, I know, but I also know damage has been done (very slight ringing in my ears from when I saw Tool :/).

I'm on a budget and I'm lazy, and I want a set of earplugs. But I live in the UK, and most of the posts in this topic (I did read though a lot of it at some point) refer to the US.
Can anyone from the UK recomend a website or two to order from a maybe a few brands? Don't want to compromise sound too much, but the ringing is freaking bad today... sod it :/
 
#437
I been playing in a very loud metal band and we rehearse at close quarters every weekend. For a year I been wearing plastic plugs that supposedly block out 23dbs and I always found everything to be way too boomy and couldnt really hear high frequencies or pick out riffs in the tunes. Last week I my custom ER15s arrived and rehearsal at the weekend never sounded better. I could hear myself really clearly, the lows seemed crystal clear and the highs far more so than the plastic plugs I was wearing, not to mention how much more comfortable the moulded plugs feel compared to ****ing my ear canals with nasty bits of plastic every weekend.

I cannot recommend getting some custom plugs highly enough. I will wear them to all gigs I go to, all clubs I go to, and every rehearsal :)

If I lost my hearing my world would end. My ears are priceless to me so I didn't mind forking out what comes to about £25 a year to protect my ears professionally.

JJ
 
#438
Grrr... We've been doing so well - setting up far enough away from each other that we're not deafening each other, plus getting enough monitor that we don't have to crank amps... I've been leaving my ear plugs in the case...

Well, last night, the group we were playing for set us up too closely together. During sound check, it wasn't a bad deal, but I guess our drummer got a little louder once we actually hit the stage. That secondary crash cymbal was WAY too close to my left ear... still ringing.

Case in point - wear the plugs even when you don't think you need to!
 
#439
Try this site for a UK earplug supplier: http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=283526

I got a set of the Elacin ER20S and use them all the time (despite being mocked by some of the other band members). I used to have ringing ears for a day or two after gigs and practice, but wearing these means that my hearing is clear and I do get pretty good sound reproduction when wearing the earplugs. It's amazing that you can hear people talking clearly with the plugs in.

We're now looking at the possibility of IEM but need advice: see this thread for my questions: http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=283526


Geoff
 
#440
I played this past weekend with my custom plugs in for all but
the very first set on Friday night. It's still taking me some
getting used to. I feel disconnected from the band with them in,
but I'm sure as time goes on I'll adjust. I can't really feel what's
going on, so it's a little hard to get into it as I do when not "plugged".

Onward with the experience!!
 

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