• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Hearing Loss and Ear Plugs

#741
Hey guys thanks for the advice - i agree about keeping it dry. And thinking about it - it probably was from the IEM. Ill have to change the sponges for next time. Using my speaker added to the stage level we play at would cause further pain i would have thought?

I was thinking of borrowing some really good DJ headphones and keeping the level really low. What are your thoughts?

Petebass, your on the ozbassforum, right? :eyebrow:
 
#742
calibreG said:
Hey guys thanks for the advice - i agree about keeping it dry. However using my speaker added to the stage level we play at would cause further pain i would have thought.

I was thinking of borrowing some really good DJ headphones and keeping the level really low. What are your thoughts?

Petebass, your on the ozbassforum, right? :eyebrow:
Click to expand...

I sure am, same username.

If an amp is out of the question, then Can type headphones would be the next best thing for sure. Just be ready for the jokes about directing planes and ping pong paddles ;)
 
#744
*2&é²"ç&" !

I have a ring in my right ear and I don't understand why.

It started tuesday, being pretty bad tuesday night.

Monday night I rehearsed with my band, as ALWAYS, I had my custom -25 dB plugs in. I even put a piece of foam earplug in the custom ones some time ago because I think the -25 db's are too bright (why doesn't anyone make musician plugs with 30 dB or more dampening???).

Anyway, our rehearsals are loud, fatiguing to the ears, but I never think, this is too loud. Also, I never ever have ringing in my ears after rehearsing.

Furthermore I've been wearing earplugs religiously since I was 16. Before that I went to a couple of metal gigs and festivals wearing no plugs. These resulted in some pretty bad ringing, but it always disappeared after a couple of days.

I'm 24 now btw.

Could this be either medical and/or psychological?

Because:

1) My right ear feels a bit warm on the inside, and it sometimes feels as if there's something in it.

2) Sunday night I resieved an offer to teach a lesson on wednesday at a school where I applied for a job as teacher. Of course, I've been stressed since rescieving that offer, and on tuesday night, when the ringing was worst, I could barely sleep because of stress.

Since wednesday, I've been waiting for a phone call from the school. Nothing yet.

Anyone? :(
 
#745
Vorago said:
(why doesn't anyone make musician plugs with 30 dB or more dampening???).

1) My right ear feels a bit warm on the inside, and it sometimes feels as if there's something in it.
(
Click to expand...

I don't more than -30dB is possible. Sticking your fingers in your ears is pretty much -30dB and I can't imagine an earplug blocking out more than that.

If it's medical, it's either an infection of a physical damage. An infection is easy to spot because like all living things, infections have the need to....well there's no nice way to say this..... they defecate, and that manifest itself as a discharge in your ear.

If it's physical damage, that's harder to spot and you should only trust this to a doctor. You don't want anyone poking around your ear drum unless they 100% know what they're doing. A doctor will also know what to do if it's an infection, so that would be my next point of call if I was you.

FWIW I very rarely thought "hey this is too loud". Bring a dB meter to your rehearsals / gigs and be prepared for a shock!
 
#746
Vorago said:
*2&é²"ç&" !

I have a ring in my right ear and I don't understand why.

It started tuesday, being pretty bad tuesday night.

Monday night I rehearsed with my band, as ALWAYS, I had my custom -25 dB plugs in. I even put a piece of foam earplug in the custom ones some time ago because I think the -25 db's are too bright (why doesn't anyone make musician plugs with 30 dB or more dampening???).

Anyway, our rehearsals are loud, fatiguing to the ears, but I never think, this is too loud. Also, I never ever have ringing in my ears after rehearsing.

Furthermore I've been wearing earplugs religiously since I was 16. Before that I went to a couple of metal gigs and festivals wearing no plugs. These resulted in some pretty bad ringing, but it always disappeared after a couple of days.

I'm 24 now btw.

Could this be either medical and/or psychological?

Because:

1) My right ear feels a bit warm on the inside, and it sometimes feels as if there's something in it.

2) Sunday night I resieved an offer to teach a lesson on wednesday at a school where I applied for a job as teacher. Of course, I've been stressed since rescieving that offer, and on tuesday night, when the ringing was worst, I could barely sleep because of stress.

Since wednesday, I've been waiting for a phone call from the school. Nothing yet.

Anyone? :(
Click to expand...

See a doctor immediately!!!!!!!
 
#747
IMO from what you describe it sounds like an irritation/infection which will bring on tinnitus in that ear, I've found it disappears when the thing causing it clears up, if your using custom moulded (same as me) after a while they drive a certain amount of wax down there due to being a tight fit (I have my ears syringed from time to time, wax will cause irritation and decreased hearing sensitivity), my tinnitus is louder (through volume and no plugs) in the left, because that's where the drummer's usual positioning is on setup's, cymbals are a killer without plugs for me.

See the doc, it'll be fine I'm sure.
 
#748
Regarding the "custom" ear plugs. I am absolutely sure they are worth the investment,
and am planning to buy some. Meanwhile, I have a improvised solution that is better than no ear protection.
I have worked in Construction for twenty years and for the last ten have used ear plugs.
I also play bass and ALWAYS use them when I play AMPLIFIED music. And, I always bring them to live amplified music shows too.
(Has it occurred to any of us -especially PA and sound people- that something is fundamentally wrong with this picture when the band and the audience (at least the ones with any brains) are all wearing ear protection?)
While working Construction I found a neat way to make the cheap foam plugs adjustable depending on the decibel level. It may not match the quality of custom plugs but it works well for DB levels up to about 120 attenuating levels down 5 to 25 DB.

(1) Buy the the firmer foam plugs not the super soft ones. For this trick get the ones that are cylindrical not conical. Usually about i/2 inch diameter by 1 inch in length.

(2) Cut one of them in half lengthwise. A single edge razor blade works great.

(3) Turn the half-plug sideways, pinch it flat and roll into your ear -like putting coin in a slot
(4) Once the plug expands you can push it in a little further or roll it out a little -with a finger nail- to adjust the decibel level. Depending on the shape of your ear you can leave them almost all the way out, but still in your ear for normal conversation -60DB- then just roll them in when the sound level goes up.

Disclaimer: This is a "seat of the pants" solution I am not an audiologist, but it has worked well for me and I have very sensitive hearing.

Yes, it's true you loose a bit of the high end. But when you take the ear plugs out the highs are still there for you to hear! If you damage your hearing you can kiss those highs good bye.
 
#749
^ I used to use them, they work well if you cut them down but without that I found myself 'playing by feel', the custom moulded are great, nice clarity, and good volume drop, great investment, incidentally I've still got good high end hearing but the tinnitus is a drag and takes a while to accept. ;)
 
#750
Just ordered some earplugs this morning, i wish i would have seen this thread 12 months ago, i should have really bought some then instead of now. Lots of good advice on here, i am going to get some custom molded ones as soon as i can afford them. Also, im glad i've realised this early (I'm 15) and have not only realised once i had permanent tinnitus (Which i feel sorry for all of you guys with it about, it is a horrible feeling)

Liam
 
#751
LiamPodmore said:
Just ordered some earplugs this morning, i wish i would have seen this thread 12 months ago, i should have really bought some then instead of now. Lots of good advice on here, i am going to get some custom molded ones as soon as i can afford them. Also, im glad i've realised this early (I'm 15) and have not only realised once i had permanent tinnitus (Which i feel sorry for all of you guys with it about, it is a horrible feeling)

Liam
Click to expand...

You are wise beyond your ears...sorry, years ;)
 
#753
Hey everyone. As a bassist who plays at full volume no matter what - I think Pete Townsend described it as all the way up - I don't want to damage my hearing so I wear custom made earplugs. I also used to work in an Audiology department and so know the stuff they're talking about is the real deal - if you play music loud, you'll screw up your hearing and never get back what you've lost. You can also develop tinnitus, which I have, and it can drive some people crazy - there are therapies for it however. Go to an audiologist, get custom made moulds made - like people have said before, they can either attenuate sounds or try to block them almost completely - they wont TOTALLY block all sounds out, because you hear through your skull as well...trust me it sounds crazy but it's true. So yeah, like the guys before, my advice would be - don't have your amp turned up full, the the PA system and sound tech worry about that, get earplugs, preferabbly custom-made ones from your nearest audiology department at the nearest hospital, and for god's sake, LOOK AFTER YOUR HEARING. Once it's gone, it's gone.
 
#754
Well, there you have it

a dip in the 4-8 khz range of my right ear (the ear turned towards the amps)

and

a small ring in my right ear.


I've been given medication to counter any inflamation in my ear and to enhance the blood flow in my ear, and since I went to the doctor 10 days after the ringing started, I might have a chance of recovery.

I'm taking a two week break from rehearsing, while taking the meds. We don't have any shows coming up, so that shouldn't be an issue.

Anyway, wish me luck and be ****ing careful!

Even plugs don't make you imune.
 
#755
I remember reading an article on Clubber's suffering tinnitus through sound pressure levels even though they wore plugs, thumping/banging volumes will transfer through the skull and cause damage to the inner ear mechanism, stages can be tight but I try and put some distance between myself and the drum kit, cymbals are a killer IME.
 
#756
I recently was fitted with Westone Musicians custom fit ear molds (-9 db as we don't play 'that' loud) and I wore them on Friday for the first time at a gig. It took a while to really feel them out and get used to the difference, but the fact that they pass most frequencies through makes it seem more like the volume was muted. By the end of the night I knew this was a WIN!

A while ago I suffered sudden total hearing loss in my left ear due to an inflamation... I went to an ENT immediately which he told me is very important. After 10 days of treatment I have regained most of the volume in my left ear, but have lost all frequencies above 8kHz... tolerable, especially after the deafness.

My ears seem to be more intolerant of load volumes now, but I keep my Westones in my car, or in my pocket, for when I need them.

Hearing = PRICELESS

Oh yeah. I've had tinnitus for over 3 decades now... think about it! It's not about now.
 
#757
Mike Dimin said:
...Additionally, think of your amplifier as a stage monitor. Play at a low volume, let the PA do the rest for the audience....
Click to expand...

Thank you. Someone else who thinks like I/we do in my band. We try to keep the stage sound/monitors as low as possible to protect our hearing. All our guitar/bass effects pedals have direct outs to the FOH mixer. When we have everything setup up just right, our stage volume level is minimum, but our FOH sound is monster. This is accomplished by using our stage amps as only monitors, but letting the soundguy out front dial in the levels for the FOH speakers from the direct outputs from our pedals.

As much as I would like to be standing in front of a blasting Ampeg 8X10 stack during our gigs, I'm realistically more happy with my small 120 watt bass amp as a stage monitor turned up only loud enough to hear myself.

In practice, we only turn it up enough to mix in with the drummer, and the drummer dials it back in practice for our hearing protection. If you lose your hearing, as a musician, what do you have left?
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back