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I was in a couple of bands at high school. One of them was very professional, even back then. We rehearsed weekly, did a lot of gigs, all light pop rock cover songs, and always at a moderate level. The other band was was more creative, rehearsed in a room at school (after school) two or three night s aweek, giiged when we could, doing mostly originals with a few covers, but always pretty loud. And I went to see a lot of live shows. All the local bands, and any half decent international act that came to town. I remember a few shows back then - Lou Reed and Cheap Trick in particular come to mind, where my ears were ringing for hours after the show.
But the tinnitus wasn't solely music-related. My first job when I left school was shift work, and two of the three shifts involved very high noise levels. This was the late 70s and early 80s and health and safety wasn't a big deal yet, so nobody wore ear protection. And I was into scuba diving, which adds pressure to the ear drums. Not too bad, but taken into account with the music and the work I'm sure it didn't help.
So I've had tinnitus for 20-odd years. It's pretty bad. It's a permanent ringing in my ears which is exactly the same frequency as our local species of cicada. In summer my wife often asks if I can hear the cicadas and I can't, unless we're out in the bush and it's really hot and there are enough of them that the sheer volume overpowers my disability. Sometimes when it's really quiet, like in the middle of the night, the tinnitus drives me crazy. Literally to tears. During the day it's not so bad because there's almost always some background noise. When it's quiet, I often put on some music at really low volume. David Sylvian and Holger Czukay's "Plight & Premonition" and "Flux + Mutability", and some of Sylvian's other ambient stuff works relly well for me.
I've worn ear plugs when playing for a while now. I also wear them when I go to live shows. I wear foam ear plugs with ear muffs over the top if I'm working around the house with noisy equipment like a lawn mower, leaf blower or power washer. There are other factors that make it worse. If I don't get enough sleep, or drink too much alcohol or coffee, I notice the difference. But I wish I'd known all this 40 years ago.
Whether you're starting off, or you've already been paying a while, if you're not using ear protection yet, get some. Instead of that next bass, or effect pedal, invest in yourself. It won't make you sound any better. But it'll make every other sound better.
But the tinnitus wasn't solely music-related. My first job when I left school was shift work, and two of the three shifts involved very high noise levels. This was the late 70s and early 80s and health and safety wasn't a big deal yet, so nobody wore ear protection. And I was into scuba diving, which adds pressure to the ear drums. Not too bad, but taken into account with the music and the work I'm sure it didn't help.
So I've had tinnitus for 20-odd years. It's pretty bad. It's a permanent ringing in my ears which is exactly the same frequency as our local species of cicada. In summer my wife often asks if I can hear the cicadas and I can't, unless we're out in the bush and it's really hot and there are enough of them that the sheer volume overpowers my disability. Sometimes when it's really quiet, like in the middle of the night, the tinnitus drives me crazy. Literally to tears. During the day it's not so bad because there's almost always some background noise. When it's quiet, I often put on some music at really low volume. David Sylvian and Holger Czukay's "Plight & Premonition" and "Flux + Mutability", and some of Sylvian's other ambient stuff works relly well for me.
I've worn ear plugs when playing for a while now. I also wear them when I go to live shows. I wear foam ear plugs with ear muffs over the top if I'm working around the house with noisy equipment like a lawn mower, leaf blower or power washer. There are other factors that make it worse. If I don't get enough sleep, or drink too much alcohol or coffee, I notice the difference. But I wish I'd known all this 40 years ago.
Whether you're starting off, or you've already been paying a while, if you're not using ear protection yet, get some. Instead of that next bass, or effect pedal, invest in yourself. It won't make you sound any better. But it'll make every other sound better.
Unfortunately, those generic earplugs that cost $20 in music stores are not going to cut it for high volumes. Go to an audiologist, spend a couple hundred on eartones that are modeled for your ears. This is one of the best investments I've made. Meanwhile, these boneheads I play with that need to "hear" the highs and lows are slowly going deaf.
See post #1064, right above yours. That is the best answer. Depending on the volume at which you play, they may be the most important piece of gear you ever buy - so don't skimp.
I'm not sure I can find an audiologist than makes stuff like that here in the nearby.
That would surprise me. Molded ear plugs are used all over the world. I will say that any of the commercially available (non-molded) musician's plugs are a big improvement over no protection. I wasn't aware they came in different "sizes". What I have seen is differing levels of db reduction. I use 15 db elements in my molded plugs, but have also used 9 db and 20 db with pretty good results. Good luck!
Been playing with a couple of others for the first time in years, guitar player with two fender amps and a drummer prone to hitting hard... forgot my ear plugs (just cheap silicone ones from the pharmacy) the first couple of times we jammed, but I used them last night.
So nice to not lie in bed with your ears ringing after a session! I did notice the plugs made it hard to hear the timbre of the instruments properly, might look at upgrading at some point.
So nice to not lie in bed with your ears ringing after a session! I did notice the plugs made it hard to hear the timbre of the instruments properly, might look at upgrading at some point.
The good ones (molded + elements) provide even reduction across frequencies, their best virtue. You can also choose the level of reduction desired. But anything is better in the long run than nothing.
Does playing with IEMs qualify as protecting yourself, if they are super isolating and used at reasonable levels?
So only people using monitor speakers are safe then? I thought some IEM have a noise reduction rating.
I use IEMs and they definitely block the sound in a similar way to my moulded 25db plugs. I start with my belt pack off and keep them as low as possible with only bass and my lead vocal going through to my ears as I can hear the drums and guitar loudly enough anyway. I use the monitor’s EQ to take out the very high frequencies picked up by my vocal mic from the cymbals. Much better protection than nothing at all!
If you go for fitted plugs, the audiologist makes a mold of your ear canal for a perfect fit.
For generic plugs, I use the Etymotic EA-20s. I found that the large ones fit me well, the "normal" ones are too small. They are cheap enough (under $15 from Amazon) you could always buy one set of each and decide which is best for you.
Here's an edited version of a post made in 2010. I deleted the specific information related to the audiologist.
I picked up a custom set of ER-15 Etymotic ear plugs last November from a local audiologist.
It takes two trips for your custom ear plugs: one for the obtaining your ear canal mold (with fast drying silicon) and the second for fitting/pickup.
A few things to know before you order:
1) You can order a mixed set of attenuators(buttons) (ie, -15 & -25) or you can order additional set(s) of buttons. A "solid" button can also be ordered that get aprox. -30db.
2) You can order a set of solid ear plugs w/o buttons. I ordered these fully countersunk(see below). I use these for sleeping and as much sound reduction as possible. Very comfortable with no pressure like you get from the foam ones. Note: after sleeping on my side, they really weren't comfortable enough to sleep with.
3) Five colors of attenuators are available (clear, beige, brown,red,blue). If you order multiple sets, a different color for each set may be useful.
4) The -9 is usually not enough attenuation for amplified instruments [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
5) The -25 cuts about 12db more highs at 8Khz
6) The ear plugs can be ordered with a non-removable string attached to reduce the possibility of losing them. The string is long enough to be placed on the backside of your neck. It's loose fitting and is not really noticeable in any way. It's very convenient for removing your ear plugs between songs, especially at rehearsal where you might have a discussion going on between tunes.
7) The ear plug can be ordered with more(partial, full) or less(standard) countersinking (fills more of the outer ear opening). To me, this helps keep the ear plug more in place. It doesn't allow you to "push" the plug in tighter because it has to fit into the outer ear opening. Something to discuss with the Dr. [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] My earplugs are "standard" model with no string attached. Note: I did order a second set with string
8) The molds for your ear plugs are kept for a month or two after production. Ask the Doc how long. I suggest consider order an extra set of the plugs in case you lose one or if you want to keep one set at home and one set at rehearsal.
9) The attenuator are removable so the plug can be cleaned with water and mild soap.
10) Be careful when removing the plugs. The attenuators are not glued in so if you push too hard in the wrong place,they will pop out and possibly be lost. Gently push on the outer edges as you work them out. Trying to remove them with one pull doesn't seem to work very well. I've accidentally popped out the attenuators a couple of times trying this. The attenuators are easily inserted back on the the plug.
11) The Dr. told me that if you put a bit of petroleum jelly on the outer edge of the plug, it will keep a better seal.
12) The earplugs allow you to hear your "internal" voice better while singing.
13) If I were ever to reorder, I would order mine with the string attached and discussed the value of counter sinking in more detail with the Dr. It seems to me(by looking at the pics) that with partial counter sinking, there's more room for the string to be embedded and would have more material to hold the string in place.
14) When you first get your plugs, I suggest practicing inserting/removing them several times so you get the "feel" for how the go into your ear properly (they can be inserted incorrectly) and you find out how to easily remove them with as little pressure as possible.
Note: The information provided herein should never be misconstrued as a substitute for a face-to-face consultation with a licensed, graduate-level hearing professional. Please direct any questions/concerns you may have to him/her.
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Everyone is different, but I find -15db attenuators are perfect for electrified stages and singing.
If they offer the same level of reduction as comparable ear plugs, than yes they qualify as protecting your hearing. Keep the mix in your ears from not being super loud for bonus points
Explain please.
