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Hearing Loss and Ear Plugs

#621
MarkTAW said:
I used to have major wax problems, I use a Q-tip (stick it into the ear & rotate it around the edge). I always thought you shouldn't put the q-tip in your ear, but then my doctor told me too (after scraping an insane amount of wax out of my ears) and I haven't had much of a problem with it since. If I do, I use a bit of hydrogen peroxide.

I am not a doctor, do see a doctor before putting H2O2, Q-Tips or anything else into your ears.
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+100

I got several ear infections in one year and had to get my ears cleaned several times before I figured out on my own that if I used a cotton swab after showering(when the wax is softer), I could reduce my ear infections to zero over the last 10 years.

You do have to be careful though, I did have some build up that got pushed back a bit so I used some Debrox to get it out.

Still, I wouldn't go back to not using cotton swabs. If they're used gently and turned slowly, you can keep your eardrum clear of wax build up that can lead to problems.

IMO, YMMV, etc.
 
#622
On the earwax topic (sorry for derailing this thread):

I have used a few of those shower ear wax cleaners, when you are in the shower "pump" the liquid into your ears and like a few posters above me said it will come out by itself after a few days BUT ALAS! it never comes out when I used it, instead it blocked almost all of my hearing for close to 2+ weeks after each use and eventually my hearing comes back.

So yeah, just be careful when you use such similar products :)
 
#624
I use earplugs that are meant for swimmers (they are like gel that you can mold) and I think they do a great job. I can still hear my guitarist, drummer, and myself perfectly. After jamming sometimes without earplugs I completely understood the need to use them
 
#626
If You Use In-Ear Monitors or are Thinking of Using Them, You Need to Read This !!!!!

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This is something that all musicians should read. If you use In-Ear monitors IEM's or are thinking of using them, then you need to read this study that was done at Vanderbilt University. Pay special attention to the last paragraph.

Here's the link [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
 
#628
If you play, practice or attend regular concerts at even moderate band sound levels, you will suffer hearing loss and tinnitus, sooner or later. :rollno: I count myself lucky that at age 57 and still gigging here there and everywhere, I am only just starting to have hearing difficulties and the tinnitus that started at age 15 as a high-pitched ringing that I can ignore, has got no worse. Others havent been so lucky. I know people who have lost most hearing in one ear or both, much younger than myself and a friend, after a Led Zep concert in the seventies, couldnt hear much at all for a week afterwards and still has tinnitus. In my last touring band, I even had to wear plugs at rehearsals, because they were the worst, in a booming old warehouse :crying: ouch. Prior to that, I was in a jam-band with a guy half my age who wouldnt turn down and guess what? Conversations with him were punctuated with "Eh?", "Sorry, I missed that" etc etc. Nuff said. How cool is that guys? :bassist:
 
#629
I use ear plugs all the time after I went through a period of losing my hearing from mowing lawns when I was younger. I wear ear plugs when I am driving down the road even, it kills the monotonous drone and keeps my ears fresh. As a little reality check, try this out. Preferably in the summer when you can drive with your windows down, turn up the radio while cruisin' down the interstate to a good listening volume. Turn off the radio, if you can without changing the volume. When you get home, turn off the car and turn on the radio. Is it too loud now? Probably.
At gigs, I set my tone and volume for the room, then put the plugs in a go for it. I could care less about losing the fidelity, my tone was fine to start and won't change too much with all the waterbags in the room. And I can still hear at the end of the night.
All it takes is one blast of sound and your hearing is done!
 
#632
i need a solution! and really quick :(

i got mugged a few days back so i lost everything i had including my ear plugs! so now the band has lent me a bass somehow because we have a gig on sunday. i had a practice yesterday which made me sick because i that band is really loud! there is no way i can get them to turn down. i asked them twice but it didnt help at all. i had cotton stuffed up in my ears and that was all i could do.

today i got those foam ear plugs after great struggle and it was better. they dont cut all frequencies even but they can cut down the volume enough and too much if i insert them well. but i dont know why, maybe its physiological that am feeling my ears are ringing louder :(
its very depressing i dont know what to do. i just have one more practice left and then a gig where maybe i might be able to keep the volume lower as the drummer would be hopefully further away. so is there any homemade sort of a solution or something? if the foam plugs are able to keep the volume very low then am sure my ears wont get damaged any further right?
 
#633
hell_awaits said:
good topic.

I'm the only one in my band that uses ear plugs on a regular basis. My guitarist refuses to wear them until he thinks we sound flawless. Unfortunately, I'm the minority, when I suggest that it's possible to sound tight, even when using ear plugs.

------------------
I am in the same boat, I'm always told that my Bass is to loud and my reply is " Dude's" we're all to loud and that's why it sounds like crap on stage! The other night we had some other band member sit in and I played with them, I could have ordered lunch while playing, that's how well I could hear, when my boyz got back up it went right back to " can't hear a damn thing"
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#634
I've tried earplugs but it's like throwing a wet blanket over everything. It made it almost impossible to sing on key. What I recommend is in-ear monitoring. I know, I know, those little wireless mixer systems cost a minimum of $600. But there's a cheaper way!

Here's what we use for rehearsal: We bought a 4 channel headphone mixer which takes its input from our PA mixer (we mic everything, vocals, guitars, bass, keys) then just buy a cheap pair of isolating ear buds and the required cords/connectors. Everyone does not have an individual mix, but they have a pretty good mix and you don't have to worry about levels. Sometimes the guitar player who is not using his ear buds for a while tells me that there is no sound coming from my amp! I had it turned down all the way but due to my direct out from the bass amp I was still happy. Try it, you'll love it!
 
#635
I am not having problems myself so far, but drummer from the band where one of members of our band plays (they play punk in three) has suffered tinitus in age cca 22. They are not SO MUCH loud band or play/rehearse so often.
Once they had gig, on rehearsal he used earplugs but not at concert (I really dont know why). After that he felt nausea, started to hear not stopping whistling in both ears. At morning he went to hostpital where they got him vitamin injections and eventually saved him one ear. The other is, what I heard from guys, damaged for living.

I am posting this to document that you dont have to have long history of playing or play in ridiculously loud band to get your ears ****ed. I guess the genetical disposability and damage taken in other life then playing is important too.
 
#636
I've always found excuses to go and buy a pair or earplugs... I do care about hearing loss, but it's always lazy me that won't go and buy the damn earplugs.

I'm just summing it up: 5 years of busy band schedule, 12 years of loud (not too much, but still loud) rehearshals, 2 years working as PA mixer for a mid sized venue (the damn boss wouldn't provide earplugs...). My hearing is not bad, but I'm getting a consult. AND earplugs.
 
#637
I heard that your ear has thousands of little receptors that stand on end and every time you stick anything in there you damage lots of little hearing receptors.

To be honest I can't remember where I heard this, so take it for what it is worth, but if this is the case then would using in-ear ear plugs not do lots of damage to your hearing.

I have a friend who recentely had his ears seringed and the doc said to him, "you use in ear headphones don't you".
He told him they caused the wax to compact itself deep in your ear.
 
#639
I found 3 places in my country that make custom-molded ear plugs, I will go check them out. One of them sell a pair for 700nis where the other sells for 350nis. What should I be looking for? What might cause the giant price difference?

-Edit: OK, I just had measures taken and paid for the 700nis model (Elacin 15db FlexComfort). I'll have it in two weeks, I'll let you guys know what I think.
 
#640
OK I just got back from a 4-hour rehearsal with my ultra-loud band but this time wearing a pair of 15db attenuating Elacin ER FlexComfrt plugs.

At the end of the rehearsal, the entire band was beyond tired and most of them with a headache. On the other hand, the drummer (Wearing industrial-level headphones because he's tone deaf anyway) and me felt pretty good.

My plugs are very high quality and fit my ears perfectly. Regarding sound quality, for listening - they are amazing. For actually playing bass in a band, it feels a bit muffled. AFAIK, they cut 4khz-10khz by 2db more than they cut all the other frequencies so it might take some time getting used to.
 

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