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Hearing Loss and Ear Plugs

#942
I don't think those SPL apps are particularly reliable. You can get an SPL meter at GC for about $60. Bring it to a rehearsal. I found that my Eden WT550 at 50% volume through an Epifani 310 was putting out about 120 dB at about 2-3 feet away. OSHA says 7.5 minutes exposure in a 24 hour period at that level before permanent hearing damage is done. If you wear 25 dB earplugs, you're down to 95 dB, which gives you 4 hours.

Custom molded earplugs are great and well worth the $200+. They're comfy, you can wear them all night with no irritation, they have a nice even response. You can still hear everything well. You can get 9, 15, or 25 dB filters.

H.E.A.R. | Hearing Education and Awareness for Rockers | www.hearnet.com is a great resource. I'm lucky the co-founder, Kathy Peck is in SF. She's been one of the major pioneers for hearing protection for musicians. She's still making custom plugs for folks.

Get hearing protection!
 
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#943
BaileyMan said:
I don't think those SPL apps are particularly reliable. You can get an SPL meter at GC for about $60. Bring it to a rehearsal. I found that my Eden WT550 at 50% volume through an Epifani 310 was putting out about 120 dB at about 2-3 feet away. OSHA says 7.5 minutes exposure in a 24 hour period at that level before permanent hearing damage is done. If you wear 25 dB earplugs, you're down to 95 dB, which gives you 4 hours.

Custom molded earplugs are great and well worth the $200+. They're comfy, you can wear them all night with no irritation, they have a nice even response. You can still hear everything well. You can get 9, 15, or 25 dB filters.

H.E.A.R. | Hearing Education and Awareness for Rockers | www.hearnet.com is a great resource. I'm lucky the co-founder, Kathy Peck is in SF. She's been one of the major pioneers for hearing protection for musicians. She's still making custom plugs for folks.

Get hearing protection!
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Man, if you are pumping out 120 dbs at rehearsal, you gotta turn down.
 
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#945
BaileyMan said:
Yes. Agreed. There have been some jam sessions in our rehearsal studio where I've been at near full volume on my amp. Completely unnecessary. Bringing in a dB meter helped to bring some awareness to other players.
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I've always felt if it was too loud to communicate while the music is playing, it's too loud.
 
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#947
R&B said:
Tell that to three guitar players. :rolleyes: And a drummer who has to overpower them.
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. I play in a six piece band - drums, bass, two guitars, vocalist/keyboardist, and vocalist. Twice it got too loud. I stopped playing and waited. Excessive volume and players not being prepared are the two things I will NOT put up with.
 
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#948
R&B said:
Tell that to three guitar players. :rolleyes: And a drummer who has to overpower them.
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I’m never afraid to do this. You shouldn’t be either.

Most recently I was filling in, helping a friend audition guitar players. This goofball with his Line6 Spyder (not making this up) comes in and sets his amp pointed at his shins but my ears. I told him to turn it down and back the gain off. He thought those were the same thing. When he would turn down enough for me (not my gig, I can’t insist too much) I grabbed some earbuds and used those. Line6 guy’s sound disappeared totally so all I could hear was just the drummer and me.

The basic reason guitarists turn up is because they can’t hear and have crap amps. Get ‘em a chair for their amp and shame them into buying a real amp.

But hearing protecting for sure.
 
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#950
Yes I have been wearing earplugs for 25 years . For anything that seems loud whether listening or participating you have to have your ears plugged. Even a piece of Kleenex will do . You will experience hearing disorder eventually for sure kids if you like it loud with no protection . Thing is you brain gets used to it and processes the sound in a way that you forget you are wearing them after a while . I am aware while I am playing that I have to make sure my bass is not too bright sounding and I turn the tone down lower than the way I hear it with the plugs in.
 
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#951
Taken 2 weeks to read this whole thread. 18 years of comments, experience, facts and opinions. Awesome.
To sum up:
No ear protection = free. High likelihood of hearing damage
Foam ear buds = about £1 per pair. Less chance of damage. Cuts high frequencies so makes music sound muddy.
ER20s = About £20 per pair. Less chance of damage if inserted correctly. All frequencies cut by about the same amount.
Custom molded plugs = About £200 per pair. Least chance of damage. Best frequency response.

I'm away to find an audiologist in my area, with a view to getting custom plugs as my next gear purchase.

See ya ☺
 
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#952
When you guys say "Custom Molded Plugs" or "Foam Ear buds" are you referring to the tips for IEM's?

I've started playing in a live type setting that uses IEM's, and I'm wondering how I can best protect my hearing. I was thinking of picking up some memory foam tips to use with the monitors provided to me, but is that enough? There's no dB reduction rating or anything on these.

https://www.amazon.com/Earphone-New-Replacement-Blocking-Headphones/dp/B071HT121F/

I don't exactly have the cash right now to do custom IEM's, maybe in the future, but for now, what should I do?
 
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#953
Something like that, yes. I would guess that buying the most diverse package, with really high ratings, is the best shot, but we know nothing until tried. I have really strange ears, very difficult fit and resort to headphones for that reason, but if I could find IEM tips that fit well and grab a seal, its magic. Otherwise, if you're prone to wax buildup that has to be removed by a nurse, ill-fitting in-ears are the work of the devil. Not only prone to compact the problem but can irritate the ear, triggering the wax response even more. I'm stating the obvious, but the difference in perceived fidelity/clarity/frequency-range, noise abatement , etc between a proper 'seal' and a lousy seal is HUGE, and one tiny movement or adjustment of the tip can send it either way. Sweat, changes in temp during a performance, anything can disturb that fine-fit issue
 
#954
DuckSoup said:
When you guys say "Custom Molded Plugs" or "Foam Ear buds" are you referring to the tips for IEM's?

I've started playing in a live type setting that uses IEM's, and I'm wondering how I can best protect my hearing. I was thinking of picking up some memory foam tips to use with the monitors provided to me, but is that enough? There's no dB reduction rating or anything on these.

https://www.amazon.com/Earphone-New-Replacement-Blocking-Headphones/dp/B071HT121F/

I don't exactly have the cash right now to do custom IEM's, maybe in the future, but for now, what should I do?
Click to expand...

Try different plugs to see what works best. Part of the idea of using IEMS is that stage volume should be a lot lower. No matter what, if hearing loss is a concern, the band is playing WAY too loudly.
 
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#957
Question: At rehearsals, does everyone play from their amps or from the PA/monitor speakers?

Right now I'm standing between a drummer on my right, and in front of a bass amp that's next to the amp of a loud, somewhat deaf guitarist. I gotta move or change this somehow; earplugs can do only so much. My IEMs help but there's really no need for this; even the vibrations are annoying. I consider myself a patient person, but not at all when the problem is unnecessary or due heavily to inertia.

In previous bands, I used earplugs and/or we all went into the mixer and came out the PA speakers (ie, no sound through amps; the drummers were much softer than the current one). This arrangement not only created a nice balance of everyone, but also kept overall levels down.

How many of you do this? I'm going to bring this up at this week's rehearsal as a possible solution. (I feel I've discussed noise reduction techniques ad infinitum on various posts throughout TB, so I won't ask for those suggestions here.)

Thanks!
 
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#958
I am 67 years of age presently. My tinnitus is outrageous at this point. I am surprised that I can hear anything above it. I have worn foam earplugs but often alternated wearing headphones because I mixed the band's sound from on stage. Still...all those years of being exposed to those sound levels has done me in.
 
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#959
notJaco said:
I am 67 years of age presently. My tinnitus is outrageous at this point. I am surprised that I can hear anything above it. I have worn foam earplugs but often alternated wearing headphones because I mixed the band's sound from on stage. Still...all those years of being exposed to those sound levels has done me in.
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So sorry to hear that! I too am 67 yo and have gigged since I was 17. I hope you don't mind if I relate that I have used -15 db molded inserts since '96 (Westone), and have only the slightest loss at 4k. I'm truly sorry for your situation, and I'm no role model, but I hope the contrast between our circumstances can help wake up a few people. I can't believe it when I play with people whose ars are unprotected on stage even today. There are actually quite a few of them who say "it effects how things sound", or "I can't sing with them in". Well, yes, but wait until you can't hear things at all! ...that's the ultimate effect, I'm afraid.
 
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