Hearing Protection

HeadCrusher

HeadCrusher

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Mar 20, 2002
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Hello everybody!

I've been around here for quite a while but reading only so far. There is really some interesting shit going on, so thanks everybody! :worship:

So finally this is my first post on this subforum of UM. :kickass:

I was wondering if you guys use hearing protection (and if so which products) when you attend concerts/play live. Aren't you afraid of damaging your hearing when you do live mixes?

Right now I'm thinking of getting myself a pair of those custom made earplugs but I'm actually worrying if the provide enough protection... :ill:

So what are your thoughts on that?
 
I've had a pair of Etymotic ER-15's custom moulded for about 3 years ago now. I think they cost me about £150 in total, but it was worth every penny and they're still going strong. My ears start ringing at the drop of a hat, so when I was rehearsing with a drummer three times a week, or when I go to a gig, I love the fact that I take the earplugs out and my ears are barely effected at all. Highly recommended.
 
custom earplugs do provide enough protection for "metal" situations, just make sure you get ones that cut down get 25 decibals instead of something like 15.

If you haven't infered it yet, I own some but I got the 15s and they're a little weak. Fine for band rehearsals but I don't know how great they'll be for concerts. I think I'm going to continue wearing my none custom -20 for concerts until I get the little -25 db insert for my custom made ones.
 
I always wear earplugs when I play live or go to a show, I find that they really help clean up the sound and it's much easier to focus on the music. Once I get some cash saved up, I plan on getting some customs.
 
I'm lucky - my sister goes out with a guy that makes earplugs for the NHS, so I got a custom set for free.

I've got no idea what level they cut too, but they work great at rehearsals and gigs, it's just like turning the volume down - there's no loss of detail in the sound at all. It's also helped the accuracy of my singing at gigs, and it means I don't have to rely on monitors to hear everything. Definitely a worthwhile investment. At the end of the day, any protection is probably better than nothing.

Steve
 
Sinister Mephisto said:
custom earplugs do provide enough protection for "metal" situations, just make sure you get ones that cut down get 25 decibals instead of something like 15.
Click to expand...
Do you really think they are strong enough? Assume you're in a venue with 115-120 db. -25 db you still got 90-95 db (with 85 db being save). At the moment I'm using the non-custom -32 db plugs and even those don't get me under 85 db (when exposed to 120 db). :erk:

Do you use your plugs too when you go to clubs/discos (rock discos of course! ;))? What about all the live engineers?
 
Rock discos? How'd you dance to the tunes? hehehe..

I even wear them when doing occasional live mixings. Initially, I felt that I may have boosted the highs a little too much but after a few occassions I just got used to it..:kickass:
 
Since I live in Croatia, I suppose there is no way for me to get custom molded earplugs, not to mention they're probably out of my reach for now... I have to get by with either wads of cotton or those yellow industrial foam earplugs...
Both suck, I know, but I reckon I'm better of with them than with the hearing loss, especially with all the crappy PA's around here. :)
 
Wadi said:
Rock discos? How'd you dance to the tunes? hehehe..
Click to expand...
Well, I don't know (I don't dance anyway :kickass: but there are clubs around where i live that you could call "Rock disco".

Anyway, imagine your girlfriend forcing you to go to a "normal" disco with you. :puke: Do/Would you use your plugs there?

Wadi said:
I even wear them when doing occasional live mixings. Initially, I felt that I may have boosted the highs a little too much but after a few occassions I just got used to it..:kickass:
Click to expand...
Your ear gets used to it after a few songs anyway imo! A week ago I saw In Flames (100th time i guess! ;)) and on the first couple of songs their guitar sound was like they had turned the tone potis of their guitars down and a little phaser on them. But after a few minutes it came out that the sound guy did a great job and just placed every instrument in a specific frequency range so that you could hear everything perfectly (with non-custom plugs, don't know how it sounded without them).

SickBoy said:
Both suck, I know, but I reckon I'm better of with them than with the hearing loss, especially with all the crappy PA's around here. :)
Click to expand...
Imo that's one of the greatest problems! Small clubs with shitty systems and even worse engineers that are mostly proud to be loud but not good in any way... :ill:
 
HeadCrusher said:
Do you really think they are strong enough? Assume you're in a venue with 115-120 db. -25 db you still got 90-95 db (with 85 db being save). At the moment I'm using the non-custom -32 db plugs and even those don't get me under 85 db (when exposed to 120 db). :erk:
Click to expand...
120 db(spl) is just insane. 85 db(spl) is kind of quiet. Keep in mind this is a logarithmic scale so there's a huge difference between 90 and 110 db(spl) for example. +10db@1khz is percieved as twice Louder. 95 db is reasonable as long as you are not exposed for too long.
 
Yeah, I know 120 db is not common (fortunetaly). But I think 110 db are easily reached and you can never know what the engineer is going to do next! I just wanna be sure, you know!?

When I saw Motörhead 2 years ago they must have had 120+ db for sure! I was somewhere halfway between the stage and the FOH-tower and my ears still hurt even though I was using the -32 db plugs and this was a 60.000+ people open air show!!

BTW: Did any of you experience problems when singing with the custom made plugs? I heard that they might open a little bit due to mouth movements...
 
HeadCrusher said:
When I saw Motörhead 2 years ago they must have had 120+ db for sure! I was somewhere halfway between the stage and the FOH-tower and my ears still hurt even though I was using the -32 db plugs and this was a 60.000+ people open air show!!
Click to expand...

Dunno... I saw Manowar at Gods Of Metal 2002 and they were literary twice as loud when compared to the bands that played before them. I believe all the rest in the crowd that had no protection almost bled on their ears, but I just stood there and enjoyed the show with a smile on my face. :D
I was wearing those yellow foam plugs and had no pain in my ears...
 
Well, anyway, If you feel like the music is too loud (no matter if you are wearing protection or not), just leave the venue. That's what I'd do. I would never loose my reason to live (not only engineering or playing music but also simply listening to music) just to see Motorhead or Manowar or any band on stage.
If it hurts, you are most likely damaging your ears. 110 db is too loud, 120 is irresponsible.
 
One thing to remember with sound levels is that dB is only part of the equation - the other factor being the length of time you're exposed to sound of a particular level. If you worked with 90dB all day, every day, you'd probably run into problems fairly quickly; but if (like me) you go to a gig every other month or so, then a couple of hours at 95dB isn't going to cause too many problems.

Having said that, I would always stay on the side of caution: I know someone who went totally deaf for 3 days after being too close to the speakers at a festival some yeras back, and nothing I know of can possibly be worth that sort of risk.
 
~BURNY~ said:
Well, anyway, If you feel like the music is too loud (no matter if you are wearing protection or not), just leave the venue.
Click to expand...
Well, that's what I actually did. Only saw a couple of songs, not the biggest Motörhead fan anyway.

Unfortunetaly you can't just leave when you feel it's too loud on stage though... :erk:

Brett - K A L I S I A said:
Yes, you can have "singer custom made" ones.
Click to expand...
In which way do they differ from "normal" ones?

ltratt said:
Having said that, I would always stay on the side of caution: I know someone who went totally deaf for 3 days after being too close to the speakers at a festival some yeras back, and nothing I know of can possibly be worth that sort of risk.
Click to expand...
That's what I'm saying dude, totally my opinion! That's also the reason why I'm asking around in every detail to find something that provides a maximum of protection.

I always get angry when I see kids standing right next to the speakers in small venues with shitty but loud sound! :mad: How stupid can you possibly be??
 
Brett - K A L I S I A said:
I have no idea... but let me know if you find the answer :) Maybe some parts of it are more supple instead of being hard silicone...
Click to expand...

Like I said before, mine are fine for singing, and they aren't meant for singers. They're designed to be comfortable for long periods of time though, so that could mean they are softer. The silicone they're made of it is pretty pliable - about the same as the stuff they use to make dildos (it worries me slightly than I can't think anything else made of that kind of silicone).

Steve
 
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