These are single-handedly saving my hearing

rightintheface

Senior Member
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326
these are saving my ears. hands down

me and the lads in my band are all early 20 y.o. and didn't wanna be deaf by 25. we play rock music, fairly heavy, and practice at gig volumes with high wattage gear. i'm sure i'm not the only one here who was suffering from the ringing ears after practice/gigs? it's hard not to with a rock drummer. now my bassist and drummer will not perform or practice without these earplugs. $30AUS from earjobs.com.au with free shipping. i'm sure if you're interested you can google dealers in your country or whatever. they do exactly what they describe: clear sound at lower volumes. they work a treat. i just got back from band practice now and thought i'd drop this topic in, because my ears feel PERFECT!

being the singer/guitarist in the band, i DO find they cut out the vocals a little too much (i think the have 20db cut or something), so i usually pull out the plug that is facing AWAY from the drums, as that seems to be the thing that blows my ears out the worst. so i can hear vocals a bit better in my right ear but my left ear is safely plugged from the nasty cymbal ringing.

anybody out there use earplugs/in-ear monitoring? in-ears will be next on my wishlist i think. shure are making some pretty decent priced quality IEM people keep telling me.. anybody use em?
 
My friends usually jam at gigging volumes which is a bit of a pain. I used chainsaw earmuffs because we didn't have any earplugs, but is the claim is correct, they look awesome.
 
I probably don't have the exact same brand, but these things are fantastic. I use them for practice, gigging and clubbing/concert going. Essential stuff, especially since I've always been sensitive to noise, even as an infant. Regular foam earplugs are useless because they ruin the sound: these really work.
 
I have molded earplugs that are good for concerts, as they dampen by 25 decibel. I can still hear a little treble if the concert is very loud, so if I could have found some that take 50 or something decibel for stage use that would be great.
 
I've been using a set of molded plugs for about 15 years.  Not usually for gigs, but for live shows they are the cat's ass.
 
Yup.  I use a pair of molded plugs just to reduce volume.  They're from Etymotic Research if I remember correctly and only cut about 10db, but are pretty flat.  Very comfortable.  I've worn them all day long at a few festival shows.

One of my regular gigs uses in-ears for all stage monitoring and I use at set of Shure E-5s for that gig.  I absolutely love in-ear monitoring.  I can get the mix I want without hassling anyone else.
 
It's funny, but there have been studies that have shown that hearing loss is partially psychological ...

A factory worker who listens to 100 dB of machine noise without hearing protection is more likely to lose thier hearing than a musician listening to 100 dB of music.  The musician's brain is actively listening to what they're doing, while the factory worker is trying to block it out.

That's not to say you can practice at stupid volumes without protection.

I myself have been playing in bands for the better part of 20 years, and never bothered to wear earplugs.  I currently make my living doing pro audio, so I'd say loud music hasn't affected me!  But every band I was in, we were VERY careful about volume ... both at practice and onstage.  It's really surprising how much more you hear, especially at practice, when you turn the volume down.
 
Ive always used ear plugs when I drum, but just recently started using them when I play guitar. Since I have a tube amp I like to blast it, it just sounds better, so I can do that and actually sit near the amp without dying. I have 30db reduction ones that I got in an pack of 30. Since they arent molded or anything and they are the foamy ones, I figure they work at about 20db since they arent fitted or anything, still a great purchase. However, a word of advice to those thinking about using them. Turn everything off and stop playing BEFORE you take them out. When you first take the plugs out your ears are super sensitive, and everything seems 1000x times louder hahaha.
 
We also use In Ears, the M-Audio buds hooked up to an Aviom system, which is great because each user sets his/her own monitor mix (in stereo) and with good ear buds that block out ambient sound, you can reduce your monitoring volume significantly.  I usually set mine to where I can hear myself speak over the top of them a bit.
 
rapfohl09 said:
Ive always used ear plugs when I drum, but just recently started using them when I play guitar. Since I have a tube amp I like to blast it, it just sounds better, so I can do that and actually sit near the amp without dying. I have 30db reduction ones that I got in an pack of 30. Since they arent molded or anything and they are the foamy ones, I figure they work at about 20db since they arent fitted or anything, still a great purchase. However, a word of advice to those thinking about using them. Turn everything off and stop playing BEFORE you take them out. When you first take the plugs out your ears are super sensitive, and everything seems 1000x times louder hahaha.

Your tube amp sounds better when it's loud thanks to the research of Harvey Fletcher and WA Munson in 1937 ....

They discovered that human hearing has its flattest frequency response at about 85 dB.  Anything louder than that, there is an increased sensitivity to bass and treble frequencies ... almost like a "happy face" curve on a graphic EQ.  So, yes, to the human ear (and to the chagrin of parents of teenagers everywhere), louder sounds better      :rock-on:
 
i haven't played with a band in a few years, but when i did i had a set too. bought some cheap-o's from CVS Pharmacy or something, but they worked pretty well. and came with their own plastic case too! helped a lot in the crowded basement full of loud instruments.
 
I've got the custom molded earplugs as well.  I've got the 25dB cut ones, they're very flat, I'll never go back to foam unless it's last resort.    Best $100 I ever spent.  Plus it's crazy to see what the inside of your ear looks like in a molded form. :)
 
oh yeah, i forgot to mention those earplugs pictured are called Etymotic Er-20s.

yeah, shoulda said that hey  :eek:ccasion14:
 
Back in my band days I also used to work at a military surplus store.  (They mostly sold camping equipment and shoes, but military surplus sounds cooler.)  I bought the whole band what they called "shooter's earplugs", which were very similar to the ones pictured.  That and slapping my guitar player in the face until he only used enough stage volume to be able to hear himself clearly over the drums worked quite well.
 
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