Ear Plugs Questions

Betterman77

Ok now Im in a band and wear those foam roll up ear plugs when we play, I mean I can still hear the music just a bit muffled but at least it protects my hearing. But the kind of ear plugs that Musicians wear like pearl Jam for example, how do those work, and do they work 100 % for protecting your hearing? cause I heard that they have a feed of audio being pumped into those ear buds, so if thats the case my question is with the loudness of the concert going on wouldn't the audio feed have to be pretty loud in your ear buds, which would result in hearing damage in the long run also? am I right?

keeponrockin

Betterman77 wrote:

Ok now Im in a band and wear those foam roll up ear plugs when we play, I mean I can still hear the music just a bit muffled but at least it protects my hearing. But the kind of ear plugs that Musicians wear like pearl Jam for example, how do those work, and do they work 100 % for protecting your hearing? cause I heard that they have a feed of audio being pumped into those ear buds, so if thats the case my question is with the loudness of the concert going on wouldn't the audio feed have to be pretty loud in your ear buds, which would result in hearing damage in the long run also? am I right?

Some bands actually use in ear MONITORS, which are totally different from earplugs. Apparantly there are special musicians ear plugs, I just haven't grabbed them yet.

Betterman77

Ok but these ear monitors probably don't protect from hearing loss or damage during a gig right?

pearljams

The earplugs that I have just started to use are the hearos earplugs for musicians that you can get at places like guitar center or sam ash. What they do is bring down the overall volume a little bit so you can still hear all the highs and lows, but the plugs bring it down to a listener friendly level so as to not damage the hearing. As for the in-ear monitors, those things block out all the white noise that goes on at a show and only gives you your own personal mix in your ears at a level that will not hurt your ears. But if you dont want to spend alot of money, I would just go with the hearos that you buy at music shops. They seem to work really well and block out about 12 db's I believe.

Banana-Rama

Anyone else feel like vomiting when they wear earplugs (esp. those little foam ones)? I know that can be a sign of inner ear problems but I was just wondering if anyone else gets that feeling?

Betterman77

Banana-Rama wrote:

Anyone else feel like vomiting when they wear earplugs (esp. those little foam ones)? I know that can be a sign of inner ear problems but I was just wondering if anyone else gets that feeling?

No i don't feel like vomiting, but If I use them for a few times in a row, my ears kinda gets dry and itchy a little bit inside.

Banana-Rama

I used to also get blisters inside of my ears from them, so I stopped wearing them. If my ears are shot by the time I am 50, that is my own fault.

Betterman77

Well I already got a slight hearing loss in my right ear, Its always got a tiny ring to it, Its not that bad now, but doctor told me when im like 50 or so I will notice it more, but i've defineatly been using these foam plugs ever since, I don't care how uncomfortable they are, I want my hearing, but if the musician's monitors are safe then Im probably gonna look into get some of those. I don't care about the price.

harrisonmerwin

Earplugs......love/hate. I would love to use them, but they just damper the music to much for me, i cant hear any highs, just the kick-drum and real low bass....i cant really afford anythign to hi-tech, but i need something. Any suggestions for QUALITY ear plugs, which do not sacrifice musical quality?

enharmonic

Banana-Rama wrote:

Anyone else feel like vomiting when they wear earplugs (esp. those little foam ones)?

Only when I went to see Audioslave

Those foam plugs suck. Try Maxlites instead. Best plugs you can buy without getting custom fitted by an audiologist.

Dirty_Frank

I've got some loss in my right ear. Got it from standing next to an 80 watt tube amp on top of a 412 and a loud punkass drummer 2 night a week for 2 years. :(

Betterman77

harrisonmerwin wrote:

Earplugs......love/hate. I would love to use them, but they just damper the music to much for me, i cant hear any highs, just the kick-drum and real low bass....i cant really afford anythign to hi-tech, but i need something. Any suggestions for QUALITY ear plugs, which do not sacrifice musical quality?

Yeah I know the plugs do damper the music, I can't really hear hi hat or certain symbols, but I just don't wanna end up like some musicians that have like 50-70% of thier hearing shot. When I found out my right ear is slightly at a loss it scared me, Luckily its only a tad below the normal range so Im saving my ears now before its too late, but I would love to get some musicians plugs so I can hear what I need to hear without that raw damaging volume.

Dirty_Frank

Betterman77 wrote:

Yeah I know the plugs do damper the music, I can't really hear hi hat or certain symbols, but I just don't wanna end up like some musicians that have like 50-70% of thier hearing shot. When I found out my right ear is slightly at a loss it scared me, Luckily its only a tad below the normal range so Im saving my ears now before its too late, but I would love to get some musicians plugs so I can hear what I need to hear without that raw damaging volume.

An audiologist can make you a pair of frequency retaining plugs. They just drop the volume by a certain decibel range, and preserve all of the frequencies. It's like compression without tonal loss.

They cost a bit of money, but if you're trying to save your hearing, just consider how much money you've spent on guitars, amps and pedals, and just consider it another part of your gear.

samquigley

Betterman77 wrote:

Ok but these ear monitors probably don't protect from hearing loss or damage during a gig right?

Well, yes and no. Firstly, an in-ear bud doesn't have to be very loud, especially if it's custom-moulded, because that will help cancel external noise. Secondly, someone like Michael Stipe of R.E.M. who always uses in-ear monitors, can afford to have much less volume blaring at him from the onstage monitors (foldback wedges). Typically, those wedges pump out pretty piercing sounds, with a lot of highs to cut through the mix and minimal lows/mids to cut back on feedback. They'll do more damage to your hearing than the FOH speakers (unless you're right next to one, unlikely at a large arena show).

enharmonic

Betterman77 wrote:

Yeah I know the plugs do damper the music, I can't really hear hi hat or certain symbols, but I just don't wanna end up like some musicians that have like 50-70% of thier hearing shot. When I found out my right ear is slightly at a loss it scared me, Luckily its only a tad below the normal range so Im saving my ears now before its too late, but I would love to get some musicians plugs so I can hear what I need to hear without that raw damaging volume.

Maxlites...

xtremehardy388

After years of playing guitar loud, sticking my head in the bass drum, and being in an enclosed space, I've decided that my hearing is not good, anymore. I can still hear, of course, but after practice I seem to have a very muffled sound and ringing in my ears. I was wondering if these were good for practicing.


http://cgi.ebay.com/6-Safety-Soft-Jelli ... 286.c0.m14

who's_pearljam?

They may work for blocking sound but you want something that has a flat response so that they filter out the highs and lows as well. Foam plugs take a lot of the highs out fist. The high treble is a shorter wave than bass, so that's the first disappear in earplugs. (And in your ear drums!)

I use these: http://www.cabelas.com/prod-1/0016203220678a.shtml
I wear them at most concerts and in small shows because after years of playing on loud stages I get really bad aching ears when the music gets loud. I still hear fairly well but I have ringing now. You get used to having ear plugs in your ears after you use them a bit.
I know LOT of musicians who wish they used some sort of hearing protection "Back then"

Human Tide

I have a pair of these ones: http://www.etymotic.com/ephp/er20.aspx

I wore them for the first time at a PJ show last summer and was pretty satisfied. The show still sounded good and my ears weren't ringing at the end of the night. Also, it was kind of nice to hear less of the crowd.

ianvomsaal

Betterman77 wrote:

Ok but these ear monitors probably don't protect from hearing loss or damage during a gig right?

Yes, actually they do, and they can either be molded to fit your ears, or just inserts.
Many pro players wear them for the simple fact that they not only protect your ears,
but they also allow you to hear everyone on stage without such loud stage volumes.
Either way they can really help, and are far far better than not having anything at all.
I have a Shure P6 wireless in-ear system that I use for fairly large venues or stages:
Here's my PSM-600 Shure P6TRE1 in-ear system:
http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/product/Shure-PSM600-P6TRE1-Wireless-System?sku=270146.
My custom in-ear sleeves were made by a company called Sensaphonics 5 years ago.
http://www.sensaphonics.com/monitors.html
Here's their client list (not to shabby, talk about a client list that you can be proud of):
http://www.sensaphonics.com/client_music.html
Sensaphonics also make quality custom fit ear plugs that work really well, and aren't
as uncomfortable as most ear plugs - but they're fairly expensive.

If you want to keep your ear plugs on the cheaper side, this shape/kind is quite a bit
more comfortable than most of those boxy type of Sonic II ear plugs, (and they are
also re-useable): http://accessories.musiciansfriend.com/product/Hearos-High-Fidelity-Ear-Filters?sku=421214

xtremehardy388

who's_pearljam? wrote:

They may work for blocking sound but you want something that has a flat response so that they filter out the highs and lows as well. Foam plugs take a lot of the highs out fist. The high treble is a shorter wave than bass, so that's the first disappear in earplugs. (And in your ear drums!)

I use these: http://www.cabelas.com/prod-1/0016203220678a.shtml
I wear them at most concerts and in small shows because after years of playing on loud stages I get really bad aching ears when the music gets loud. I still hear fairly well but I have ringing now. You get used to having ear plugs in your ears after you use them a bit.
I know LOT of musicians who wish they used some sort of hearing protection "Back then"

I have a Cabela's credit card that I've got TONS of points on! Can I reuse these?

mccreadyisgod

Well, the first thing I'll tell you is that your hearing is worth protecting. If you walk away from a jam session, practice, or concert (playing OR watching) and your ears are ringing, then you aren't doing yourself any favors. I always have the cheapie foam earplugs in bags and cases for when I'm around loud music, so I never get caught without SOMETHING. I also personally feel like a lot of concerts sound better to me when I'm wearing plugs... I can actually discern the different parts easier when my ears aren't being overwhelmed by sheer SPL's. If you can afford it, custom-fit musician's earplugs are the way to go; the high-fidelity plugs like everyone has linked to above are a great, more affordable option (and yes, they are usually washable and reusable). But the cheap foam ones are always better than nothing, and can be found in any grocery store and even most convenience stores. You should stash a bag or canister of them in your gig bag so you always have them.

The In-Ear-Monitors, or IEM's that many pro musicians are using these days, are specifically used to cut down on-stage SPL's and resulting hearing loss. Pro players use custom-molded ear pieces that are integrated into high-quality ear buds (like iPod buds, but MUCH better and more expensive). These custom-fit pieces cut down on a lot of ambient noise (most are around 20-30 dB of reduction) and then pipe in their monitor feed. There are a number of advantages:

1) No feedback from monitors;
2) No loud on-stage monitors to interfere with the house mix;
3) A much more present sound for singers;
4) Your mix travels with you via wireless receiver, so you can move freely around the stage;
5) Your mix isn't colored by the monitors of your fellow musicians, so you only get what YOU need in your ears;
6) You can use stereo feeds to pan instruments apart in your ears, like Stage Right guitar in your right ear, Stage Left guitar in your left ear, etc.

These systems are pretty expensive, so be aware of that. A good broadcast/receiver pack will be $500-2,000 easy, and custom ear buds (including having molds made by an audiologist) will be $500-1,000. You can use the high-quality non-custom buds that come with the wireless systems, but they won't offer the fit, comfort, or isolation that custom buds will offer. I personally recommend the Shure PSM 700, PSM 600, PSM 400, and PSM 200 series, as well as the Sennheiser EW 300 (the Senn EW 300 and Shure PSM 400 are the bang-for-buck models). For earbuds, I like Sensaphonics, but I've known guys who swore by their Westone, Futuresonic, and Ultimate Ears custom molds. Really, the technology is changing at a rapid pace so far, so the ears are pretty amazing these days.

Be aware, though, that recent FCC changes (the same changes that are getting rid of broadcast TV signals) are going to be changing the face of wireless technology, so make sure you verify that any wireless gear you buy will still work/be legal next year (most vendors will have that information available when you look to buy).

xtremehardy388

It's been about 30 hours since practice and my left ear is still very sore. I NEED something to change.

Red Lukin

use cotton...it works well and you can decide how much muffling you want

jcmark611

Sounds more like an infection. If you did have an infection it can be made worse by loud noises. First concert I went to I felt like my head was going to explode by the second half. The doc said I had an ear infection and it was just worsened by the loud music.

xtremehardy388

jcmark611 wrote:

Sounds more like an infection. If you did have an infection it can be made worse by loud noises. First concert I went to I felt like my head was going to explode by the second half. The doc said I had an ear infection and it was just worsened by the loud music.

Nah, I don't have one of those (I thought I did, though) but I guess it was just because of how loud everything was and the symbols crashing

who's_pearljam?

xtremehardy388 wrote:

It's been about 30 hours since practice and my left ear is still very sore. I NEED something to change.

You gotta get earplugs if you're getting that much trouble.
People tend to spend hundreds, thousands of bucks on guitars and amps and pedals and not the 20 bucks to protect the reason why music exists:

Ears!

xtremehardy388

who's_pearljam? wrote:

You gotta get earplugs if you're getting that much trouble.
People tend to spend hundreds, thousands of bucks on guitars and amps and pedals and not the 20 bucks to protect the reason why music exists:

Ears!

You're so right.