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Musicians Earplugs


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So, I've decided to go with wedges rather than the IEM's. Just can't get passed the disconnnect with the room and the change tone and feel from my guitar rig. So I want to protect my hearing.....any suggestions on good earplugs. I've looked at Etymotic online....seem to be decent but I don't really know. Which rating would be my best bet for noise reduction for an average stage volume pop/rock band....15 or 25?

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All earplugs (even the ones that claim to not change tone) will change the tone you hear. If you can get past that, you can also use IEM's. Just a thought.

 

Regarding how much reduction, that really depends on the actual SPL you'll be hearing, and that requires some time with an SPL meter. It also depends on your willingness to risk your hearing, and how well you can hear what you need to hear for singing, cues, enjoyment, etc. This is another plus for IEM's....you get to have 25-30dB reduction from stage noise, and then can dial in the level you need to hear without trial and error.

 

Your hearing is too important to risk, and dealing with "my tone" issues really should take a back seat to being able to hear at all for many years to come. Only get one pair, and all that.....

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The "stock" ER-20's have always been good enough for me - on and off stage. They do change the tone you hear but so does a night of loud SPL. If you get used to them by listening to other bands with them you'll have a fighting chance at liking them. If a big part of your "tone" is the sound of you hearing cells dying - not so much ;). I've as of late been carrying the "baby blues" as they are a lot easier to get in and out and still seem to work fine for me :cool:.

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I used to use the over the counter ER20 from Elacin, they were a LOT better than the foamies I'd used previously. I then switched to a pair of custom fit ER25 and found them to be a lot better again, more comfy and less of an effect on what "tone" you hear. I find I can wear them for prolonged periods without them becoming uncomfortable and I pretty much forget they're in after a few minutes. I also found it less fatiguing to practice for long periods, exposure to loud music can really wear you down. They've also been great for watching other bands too.

 

Of course there's a bit of degradation in what you hear but I'd say it's negligible, the frequency response is pretty flat and laying your head on the pillow after a gig with no ringing in your ears is priceless :thu:

 

I went for the 25's because at the time I was playing in a very loud stoner rock band (think cranked 100w Laney head + 4x12 in a small room!) and i was glad I did. However now I've grown up ;) I'm playing in a classic rock cover band at more reasonable levels (down to a 20W amp now) and I'm thinking of getting a set of 15dB filters. I should think for most types of music the 15's would be the go.

 

Definitely something I'd recommend as essential to every musician.

 

BTW also great for plane journeys and getting a good sleep in a noisy location

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Just a thought.

 

How about using wedges at a more moderate volume? It is my firm belief that great tone can be had without insane volume (I've heard it done many times). If you MUST overdrive the output of your 100 watt head to get that British crunch sound (I agree overdriven tubes can make for some incredible tone :>), then build an iso box around your amp and put a mic in there with it (you must have great wedges & mics to do this but it does work).

 

Just some thoughts.

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Actually, my amp (combo 1X12) is kept at very moderate levels. My plan is to go direct with an Axe Fx. And I'm in need of monitoring so the FBT Verva 12ma gets praises from the Axe Fx community too. But I need to protect my hearing from the drummer as well.

 

 

This is my main issue (the drums). In a small space I'm only a few feet from the kit and the level is blistering.

 

BTW, I have a set of custom molded -15db plugs and like them alot. The molds are Westone, and I believe they use the ER "buttons", which come in 9, 15, or 25 db of attenuation.

 

I made a half-hearted attempt to use IEMs and haven't pursued it. I have to lug wedges to the gig (for everyone else) anyways, and there's no way I can make time to tinker with an IEM setup for myself alone...

 

These plugs are a good compromise...

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Actually, my amp (combo 1X12) is kept at very moderate levels. My plan is to go direct with an Axe Fx. And I'm in need of monitoring so the FBT Verva 12ma gets praises from the Axe Fx community too. But I need to protect my hearing from the drummer as well.

 

 

Just make sure you don't put the earplugs in and then ask for your monitor twice as loud as it is now. That's the main issue I deal with all the time with guys who where earplugs.

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BTW, I have a set of custom molded -15db plugs and like them alot.

 

 

Same here. Have had them for 2 years, and I use them whenever I am around live loud music.

 

I too started with IEM's, even got the lapel mic that lets you hear the ambient sounds. But by then too many wires, etc, etc. The Musicians plugs are a WAY better solution when you are playign smaller clubs where the people watching actually try to talk to you. I'm sure on a huge stage IEM's rule. But how many of us play on those?

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Just make sure you don't put the earplugs in and then ask for your monitor twice as loud as it is now. That's the main issue I deal with all the time with guys who where earplugs.

 

 

This is definitely a potential problem if someone's using the typical foam earplugs (usually rated around -28db?) I've seen drummers and bass players (who don't sing) use these with success.

 

With my ER plugs, I'm able to keep my guitar and vocal monitor volume at the same level I'd use without the plugs. 15db of attenuation, and the fact that these plugs preserve some highs/mids is working pretty well... Singing is a bit tricky, but I'm used to it.

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Just make sure you don't put the earplugs in and then ask for your monitor twice as loud as it is now. That's the main issue I deal with all the time with guys who where earplugs.

 

 

Now I follow you. I'm a drummer as well and I've gone to great pains to make my kit as quiet as possible (and am constantly in pursuit of making the volume even lower (one trick is using lighter sticks, but this only goes so far). It is tough to do without killing the natural resonance of the drums (they can be REAL quiet if I want to play a set of practice pads but........). If you don't sing or have other high gain mics around you then by all means, use ear plugs. If you DO sing though it presents a problem for who ever is setting up your monitor mix. As primarily a monitor engineer, I run into this occasionaly. You can't take a live mic and keep turning it up until the mix is right. If the listener's wearing ear plugs, I must provide an extra 10-20db GBF (and sometimes this just isn't possible.

 

If your drummer can't find a way to be quieter, possibly (I hate to mention this because I'm not personaly a big fan but) a drum shield might be an alternative.

 

Just some more suggestions.

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As volume levels are all relevant to each other I don't see why you'd need to raise the volume of your monitor while wearing plugs? As long as the monitor level is balanced against what you're hearing from the amps/drums etc then surely that's loud enough??

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Just make sure you don't put the earplugs in and then ask for your monitor twice as loud as it is now. That's the main issue I deal with all the time with guys who where earplugs.

 

 

Good point and I already knew that. Kind of like the danger of leaving one IEM out and cranking up the level to compensate.....your other ear gets destroyed. Right now, I don't rely on monitoring. I just go off the stage volume and it works ok other than the drums in my ears. It's really the cymbals that are the culprit more than anything.

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Good point and I already knew that. Kind of like the danger of leaving one IEM out and cranking up the level to compensate.....your other ear gets destroyed. Right now, I don't rely on monitoring. I just go off the stage volume and it works ok other than the drums in my ears. It's really the cymbals that are the culprit more than anything.

 

 

 

The "one ear out" IEM trick is even more insidious. Your brain processes the two signals from your ears, and decides the one with the IEM isn't loud enough, so you turn up your IEM to "balance" it. Now you're back to getting blasted by stage volume and your IEM at pretty equal volumes. But you want to hear yourself, so you crank the IEM even louder to compensate for all that stage gack in the "open" ear.

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