earplugs...

[light_without_heat]

So ... do you actually have to get the 150 dollar IEM systems to save your ears or will any ol pair of earplugs pretty much do the job? I mean I don't need to hear every single subtle nuance to stay on beat or in tune so I figured that 20-30$ would do the trick. What do you guys often use if anything?

 

-light

[B Money]

i generally use the bright orange earplugs sold at Walmart. They are sometimes sold in the sporting goods section. NRR of 32db is about as good as your going to find. They work great and are very inexpensive. I'd avoid the costlier "musician's" earplugs that have lower NRR value, your more likely to damage your hearing using those.

of course, YMMV

[light_without_heat]

thanks man ,... just wondering what type of stuff do you play, what kind of venues do you do?

[doubleR]

Sixteen bucks is a cheap price to protect your hearing.

 

 

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=home/search/detail/base_pid/429033/

[srsfallriver]

Tell your drummer to buy an electronic kit (they make some real good ones now) and turn down! Playing with earplugs sucks and I'd guess being deaf does too!

[Badside]

Originally posted by srsfallriver Tell your drummer to buy an electronic kit (they make some real good ones now) and turn down! Playing with earplugs sucks and I'd guess being deaf does too!

 

Yeah but playing with an electronic kit sucks too

Although that's subject to debate, but I hate v-drums.

[Badside]

 

Originally posted by B Money I'd avoid the costlier "musician's" earplugs that have lower NRR value, your more likely to damage your hearing using those. of course, YMMV

 

 

Then you're probably playing WAYYY loud!!!

The reason I hate those foam plug is that they cut too much of the sound. It is cool to not suffer any earing fatigue at all (and hear everything more clearly imho), but they make everything so quiet it's boring. Remember that a 10dB cut is half the volume, so 32dB is around 1/8 of the volume... that's low.

 

The 12dB ones made for musicians still cut sound more than half. That's not bad at all and still gives you some "feeling"

[srsfallriver]

Originally posted by Hardtailed Yeah but playing with an electronic kit sucks too Although that's subject to debate, but I hate v-drums.

 

I know a couple of drummers that love them. I can't say firsthand 'cause I'm a bassist. It is great though, when the loudest instrument comes with a volume knob! Most of our volume is in front! The stage is relatively quiet!

[Lee Flier]

I hate v-drums with a passion. Our drummer does too.

 

The regular earplugs will work fine for saving your hearing, but things just don't sound very good when you have them in, because they attenuate the high end more than the low which makes everything sound muddy. To me, that makes the performance less inspiring, cuz it sort of makes me feel like I'm "not quite really there," like I've got a head cold or something. The custom fitted plugs attenuate all frequencies equally so everything still sounds great. IMO, worth the extra $$.

[B Money]

i play in a fairly loud, energetic rock cover band. We have two guitars, both playing Marshall 1/2 stacks, bass is a GK 4x10, drummer plays a 5 peice Mapex kit. The volume can get up there, so I do what I can to protect my hearing.

I agree the higher the Noise Reduction Rating, the more high end is attenuated, to the point that it can sound muddy. But it's something I have gotten used to, I setup and soundcheck with earplugs to be sure I'm getting a good tone.

I can deal with reduced fidelity if it means my ears don't ring after a gig.

[Narcosynthesis]

i use a set of semi fitted (they come in a range of sizes to suit different ears) docs earplugs and they do the job pretty well

 

they attenuate the high end more than the low, so overall they have a pretty low dB rating, but they work to knock out the painful high frequencys and leave the lower stuff which wont damage your ears as much

 

so they do attenuate treble, but they do me fine for watching bands, and i guess for playing, as long as you setup the eq beforehand (to stop you cranking the treble)

 

David

[fastplant]

Originally posted by Hardtailed I hate v-drums.

 

[Next to Nothing]

 

Originally posted by doubleR Sixteen bucks is a cheap price to protect your hearing. http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=home/search/detail/base_pid/429033/

 

 

Ditto.

[light_without_heat]

thanks for all the people who chimed in on this topic. It's something not enough musicians think about...and I used to be overly paranoid about my hearing though too. Basically, your ears are probably going to handle whatever you think they can handle. BUt permanent damage is something very possible when you start cranking {censored} to ear splitting volumes.

[PetersReviews]

I still don't use earplugs but I know I should. I'm one of the lucky ones because the drummer I play with plays with a lot of dynamics and doesn't ]feel like he has to hit every beat as hard as he can. I've played with other drummers who played so loud I would get dizzy.

As for my volume, I might be the only guitar player on the planet who gets asked to "turn up". I use an amp stand that tilts it toward me so that helps me play at lower volumes.

 

Peter

[pink floyd cramer]

I never used to protect my ears and as a result I have lost several db of high-frequency hearing. I try to do as many low-volume gigs as possible (alot of solo piano) but still occasionally play with a club band because I need the money- and a good time every now and then.

 

I use Hearo's, soft (not foam) rubber with the baffles- sound quality is not too bad and they cost about $16. 6 db is not enough protection for me, so I usually go with 10-12 db.

 

The durability and resiliance of eardums varies with the person-.

I have been side-by-side with several players who were not affected like me. It's better to just play it safe.

 

BTW the band I play with is one of the quieter ones in my experience- the guitar player and drummer are not that loud compared to some. But out of curiosity I bought a sound-level meter ($15 close-out at Radio Shack) and was surprised to find that on most songs the noise level is around 110 db. Over 4-5 hrs that is more than enough to damage someone's unprotected ears. How loud does YOUR band play? You might be surprised.

[Terry Allan Hall]

Originally posted by PetersReviews I still don't use earplugs but I know I should. I'm one of the lucky ones because the drummer I play with plays with a lot of dynamics and doesn't ]feel like he has to hit every beat as hard as he can. I've played with other drummers who played so loud I would get dizzy. As for my volume, I might be the only guitar player on the planet who gets asked to "turn up". I use an amp stand that tilts it toward me so that helps me play at lower volumes. Peter

 

Excellent post!

 

I, too, am lucky enough to work with talented drummers (ones who know what dynamics are).

 

I don't have to wear earplugs because I won't allow the onstage volume to get loud enough to do damage, and when I hire a drummer or bassist, I make that VERY clear to them that it IS a condition for employment at my gigs.

 

The PA is for loudness and it's speakers are pointed at the patrons, who can have it as loud as they want it!

[mr3lions]

 

Originally posted by doubleR Sixteen bucks is a cheap price to protect your hearing.

 

 

pardon?

[doubleR]

 

Originally posted by Terry Allan Hall Excellent post! I, too, am lucky enough to work with talented drummers (ones who know what dynamics are). I don't have to wear earplugs because I won't allow the onstage volume to get loud enough to do damage, and when I hire a drummer or bassist, I make that VERY clear to them that it IS a condition for employment at my gigs. The PA is for loudness and it's speakers are pointed at the patrons, who can have it as loud as they want it!

 

 

 

Where do you rehearse?

 

It doesn't matter how good a drummer's dynamics are--if you practice in a small rehearsal studio or garage you are at risk of hearing damage.

[Terry Allan Hall]

 

Originally posted by doubleR Where do you rehearse? It doesn't matter how good a drummer's dynamics are--if you practice in a small rehearsal studio or garage you are at risk of hearing damage.

 

 

A room in my house (originally was the dining room, before we remodeled, I think)....16'w X 24'l X 10'h, w/ carpet hung about an inch from each wall (for sound proofing).

 

A trained, talented drummer CAN play softly enough, and if your drummer can't, I wish you luck in finding one that can...it'll pay off in the # of good-paying gigs you'll be able to play...ones that require that you keep the volume to a comfortable level for the patrons.

 

And, again, it'll save your hearing!

[mr3lions]

Mr. Hall,

 

Upon reading many of your posts I have come to the opinion that you are indeed a very intelligent human being. Don't want to start a great big love in and I'm afraid I'm not in the monument building business but I must give you your props. An intelligent, articulate OJ poster! What's it like to be in the minority?

 

sincerely

Mr3

[Lee Flier]

Originally posted by pink floyd cramer BTW the band I play with is one of the quieter ones in my experience- the guitar player and drummer are not that loud compared to some. But out of curiosity I bought a sound-level meter ($15 close-out at Radio Shack) and was surprised to find that on most songs the noise level is around 110 db. Over 4-5 hrs that is more than enough to damage someone's unprotected ears.

 

Indeed. My band tends to be in the 105-110dB range. Our drummer CAN play softer but we're a rock band and we like the energy of having a drummer with a lot of dynamic changes. We love it when he beats the crap out of the drums, and although we aren't that loud by today's standards that is still loud enough to violate OSHA regulations.

[doubleR]

 

Originally posted by Terry Allan Hall A room in my house (originally was the dining room, before we remodeled, I think)....16'w X 24'l X 10'h, w/ carpet hung about an inch from each wall (for sound proofing). A trained, talented drummer CAN play softly enough, and if your drummer can't, I wish you luck in finding one that can...it'll pay off in the # of good-paying gigs you'll be able to play...ones that require that you keep the volume to a comfortable level for the patrons. And, again, it'll save your hearing!

 

 

It depends on the kind of music you're doing.

 

When we play "Communication Breakdown" or "Rocking In The Free World," to do the song justice the drummer just HAS to hit hard. It's not gonna sound right if he's giving it a little casual brush work.

[Lee Flier]

 

Originally posted by doubleR When we play "Communication Breakdown" or "Rocking In The Free World," to do the song justice the drummer just HAS to hit hard. It's not gonna sound right if he's giving it a little casual brush work.

 

 

Yeah I agree. Like I said, our drummer has great dynamics but a drum is a drum, it's a loud instrument and it sounds different when you hit it harder vs. when you don't. There's also a point where you hit a drum too hard and it sounds like crap, which a lot of drummers do, but that doesn't mean "softer=better" either.

[Terry Allan Hall]

 

Originally posted by doubleR It depends on the kind of music you're doing. When we play "Communication Breakdown" or "Rocking In The Free World," to do the song justice the drummer just HAS to hit hard. It's not gonna sound right if he's giving it a little casual brush work.

 

 

I'm not talking about brushes, although, they certainly have their uses, too...I'm talking about drummers who learned to play properly and can, therefore, control their dynamics from a "whisper" to a "roar"...these are the kind of drummers who can play any gig, any style...

 

There really are such drummers, but you won't find them in garages, you find them in orchestras, jazz bands, and those type of places...and these guy's'll out-rock any "rock" drummer.

 

Check out Steve Gadd, Doug Clifford, Sheila Escovedo, or Carter Beauford to see what I'm talking about!