Ear Protection

I would highly reccommend you check out some Bose isolation headphones. They're the most comfortable headphones you'll ever wear, and they work great.
 
Plugs - foamies, mickey's, or even toilet paper will suffice.

Monitors (in-ears) - Shure has a basic line (EC-1). I use Ultimate Ears Super Fi Pro. UE has a whole bunch, all the way through tripple drive custom molded in-ears.

Truly any in-ear isolation headphone would offer protection from harsh volumes. As any plug would as well.

The question is, where is your budget vs. your want/need. And how much are you willing/wanting to spend. From there, make a choice and go with it.
 
I would highly reccommend you check out some Bose isolation headphones. They're the most comfortable headphones you'll ever wear, and they work great.

I know someone with them and have tried them.

By far some of the best sounding headphones I have ever heard, they just make the drums sound awful
 
i'm with T.Underhill

I just go to the pharmacy and grab some earplugs, but not for $20.

I have been playing guitar for 13 years with two full stacks and now big drums, I still can't see a reason for spending so much money on them. Cheapie ones have worked for me this far!

i could be completely wrong : )

I find it strange that many musicians don’t value their hearing more. I often see people play rehearsals and gigs with no protection at all.
We pay a lot for gadgets and other more or less necessary equipment, but we back away from an investment of USD 150 to 200 that will ensure that our hearing ability survives our playing.
I’m always using my custom moulds. I hear the music very good, and my ears are never “ringing” after a gig or rehearsal.
/Oldie
 
Peltor II ear defenders in the home

I have those too, they work great. I can tuck in the headphones for my mp3-player if I want. But I have an over-ear headphone that offers just enough isolation, and a very crisp sound. I am thinking about using my vater plugs underneath them though, better too soft than too loud.

I have spoken to two separate ear specialists about this issue. Both of them emphasized the importance of hearing protection, though one of them said not using them isn't as bad as some people claim it is, whereas the other was a little more careful. That first doctor recommended me to use pieces of toilet paper for earplugs when I asked him about custom moulded ones. I have done so for years and frankly, it works well enough. But it looks unprofessional at gigs so I bought the Vaters.
 
It took me a long time to get over the old, "Well, it doesn't sound too loud right NOW," during sound check. Tinnitus and damage is cumulative. The louder the sound, the less time you can spend in it before doing damage to your ears. They say now that sound over 85 dB will do damage after 8 hours. 85 dB is the sound level of a bulldozer idling (not doing work, just being on). It's also the level of regular city traffic.

88 dB can be harmful after 4 hours. That's about the volume of a gas mower or a hair drier.

94 dB can be harmful after only 60 minutes. This is about the volume of a tractor. It's also the average level of my band's indoor rehearsals if we have a mic set up.

100 dB is about the volume that your iPod or other personal music player can hit... at half volume. If it was blaring at 100 dB consistently, your hearing could be damaged after 15 minutes!

A typical rock concert peaks around 110 dB. This means after only the opening song, you're looking at doing damage. One brass or woodwind instrument at full blast can hit 105 dB. That means that an unamplified big band with 15 horns blasting at fff can produce sounds well over 120 dB (which can cause immediate damage)! These times, of course, are approximate. I find that I feel uncomfortable (ears hurting) at a few dB lower than this chart shows. I don't know if I'm doing damage, but it does hurt.

My point is this- a lot of noise that doesn't FEEL loud at first (for example, my band's 95 dB sound check) can become damaging before you know it. Wear those plugs. Wear those mufflers. And PLEASE check out the NR rating on the packaging. If you're blasting away at 110 dB (drumset in a small bedroom can easily accomplish this), the 8 dB swimming earplugs will certainly help, but not protect you at all from a 2 hour practice session.
 
i gotta get a pair of those vic firth headphones....my ears start feeling weird and start ringing after im done playing.

Indeed you do! "Ringing" ears (which I too have experienced a few times) are a clear sign that you've just damaged your hearing. The scary part is that the hair cells in your inner ear, the ones you kill by crossing the 85 decibel threshold, never regenerate. Hearing damage, no matter how small, is permanent and cumulative.

Luckily, my band is a low volume, 4-piece jazz set up, and our practices never go for more than about four hours, during which there are multiple breaks in playing. Still, for solo practice or the occasional higher-volume jam session, I've recently made the habit of using ear plugs (the cheap foam kind—slightly uncomfortable, but they cut volume competitively, even when compared to some of the hyper-expensive plugs.)
 
If you want to see just how loud your drums are, try a pair of the headphones that are designed to protect you from construction type equipment noise. They will actually cut the sound off a predetermined decibel level. You will barely be able to get a couple of whacks in on the snare drum before the sound cuts out.

I regret all those years when I was young and stupid playing with no protection at all.
Now I use Vic Firth isolation phones in practice and foam plugs when live with a band.
 
This is what i use. They really kill the loudness. I buy them by the box.
 

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Quote:
Originally Posted by yabasta!
i'm with T.Underhill

I just go to the pharmacy and grab some earplugs, but not for $20.

I have been playing guitar for 13 years with two full stacks and now big drums, I still can't see a reason for spending so much money on them. Cheapie ones have worked for me this far!

i could be completely wrong : )
I find it strange that many musicians don’t value their hearing more. I often see people play rehearsals and gigs with no protection at all.
We pay a lot for gadgets and other more or less necessary equipment, but we back away from an investment of USD 150 to 200 that will ensure that our hearing ability survives our playing.
I’m always using my custom moulds. I hear the music very good, and my ears are never “ringing” after a gig or rehearsal.
/Oldie

I agree that some don't think about their hearing, I don't think it is that they don't care.

Just because some people don't spend $150-$200 on ear protection is in no way a reflection of how much they value their hearing. To each their own. I'm doing fine.

I would love to afford to pay that much for earplugs, I can't though. I'm sure they do sound great, ear protection for music gotta sound better than mine!
 
I've been used to play without any protection for a pretty long while. Being protected and having a lower sound level of my surrounding made me feel I was playing completely differently and much louder.
I decided then to have some professional customed silicon plugs. You can insert a filter for 8dB, 15dB or 25dB. These very VERY expensive and I still avoid them the most I can.
 
I had Vic Firth isolation headphones for a while. They were great, but unfortunately one of the plastic joint things that holds the headband on broke after having the headphones for less than a year. It wasn't from abuse or anything, but it could be a fluke. This is just my experience.

I just wouldn't personally recommend the Vic Firth headphones because the wire-style headband that they have is, IMO, cheap and easier to break. I would think you can find another brand of isolation headphones that is sturdier in the same price range.

-

Isolation headphones, in general, are awesome. I highly recommend practicing and gigging with them, both to save your ears and to hear your drums and whoever you are playing with better. I have an art mymonitor that I use that gives me a mic on my kick (well it really picks up the whole kit, but it's focused on the kick because that is the part of the kit that I can't hear when I'm playing with a loud band) and a line in for a metronome. If I'm playing a live show, my mic just picks up audio from the wedge monitor that's usually near me and it's so much easier to hear that way.
 
It took me a long time to get over the old, "Well, it doesn't sound too loud right NOW," during sound check. Tinnitus and damage is cumulative. The louder the sound, the less time you can spend in it before doing damage to your ears. They say now that sound over 85 dB will do damage after 8 hours. 85 dB is the sound level of a bulldozer idling (not doing work, just being on). It's also the level of regular city traffic.

88 dB can be harmful after 4 hours. That's about the volume of a gas mower or a hair drier.

94 dB can be harmful after only 60 minutes. This is about the volume of a tractor. It's also the average level of my band's indoor rehearsals if we have a mic set up.

100 dB is about the volume that your iPod or other personal music player can hit... at half volume. If it was blaring at 100 dB consistently, your hearing could be damaged after 15 minutes!

A typical rock concert peaks around 110 dB. This means after only the opening song, you're looking at doing damage. One brass or woodwind instrument at full blast can hit 105 dB. That means that an unamplified big band with 15 horns blasting at fff can produce sounds well over 120 dB (which can cause immediate damage)! These times, of course, are approximate. I find that I feel uncomfortable (ears hurting) at a few dB lower than this chart shows. I don't know if I'm doing damage, but it does hurt.

My point is this- a lot of noise that doesn't FEEL loud at first (for example, my band's 95 dB sound check) can become damaging before you know it. Wear those plugs. Wear those mufflers. And PLEASE check out the NR rating on the packaging. If you're blasting away at 110 dB (drumset in a small bedroom can easily accomplish this), the 8 dB swimming earplugs will certainly help, but not protect you at all from a 2 hour practice session.


That is some great info right there.
 
usually when i play,

i have these firing range headphones my dad bought for 3 bucks at a thirft shoppe

they work amazingly.
 
I'm currently using Quiet Time soft comfort ear plugs, by Flents.

They're made of foam and are very comfortable.

Rated @ 33db. Not the highest rating, but good enough for the price.

I get 'em @ WalMart pretty cheap and are also excellent for concerts.

That is, if you care about your hearing.



;-)
 
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I have spoken to two separate ear specialists about this issue. Both of them emphasized the importance of hearing protection, though one of them said not using them isn't as bad as some people claim it is, whereas the other was a little more careful. That first doctor recommended me to use pieces of toilet paper for earplugs when I asked him about custom moulded ones. I have done so for years and frankly, it works well enough. But it looks unprofessional at gigs so I bought the Vaters.
Shoot the first doctor. Paper rolls are not nearly good enough.

Some people are more sensitive than others, just like with everything else. I seem to be with the former group (my dad has the hearing of a construction worker, though he's had an office job all his life).

I use E-A-R plugs when playing for their greater protection and ETY plugs when attending concerts or even loud clubs for the even attentuation they have.
E-A-R (some 2 euros a pair):
ear_plug.JPG


ETY (20 euros a pair):
21TFZVbU9WL._SL500_AA280_.jpg
 
I have spoken to two separate ear specialists about this issue. Both of them emphasized the importance of hearing protection, though one of them said not using them isn't as bad as some people claim it is, whereas the other was a little more careful. That first doctor recommended me to use pieces of toilet paper for earplugs when I asked him about custom moulded ones. I have done so for years and frankly, it works well enough. But it looks unprofessional at gigs so I bought the Vaters.
Shoot the first doctor. Paper rolls are not nearly good enough.

Some people are more sensitive than others, just like with everything else. I seem to be with the former group (my dad has the hearing of a construction worker, though he's had an office job all his life).

I use E-A-R plugs when playing for their greater protection and ETY plugs when attending concerts or even loud clubs for the even attentuation they have.
E-A-R (some 2 euros a pair):
ear_plug.JPG


ETY (20 euros a pair):
21TFZVbU9WL._SL500_AA280_.jpg
 
The Vic Virth isolation headphones with the speakers. They work nice for me. and I don't have to blast music to play along to on normal headphones.
 
I just wouldn't personally recommend the Vic Firth headphones because the wire-style headband that they have is, IMO, cheap and easier to break. I would think you can find another brand of isolation headphones that is sturdier in the same price range.

-

.


I have had them for at least 4 of 5 years with no problems yet. I also have these special foam ear plugs that actually cut out 29 decibles.
 
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