Hearing protection and the rest of the band

I got two pair of the yellow, ones with the blue cord between, in a little plastic case for dirt cheap, at Home Depot where the power tools are.
 
well I brought the issue up with the band that I will be performing with next week, and got a reaction from the band coach who is a drummer who studied conservatory here in the netherlands. A very good drummer, but his response somewhat surprised me. He advised people to bring simple, cheap hearing protection for when you've had enough of all the drumming noise, but said that it will only be a real concern and something worth the investment when you have weekly gigs or more.
He's right, but is not on the safe side of things if you ask me.
 
Actually, he's wrong. A rock band is going to end up somewhere in the 95-110dB range. In the middle, that would mean you're at risk for permenent hearing loss after 20 minutes or so. OTOH, right over the throne of a kit will probably start around 100dB, a good snare hit is easily in the 125dB area (a transient peak). He is right that repeated exposure day after day reduces safe working time, but there is basically no way to rehearse rock drumming without plugs safely.

Again, the opinion that you have to get used to hearing protection is flawed, since without hearing protection, you will temporarilly and progressively lose high end sensitivity anyway, whereas the attenuation from earplugs will be consistent. Other than critical listening, I now suggest as much dB attenuation as you can stand, starting with about 30.
 
just an informational post:
I am an audiologist who specializes in custom fit hearing protection for musicians, race car drivers, and people who have to perform a job function in noise. Music is not noise but your ears dont know the difference. I join these forums in an effort to offer direction when someone inquires.

Personally I sell custom fit earplugs that reduce equally across all frequencies retaining the tone and balance of what you hear, they simply reduce the intensity. When a ear protector is custom fit, it FITS THE SAME WAY EVERY TIME. this is key...simply placing earplugs in your ears does not guarantee protection it claims on the wrapper.
Anoter recommendation is to actually get a hearing test. Know what your hearing is NOW and attempt to keep it the same for as long as you can. With an established baseline hearing test you can have a reference, and be able to accurately monitor for change.

so I am here to answer related questions to the best of my knowledge. Should you be interested in purchasing custom fit earplugs, its important to understand that there are different manufacturers and materials, and ways the filters can sit within the earplug.

Please dont hesitate if I can offer additional information.

save your ears! you only get one pair!
 
just an informational post:
I am an audiologist who specializes in custom fit hearing protection for musicians, race car drivers, and people who have to perform a job function in noise. Music is not noise but your ears dont know the difference. I join these forums in an effort to offer direction when someone inquires.

Personally I sell custom fit earplugs that reduce equally across all frequencies retaining the tone and balance of what you hear, they simply reduce the intensity. When a ear protector is custom fit, it FITS THE SAME WAY EVERY TIME. this is key...simply placing earplugs in your ears does not guarantee protection it claims on the wrapper.
Anoter recommendation is to actually get a hearing test. Know what your hearing is NOW and attempt to keep it the same for as long as you can. With an established baseline hearing test you can have a reference, and be able to accurately monitor for change.

so I am here to answer related questions to the best of my knowledge. Should you be interested in purchasing custom fit earplugs, its important to understand that there are different manufacturers and materials, and ways the filters can sit within the earplug.

Please dont hesitate if I can offer additional information.

save your ears! you only get one pair!
Welcome to the forum ear_saver!!

Your insight and professional knowledge will be an eye opener here and I hope it clues in MANY drummers to the dangers of continued exposure to high sound pressure levels. I'm only PARTIALLY "hearing challenged", and I wish I had known back THEN what I know now!

It's a VERY rare occasion that I don't wear ear protection while playing. I've been wearing industrial style earplugs with a 29db cut, and I'm so used to the way they sound that the weird "EQ" curve is cool with me now. I'm tuned into that sound and know what I'm hearing more from a mental re-EQing than from actually HEARING it.
 
well we're not a full-blown rock band. We're a worship band so we have a very mixed repertoire. But also plenty of powerful songs, and we're playing for a pretty big audience (600) in a big room so it's bound to get loud anyway - large venues require loud playing even when miced, right?
 
Back
Top