PROTECT YOUR EARS - ear plugs, hearing loss, deafness

Re: PROTECT YOUR EARS.

GPinney said:
i would say just dont worry bout the loud sound yur ears will get used to it.

GPinney - I can't believe what I'm reading here - also remembering that so many young drummers look for advice in this forum - really out of control.

jokes??? - NO

Bernhard
 
Re: PROTECT YOUR EARS.

GPinney said:
My ears used to get bothered when i first started polaying years ago. I tried ear muffs and head phones you name it. And i just decided that it wasnt worth it. The ear plugs and head phones just made it harder for me to ear my band. This is just my opion i would say just dont worry bout the loud sound yur ears will get used to it. Although if it is herting your ears then dont take my advice take your doctors advice.

Are you ABSOLUTELY crazy???? I'm not gonna pretend that I'm saintly about ear protection, but to say that "it's okay, you'll get used to it" is like saying "jog on concrete everyday and your knees won't get f*****, they just harden up and take the pain".....
I'll tell you one thing right now, when you come out of a gig and your ears are ringing, that is your body's way of letting you know that you have temporarily damaged it, and that it needs to heal before you do something like that again, or else.... YOU [W*I*L*L] go deaf.

P.S. - Nutha Jason, isn't your signature something that Jimi H. said to Jimmy P.??? f***** BRILLIANT quote!
 
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Re: PROTECT YOUR EARS.

Ok I'm dazed and confused, It sounds like you are all saying you need to wear ear plugs all the time when you're playing. I wear ear plugs at gigs but not when I'm practicing at home with just my drums and no amplification. Should I wear them when I practice as well? Will just the sound of the drums and cymbals alone result in loss of hearing? Of course If you heard my playing you would want to wear ear plugs too. LOL
 
Re: PROTECT YOUR EARS.

Okay. My dad gave me this idea, but it's just perfect. What you do is get an effects proccessor(fx processor) that has an ear plug jack. Then get these earplugs made by Koss. What they do, is they're made out of this material that can go deep inside your ear. I forgot what the darn thing is called, but it's basically an effects processor with a microphone. If you play into the microphone, and have the koss earplugs, the only thing you can hear is yourself, and not your band playing, so you don't have to listen to those suckers! I really wish I knew the name of the fx processor...I'll try to get a link tomorrow by asking my dad. While you're waiting, here's a link to the earplugs...

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t..._2/002-3081634-0340855?v=glance&s=pc&n=507846
 
Re: PROTECT YOUR EARS.

Just one thing to make it easier for you to decide playing with earplugs:

With earplugs you get better dynamics with the Band, because you hear better, what sounds great for the audience and not only just for you. I mean, what you don't hear with earplugs also the public will not hear, because it's not clear enough articulated. So you get a better clearer style....DC told me this and was confirmed by my bandmates..

Bernhard
 
Re: PROTECT YOUR EARS.

i agree. i went out after this thread started and bought some more expensive earplugs (etymotic ER.20) . these ones lowered decibels evenly across the frequency range and i hear everything just the way it normally sounds only slightly quieter. i will wear these during sets and then the much stronger and cheaper foam ones when the dj comes on while i pack up.

as for wearing em while you practice, of course yes!

j
 
Re: PROTECT YOUR EARS.

When i were just earplugs, or just the sound reduction head phones, i cant heare the music clearly, and they change the sound. This may sound weird, but it works. Put in the earplugs, then put on the sound reduction headphones. together, the sound is perfect, just at a lower volume. I think its because the head phones cut out high frequency stuff, leaving more bass, and ear plugs do the opposite. Idk, it works for me. plus it makes my kit sound even better, kind off as if it were miked. idk.
 
Re: PROTECT YOUR EARS.

I wear those huge blue Vic Firth Isolation headphones for when I play with my band and practice. I've tried playing without earplugs and after one minute of loud playing I had to put my isolation headphones back on.
People during my band's shows probably think the headphones look goofy, but at least I know my ears are protected.
 
Re: PROTECT YOUR EARS.

the problem is that usually when i play with someone its with monitors which isnt the problem. the problem is the fact that they have click tracks, if i cant hear the track then im screwed....
 
Re: PROTECT YOUR EARS.

drumzalicious said:
the problem is that usually when i play with someone its with monitors which isnt the problem. the problem is the fact that they have click tracks, if i cant hear the track then im screwed....


Hmm, don't get it....

Is it not YOU managing the clicks? Or can't you give the clicks into your mix?

Bernhard
 
Re: PROTECT YOUR EARS.

dustpan65 said:
What i do when i play is wear earplugs and then isolation headphones on top of that. Basically it doubles up the protection i can get from the noisiness of playing in a band. It works for me.

I also do that. I sometimes put my earplugs and then put above some headphones. But I don't know if it's that good. Putting headphones creates a different kinda effect. The music is softer, but the bases are louder.

I really don't know. But it sounds great if I put the two :)
 
Re: PROTECT YOUR EARS.

People during my band's shows probably think the headphones look goofy, but at least I know my ears are protected.

Just decorate them so it goes with your style of music. Thats what im planning to do. I just got into drumming (a month and a half) but i plan to play black metal and related style of music, so im trying to figure out a way to decorate my isolation headphone to match my style. Or just let your hair grow over your headphone :p

As for db level... i bought those practice pad you put over the head of the snare , tom and bass drum. For the cymbal, its a foam that i put that reduce the effect of the cymbal. the sound is not great, i must admit it, but at least its safe for everyone who play music with me and the neighbors dont bother me as well.
 
Re: PROTECT YOUR EARS.

I always have headphones, always, and at the same time those headphones have a built in metronome so, it always kind of "forces" me to practice more with my metronome hehe.

I've been thinking of having custom made ear plug's that reduces the sound to a certain number of decibel's, for live show's, but I'm still not sure.
 
Re: PROTECT YOUR EARS.

I've got a set of Peltor heavy-duty earmuff things that kinda look like the Vic Firth isolators, but they're white instead. They're designed for construction workers, and made by the same people that provide the communication system in Subaru WRC cars, so they're definitely good at keeping out noise. They've also taught me to play quieter too -- when I wore them originally, all I could hear was myself drumming, and only a whisper of the guitar and bass...
 
Re: PROTECT YOUR EARS.

Hey guys... Call me overprotective but, (personally) I find that using "Hear-o" ear plugs AND sound dampening ear phones lower my volume as a whole. Using both allows me to hear each drum individually more clearly at a much lower volume AND be able to hear my band with no problem. Call me crazy...but it works for me. I guess its just a combination of low end dampening by the "Hear-os" and the high end dampening by the ear phones.

What works for me might not work for anyone else...guess it also depends on how your drums are tuned.
 
Re: PROTECT YOUR EARS.

I dont use any ear protection but i usually use an electric kit. I have an accoustic and electric kit but i use the electric so it doesnt effect my hearing. Its only at practice when i use an accoustic kit. Do i need protection then ? Me and my band play for at least an hour a week and we usually play very loud.
 
Re: PROTECT YOUR EARS.

O J said:
Do i need protection then ? Me and my band play for at least an hour a week and we usually play very loud.

I would say as long as your playing on your acoustic kit it will always be at a loud enough level that you will need earplugs. You can go to your doctor and have an earmold made for your ear for special plugs that block out loud sounds and allow lower level decibels such as a person speaking, which would work well with a band practice but also more expensive. As for me, i just practice with sleeping earplugs(or shooting earplugs) that you roll and put into your ear and they expand.

There actually have been studies that drummers have lost hearing from drumming on the ride cymbal. I think the artical was on jazz drumming because of the playing on the ride would build and the drummers would usually go deaf in one ear after so much playing.

I would reccommend using earplugs, i do.

Here's something to try, plug your ears and play normally for about 10 minutes, then remove your plugs and play at the same level... and even if you had previously been playing without earplugs you will see how loud this really is!
 
Re: PROTECT YOUR EARS.

good post hot sauce. it is true. take the plugs out and its shocking how loud things are. ears actually protect themselves by shutting down the loudness but that doesn't stop the damage.

its the boiling frog syndrome. put a frog in a pot of hot water and it will immediately jump out. put a frog in cool water and then slowly heat it up and the frog will stay and boil to death.

tinnitus i've heard is actually an amazing thing. the ear is creating its own sound to cut the frequencies of damaging sounds outside the ear. it is like the doppler effect ... a peak wave made by the ear goes some way to cancelling out a trough wave from outside. the problem is that the ear doesn't stop making this high pitched whine when the external sounbds cease and so, late at night you still 'hear' your own ears. weird.

j
 
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Re: PROTECT YOUR EARS.

thats why you ears are still buzzing after a concert.... ! it explain everything :p

You can go to your doctor and have an earmold made for your ear for special plugs that block out loud sounds and allow lower level decibels such as a person speaking, which would work well with a band practice but also more expensive.
Do you know how much it cost? id like to do that
 
Re: PROTECT YOUR EARS.

I went to a concert about a month ago and was front row, near the speakers, and afterwards, my ears were ringing for almost 4 or 5 days straight, its gone away or has minimized A LOT, but im going in for an appointment tuesday do have them make some custom ear plugs, i go to a lot of concerts and play drums so its gonna be worth it, i think for everything it runs around 100 dollars, but after expierencing the ringing for 5 days, its really worth the money. wear ear plugs people.
 
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