Hearing Protection

[AndyC]

Hiya.

A subject dear to my heart. Who here uses hearing protection and if so, what type? Who doesn't use hearing protection? And in either case, what are your reasons?

I'll give you my thoughts later.

Cheers

Andy

[pastor_bob]

Now that I've got my drums fully mic'ed, I like playing with the isolation headphones on, and I can control the volume. Prior to that I was just foolish, but then, I don't bash the kit anyway. I like working on dynamics. The loud is easy. It's the soft, and controlled that has to be deveolped.

[fiacovaz]

I think a lot of this depends on the venue. I play with a Big band and we don't have amps and such blasting away from behind us. Also, I really need to be able to hear each section, thus the monitors. At home, however, my drums and stereo are in a small room and it is very loud. It is here that I will use the headphones otherwise, I'll get a headache.

[Andreeew]

I always use hearing protection whether I'm alone practicing or playing with other people.

[Leprechaun]

No ear protection for me, even on stage. I just find it really uncomfortable to play in. Plus, I spend a lot of time on firing ranges and am used to loud noises. It also seems to cut down on what I can hear, so I get left with bass and not much else. I prefer just having a big active monitor pointing up at my face so I can hear the band.

[bassist learning drums]

I wear foam disposable ear plugs called Spark Plugs. Against what a lot of people believe, they help improve the sound. They cut out a lot of high frequencies.

[Hedon-]

all the time
whoever thinks his ears are immune or osmething like that is just wrong, i think, and will pay the price

[F0NZ]

When I play without protection, my ears literally start to hurt. So, I use ear protection all the time, isolation headphones.

[Northern Redneck]

Foams from work on stage or a pair of chainsaw muffs when practicing at home.

[Leprechaun]

all the time
whoever thinks his ears are immune or osmething like that is just wrong, i think, and will pay the price

Yup

I just can't get used to them :(

[Larrysperf]

I didnt when I was young and foolish and now I have a bit of hearing loss in left ear, but wife is always on that side so lol. But to all you really need to protect your hearing. Now I always wear some kind of protection. Nuff Said sorry gotta go get that ringing, opps just my ears

[bassist learning drums]

Foams from work on stage or a pair of chainsaw muffs when practicing at home.

NR, that is totally you!

I didnt when I was young and foolish and now I have a bit of hearing loss in left ear, but wife is always on that side so lol. But to all you really need to protect your hearing. Now I always wear some kind of protection. Nuff Said sorry gotta go get that ringing, opps just my ears

Honey, can you get the phone?

[ocddrummer]

From my experience, those who do don't regret having done so. And those of us that didn't REGRET IT VERY MUCH. I'd like to stab myself in the head the ringing is soooooooooo loud sometimes.

[Larrysperf]

NR, that is totally you!



Honey, can you get the phone?

What I dont roam

[bruarm]

Musician's earplugs whether I'm playing live, practicing with the band or listening to live music. Headphones when I'm practicing alone. Had a bout of tinnitus which scared the bejesus out of me. Don't leave home without them now. If I forget, I've got foamies stashed everywhere in my bags

My advice, to each his/her own. I thought I was invincible back in the day too. But later on in life (and not that much later, trust me) you will appreciate being able to hear the subtle differences in sounds and pitches, like when you're trying to tune your drum kit, play dynamically, etc.

[gonefishin]

Ive been playing for over 30 years and have never worn any hearing protection . But then again I dont play or listen to any type of metal , or beat the snot out of my set . The only time I have problems hearing is when my wife is talking to me.........

[Tazmania]

Protection is a good idea no matter type music one plays but all to often its the one thing that is easy to forget.

[Norske]

That depends. Playing alone at home I wear headphones. Playing in church I don't use anything - but I have a wedge monitor right next to me with a volume control, so I can adjust it, and there are no amps behind me. All instruments feed through the PA. Playing with my band it depends on the size of the room. I have Hearos ear plugs in my stick bag, and I also have Shure IEM's, but if it's a small venue and we're playing a little softer I generally don't use anything. The point is I always have something available if I deem it necessary.

[kaosotis]

I'm like Larry. Never did when I was really playing out at loud clubs and I get ringing now and again. Now it depends on the venue, but if it's going to be loud I do. Otherwise my ears ring for a day or two (we're a pretty loud band). The bassist and guitarists love to hear themselves too much for me not to wear them!

[drum'z]

never used earplugs for drumming. only for testing fire alarms.

[audiotech]

Hearing loss is very progressive, accumulative and very subtle until it's too late. What you loose, you will never get back, it's gone. I've been working in the broadcasting, recording and audio industries since I was 14. I still get my hearing checked by an audiologist two or three times a year. Luckily I can still hear as well now as I could when I was in my twenties. I wear around the ear closed headphones when playing drums as well as most other audio activities that I do, regardless if I'm listening to music through them or just using them for protection.

You don't have to go overboard with your ear protection. There is no reason to use 31 DB attenuation to protect your ears from future problems. If headphone don't fit into you dress style on stage, just use some inexpensive ear bugs, anything is better than nothing at all.

BTW, my girlfriend had a hearing loss of about 10 DB at 4 kilohertz mostly in her left ear from the continuous noise of a machine where she worked as a proof machine operator for a bank 25 years ago. She didn't realise it was too loud in her environment until it was too late.

Dennis

[LagerHead]

I wear Sonic Defenders EP4. The same earplugs I use for shooting. They have an internal plug that can be removed to allow in a little bit of noise, which helps hear a slightly wider range while still protecting my precious little eardrums.

[Timmkatt]

I use professional in ear monitors that are custom fitted to my ears and also wear over the ear headphones like you would wear if you were out shooting. My drums are fully mic'd and I hear them only through my Beringer mixers monitor out. This too is a subject that is dear to my heart (thus my logo) and having played for 37 years and several in a heavy metal band on the bar circuit hearing protection has always been top of mind and heavily advocated to fellow musicians i've met. It boggles my mind to see professional musicians in concert at the sound pressure levels thay play at and no hearing protection. Case in point Pete Townsend of the WHO who never wore hearing protection and now suffers terribly with ringing in his ears at the same fequency as a guitar. I'm happy to say my diligence has allowed me to keep my hearing intact and my latest hearing tests have come back very good. As drummers some hearing loss is expected so all we can do to preserve it is protect ourselves as much as possible.

[rob]

I use Vic Firth isolation headphones. All the time.

Pro, hooked up to an ipod, drumming volume fits perfectly to the songs.

Con, when wearing a black baseball cap at the same time, I look like Mickey Mouse.

[playthebeat]

Could someone tell me where to find things like musician earplugs, "foamies", headphones, etc. I am just starting out drumming (later in life too), and want to protect my hearing now (I already have slight hearing loss due to concerts I attended long ago). Anyways, I am looking at the Vic Firth headphones, but someone recommend other headphones? And it does seem like they would be cumbersome. Can earplugs really work? Could someone provide links to certain products, so I can evaluate them?