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Thread: Protecting Your Ears

  1. #1
    Resident Antagonist Benny Smyth's Avatar
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    Default Protecting Your Ears

    It's a conversation that I've had with someone recently. He's recently bought himself some musician ear plugs to protect his hearing at gigs, and he prompted me to think what steps I go to protect my hearing.

    I sometimes use a booth monitor that I only have turned on when I'm mixing. The rest of the night, the volume is off. I also refrain from turning up the sound as the night goes on (I'm a believer that our ears become 'jaded' to loud volumes, so what seems a bit quiter to us may not be to the clients and their guests). Finally, I do sometimes leave my headphones on with the volume off to give my ears a break (and, as a bonus, it looks like I'm busy!).

    Will I go as far as ear plugs? I think I may. It is going to be one of the times where you have to be proactive and not reactive, otherwise by the time you realise something is wrong, it may be too late.

    So what steps do you take to protect your ears?

  2. #2
    yourdj's Avatar
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    These are excellent - they don't drown out much noise - just the highs and are not noticeable.
    So a great was to limit sound but also not be disassociated from the music.

    http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Musicians-...item4d134a65f9

    I would not bother with the posh ones that scare munger you into buying them.

    My left ear is bad and at a Level 42 gig it was really bad for 2 weeks.
    back to normal now but I always take them to gigs and some of my louder events.

    I usually stay about 100db so its not very loud with weddings.

    Its idiot guests whistling that really hurts them and annoys me. Or people that think you can hear anything so they shout in your ear.
    Your DJ - Mobile DJ The New Forest, Southampton & Hampshire. Toby
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    I've tried half a dozen different kinds (including the ones Toby has linked to). I can't work with them in, any of them, they just feel weird DJ'ing with them. Which is a pity because my hearing is already damaged and I suffer from tinnitus as a direct result of the job. I've resigned myself to the fact that it's a downward slope from this point on.

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    I would never use earplugs as I want to hear properly so I don't make it too loud for the audience (which I check by going out front occasionally). If it's too loud for me behind the speakers then heaven knows what it's like out front!
    There may be some situations where a Dj may need ear protection but for most of us it sounds like a bit of a silly thing to consider.

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    Quote Originally Posted by musicology View Post
    I would never use earplugs as I want to hear properly so I don't make it too loud for the audience (which I check by going out front occasionally).
    Valid reason

    Quote Originally Posted by musicology View Post
    If it's too loud for me behind the speakers then heaven knows what it's like out front!
    There may be some situations where a Dj may need ear protection but for most of us it sounds like a bit of a silly thing to consider.
    Being right next to the speakers can and will take it's toll if you've been doing it long enough. Saying the need for ear protection is a silly thing to consider is quite a silly comment to make really (no offence intended ). Being placed close to loudspeakers frequently over an extended period of time and years WILL eventually cause some damage. As it will in any profession where there is loud volume.

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    Resident Antagonist Benny Smyth's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by musicology View Post
    I would never use earplugs as I want to hear properly so I don't make it too loud for the audience (which I check by going out front occasionally). If it's too loud for me behind the speakers then heaven knows what it's like out front!
    There may be some situations where a Dj may need ear protection but for most of us it sounds like a bit of a silly thing to consider.
    If your music was playing at 88 decibels, it would take four hours for it to start damaging your hearing. At 94 decibels, it's an hour and at 100 decibels, it only takes 15 minutes.

    It's not silly to think about ways of preventing damage to one of our five senses.

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    er.. don't play so loud all the time, maybe?

    I had a shocking revelation the other week in that the Mackie SRM450s I usually play out on sound like utter gash when the mixer is just under 0dB on the output meters (gains on the speakers at 12'o'clock), so I'm keeping the levels down.. it sounds *much* nicer at the front, people aren't having to scream in each other's ears all the time.. and they're still enjoying themselves.

    If you're worried about your hearing you might want to look into how hard you're driving your headphones too.. or just use a Pioneer DJM500 mixer instead.. Hahaha. The puniest headphone amp on a mixer I've ever heard

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    If you really want to be sure, get yourself a sound level meter. They're cheap as chips these days, and although a non-calibrated, non-certified meter may not be evidentially accurate it'll be near enough to give you an idea what you're dealing with.

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    Quote Originally Posted by musicology View Post
    I would never use earplugs as I want to hear properly so I don't make it too loud for the audience
    Get a noise level meter as chances are your ear will get used to it and it will deafen anyone who has been away for some time. Ever gone to the loo to return and think god it was not that loud when i left. great that you go out and check though. louder noise = more people dancing is the no1 mistake. Its has shocked me when using really crap noise limiters what people will actually get used to and party with

    i always judge the noise by the numbers now. Pretty consistent but will differ depending on the music. i also find that putting the ear plug on my left ear only and not pushing it right in still gives a good level of volume but not a dangerous amount when i am sensitive. My headphones are often on the other ear so that gets a good deal of protection and remains undamaged.
    Last edited by yourdj; 30-01-2015 at 08:08 PM.
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    It seems that some have more sensitivity than others. I've been doing this for 40 years (10 in clubs) and have no issue with my hearing now.

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