PROTECT YOUR EARS - ear plugs, hearing loss, deafness

Re: PROTECT YOUR EARS.

I bought some of those Doc's Earplugs (a pair of vented and a pair of non-vented) and some of the Ear Armour ER-20 as mentioned by NUTHA, after reading the ear protection article in a fairly recent drummer mag. I found the ER20's offer decent protection but aren't comfy for more than an hour and a half to 2 hours. The Proplugs are very comfy but for me just don't offer very good protection. I used the NON VENTED ones over about 3 practices and each time came out with ringing ears and I'm neither a hard hitter nor is my band overly loud. Needless to say after this there wasn't much point in trying the vented version which obviously offered lesser protection.
There's my two penneth anyways. Always protect your ears, once they're gone so is your drumming and nobody here wants that.
 
Re: PROTECT YOUR EARS.

Hi.
Of course, headphones and some meterials works nice!. But (I know it's very interesting) I use a piece of "cotton". You know it doesn't absorb bass frequency but it protects my ears from rimshots, 18"China and loud hihat...

And unfortunately I can't use headphone beacuse of rimshots... If I use headphone (with metronome), I don't play rimshot!...

See you...
 
Re: PROTECT YOUR EARS.

I use Studio Kans.....those are sweet headphones.....they keep sound out so good you can hardlly hear yourself playing...hehe...anyway, they have a volume control on them also....so you can put the music down really low and still hear yourself play.....this keeps you concentrating on your stick height for volume......you can also get the pair with the built in metronome but I already have a very nice metro so didnt need that added feature.....

This has helped a lot....plus if I go to concerts, I wear ear plugs....I seen Kansas a few months back and used them....they played at the House of Blues in Chicago and they were so loud......but with the plugs I could hear every little thing they were playing......good for a learning tool also....
 
Re: PROTECT YOUR EARS.

I use custome made ear-plugs when I´m playing. They are really nice cause they dim all the frequences with 15 db, and they take away all the dangerous frequences.
It´s like playing without plugs, but the sound is lower.
Really nice.
 
Re: PROTECT YOUR EARS.

I invested in a set of custom fitted ER25 ear plugs that reduces the entire sound spectrum by 25 Db. My audiologist recommended them instead of ER15 (15 Db reduction) because of the decibel pressure generated by my drums. I have had them now for about 8 months and I use them in both practise and live situations. It took a while getting used to having protection in during a gig but my hearing longevity is well worth it. Our bass player complained that I cannot hear him in practise but I can as I hear all of mistakes that he blames on me :) I find that soft spoken conversation is hard to hear with them in but hey, you can take them out!

I am going to also get a set of ER15s filters (my ear plugs have interchangeable decibel filters) for going to concerts.

The belief is that hearing is like being a virgin, once you lose it, it will never come back!!!
 
Re: PROTECT YOUR EARS.

Hmmm...interesting chart Nutha. I am a bit confused though. Alot of those sounds don't seem to measure up to what's real. For example, I don't see how it's possible that brush playing is as loud as a motorcycle or a lawnmower. And, working in a machine shop, I've never heard a drill press that was anywhere near as loud as a lawnmower or motorcycle.

Anyway, I do know the value of ear protection. When I was younger, I took it for granted and I had noticeable hearing loss. 15 years away from drumming helped to alleviate some of the loss, but now that I'm back to drumming, I wear good sound attenuating headphones everytime I practice.
 
Re: PROTECT YOUR EARS.

Brushes are clearly louder than a motorcycle. Let's say you play brushes on the middle of the road and a lawnmower appears at the horizont 5 miles away, you can see him and hear him not yet. So you can take all your time, finish practice and then move to the side.

Bernhard
 
Re: PROTECT YOUR EARS.

I usually use full on ear muffs like the kind a person using a pnumatic drill would have
out in the street. This is just at practice though, I use regular plugs for a gig. The sound you hear through the muffs is awesome though, it's like having your kit digitally mixed. Y'all should try it out sometime.
 
Re: PROTECT YOUR EARS.

This is no laughing matter. i am 15 and have irrreversible hearing damage. I have never went to a docter but I have a ringing in my ear that was been there for a little over a year. For two years I played drums for 2-3 hours a day with no ear plugs. Then I would start to get headaches after I play. I would stop playing until the ringing went away. The ring started lasting for days before going away. Now I have ringing in my right ear that doesn't go away. I started wearing earplugs and have been for about a year. I started when I realived the ringing wasn't going away. Since I started wearing earplugs the problem hasn't gotten any worse. But it hasn't gotten any better. If you are just learning, wear earplugs. Just because you are young doesn't meen you can't loose your hearing. I now have two sinces that are bad. I don't have a since of smell either. Along with my bad hearing. Wear earplugs.
 
Re: PROTECT YOUR EARS.

I think ear protection is very important. I bought custom made hearing protectors from a company called elacin ( www.elacin.nl ). They make these protectors which reduces the volume but does'nt affect the frequencies. They cost about 200 euros ( I don't know how much it is in dollars ) but I think that's not so much of my hearing.
 
Re: PROTECT YOUR EARS.

I think the thing to remember is hearing loss or damage is permanent, why take the chance? Also, you can get ear plugs in a drug or sports store for less than $5.00
 
Re: PROTECT YOUR EARS.

I use the er15 both for practice and for concerts. I have ordered er6 earplugs to go with them. Hope they sound allright.
My problem is, I find the er15s to cut a bit to much of the high frequensies. The drums sound to muffled and the cymbals dont sound bright enough. I read that other people here use plugs by etymotic. Are your experiences the same or can it be that mine came out bad? (bad moulding?)
 
Re: PROTECT YOUR EARS.

when i began drumming, i never wore ear protection. especially that i used to always hit my cymbals fairly hard, it already began effecting me. Luckily i was smart enough to realise that my hearing could be damaged if i kept doing that. Now protecting my hearing has became a top priority when it comes to drumming. My family (on my dad's side) is known for hearing problems at fairly young ages (young as in mid 40's) and i dont want to make it even worst if it will happen to me as well :D by the way, seeing that chart nutha posted has made me push my ear plugs even farther (lol..jokin, but it has definetly made me take hearing protection alot more seriously)
 
Re: PROTECT YOUR EARS.

i never thought ear protection was that necessary until i read this thread and looked at nutha's chart. now i have the soft earplugs you get when you are on a plane. seems to do the job pretty well imo. it sounds so loud when i'm playing without earplugs and im glad i have them now.

is it absolutely necessary to get medical earplugs prescribed by a doctor? i mean i think cotton or cheap earplugs do the job well.
 
Re: PROTECT YOUR EARS.

Really, your not kidding about the change in sound. When i play with the band im in now, The keyboard gets lost. Im sittin there going, wow this sucks. Does Any one have a better suggestion besides these big ginormous head sets?
 
Re: PROTECT YOUR EARS.

Mundo, do those headphones work good as far as sound protection? I think Vic Firth makes a similar product that I've thought about.
 
Re: PROTECT YOUR EARS.

the best ear protection is the custom made by your doctor, i think ear protection is essential, once its gone its not coming back so why risk it. i myself do not have the custom fits, but i do have sleeping earplugs tha ti use when playing
 
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