Hearing problems after gig

Layne

Hi, don't know if I'm posting this in the correct forum but I think its relevant to anyone attending concerts.
I was at a Mastodon gig in Cork city Saturday night. Great gig by a fantastic band. I was a bit back at the start but worked my way to the top as the gig went on. I don't wear earplugs but noticed some people were.
Gig over and heading home with my mate. He commented how loud he found it and he stayed back for all of the gig. While driving home I could barely hear what he was saying with the buzzing in my ears. Still not too concerned though thinking everything will be fine in the morning. Buzzing left one ear but has remained in the other. Has anyone else had this?? Did it resolve itself in time?? Should I go to a doctor?? All advice and experiences greatly appreciated.

BadTurtle

Sounds like you might have mild tinnitus.

ts_editor

Layne wrote: »

I don't wear earplugs but noticed some people were.

Anyone who attends more than zero gigs per year should be wearing plugs.

Don't waste your time with squishy foam types. You can buy good, reusable rubber earplugs for less than the price of most concert tickets. Protects your hearing. Improved sound fidelity. Eliminates the drone of chronic chatter.
It's all win, folks.

Birneybau

You have never suffered this after a gig before? I used ear plugs for the first time this year, now it was for the Swans and Mogwai gigs. Well needed.

Layne

Birneybau wrote: »

You have never suffered this after a gig before? I used ear plugs for the first time this year, now it was for the Swans and Mogwai gigs. Well needed.

Well I would have had buzzing in my ears after a gig but it would be gone by the following morning, not this time.

Wrongway1985

To be perfectly honest if gig was Saturday if not cleared by Wednesday I'd suggest getting them checked for sure and don't do anything foolish like shoving cotton buds up there in the meantime.

I haven't had that after a gig but due to my lifestyle (listening to predominantly heavy music) I had similar problem went to doc 4-5 days after not being able to hear in one ear and he syringed it (water gun) it cleared it and hearing was back instantly.

I still don't use earplugs personally but nobody pays attention to those that do as above have said you're saving yourself worry and protecting the future of your ears.

On another note was at Mastodon last night (Belfast) and thought sound coulda been a bit raised...appears I was at the wrong show

Layne

Wrongway1985 wrote: »

On another note was at Mastodon last night (Belfast) and thought sound coulda been a bit raised...appears I was at the wrong show

Or the right show as the case may be!! The Savoy in Cork is pretty small so the sound was bouncing off the walls. Belfast was probably a bigger venue. The support act Bad Breeding made a fair racket too.
Gonna see a doctor in the morning and see what he has to say, apparently mild tinnitus can be treated with steroids if dealt with quickly. Don't wanna be told to stay away from live gigs, that would be gutting 😢

lbj666

Try to ignore it too, the more you try and hear for it or check for tinnitus the louder it can get. Its probably short term for you, but if you too preoccupied by it and keep checking how it is, it can get worse and not go away at all.

Wrongway1985

Layne wrote: »

Or the right show as the case may be!! The Savoy in Cork is pretty small so the sound was bouncing off the walls. Belfast was probably a bigger venue. The support act Bad Breeding made a fair racket too.
Gonna see a doctor in the morning and see what he has to say, apparently mild tinnitus can be treated with steroids if dealt with quickly. Don't wanna be told to stay away from live gigs, that would be gutting 😢

Never been to the Savoy but yeah I'd say Ulster Hall slightly bigger than the Olympia theater style venue too certainly bigger standing section than there.

Best of luck with doc, ease the mind and all that for sure. Hopefully you be able for more live gigs then to test the resistance

Herb Powell

Doctor won't really be able to anything for you tbh, and it's likely that the damage is permanent. Not the ringing will be around forever, but the damage caused is probably permanent.

Don't panic though, if you mind yourself in future this shouldn't be a problem. That was a LOUD gig, I could tell that much even with my earplugs in. My advice to you would be start wearing earplugs, and really wear them to every gig. They make such a massive difference, and your ears will thank you. Very decent ones can be hand for around €20 in Pro Musica, and they're honestly worth triple that.

MrWalsh

I recommend Howard Leight Fusion Corded Earplugs, you can get them for under a fiver on Amazon and Ebay. Ive been using them for years. Very hard wearing.

Wow I've been to 100's of shows over the last 2 decades and have to say it's been a long long time since i've experienced what the OP has late 90's maybe was the last time maybe a little later but not much.

I began wearing earplugs back then too because of it but have been to many shows without them and not had any problems in more recent years .... well no ringing in my ears but aware there can be problems even still Also I'm sure many will agree the gig sounds better with good plugs too.

Only speculating here and possibly ignorance on my part but I was under the impression there were strict rules brought in for volume levels in venues at some point

Go see a GP to set your mind at ease OP none of us are GP's

rubadub

MrWalsh wrote: »

I recommend Howard Leight Fusion Corded Earplugs,

I see they have a range of them, did you use any other? If I was to pick one the "clairty" would have been my guess as the best one for gigs.

http://www.howardleight.com/earplugs/clarity

MrWalsh

rubadub wrote: »

I see they have a range of them, did you use any other? If I was to pick one the "clairty" would have been my guess as the best one for gigs.

http://www.howardleight.com/earplugs/clarity

I havent.

The Fusion are SNR 28db, I see the Clarity are SNR 22db. They do look better for gigs.

I started using them for swimming and they saved me the cost of customised earplugs, but then I started using them for noise and I found the smaller size in the Fusion is perfect for me to sleep with in and not hear a thing (I used to have noisy neighbours).

endacl

Layne wrote: »

Well I would have had buzzing in my ears after a gig but it would be gone by the following morning, not this time.

As would the particular frequency of the buzz from your hearing range. Permanently, unfortunately.

Edit: Possibly of course. If the stereocilia in your inner ear shear off, resulting in the ringing sound, that sound is gone for good.

gracew

This happened to me a few times before and it went in the next couple of days, but I went to a gig in December and the buzzing was still there 3 weeks later and I got diagnosed with permenant tinnitus. I still have it and there's no cure for it, it's really annoying but you become immune to it when you think of other things, I'm only 18 too so it sucks.

Birneybau

gracew wrote: »

This happened to me a few times before and it went in the next couple of days, but I went to a gig in December and the buzzing was still there 3 weeks later and I got diagnosed with permenant tinnitus. I still have it and there's no cure for it, it's really annoying but you become immune to it when you think of other things, I'm only 18 too so it sucks.

Yeah, that really sucks.

Layne

Just a quick update. I went to the doctor yesterday, explained my story and he wasn't overly concerned, said I had 'temporary threshold shift'. He reckoned it is temporary and should go away. If it has not gone by next Monday I need to go back to him. Hope he is right.
I asked about future concerts and he said that it should be okay but was very enthusiastic about wearing earplugs for protection, will purchase in the next few days.
He said indoor concerts are more damaging than outdoor gigs especially those in smaller venues eg the Savoy. That probably makes sense.
Anyways thats where it is at. Still have the ringing five days later so it would want to be going away now. Have a Fleetwood Mac ticket for Friday 10th in Dublin but am not going to risk it.
Would urge everyone attending gigs to wear earplugs, this has really rattled me and wouldn't want anyone to go through it unnecessarily. I love festivals and gigs so would be devastated if I was told to stop going. I've learned from this though I'm not out of the woods yet.

Mrs Shuttleworth

gracew wrote: »

This happened to me a few times before and it went in the next couple of days, but I went to a gig in December and the buzzing was still there 3 weeks later and I got diagnosed with permenant tinnitus. I still have it and there's no cure for it, it's really annoying but you become immune to it when you think of other things, I'm only 18 too so it sucks.

Layne wrote: »

Just a quick update. I went to the doctor yesterday, explained my story and he wasn't overly concerned, said I had 'temporary threshold shift'. He reckoned it is temporary and should go away. If it has not gone by next Monday I need to go back to him. Hope he is right.
I asked about future concerts and he said that it should be okay but was very enthusiastic about wearing earplugs for protection, will purchase in the next few days.
He said indoor concerts are more damaging than outdoor gigs especially those in smaller venues eg the Savoy. That probably makes sense.
Anyways thats where it is at. Still have the ringing five days later so it would want to be going away now. Have a Fleetwood Mac ticket for Friday 10th in Dublin but am not going to risk it.
Would urge everyone attending gigs to wear earplugs, this has really rattled me and wouldn't want anyone to go through it unnecessarily. I love festivals and gigs so would be devastated if I was told to stop going. I've learned from this though I'm not out of the woods yet.

I've had great success with homeopathic remedies for all sorts of illnesses and symptoms over the last few years. Try and find a good homeopath, I bet you will find that it helps.

heebusjeebus

I got a set of DUBS this year. They were the cheap version but they were still really good.
I've ordered the main model from Amazon and will try them out at the Libertines next week.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00NW1IZ4W/ref=pe_385721_51767431_TE_dp_1

MrWalsh

Mrs Shuttleworth wrote: »

I've had great success with homeopathic remedies for all sorts of illnesses and symptoms over the last few years. Try and find a good homeopath, I bet you will find that it helps.

Or drink a glass of water for the same effect.

Birneybau

Mrs Shuttleworth wrote: »

I've had great success with homeopathic remedies for all sorts of illnesses and symptoms over the last few years. Try and find a good homeopath, I bet you will find that it helps.

Yeah, right.

Herb Powell

Mrs Shuttleworth wrote: »

I've had great success with homeopathic remedies for all sorts of illnesses and symptoms over the last few years. Try and find a good homeopath, I bet you will find that it helps.

Water is not going to magically regrow inner ear hairs.

Mightydrumming

I can't stress enough about wearing plugs. I'm playing drums in a band for a few years and when I was starting out, I never wore them. Tinnitus is a b%stard. The ringing is to do with your inner nerve endings and the frequency that caused it, you won't hear it again. It doesn't make a huge difference but if you continued without some sort of plugs, of course it's going to get worse.

I really recommend these, it's what I started out on. They are Musician plugs, you wouldn't even notice them and so would others. They come with two different decibel filters and you can easily change them around depending on the venue of a gig. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vater-Percussion-Musicians-Plugs-Drumsticks/dp/B00PZ523LY/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1435925784&sr=8-3&keywords=Musician+plugs+vater

I now use In-ear monotoring for when I'm playing live, but these things do a brilliant job.

Like the Harvey Norman ad, When it's gone - It's gone :rolleyes:

grimm2005

Just to echo everyone else on here: wear earplugs!!

I've been going to gigs for years, mostly hard rock and metal gigs. For ages I never thought about wearing earplugs and always had ringing in my ears, usually for about 24 hours before it was totally gone. I then had a string of gigs around summer 2009 (Airborne, Slash, KISS, Iron Maiden, Pearl Jam) all in fairly close succession and I started to realise after 3 or 4 of these gigs that there was still a very light ringing in just my left ear which I only noticed at night in bed when there was total quiet. It made me quite nervous so since then I make sure to wear earplugs at all the gigs I go to, maybe with the exception of an acoustic gig or very small scale affair.

I never went to the doctor about it because I figure it's there for life now but I don't even notice it anymore unless I really stop and concentrate. The odd time I forget my earplugs now, I freak out and make sure I get to a pharmacy to at least get one of the crappy foam pairs but the main ones I use are from a company called Earpeace. They are pretty cheap, but discreet and specifically made for concert goers and ever since using them I find concerts actually sound much better and when I take them out for a second everything just sounds really muddy and distorted so they actually improve the sound. They have a partnership with ticketmaster now as well so every time you buy a ticket online, you have the option to add a pair into your order for about €12.50.

So yeah, long story short, don't take your hearing for granted as the damage is irreversible 9 times out of 10.

languagenerd

My ears ring really badly for a couple of days after gigs. Mine were always worse than my friends' at the same shows and we used to debate whether my ears were more sensitive or whether theirs were already damaged to the point it didn't affect them. Anyway, I've had permanent low-level tinnitus now since I was 19. Can't say which gig caused it but I noticed it one night when the house was quiet and it's never gone away. Doctors can't see anything physically wrong, so nothing they can do. Annoying as hell sometimes.

I wear Planet Waves musicians' earplugs to gigs now. They're about €20 (reusable) but they're made for performers so the sound is really clear and balanced (not muffled, like the cheap foam ones). Forgot them when I went to Jimmy Eat World a couple years ago and I couldn't hear myself talking afterwards, which was terrifying! I At the risk of sounding like a granny, I definitely think some shows are too loud these days!

Layne

Just a quick query. Would it be fair to say that earplugs are not as essential for outdoor gigs or festivals as they would be for indoor gigs. Any thoughts.

Herb Powell

Depends.

Even if the level mightn't be as damaging (and that's only assuming it isn't), generally if you're at an outdoor gig, it's part of a festival. So you'll be exposed all day.

Sustained exposure to lower decibel levels can be just as damaging to hearing as a shorter exposure to very high levels. http://www.dangerousdecibels.org/education/information-center/decibel-exposure-time-guidelines/

Just bring the plugs anyway and, if you'll pardon the pun, play it by ear.

grimm2005

I was at the AC/DC gig in the Aviva during the week, in the pit and earplugs were DEFINITELY required. When you're standing several meters away from a gigantic stack of speakers it's a no brainer really. On the flip side, I was at the Counting Crows a week earlier and there was no need for earplugs at all. Personally I think it has to do with the genre of music. If it's a heavy metal or hard rock show, I would say earplugs are essential regardless of venue. In all other cases, I would just use your own judgement as to weather it will leave your ears ringing by the end of it or not.

Mightydrumming

grimm2005 wrote: »

I was at the AC/DC gig in the Aviva during the week

They should have included a set of earplugs in that ticket price :pac:

sweetie

http://www.hearing.ie/hearing-protection-index.html

I got these moulds made for djing with and use them at gigs too, great peace of mind.

rubadub

Mightydrumming wrote: »

They should have included a set of earplugs in that ticket price :pac:

that would be a good gimmick, someone like specsavers handing out free ear plugs at big gigs. (specsavers do hearing tests & hearing aids now).

Do bog standard foam ear plugs cut out too much sound? can they be modified to be better? what about just using in-ear earphones

languagenerd

rubadub wrote: »

Do bog standard foam ear plugs cut out too much sound? can they be modified to be better? what about just using in-ear earphones

The foam ones just muffle everything and they're not even guaranteed to protect your hearing (most of em are made to block out noise when you're sleeping). Don't know about earphones, but if they're built to be noise-cancelling, I imagine they'd be quite muffled as well, and again, not guaranteed to protect your hearing.

I'd definitely recommend musicians' ear plugs, like the various ones mentioned in the thread. They're built for performers who need to still hear music properly so they take the sound down evenly rather than just muffling it. They cost around €20 but are reusable and definitely worth it!

Mightydrumming

rubadub wrote: »

that would be a good gimmick, someone like specsavers handing out free ear plugs at big gigs. (specsavers do hearing tests & hearing aids now).

Do bog standard foam ear plugs cut out too much sound? can they be modified to be better? what about just using in-ear earphones

Just like what is mentioned above me, the foam one's that you could get for 2-5 euro are scutter. I use In-ear monitors for playing live, not sure if it's the same as in-ear headphones but if they have good sound isolation, your away with it!

I posted a link earlier in the thread about Vater Musician Plugs. I used them a couple of years ago before I went up to the IEM's. They are fantastic! Well worth the 20-30 euro. They really cut out the high frequencies instead of muffling. Depending on the gig then, you can change from the two different filters that come with the plugs. Really well worth the money and very unnoticeable

rubadub

For people really stuck!
http://www.audiocheck.net/earplugreviews_toiletpaper.php

Wadded (Toilet) Paper Earplug Review

Description

As a professional sound designer, I've always tried to protect my hearing at loud concerts. I started with wadded up toilet paper from the restroom. With better planning, I began using real earplugs.
Imagine, as the party starts, you suddenly realize the DJ has the audio level set somewhere between ‘way too loud’ and ‘instant destruction’. What do you do? First you should acknowledge that there really is a problem and you need to do something if you do not want your hearing to be damaged. As you consider building your own earplugs, you have a brilliant idea and head for the closest restroom...

To get the flattest attenuation out of toilet paper, moisten the paper under a water tap, remove the excess water by wadding the paper, then stick it in your ears. Beware : dry paper doesn't attenuate the lower frequencies at all, as measured during our tests.

Wet wadded toilet paper does the job and even supersedes earplugs designed for musicians in terms of offering a flat frequency response!

Ally Dick

Soundgarden in the 3Arena last year was very loud. The fifteen minutes of feedback at the end didn't help