Hearing problems after gig

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