Earplugs?
- Thread starter Pieman
- Start date
Years ago there was an ad in Creem or some other music magazine for earplugs that worked by loud noise moving a tiny diaphragm inside. That would mean air would have to move that diaphragm. They were useless at concerts. If you are using power tools that kind of earplug will do you no good.
For shooting matches I had a custom fitted pair of earplugs made out of some kind of acrylic goo that turned into molds of my ear canals. They work well. They also cause me to wonder if the shape of one's inner ear changes with age. Those plugs cut down a lot of noise without making it impossible to hear someone talk. Cleaning them eventually got the clear seal coating to come off. I used to shoot a lot, though.
For concerts the foam plugs that are rated at 33 dB or so work best for me. They change the sound significantly and make it easier to hear everything at the same time. There are trade-offs in sound fidelity. After a show my head does not have a buzz/ring and I just feel better on the drive home. They are not a musician's earplug, just an earplug, and they work at keeping me from going deaf. Mine come in packs of 10 at the drugstore, but you can find large containers of them at a hardware store next to the safety vests. They look like a plastic jar full of puffed cheese balls. These are the cheapest and easiest way to go.
When you use the power tools you might be able to hear something cutting material and tell how well the cut is going. Earplugs are going to change that.
A word of advice to everyone-- When sharing a hotel room it is good for everyone to sleep with earplugs in case someone starts snoring.
For shooting matches I had a custom fitted pair of earplugs made out of some kind of acrylic goo that turned into molds of my ear canals. They work well. They also cause me to wonder if the shape of one's inner ear changes with age. Those plugs cut down a lot of noise without making it impossible to hear someone talk. Cleaning them eventually got the clear seal coating to come off. I used to shoot a lot, though.
For concerts the foam plugs that are rated at 33 dB or so work best for me. They change the sound significantly and make it easier to hear everything at the same time. There are trade-offs in sound fidelity. After a show my head does not have a buzz/ring and I just feel better on the drive home. They are not a musician's earplug, just an earplug, and they work at keeping me from going deaf. Mine come in packs of 10 at the drugstore, but you can find large containers of them at a hardware store next to the safety vests. They look like a plastic jar full of puffed cheese balls. These are the cheapest and easiest way to go.
When you use the power tools you might be able to hear something cutting material and tell how well the cut is going. Earplugs are going to change that.
A word of advice to everyone-- When sharing a hotel room it is good for everyone to sleep with earplugs in case someone starts snoring.
I went to an audiologist about 10 years ago and had custom fitted earplugs made. I had already lost some hearing, particularly highs, at that time and despite wearing them 99% of the times I've been around loud music since getting them, now I've lost a lot more. I still recommend them - I hate to think how much worse my hearing would be had I NOT been wearing them all this time, and honestly they make things sound better at big arena shows. I'm overdue to get new ones made and I'm sure they're going to tell me I need hearing aids now when I go in to get the new plugs made.
Well, time nukes hearing as well, and it also seems that when you've damaged the ears a whole bunch, it takes a while for the full damage to kick in.
If you are a serious musician, getting custom ear plugs fitted by an audiologist is the best route to go. they have different strength filters you can put in, and the fidelity is supposed to be quite good.
If you are a serious musician, getting custom ear plugs fitted by an audiologist is the best route to go. they have different strength filters you can put in, and the fidelity is supposed to be quite good.
One of the problems is that we hear through more than just our ear canals. Talking with earplugs in is weird, because you can hear more through your head than through the air. Also playing a wind instrument is REALLY WEIRD. Foam high noise reduction Earplugs also really attenuate the high frequencies most of all. The "hi-fi" earplugs do a much better job. I honestly found that going to rock concerts with the earplugs in sounded BETTER as it wasn't all just white noise.
I have a pair of these I used toward the end of my playing out days. Now they're used for mowing the lawn. I'm not sure how much they attenuate, but I could certainly hear the band better than with those compressible foam jobbies (like for shooting).
Still, I agree with The Shark: nothing better than lowering stage volume! Best concert sound I've ever witnessed was Rush a couple of years back. Incredible detail - Alex said at the time their stage volume was no louder than someone listening on a home stereo. I have to believe the FOH mix was so good because it wasn't having to fight bleed from the stage.
Still, I agree with The Shark: nothing better than lowering stage volume! Best concert sound I've ever witnessed was Rush a couple of years back. Incredible detail - Alex said at the time their stage volume was no louder than someone listening on a home stereo. I have to believe the FOH mix was so good because it wasn't having to fight bleed from the stage.
earasers
I really like these. My family likes to have parties with extremely loud tambrasso bands (think 10-15 piece brass marching band in a small banquet hall). These decrease the volume and preserve the basic tone and "feel" of the music. It helps that they come in sizes, too. I've discovered that I have small ear canals. Regular foam plugs only work for me if I want almost complete silence.
I really like these. My family likes to have parties with extremely loud tambrasso bands (think 10-15 piece brass marching band in a small banquet hall). These decrease the volume and preserve the basic tone and "feel" of the music. It helps that they come in sizes, too. I've discovered that I have small ear canals. Regular foam plugs only work for me if I want almost complete silence.
