Hearing protection?

[n0ah]

Hey guys. So after DJing LOUD house parties, and going to the club several times a month, my ears are starting to take a toll. My right ear has had almost a constant buzzing in it, and ive been getting headaches. Yes yes, i know. See a doctor. I have an appointment lined up already. But I was wondering if you guys could recomened what you do to protect your hearing? Know of any really good earbuds that you can still hear out of while mixing? Thanks!

[Jason Cerna]

sounds like you've really been destroying your ears.


http://www.etymotic.com/customfit/index.html

[de.j.l]

hearing protection is a must, i use some custom fitted high end DB blockers, they are expensive but my hearing is essential for what I do as a hobbie and where I want to go with it.
even when im mixing man, if I know the stereo is gonna be of proper size ill mix with my earplugs in.

when I was at shambhala this past year i felt naked without my earplugs..

[de.j.l]

http://www.protectear.com/category/db-blockers/

Get something that you KNOW won't fall out, if that earplug falls out when you're next to a big p.a, pop and good bye hearing.

If you need to take a plug out id suggest doing it far away from the noise source or if you are required to take it out in the sound, cover your ear as you take it out and slowly adapt to the surrounding sound by releasing your hand from your ear(slowly)

[willythekidd]

using earbuds while mixing isn't very common. consider mixing with your levels a bit lower. too often clubs have their levels ridiculously loud and the pa isn't set up properly, it can really fatigue the ear.

+1 on etymotic. i use my pair every weekend and i use them at the range.

[DJHoss]

Yeah, I'm 15 and I expose myself to at least 100+dB audio for at least an hour a day. I should probally invest in plugs, but I. Need to be able to hear for mixing at gigs. Is the dB blockers available in USA?

Thanks

[JohnnyGraz]

I'm going to be following this thread. Lately I have been spinning more and more often at Bars/Clubs and I have been finding that the orientation of the PA has myself AND the dancefloor both getting blasted by sound. Taking a real toll on my ears.

[dj daywalker]

I have the westone 49's (they use the ER filters). They make beatmatching a little harder but will save your ears

[DTR]

http://www.etymotic.com/customfit/index.html

^^^^This

[Cryder]

I'm going to be following this thread. Lately I have been spinning more and more often at Bars/Clubs and I have been finding that the orientation of the PA has myself AND the dancefloor both getting blasted by sound. Taking a real toll on my ears.

I'm finding that it's much more dangerous to play in smaller bars and clubs that DON'T take their sound seriously, the eq/levels of the system and the positioning of the speakers is far from ideal for both the dancefloor and the DJ.

[Andrew B]

sounds like you've really been destroying your ears.


http://www.etymotic.com/customfit/index.html

Yup. :tup: They also have some $10 ones that are great if you don't have to wear headphones (ER-20s).


Yeah, I'm 15 and I expose myself to at least 100+dB audio for at least an hour a day. I should probally invest in plugs, but I. Need to be able to hear for mixing at gigs. Is the dB blockers available in USA?

Thanks

The ones linked above are musician's earplugs. They don't muffle the sound, just lower it.

[mr_ragz]

You're going to die dude

On a real note, at least get some hear-os from guitar center, they are only like $20 bucks. I don't have a ton of cash to go drop on custom molded plugs but its much better than nothing and you can still mix with them.

[Hygro]

Yeah, if you are playing bars definitely get earplugs. As mentioned, the sound quality in bars is usually terrible requiring you to up the headphone volume. This is particularly bad because bar gigs aren't the glory making hearing loss worthwhile :ninja:

[Liam]

On Saturday i walked into my residency (i had the night off) and the music was banging, after 45 minutes my ears were in agony (i have had serious ear problems which causes me to use ear protection 99% of the time during gigs or nights out).

This gave me a bit of a wake up call and think to myself, everybody i see out every weekend their ears must be about bursting!

Anyways, i have Alpine ear plugs if i'm just going to be exposed for a little while. But i also have ER15 custom moulded ear protection for my gigs and if i'm on a big night out for more than an hour.. I advise it! £180 well spent!

[NickyNines]

Honestly you should be controlling your monitor, as well as, your cans... Turn em down a little end of story.

Oh and unless I'm playing I always have earplugs in.

[DJ ATX]

Late I was noticing my ear rang the full day after a gig, so I started looking into this. There was actually a thread about it in the old DJF. I started wearing some Surefire EP3 which worked great and they are flat attenuated. They block out anything higher than 85DB. But I really wanted something more custom fit and a bit more comfortable to wear. I got a pair of Westone ES49 with a 15db filter. I just recently ordered some 9db filters as well. I wear them everytime I am in a club or loud environment like sporting events, concerts, etc.

http://www.westone.com/hearing-protection-products/custom-fit-hearing-protection-products-4

They are amazing. They are comfortable to wear. Great for use with headphones. I got the clear ones, and people cannot tell I have them on, unless they look directly at my ear canal.

You can fit them yourself, but I went to an audiologist to get the custom mold fitted and get a hearing check done also (no loss of hearing) Hearing check, mold and the plugs with 15db filter, all totaled to $160. Better than losing your hearing.

[Atomisk]

Personally I use Westone UM3x IEMs. I can't do the earplug + Overear headphone combo, I can't mix well with it, so I use IEMs. Superior isolation and great sound!

[DJMC]

I guess in my case -- it was just fortunate DUMB luck -- the bar/club where I spun "Every Freakin' Friday with DJMC" for SEVEN YEARS -- the owner made a neat DJ booth, that was isolated from the dance floor sound.

And in the case of my Mobile setup-- always took precautions with how I made sure to never stand in front of my speakers -- LOL always direct the sound AWAY from the DJ table.

Some places, I'd just wear my On-the-ear headphones -- made me look kewl but it helped keep the decibel level down.

After 30 years of doing this stuff -- my hearing is probably 80% of what it used to be -- but at my age that's pretty OK.




DJ MC is a Sacramento Wedding DJ (http://www.dj-mc.com) who specializes in non-cheesy reception and private events.

[-J]

I had musicians earplugs, but I can't find 'em. :(

I'm holding out hope they're buried somewhere in my house, but it's looking more likely they fell out of my pocket somewhere.

[Skeyelab]

I just spent the $ to get a hearing exam and custom molded musician's earplugs. I advise you all do the same.

[Symo]

Word to the wise, my father has tinnitus quite badly from years of working in noisy environments to put food on the table. He has been retired for a few years now but suffers so bad it keeps him awake. My father and I have never been mega close, we love each other and all but he worked shifts so we never built a relationship plus other things interceded. Last year he admitted the noise makes him think of suicide regularly, so be warned if your headphone level is all the way up and you are buzzin on the way home and the next day, you are doing serious damage that you may be able to cope with now but may not in the future. I now always wear some of these (http://www.sensorcom.com/product.asp?P_ID=975) when at a club of gig. You only get one chance to stop damage each time, best use it.

[Skeyelab]

I stopped DJing for the most part due to tinnitus.

[finalcoyote]

You need protection bro. Yes, hearing protection.

[mostapha]

I don't go out without earplugs and have left venues before because of it.

If it's not too loud (small club or band in a bar) I'll use toilet paper if I don't have my earplugs, but not for too long at a time.

And I just downgraded my mixer (xone to a budget vestax) so I could go back to mixing in IEMs.

Music is awesome, but no night is worth the damage you can do if you don't wear earplugs.

[Firebr4nd]

Anyone know how the ER-20s fair as far as protecting your hearing for just going to clubs or shows?

[Liam]

Anyone know how the ER-20s fair as far as protecting your hearing for just going to clubs or shows?

Jut going to gigs etc I think they will be ok. I have a mate who Dj's only using ER20's and he loves them..

[Giran]

Anyone know how the ER-20s fair as far as protecting your hearing for just going to clubs or shows?

Jut going to gigs etc I think they will be ok. I have a mate who Dj's only using ER20's and he loves them..

I have these earplugs and they are FANTASTIC!!
I only paid about 5 pounds for them and they are well worth the investment. I can stand right next to a club speaker (0db dubstep night mind you...) and be perfectly fine. There is no distortion with these plugs, it's essentially like turning down the master volume which is great as I can still hear 90% of the frequency spectrum. They even came with a nice small pouch and some attachable strings incase you want to wrap them around your neck.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/379441_291140714259174_100000897443859_861769_1767 315759_n.jpg

The only thing I dislike with these plugs (not that much of a deal), is that after a while they can get a little uncomfortable. However, the more you wear them, the less you experience this. I rarely adjust my plugs for more than 2-3 hours at a time.

[lovecitydjs]

your hearing doesn't last forever and if you really love music, you should protect your ears. i use these: http://www.surefire.com/EP3-Sonic-Defenders

cheap and good.

[Sigma]

A guy I know recently made this video for the British Tinnitus Association: -

http://www.tinnitus.org.uk/om-unit

[dj daywalker]

For those of you that beatmatch by ear (probably none of you haha), have you found your earplugs affect your ability to beatmatch? Because I cant hear the music quite as clear its really hard to get the beats perfectly lined up, makes me not want to use them. Maybe I should buy the 9db filters

[DJ ATX]

For those of you that beatmatch by ear (probably none of you haha), have you found your earplugs affect your ability to beatmatch? Because I cant hear the music quite as clear its really hard to get the beats perfectly lined up, makes me not want to use them. Maybe I should buy the 9db filters

Use flat attenuated earplugs. Most musicians earplugs are. This means you hear the sound as is and not muffled, but only at a lower safe volume.

as mentioned on my previous post I use the Westone 49 Musicians Ear Plugs. I use one with a 9DB filter when I mix. Which mean the volume is lowered by 9DB all across the board. When I go out, I use a 15DB filter with it.

[MeowMix]

A guy I know recently made this video for the British Tinnitus Association: -

http://www.tinnitus.org.uk/om-unit

Damn, 2 different tones is bitch to deal with.

[dj daywalker]

Use flat attenuated earplugs. Most musicians earplugs are. This means you hear the sound as is and not muffled, but only at a lower safe volume.

as mentioned on my previous post I use the Westone 49 Musicians Ear Plugs. I use one with a 9DB filter when I mix. Which mean the volume is lowered by 9DB all across the board. When I go out, I use a 15DB filter with it.

I have the westone 49s as well, with the 15db filter. How would you compare the ease of beat matching with the 9's vs the 15's? vs no protection? The speed isnt my problem, its being able to tell if the beats are perfectly lined up.

[E-Turnal]

Went to Costco, bought some custom ear plugs... You can order pro ones, I got the basic ones that forklift drivers wear. 50 bux, protects your ears, but does muffle the sound slightly. The pro ones are way more but are able to keep the frequencies in tact.

[mostapha]

Costco, really?

[DJ ATX]

I have the westone 49s as well, with the 15db filter. How would you compare the ease of beat matching with the 9's vs the 15's? vs no protection? The speed isnt my problem, its being able to tell if the beats are perfectly lined up.

I don't have a problem with it. I do have to crank up my headphones volume maybe a notch or two higher with them on. Also my prefade selector is more toward the cue side than the master side. Without em I tend to keep it dead middle. Also having a monitor helps. Other than those minor tweaks, its all good. I had to do both for the 9db and 15db

I chose the 9DB cause our sound guy and also some of the bartenders kept telling me I crank up the sound too loud when I am DJing with the plugs in. HAHAH. So I went with the 9db, I can monitor the level of the output of the clubs speakers better. That was the problem is that I would be comfortable with the level of sound, whilst everyone elses' ear are bleeding haha. I have yet to learn to adjust for that. hahaha

[DJ ATX]

Costco, really?

Costco sells cars as well as caskets. They have everything there. :)

[Dj_4-$hure]

I had the worst scare of my life yesterday. Since I started dj'ing I've been wearing my headphones almost every single day, for the past three years. Anyways I was practicing the night before yesterday in the night, and wake up with cruciating pain in my right ear. I know it sounds kind of stupid, but I tought I blew my eardrum thats how bad it hurt. Let's just say it hurt so bad it can make a grown man cry, not saying I did. Anyways I went to the E.R, and it just turned out to be a really bad ear infection, but moral to the story is take care of your ears, and turn it down on your headphones when your playing at home. I have not had a chance to get on the one's and two's, but I'm aching to get back to it. Take care.

-Daniel

[dj daywalker]

I don't have a problem with it. I do have to crank up my headphones volume maybe a notch or two higher with them on. Also my prefade selector is more toward the cue side than the master side. Without em I tend to keep it dead middle. Also having a monitor helps. Other than those minor tweaks, its all good. I had to do both for the 9db and 15db

I chose the 9DB cause our sound guy and also some of the bartenders kept telling me I crank up the sound too loud when I am DJing with the plugs in. HAHAH. So I went with the 9db, I can monitor the level of the output of the clubs speakers better. That was the problem is that I would be comfortable with the level of sound, whilst everyone elses' ear are bleeding haha. I have yet to learn to adjust for that. hahaha

I have done some more experimenting and found that its a little easier if I mix in my headphones, but it still really affects how easy it is to tell of the music is just a little bit off.

[swine]

I don't go out without earplugs and have left venues before because of it.

If it's not too loud (small club or band in a bar) I'll use toilet paper if I don't have my earplugs, but not for too long at a time.

And I just downgraded my mixer (xone to a budget vestax) so I could go back to mixing in IEMs.

Music is awesome, but no night is worth the damage you can do if you don't wear earplugs.

whats wrong with mixing IEMs on xones? headphone amp?

[I love music]

after having permanent buzzing on my left ear (24/7 365 days a year) and headaches, i invested in two pairs of dj earplugs.

Do i wear them? no. i always forget.

ear damage can happen not only from PA systems but also from loud headphones (which are a result of loud/shitty PA systems).
Cause if the system is so loud, you gotta crank your headphones as well in order to mix properly. And the damage starts.

mobile djing...ears get hurt, eyes get hurt (from lifting heavy shit) and herneya gets operated from heavy lifting PA systems.
check, check, check on all 3 :D

no gig-money can be high enough to pay for the above damage. so protect yoselfs

[Dj_4-$hure]

^^^ Good advice!

[RaphaelJohn]

I just ordered the Etymotic Musician ones. I might have to change the filter to the ER-9's. I'll let you guys know how they are.

[dj daywalker]

did you get the custom ones? I had the 15s at first and it was more difficult to beatmatch. I just tried out the 9s today it it was a lot better. But if you dont need to beatmatch the 15s should be fine

[TrueWind]

I got myself a pair of V-moda Faders by Ear Armor... They are quite decent! and cheap too!

http://v-moda.com/faders/

[M!TCH]

I've always felt like IEMs really helped prevent me from turning the music up too loud like I used to in order to overcome the sound system. I'll definitely be looking into those Westone's though.

[gudy2shuz]

Last I heard, Hear-o's gives away free plugs every month. I use them especially when I'm playing a slot. I have them in before and after I spin.