OT:Don't Want To Go To Deaf

Tell everyone to just turn down. you dont need to play so loud that your ears will get damaged. You can find a happy meduim, but i know how band mates are, they will always turn themselves up
Cj

Hi TBarrnes,
Yep, you can get earplugs made that theoretically are flat attenuation, but you have to go to an audiologist. You should probably also think about getting a set of in-ear monitors and then having your plugs made to fit your in-ears, they'll save you at shows.

Good luck
Dean

I had some of those fancy ones molded...and they started to fit loosely after only 4 months. They of course had a 30 day gaurantee. Now they are useless.

Now I just get the rolled foam ones and just got used to the different sound. I enjoy not having the ears ring after playing.

I wear these whenever I practice drums:

http://www.gk-music.com/ultraphones.htm

They attenuate so much sound that you have to pretty much mic the drums in order to even hear them while wearing the phones. I haven't worn them on a live gig, but I used to wear a set of closed headphones when I was in a rock band a few years ago. The problem was the low end--you can't really hear any. So now I use a butt kicker, and things are great.

If I ever played a live gig again, it'd be with some sort of closed headphones on and sitting on a throne with a butt kicker. I have a friend playing drums for a top-level national act and I have hung out at quite a few shows with him; most of those guys are wearing the molded in-ear plugs, like from these guys:

http://www.westone.com/content/8.html

TB

i am curious to hear more about these custom earplugs. i started using plugs at band practice a few years too late. i have a pretty noticable hearing loss from insanely loud bands for years. a couple of years ago i started using various plugs religiously but they drowned out the sound so badly it was really hard to write new music and improv and be able to hear everything clearly. i abandoned the plugs for live shows cuz how much fun is it jamming out when all you hear is a muffled mess? my favorite part of shows is the power of the music, the vibe, and i just can't get that with the plugs. i tried some that filtered out fewer db's, and they were better and clearer, but i suffered by ears ringing anyways because enough sound was still getting in to cause damage. i've tried turning down but when the drummer has a punishing style you can't hear sh*t unless the marshalls were cranked to 11! maybe there's no way around it in hard rock. so unless these custom plugs are the sheznit i'm selling my guitars and picking up the recorder so i'll be able to hear my grandkids call me an arsehole!

i abandoned the plugs for live shows cuz how much fun is it jamming out when all you hear is a muffled mess? my favorite part of shows is the power of the music, the vibe, and i just can't get that with the plugs.

I'm pretty sure Jeff Beck, Pete Townsend, and Paul Gilbert all used to feel the same way about loud/live shows . Of course, look at them now - tinnitus and all. Actually, I'm with you I kind of miss the adrenaline rush of loud amps, et al. But I've been in ear plaugs so long that I can't imagine life any other way. I think it's just something you have to commit to - and you get used to it after a while (like diet soda).

Yeah, I've heard of caffeine being a problem before. And I think high blood pressure factors in also. For me, I notice when my blood pressure goes up, after binging on soda into the wee morning hours doing guitar overdubs (very quietly I might add).

ORIGINAL: CJaysMusic

Tell everyone to just turn down. you dont need to play so loud that your ears will get damaged. You can find a happy meduim, but i know how band mates are, they will always turn themselves up
Cj

This is the ideal, but offen unattainable w/ "non-pro" drummers.
(Especialy in a small room)

ORIGINAL: lazarous

Huh. I'm on my 2nd set in 15 years. Never had this issue.

The custom fits are AWESOME. Westone makes the best, as far as I can tell.

Corey

I've had three molds (both westone and etymotic) cast in about that time, and have outgrown all of them (cartilage continues to grow over your lifetime). You may just have slower growing ears than mine. I do love the way they work for the first couple months though.

Butt kicker is a special driver for low freqs that attaches to the drum throne or some other piece of furniture....some even mount under the floor or a couch or chair. They are usually powered and driven by a large power amp....and they literally can shake the house...to give tactile feedback...so you FEEL the kick and bass....in your butt as you are sitting...hence the name Butt Kickers.

On live band noise levels: Yeah...I ruined my ears in a band years ago. We were LOUD. We averaged 115 DB onstage and during drum solo's it often went up to 121 DB. After 3 hours of that night after night for a few years.....I live with tinnitus 100% of the time. I have learned to compensate, and I am able to deal with it....but I have problems with hearing and distinguishing high freqs, above 3.5k.

Play lower, it sounds better and makes it easier on the sound tech. I've tried earplugs, and most were unsatisfactory, even the nice ones. Now....when I play, I use a lower volume, something I should have done back then.

It sounds like a great tool for digital drums. I'll have to check out that link. thanks tcbetka and GuitarHacker!!