hearing loss

Aser

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/4580718.stm

anybody have concerns about this, considering some of you are working dj's etc. I do feel my body recovers a lot slower from excessive noise than in the past. Last time I recalled my ears ringing for 3 days straight after a terribly eq'ed concert (@ the warehouse, I hate the sound man there, it happens every time).

does anybody here actually wear earplugs for shows?

noz

does anybody here actually wear earplugs for shows?

always. if you love music (and hearing) you'd be a fool not to.

SexyBNyce

Say what?








no seriously. I have the hearing of a 60 year old. The dr suggested those pricey custom earplugs cuz them foam joints just don't work for me at all, cuts out all the highs and shit that one would NEED to hear on stage. I copped them, not the $300 ones, the $50 ones, and they worked real good! Used them for one show and lost em. what did you say dude?

Pistol_Pete

Say what?








no seriously. I have the hearing of a 60 year old. The dr suggested those pricey custom earplugs cuz them foam joints just don't work for me at all, cuts out all the highs and shit that one would NEED to hear on stage. I copped them, not the $300 ones, the $50 ones, and they worked real good! Used them for one show and lost em. what did you say dude?

so you rock ear plugs while djing?

I keep getting sporadic rings in my ears from time to time. I try to wear ear plugs at concerts since i go to about 3 a week, but i usually wear them once a month

SexyBNyce

so you rock ear plugs while djing?

I keep getting sporadic rings in my ears from time to time. I try to wear ear plugs at concerts since i go to about 3 a week, but i usually wear them once a month

Never wear them DJing. It's hard enough to cue when you got the spot really blasting.

DjArcadian

I have terrible hearing when there is any sort of background noise. It really pisses off a lot of people because they have to keep repeating themselves. I was waiting for a train and talking with a friend of mine who was with me. As the train approached I had to tell her to stop talking because I couldn't understand anything she was saying.

d_word

This is a knowledge dropped for sure. No Bob Mould and Phil Collins.



GOOD IDEAS

DJCire

does anybody here actually wear earplugs for shows?

Huh? What was that?...

Nah for real though, I get random doses of ear ringing and its not only annoying but a little painful as well. I think I should cop some ear plugs or something cuz I've noticed it over the last year or so....

chase

I'm scurd as hell about that, I have also had my ears ring for days after a show... I really need to cop some good ear plugs..



any suggestions on where to get them?

asstro

I have pretty bad tinnitus, mostly from many years of going to shows and playing guitar in punk bands without earplugs, and DJ'ing for the 4 years I did it regularly (2-3 nights a week) didn't help any. My ears ring 24/7 but it's especially bad at night when it's quiet. And like Arcadian, it's nearly impossible or me to follow conversations in crowded rooms or pretty much anywhere with a lot of background noise.

Just about the only thing I regret in my life is not protecting my hearing before it was damaged. Strutters, invest in some hearing protection pronto and keep the levels in your 'phones sane. It gets really easy to have them cranked during your set (especially if you've been boozing it up) but that is when you are most at risk of fucking yourself up permanently.

meatyogre

caffeine and alcohol also factor in to hearing damage.... so gettin real wasted at a loud ass venue/bar/concert can double or triple the damage. Keep in mind, you can NEVER recover your hearing in any form. Once the cells are dead, adios. Those plugs that mold to your ear are dope, I needs some. They have different filters you can insert, that dampen all frequencies at the same level, with different dB amounts.

FSNS

MOGWAI

d_word

caffeine and alcohol also factor in to hearing damage....

Huh? Okay I'm gonna go consult google.

canonical

I just watched It's All Gone Pete Tong tonight. Weird.

raredave

I have terrible hearing when there is any sort of background noise. It really pisses off a lot of people because they have to keep repeating themselves.

same here, yet I can hear my neighbour downstairs taking a shit if the conditions are right.

d_word

Oh I get it, this says aspirin and antibiotics can cause hearing loss. And caffeine and alcohol can trigger bad effects in those that have M??ni??re's disease and tinnitus.

smallchange

I'm scurd as hell about that, I have also had my ears ring for days after a show... I really need to cop some good ear plugs..

any suggestions on where to get them?

Talk to a hospital and get recommendations. I got mine at a Hearing Center in NJ. I was concerned about this and had my hearing tested, went to a hospital and after the test got 3 different places that sold the earplugs. They come in varying strenghts, 25, 15, and 9. This is the amount of DBs they reduce. I have had the 15s for a coupla years now and they have definitely saved my ass, from DJing or bartending or going out. Some essential protection, like sunglasses/goggles on the beach/slopes. I think the 25s are a wee bit strong, like say for classical musicians sitting in front of the brass section in the pit. Unless you're really sensitive go for the 15s or 9s. They also fit flush to your ear, so you can DJ with them, but I almost never do, cos as someone said it gets tough nailing those mixes with the shit pumping. I've thinking about getting the 9s for this reason, and supposedly just buying the filters is cheaper, cos you already have the mold.

The main benefit of them is you can still make out the highs and mids. Regular foam plugs make everything sound underwater, and you can get decent one size fits all 'musician's earplugs' from around $15-20, which are better. But to me the custom fit jobs (around $150-175) are worth every penny. Its just a much better listening experience

Click h.e.a.r. Good resource.

Mas info on Tinnitus.

$??

kitchenknight

One other thing to be careful of as your ears get more and more f-ed up is balance issues. I've got some seriously fucked up ears (a long history of infections, ruptured ear drums, surgery, the whole nine) and as I've gotten older I've gotten some serious dizzy spells- especially on days when I'm tired/hungover, etc. (and I'm 26, so I'm not a geezer by any stretch. ears are definitely my achilles heal, as it were.)

I'm an extreme case, but when you fuck with your ears, there is more that goes along with it. As one doctor put it when describing the labyrinthian system (which puts the (Nate Dogg & Warren G 'bout to) Regulation on balance). Ear, Nose & Throat doctors don't want to touch it, and neither do Neurologists as its buried under a lot of skull and your ear canals...so, no one wants anything to do with it.

But, it did get me a lot of valium, so that was aiight.

dCastillo

nothing is more scary to me than losing my senses. I want some earplug things. I often find myself just nodding my head and smiling when somebody is talking to me and there's music playing in the background. Maybe this is a sign that I spent way too much time in my headphones over these years. Luckily I'm only 23, and I have some time to correct myself before it gets worse.

pointman

I have had a few friends get musicians ear plugs, where they talk molds of their ear cannals. Both guys DJ at the very least once a week and they both always play with them in without problems. I always rock earplugs but I don't have any fancy ones and can't manage to play with them in. I need to find a spot here in Houston where I get some.