To hear or not to hear.....yep, that’s the question.

[Ovibos]

I've had custom-molded ones ever since my early-20's (43 now).

Wear them for rehearsals, jams, shows (mine and others). IDGAF if people think they look geeky.

They're miles better than off-the-shelf, and for me the only option. What I discovered was that my ear canals take sharp 90-degree turns really early and I can't get any regular xmas-tree style ones deep enough.

Originally had Westones I got at H.E.A.R. in SF; lost them a few years back.
Now have some Sensaphonics fitted by a local Chicago audiologist who had a booth at last summer's Winnetka Music Festival.

 

[Huggy Love]

That's one of the beautiful things about Jazz for me, players that pride themselves with being able to have discipline to lay back and be a supportive role while letting someone else take the solo, use dynamics, and do this well. Everybody solos in Jazz (including drummers) so everybody in the combo tries to apply those techniques (lay back/take a solo,etc), when the drummer, (who is the captain of the combo) has dynamics really down, it's the best.

 

[shinksma]

Celtic Fusion ya got me there! hmmm Eluveite "The Call of the Mountains" on Nuclear Blast of course. Not sure if there is a pm feature on the forum otherwise I would have used it. Would like to find/hear more of this style very cool!

Eluveite is a great band that could easily be called Celtic Fusion! We aren't that rock'n'roll/heavy (yet - give me time...) - instead we are more like Blackmore's Night, maybe. Folk - Celtic with a dose of rock'n'roll.

We have a few tracks available to demo full-length on CDBaby, and the rest of our first CD has 30 second demos. Look for band name Hard To Port - album name is "Transhumance".

We'll be doing something similar for our second CD (almost in the can!), "Mustang Run". The second CD is more rock'n'roll than the first, I would say.

And yeah, the Forum has a PM feature called "Conversation". Left Click on user avatar on left side, click on "Start a Conversation". No idea why it isn't called "Private Message". Maybe because nothing is truly private any more? Right NSA guy/gal reading this?

 

[JMintzer]

Years ago, I had custom made earplugs, fitted with 10dB filters. Similar to the Westones...

I use them when playing live, and shooting outdoors and they work great. They're great at concerts, as well.

Minimal loss of the high notes and you can still carry on a conversation...

 

[ScottR]

How’s a guy supposed to remember crucial stuff, like the date codes for Mullard 12AX7s produced in the Blackburn factory in 1962, if he also has to remember, “We’re going to my sister’s for dinner 3 weeks from tomorrow.”

The brain protects itself by refusing to fire the memory synapses for stuff that would cause it to lose the truly critical data!

^^^^THIS!!^^^^

My wife calls it "Selective Hearing"...I call it... My "Auditory Stupidity Gate".

 

[ieso]

I have tinnitus from years of gigging and that was one reason I gave up band life. Honestly, though, it wasn't just the insane volume levels but the whole band thing probably would have led to premature death. I really love playing live but that's only 10% of it. The remaining 90% was at best okay and almost always terrible. I much prefer geeking out in my studio and teaching.

 

[Steve's addiction]

For 63 my hearings not bad but I find louder I play, the more it hurts. Total opposite of what I use to be

 

[beas]

I would chime in and endorse the use of custom molded musician earplugs. I am a psychologist at an academic medical center. Once a month, I join a multidisciplinary team in a tinnitus management clinic where we screen and treat individuals with chronic ringing in their ears. Noise exposure certainly is a predisposing factor and has a cumulative effect over the course of many years. Consequently, protecting hearing early on is highly advisable. I would guess that the modal age of our patients in our clinic is around 62. Many have had musical backgrounds or careers. For some, the chronicity of the rining in their ears creates strong emotional responses and these interfere with their activities and their lives. If your ears feel muffled or are ringing after practice or a gig, you are damaging your hearing. The custom molded earplugs are much cheaper than hearing aids. They are a relatively inexpensive protection for our aural senses. A good audiologist should be able to create a set of these earplugs.

 

[jak3af3r]

I always use earplugs onstage ESPECIALLY during soundcheck. I did a few shows and as soon as we were finished I had noticible temporary threshold shift. That's when I decided earplugs were the way to go.

I've also worked in a machine shop where they were required and detailing cars where they should be required as pressure washers, vacuums, and buffers get quite loud. All of this was prior to professional gigging.

I have tinnitus too so certain pitches and volumes really set it off so I make sure I have earplugs in my pockets at all times just in case I need them.

The added bonus is it blocks out snoring drummers! And I've noticed I sleep on overnight travel days much better with them in.

 

[bodia]

Well, your thread caused some action. I have an appointment with an Audiologist Thursday!

 

[11top]

I just drove 5 hours each way to NAMM. I had to ask my wife to repeat herself constantly. I have reached critical stage. I’m actually worried to the point of quiting my band. I have custom molded ear plugs, but they still remove the highs so it’s like playing without your tone. :-(

I also have hearing aids, but really don’t like wearing them. About the only time I wear them is to watch TV or if I am going to a party or a meeting. The conflicting interference noise is very annoying. That being said, if you are in the market for hearing aids, I high recommend (are you ready for this?)..........Costco. Costco? I know, right? They are the largest seller of hearing aids in the world, employ audiologists, and have the same manufacturers and technology as the local mom and pop shops, plus they charge about half the cost. I got mine, which are controlled by my IPhone for under $2,000 for the pair. I don’t like avoiding small local businesses, but half the cost is hard to ignore especially when all else appears equal.

 

[Boogie]

11Top, it would be a huge loss for everyone if you stepped away from playing live. The damage incurred so far can be stopped from getting worse, so your condition shouldn’t progress to the level you fear. It may require getting used to IEMs and digital modeling but you’ve already tackled that learning curve. Keep at it!

When we were at Gear Fest, in the HeadRush tent, they had a live 4-piece band playing with a traditional drum set and a giant looking PA. They sounded awesome yet we (the deaf twins) had a comprehensive conversation with the product manager. They were easily half, if not 30% of my band’s volume. I know many of you already have this kind of setup, but I was still impressed. I want to get my IEMs dialed-in or replace our wedges with powered, modern equipment so we can wash the entire stage at a much lower volume. Those guys could easily hear each other, and that’s the biggest difference.

Regarding conversations in the car, sound isolation has become one of my biggest selection criteria for the exact reason you mention. When we were driving to the airport for Exp 2018 in that Honda CRV, I couldn’t understand 80% of what you and Markie were saying.

 

[11top]

Regarding conversations in the car, sound isolation has become one of my biggest selection criteria for the exact reason you mention. When we were driving to the airport for Exp 2018 in that Honda CRV, I couldn’t understand 80% of what you and Markie were saying.

That’s because 1) it was utter gibberish, 2) you got lucky, or 3) both.


I’m going with #3.

 

[11top]

11Top, it would be a huge loss for everyone if you stepped away from playing live.

Kerry, I think it’s an idle threat. I’m an addict.

 

[vchizzle]

I get a hearing test done every year at work. I've been there 22 years. I have some very mild hearing loss in my left ear. Which is the opposite ear I'd expect. At any rate, I do have slight issue with TV volume(I always tell her to turn it up). We practice with a little volume the past few months. Obviously we have to hear over the drums. Our bass player is the next worst offender. I guess I'm slightly worried about it, but after 15+ years in my current group(same drummer anyway) - I've only lost a tiny bit. I might look into some custom plugs.

 

[matonanjin]

My wife is so tired of having to repeat for me what was said on TV. It ruins our trying to enjoy an evening of watching TV. But my hearing loss is not from playing in a band. I haven't done that since high school. And that was only for a brief period and over five decades ago.

I'm convinced my hearing loss is due to decades of listening to my music in my car at pain levels. I blame Carlos Santana!! For the majority of my adult life my work called for a lot of time every day driving a three state area. Every second behind the steering wheel had my music at, as I said, pain levels. I'm paying for that silliness now.

 

[andy474x]

I suppose I’m equal parts lucky and wise. I tried to wear earplugs as often as possible, and usually mixed and tracked at reasonable levels.

The band I play with now is so adult contemporary that I could hear the crowd talking over us onstage at our last show, so I go raw dog with them.

You're dirty.

 

[andy474x]

So many mediocre drummers think they have to pound like crazy. The good ones play with dynamics. So do good bands, in any genre.

The players folks in my biz hire for sessions - the really great players in lots of styles - have excellent dynamics. I’ve played out live with them, and it’s been nothing but joy, no competition over volume.

It really is such a great experience to focus on dynamics when playing live. I love my wife, but sometimes I think I would kiss a drummer if they played with some sense.

 

[László]

It really is such a great experience to focus on dynamics when playing live. I love my wife, but sometimes I think I would kiss a drummer if they played with some sense.

I know some great women drummers. So if ya gotta kids a drummer...

Not that there’s anything wrong with kissing guy drummers, but just sayin’!

 

[Deleted member 5962]

My ears don't do that when my wife is giving me some information that she considers critical and I, evidently, don't. But my brain does. I must hear it all, but my brain seems to decide to do an X-Men thing on a lot of it and zap it so it's like it never happened. I seem to be powerless to control this!

Ahhh, I call that Life Skills!