Let's all get ear plugs

drbluebeat · Post by **drbluebeat** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 11:27 am

So how do I get my iPod earphones in once I have the earplugs in?

drbluebeat · Post by **drbluebeat** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 11:42 am

On a more serious note how many Db is typical at, say, DMZ, SubDub, DubPressure?

The official First Action Level, as defined by UK Noise At Work legislation, is a noise level of 85dB (although this will reduce to 83dB from April 2006), which obliges employers to advise staff of potential danger and to offer some protection.

@ Delendi - I got my non-moulded from (uk based) http://www.sensorcom.com/ and I found the service excellent - they also appear to offer moulded for ~£70.00. And in answer to my jocular question above they actually offer earmoulds for personal stereo headphones so you can use your iPod but block out the harmful frequencies...I'm gonna email them about that.

delendi · Post by **delendi** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 11:47 am

drbluebeat wrote:On a more serious note how many Db is typical at, say, DMZ, SubDub, DubPressure?

The official First Action Level, as defined by UK Noise At Work legislation, is a noise level of 85dB (although this will reduce to 83dB from April 2006), which obliges employers to advise staff of potential danger and to offer some protection.

they don't even measure it correctly in clubs. really stupid... the thing they use is set to a setting that doesn't catch all the fast peaks, so dangerous levels slip by the test.

drbluebeat · Post by **drbluebeat** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 12:02 pm

Well we could always sport these funky "if my light flashes get your ear plugs in devices"

SoundCheck Noise Level Indicator

And @ Delendi again - you answered while I was editing my original post so not sure if you saw this:

@ Delendi - I got my non-moulded from (uk based) http://www.sensorcom.com/ and I found the service excellent - they also appear to offer moulded for ~£70.00. And in answer to my jocular question above they actually offer earmoulds for personal stereo headphones so you can use your iPod but block out the harmful frequencies...I'm gonna email them about that.

Although I'm happy with the earplugs I have (these) I am interested in upgrading to moulded if you secure a good price. Perforating my eardrum at SubDub once was a wakeup call! lol - it was worth it tho!!

ufo over easy · Post by **ufo over easy** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 5:06 pm

Delendi wrote:
tinitus is like AIDS... it only has to be one time.

jfortune · Post by **jfortune** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 5:25 pm

unlikely wrote:the important thing is to put them all the way in and leave em there til u adjust, dont take them out to speak to people etc. as the rapid change in sound pressure is the thing that really does damage

Interesting.

delendi · Post by **delendi** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 6:16 pm

UFO over easy wrote:
Delendi wrote:
tinitus is like AIDS... it only has to be one time.

lol i know it sounds funny yeh... but just think about that every time you're around a source of high SPL and you will get shooook. just remember kids... always use an earcondom before u enter that bassgina

cody · Post by **cody** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 6:21 pm

Delendi wrote:
UFO over easy wrote:
Delendi wrote:
tinitus is like AIDS... it only has to be one time.

lol i know it sounds funny yeh... but just think about that every time you're around a source of high SPL and you will get shooook. just remember kids... always use an earcondom before u enter that bassgina

the scariest part is high SPL. is that like being subjected to watching low grade football for long periods of time on a tiny black and white telly with mark lawrenson remorselessly dropping terrible pun after terrible pun?

delendi · Post by **delendi** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 6:25 pm

JUST like that, yeh.

ufo over easy · Post by **ufo over easy** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 6:36 pm

Delendi wrote: lol i know it sounds funny yeh... but just think about that every time you're around a source of high SPL and you will get shooook. just remember kids... always use an earcondom before u enter that bassgina

Yep, I've had my moulded plugs for nearly a year now I think. Out to all protection massive.

cody · Post by **cody** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 6:50 pm

Delendi wrote:JUST like that, yeh.

dont get the hump! please could you explain what SPL is in reference to ear damage.

delendi · Post by **delendi** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 6:54 pm

sound pressure levels. basically loudness!

delendi · Post by **delendi** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 7:02 pm

right these ones are all like... 5 minutes bus ride from me, so i might just have a visiting day round them all!

ACS Outlets in Greater London
Geraldine Daly 55 Harley Street London
W1G 8QR 020 7323 2076
Harley Street Hearing 129 Harley Street London
W1G 6BA 0207 4861053
Nick Clive 150 Harley Street London
W1G 7LQ 0207 2240355
Jacqueline B. Sheldrake 32 Devonshire Place London
W1G 6JL 020 7487 2701
Cubex 25 New Cavendish Street London
W1G 8LP 020 7935 5511
Capital Audiology Suite 9
22 Harley Street London
W1G 9PL 020 7631 1855
Clarity Digital Hearing Department of Audiology
Portland Hospital London
W1W 5QT 020 7390 8057
London Otological Centre 66 New Cavendish Street London
W1G 8TD 020 7637 5111
Hand Held Audio Unit 2
12-48 Northumberland Park London
N17 OTX 020 8880 3243
Hidden Hearing 191 Baker Street
(opp tube stn) London
NW1 6UY 020 7486 3638
Hidden Hearing 71 Duke Street
Mayfair (off Oxford St) London
020 7408 1245
Hidden Hearing
Hearing Healthcare 50/54 Wigmore Street London
W1U 2AU 020 7935 5554

braiden · Post by **braiden** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 7:23 pm

Delendi wrote:
i've said before in discussions about this... the 12 quid ones aren't gunna save your ears... i got heavily lectured in this during my degree. it was very very scary. you only get one set of ears for your whole life. definitely get em as a quick fix, i'm gunna... i can't MAKE you all get moulded ones, but out of concern for your ears i advise u to

i was wondering about this. are moulded ones actually better for protection than the er20s then? I thought they were just more comfortable with better sound quality. and how different is the sound with custom moulded ones compared to the ER20s, anyone compared??

delendi · Post by **delendi** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 7:51 pm

the material moulded earplugs are made of reduces a better range of the harmful frequencies resulting in a flat response, which yeh... means you get a better reconstruction of the sound you're trying to listen to. aside from that, them being custom made means they fit better in your ear and won't let in any frequencies round the sides. high frequencies, which are the most harmful, have a very short wavelength and can get thru those little gaps. bass is like gamma radiation... can get thru ANYTHING cos the size of each wave is so large.

concern about the price... the custom mades are meant to last you a few years at least, whereas the cheaper, ready made ones shouldn't be used for so long before u replace them... so using each for say 3 years... the price difference isn't SO bad.

mayhem · Post by **mayhem** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 8:10 pm

I went to an ENT doctor and got a pair or ER25s made a while ago.
I regularly, but not always, DJ with them in. They are INCREDIBLE!
There have been so many blaring systems/booths in which the booth needed to be turned up so loud to compensate for reflections in the booth itself or from the main system that I ruined my ears for days. Just recently I played a gig where the monitors were mounted on the ceiling about 3-5 meters away from where I was and the DJ before me suffered heavily from a lack of clarity. When I got on the decks I had no problems beat matching after I put my plugs in and turned up the monitors a bit. I paid 160$ for mine which is a percentile of what it's worth to protect your hearing.

contakt · Post by **contakt** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 8:19 pm

I woke up in the night with a loud ringing in my ears about a week and a half ago.

It is still there.

There is a possibility that it has been caused by an ear infection and will go away in a few weeks, but...

Basically, you really do not want what I've got right now. Get some ear plugs. It is worth the cost because tinnitus or hearing loss is too high a price to pay.

neil inprint · Post by **neil inprint** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 4:30 pm

Hey.

I was about to go buy some of the moulded plugs, but I'm DEF down with tryin to obtain a group discount.

I woke up once completely deaf a few days after playing on a big rig, was totally deaf for most of the day and didn't get full hearing back in both ears for a coupla days, one of the scariest things I've experienced.

I've been djing since the early 90s and I know my hearing has suffered- for eg if im in a noisy pub with a group of people I cant follow a conversation unless I'm looking at the person speaking. Worrying, and I shoulda done something before, but am very keen to stop anymore permanent damage.

plastician · Post by **plastician** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 4:51 pm

obIwan wrote: only 2 loud, al la Plastician, please have loud bass but don't just turn the whole rig up that high, it stops it being enjoyable with the treble damage on ear fibres.

I NEVER turn the rig up

In fact if you check the mixer.. I turn the gains down by 50%

I also turn the tops and mids down to 10 o clock

The bass goes up to 2 o clock as I mix from a digital signal.

I never touch the master volume.

It definitely feels louder though, I'm not picking for the sake of picking but I do not wear earplugs so I can feel and hear everything you guys can.

I'm playing this Friday so if it sounds too sharp, just come tell me.

Last time I played when Wiley's taplin track dropped it did sound way too loud, but when I whacked the gains and the level down on it, there was no change to the volume. The old analog mixer they use is not best designed to deal with digital signal and often the EQ doesn't make much difference to the overall sound coming out of the speakers.

Sorry to anyone whose ears have fell victim to one of my sets, if it happens normally I'm just unaware - I am hearing exactly what you are hearing. But its not only me - i can recall doing the 2-3 set a month or so back and the pressure on my ears was so intense during youngsta's and then n type's set that i had to leave the club and sit in my car for 30 minutes to give my ears a chance to stop ringing before starting my set.

Speak to the guys behind the bar - they have access to the limiters on the club's main amp, which probably would do a better job of retaining comfortable listening levels than I could on the mixer.

obiwan · Post by **obiwan** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 1:16 pm

Shame, sorry Plasticman, sounded more like a direct attack than it ws supposed to, I should think before typing. Anyway, thanks for giving a shit whether we go deaf or not! I don't really mind going deaf for Japan and Intensive Snare. What you said is actually really interesting and completely shows my ignorance, I had no idea the master level was behind the bar! Is that because they want you to buy more drinks?! Interesting about the levels on your mixer, obviously your sets are bassy but I didn't think you turned the gain on the treble that far down. I find it so interesting the way different presses, productions and songs vary and tweaking all the gains, pitch etc so you get a good blend. Its just I almost prefer the half ten till 1 bit of the set and it just gets louder and louder from 1 till 3, and one day I would really like to produce with some good monitors and be able to hear the difference.

Someone please tell me, how many more times am I gonna get in trouble on this forum, I need a team of censors!

Let's all get ear plugs

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