Headphone safety?

S

Scottdvx100

Veteran
In testing audio equipment i've managed a couple of times to get pops, loud noises and feedback (pulling headphones half off while the mic was close).
Needless to say it wasn't pleasant. I have to imagine that this happens even to pros occasionally when a clapper is used unexpectedly too close to the mic, someone shouting into the mic unexpectedly, some cable or other audio connection has a problem, etc.

I know you can set the audio recorder to use a limiter but is that sufficient for headphone usage? Is there such a thing as a limiter for headphones to prevent too high of db coming out, no matter it's source?

I know enough o dial the headphones down before putting them on and then brining them up but are there other safety tips? Thanks.
 
Try not to plug things in or unplug them (1/4", XLR, whatever) while you have your headphones on. If you can get a pair with a volume control, you can use that to protect yourself. Or take them on and off, leaving them around your neck, when you are working with sound gear or especially when there is more than one person involved in a set-up, or there are musicians (electric guitar players!) involved in the sound set-up. It's like "defensive driving," you have to make sure that you make good decisions, and you have to watch out for everybody else too. If you find yourself working with musicians in the studio, or live sound set-ups involving guitarists or drummers, watch out. Use good communication, avoid sticking your ear right by the speaker or right into that bass drum if you're not sure if someone is going to "surprise" you or not.

If you are doing film/video work, and it's just you and your recording gear, I guess be careful and know what you're doing and why you're doing it at all times, and keep the volume at a level that is enough for you to do your job, but not overkill.

It does happen a lot, but it's also one of those things that can be mitigated or completely prevented if caution is used.

GJ
 
I understand all of that and being cautious. Odd that with all the tech available in the recorders, mixers and all the add ons available that no system limits the headphones. They make auto limiters for recording. I'd rather have auto limiters for my hearing. I can likely shoot another take. My ears may not be so easy to replace.
 
I can't say that in production sound mixing and booming I've ever gotten feedback between the mics and my cans. In the last several years, I've switched to in-ears which because of their excellent isolation (26db), I can run very low levels and still hear everything I need to. But the first thing that comes to mind is how loud are you driving your headphones? If you're monitoring at high levels, that may be damaging your hearing far more than a few clicks and thumps. If you find you have to drive them really loud to be able to hear over the din of the set, then you may want to consider cans which provide better isolation, rather than cranking them up. Understand I'm speculating here, but I can't think of anything that would cause your headphones to feedback when in close proximity to an open mic other then they are cranked up!.

Scottdvx100 said:
I understand all of that and being cautious. Odd that with all the tech available in the recorders, mixers and all the add ons available that no system limits the headphones. They make auto limiters for recording. I'd rather have auto limiters for my hearing. I can likely shoot another take. My ears may not be so easy to replace.
Click to expand...
 
Yep feedback from mics to cans somethings amiss .. late night, low pay, she said no etc.

After years of doing stuff, you develop instincts that warn you when LOUD pops and bangs are likely to happen.

+1 sustained loud noise is the danger. I work with older aircraft engineers and 99% have limited hearing through working around big piston engines without any ear protection.

Don't leave your cans lying around loose on the floor or desk overnight ... small crawlies and midges will make a home in there.

Buy audio ear plugs by the box, take some to rock concerts, leave some in the car. I use 'em when flying as a passenger on long hauls, they put me to zzz zzz.

Cheers.
 
i have hd 280 headphones. in the example i was testing a microphone close to me (not common) and had started to pull off the headphones when i got the feedback. the volume wasn't cranked high but it was a major jump in volume at that moment. Obviously my fault but I've had pops in wireless or other odd things in the past. Certainly will pay more attention in the future but just like other areas have self-protection, I had hoped there might be something in the area of sound recording.
 
There's a good reason that limiters aren't built for this purpose. Most professionals who would invest at that level are cautious enough that this isn't an issue, and adding something to the chain has the potential to alter the accuracy of your monitoring. I'm sure you could rig something to accomplish this, but it wouldn't be worth it. You're right that it is your fault in this case, and now you know not to do it. You shouldn't be monitoring loud enough that an electrical pop or even a tap on the mic directly would be painful. You also have to know how to take them off very quickly if you have to. Self protection, no matter what field you work in, starts with attentiveness and understanding the equipment and procedures.
 
Yes. Well, it's good to know what you know, but you did ask for tips, so I as well as others here have done their best
to accommodate your initial question. It sounds like you've figured-out that feedback in your situation is pretty well non-existent, and that that one particular incident was indeed self-inflicted. Which is precisely why I was stressing caution and safety (which you apparently already know about).

The only other reason that you might ever have feedback like that in your cans in the situations you are/will be in (film/video work only, if I understand correctly), would be if you were monitoring too loudly, as previously mentioned, with some type of open phones. You need closed phones; isolation headphones if possible. If you have certain types of headphones, with the soft open-cel foam ear covers, that do not properly seal over your ears, and you have a microphone that you are monitoring too close to your head, a spike like that can happen (used to happen to me in radio all the time years ago).

Again, awareness, caution, safety, and self-preservation.

GJ
 
You can get headphones with built in limiters to comply with noise at work regs here in the UK. http://www.canford.co.uk/Level-limited-headphones-and-headsetshttp://www.canford.co.uk/Level-limited-headphones-and-headsets

One of the snags of course, is that you cannot have loud headphones when you need it - so it's a tricky choice. I personally like loud monitoring, despite the dangers, in certain situations - and this choice is taken away from me with protected ones.

How many times have I had a headset on and some idiot with a mic live, pulls off their headset letting the mic hit against the camera, or fall to the floor, deafening every person on the ring? Dozens, possibly even hundreds. How many times have I had the level up really loud - maybe when shooting music events, and poked a finger under the DTs to scratch my ear and had feedback from my open mic hearing itself via the headphone? not so many, but certainly enough times for me to really to get cross with myself. I also use IEM monitors quite a bit, and the squeal of feedback can be really painful. It shouldn't happen, but despite best attempts, mistakes still get made. I only have the volume necessary to do the job, but sometimes that is still pretty loud.
 
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Interesting about the limited heaphones.

Part of writing here is to learn things and see what I'm missing. My suggestion would be to add some notes to a sticky or somewhere a few of the items that aren't pure technical. Things would include some basics about headphone usage, safety listening and safety of cables, etc. This is the type of info that old hands take for granted but can take a newcomer a little time to catch up to. These are also the type of things not covered in books and videos.

Personally I wouldn't have been surprised if someone mentioned a little box that had an adjustable limit and an on/off switch that could be purchased to go between your headphones and where ever the sound is coming from. I would buy one. I just thought pro audio people would want to make sure to protect their ears. Obviously being careful and paying attention are key but I don't think an option to protect for the unexpected is out of the question.
 
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