How to save my hearing when shooting concerts and loud events

V

Victor Nhat Nguyen

Well-known member
I have been shooting weddings and in clubs where there are extremely loud music. Is there a type of headphone or something I can buy to save my hearings?
 
You're very smart to think about this. Far better to wear earplugs now than hearing aids l8er. Believe me...I know from firsthand experience that you really don't want your doctor using words like "degenerative" in reference to your hearing.
 
mhood said:
You're very smart to think about this. Far better to wear earplugs now than hearing aids l8er. Believe me...I know from firsthand experience that you really don't want your doctor using words like "degenerative" in reference to your hearing.
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I want to be a sound guy in the future. I don't think there's such a thing as a deaf sound mixer.
 
Etymotic Research makes professional devices for hearing protection, in-ear monitors (IEM) and combinations thereof.
With a good custom mould of your ear, you can get the same kind of protection plus monitoring used by rock stars, et.al.

http://www.etymotic.com/

Or you can try regular industrial hearing protectors (hard-shell "earphone" like shells) with earbuds in your ears.

http://www.harborfreight.com/hearing-protector-97849.html


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>>>...No such thing as a deaf sound mixer...<<< Oh, that is rich! There's a wealth of material there. But, to the OP's original question, a lot of folks have been using these: www.vicfirth.com/products/headphones . Built for drummers playing with live, loud bands, and also for isolation in the studio. Scroll down to the last couple of models on the page for the most popular ones. GJ
 
Ah, dang, I see the link is broken and I don't have time to fix it. Search Vic Firth for headphones, or just Google "Vic Firth Isolation headphones." I've also done what somebody already mentioned above, which is use full-ear hearing protectors over earbuds... GJ
 
Victor Nhat Nguyen said:
I wore the foam ones but I think they're okay. I want something much better. I want one where I can barely hear anything at all.
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Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe you want to get a rough estimation of how loud the sound is, then look at the ear plugs your getting and see how many decibels it will reduce your environment by. I think you want to be in the 70-80db range...knowing the db system I know thats a fairly large range, but I can't remember the exact number.

Whatever you end up getting, just make sure you thoroughly read the instructions on how to use them. It wasn't until someone actually showed me how to put those ear plugs in the other week that I started using them properly. Also the full ear muffs are great, but they won't work very well when they can't form a tight seal around your ears due to hair or glasses.

Another thing to look into as well is custom ear plugs. Can't get much better than something that is uniquely molded to your ear.
 
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If you have the money, by far the best solution is to have some proper in ear moulds made and have the facility to plug yourself in and monitor audio. When you have the moulds made, ask them for a spare set without the transducers - so you have a set like postmaster's, and another that you can plug into things. The proper industrial types can be purchased with different accurate sound reduction specs. Don't automatically get the most severe versions. I did, and a big mistake. If you have, like me, mild tinnitus caused by sound exposure, the most isolational ear protection cuts down the outside sound so much that the mild whistles I have sound much louder, and this is horrible. Something less severe works better.
 
Richard Crowley said:
At least in some countries, fire alarms are required to have a visible component (typically a xenon flash-tube).
I believe it is part of the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) law requirements.
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But the other alert could be 'and the lucky door number prize for the $10 grand has been won by Victor Nhat Nguyen .............................................
mmmm ok not here, he could away be somewhere meditating in those yellow hearing protectors'

'Well too bad, it goes back into the hat'

Cheers.
 
Years back when I was a young FOH mixer, I was introduced to hearing protection by Ted Nugent, who told me... If you want to keep your hearing you need to stuff pygmy dicks into your ears! I have been looking after my hearing ever since. Bottom line... You don't want to block out all the noise, which could make for a dangerous work environment and bad liability. You simply want to bring the noise down to a non dangerous level. Here is a site with a little mre info..... http://www.earplugstore.com/gennoisprot1.html
 
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