Ear Plugs or In-Ear Monitors?
Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2017 8:58 pmOK well after decades of faking it as a musician, I got an unexpected request to do mixing of the sound for a (very loud) band.
Actually, it seems that I get similar requests every time I go to bar gigs and parties now.
So while I am attempting to learn how to operate Master Fader and how to EQ for natural sound in a live mix, I am also learning that my ears are painfully sensitive to the high dBs in my 'old age'.
This came as a surprise to me, having lost the top octave already. I figured they would be less sensitive and extra volume would be welcome, but no. What happens is that my ears distort grievously, even with foam ear plugs in, and tire easily. Loud sound that others can tolerate all night with no protection (though it is stupid for them to do so) provokes severe pain in my ears after a few minutes.
Even just the sound of an ambulance siren going by when I am on the sidewalk causes phantom harmonic tones that sweep up and down the scale with the siren.
Chalk it up to age, abuse, and probably pharmaceuticals have something to do with it, plus a tendency to develop osteoarthritic spurs after joint damage. Presumably the same has happened to the bones in my ears.
So even with foam plugs I have to jam them in as far as I can with my fingertips to get the distortion to stop.
I am hoping that there is some ear plug product out there that will provide steep linear attenuation for someone mixing sound with spent ears for very loud bands (OK it is officially plural now).
So far I have found two brands that both seem to cost about $200 per pair for the custom molded ones. I am again presuming I need them because they seat deep and fit snug enough to prevent leakage and isolate the bony bass boom portion of the ear canal. I am hoping that deep ear plugs will help in the same way that jamming the foam in deep does.
Anybody got advice for me? thx.
Actually, it seems that I get similar requests every time I go to bar gigs and parties now.
So while I am attempting to learn how to operate Master Fader and how to EQ for natural sound in a live mix, I am also learning that my ears are painfully sensitive to the high dBs in my 'old age'.
This came as a surprise to me, having lost the top octave already. I figured they would be less sensitive and extra volume would be welcome, but no. What happens is that my ears distort grievously, even with foam ear plugs in, and tire easily. Loud sound that others can tolerate all night with no protection (though it is stupid for them to do so) provokes severe pain in my ears after a few minutes.
Even just the sound of an ambulance siren going by when I am on the sidewalk causes phantom harmonic tones that sweep up and down the scale with the siren.
Chalk it up to age, abuse, and probably pharmaceuticals have something to do with it, plus a tendency to develop osteoarthritic spurs after joint damage. Presumably the same has happened to the bones in my ears.
So even with foam plugs I have to jam them in as far as I can with my fingertips to get the distortion to stop.
I am hoping that there is some ear plug product out there that will provide steep linear attenuation for someone mixing sound with spent ears for very loud bands (OK it is officially plural now).
So far I have found two brands that both seem to cost about $200 per pair for the custom molded ones. I am again presuming I need them because they seat deep and fit snug enough to prevent leakage and isolate the bony bass boom portion of the ear canal. I am hoping that deep ear plugs will help in the same way that jamming the foam in deep does.
Anybody got advice for me? thx.