Ladies and gents, I'm wondering what my ears should feel like after a gig. :sqerr: I'll wait for some input before I post further comments on it. Please reply in writing.
Huh? Wha? I can't hear you....
- Thread starter RaskyKat
- Start date
Depends....
First of all, keep your headphone volume low if they are on your head all night, keep them louder if they rest on your shoulder. All I do is lean the phone up to my ear with my shoulder like a telephone. I find the most hearing loss I've had probably is due to headphone being cranked believe it or not. Now, I keep em down.
If you have subs, you may be a little fatigued after the gig....
If you don't, then as long as you are behind the horns on your speakers, you should have very little to worry about.
Also, keep the volume on the floor at a level you can tolerate when empty.
Then bump up just a hair when it fills.
If you have ringing in the ears, you have begun to damage them permanently....
If you have a headache, its the beer.
First of all, keep your headphone volume low if they are on your head all night, keep them louder if they rest on your shoulder. All I do is lean the phone up to my ear with my shoulder like a telephone. I find the most hearing loss I've had probably is due to headphone being cranked believe it or not. Now, I keep em down.
If you have subs, you may be a little fatigued after the gig....
If you don't, then as long as you are behind the horns on your speakers, you should have very little to worry about.
Also, keep the volume on the floor at a level you can tolerate when empty.
Then bump up just a hair when it fills.
If you have ringing in the ears, you have begun to damage them permanently....
If you have a headache, its the beer.
The first 10 years are a breeze then they call you grandpa 
Seriously it all depends on the SPL you are running. Anything over 115 you really should have protection
I got to start following my own advice :sqembarrassed:
Seriously it all depends on the SPL you are running. Anything over 115 you really should have protection
I got to start following my own advice :sqembarrassed:
If it's too loud you are too old.
My biggest problems is small places with tons of people. Even when I'm shaking the walls it rarely effects me, at most I will get a bass headache 2 18" and 3600 watts will do that from time to time.
As long as you don't have a horn in your ear all night I don't think your ears should be ringing.
Some people are more sensitive than others also. I would suggest if you feel your hearing is in Jeapordy you should wear protection.
My biggest problems is small places with tons of people. Even when I'm shaking the walls it rarely effects me, at most I will get a bass headache 2 18" and 3600 watts will do that from time to time.
As long as you don't have a horn in your ear all night I don't think your ears should be ringing.
Some people are more sensitive than others also. I would suggest if you feel your hearing is in Jeapordy you should wear protection.
In the time Ive been working Ive never had a problem with volume. I always run 2 18" subs and think that one of the cooler things about being a DJ is the conversations you hear from the dance floor. People just dont realize that its not as loud where the DJ is standing. 
And most of the time, you are behind the speakers so you only catch the "backwave" of the box. Temporary threshold shift is common in DJing but if your ears "Ring" long after the gig is over.....You're too loud!
We live and die by our ears.....Take care of them.
We live and die by our ears.....Take care of them.
I dont know that there would be much of an SPL difference behind or in front especially if you are running subs
Wow! I wonder if I'm playing too loudly! After a gig, when I'm laying in bed at 2am waiting to fall asleep my ears ring. Sometimes they are still ringing when I wake up at 8am the next morn.
If I wear earplugs, then I won't be able to monitor the sound, right? So what to do?
I don't have any subs yet, just 2 big-ass JBL 115's. I don't keep my cans on all night either. Have them on for just 30 seconds at a time if that.
Wondering if I have damaged my ears already!
If I wear earplugs, then I won't be able to monitor the sound, right? So what to do?
I don't have any subs yet, just 2 big-ass JBL 115's. I don't keep my cans on all night either. Have them on for just 30 seconds at a time if that.
Wondering if I have damaged my ears already!
Well....There are actually "Pro" earplugs. They attenuate the sound without changing (cutting) any frequencies. Those orange or yellow foam jobs merely muffle. The pro plugs lower incoming SPL. Cost runs from $100 and up.
How inportant is YOUR hearing to you?
How inportant is YOUR hearing to you?
My favorite ones are the ones that cut the mids by 6 - 8db
When I was in my rock band, I'd wear one in the ear facing the drummer. The crash cymbals killed my hearing. I was part of a brass section.
Hearos are the perfect brand for me. Not a bad investment. And you can still have a conversation. They have several models and my favorites like I said cut the mids by 6 - 8db.
Don't confuse these with shooters plugs which kill 30db of sound. Those are not for the audio industry.
think of hearing protection as a tool. If I did night clubs night after night, I'd be definitely keeping them on hand. Some are even custom made.
http://hearos.com/
I keep a db meter handy and keep an eye on the levels not only for the crowd, but also (more importantly) where I am standing. I wear earplugs occasionally to lessen the fatigue. We carry a big stereo, so it's something to watch. What most people don't realize is that you can be hitting as much SPL with a small system and just not realizing it too. I agree with Scott. Your ears are important. TAke care of them.
It's not likely. Short term exposure to noise levels above 95 dB often result in ringing or ear fatigue but may not indicate permanent damage. But why take chances?... Wondering if I have damaged my ears already!
That said, take the following advice from an old factory worker: Wear industrial-grade ear protection when your levels will be above 80 dB for an extended period of time. These newer designs block dangerous levels yet still allow conversation. You can hear voice but the more dangerous mids and highs are attenuated to a safe level.
I wore ear plugs as a rule when doing school dances. Kept a pair in the gig bag.
In industry, it could be interpreted as one hour. That's OSHA.
Most industrial plants I have worked in required hearing protection to be worn by everyone who was on the plant floor, regardless. That goes for visitors, too.
I would strongly suggest wearing some type of hearing protection when doing high SPL shows indoors. Headphones are not ear protection, by the way. Reuseable earplugs are my personal choice but use what works best for you.
Rasky
Read up on OSHA guidelines for starters. They are based on 5 days a week exposure, but they are a good indicator of what can be tolerated and what should not. I carry a couple laminated sheets in the DJ system that talk about sound levels just in case I have a faculty question about it (we have a pretty big stereo; I want to be prepared --though it's never been brought up). Also remember that an employee by OSHA guidelines is not required to wear hearing protection, but is required to have it available. For this reason, we carry a box of individually packaged earplugs and offer them at dances. If any faculty want some, they are welcome. Not only is it much appreciated, but if required to be working in that environment, the school should be providing such. They have no reason to think of it, so we just COA and theirs.
i would be concerned that if your ears are sufferring, so are your guests. Get a 2nd opinion of your sound system from another sound person or DJ. Maybe some simple EQ settings will soften the blow. If customers ears are ringing they won't be your customers; consider them as well!!
Read up on OSHA guidelines for starters. They are based on 5 days a week exposure, but they are a good indicator of what can be tolerated and what should not. I carry a couple laminated sheets in the DJ system that talk about sound levels just in case I have a faculty question about it (we have a pretty big stereo; I want to be prepared --though it's never been brought up). Also remember that an employee by OSHA guidelines is not required to wear hearing protection, but is required to have it available. For this reason, we carry a box of individually packaged earplugs and offer them at dances. If any faculty want some, they are welcome. Not only is it much appreciated, but if required to be working in that environment, the school should be providing such. They have no reason to think of it, so we just COA and theirs.
i would be concerned that if your ears are sufferring, so are your guests. Get a 2nd opinion of your sound system from another sound person or DJ. Maybe some simple EQ settings will soften the blow. If customers ears are ringing they won't be your customers; consider them as well!!
Precisely, Val. If your ears are suffering, remember that you're BEHIND your speakers for the most part. Imagine what you're doing to the guests in front of your speakers!!
A bit late for me, but I have to disagree with Fred here. If your ears are ringing hours later, you have already started to damage sensitive nerves within, and whatever small damge already done is irreversible. However, if you start wearing protection NOW, you will remain only at this level and no worse.
My problems started around 10 years ago. I didn't heed advice given. Result: Tinnitus ( constant ringing). Although sound setup is no problem ( amped speakers, remember). I have difficulties that are restricted to the human voice range. Normal conversation, and sound separation. However, I still hear a bird at long distance, and am very sensitive to the low range.
This has become something of a cause for me, When you're hearing impaired it's not the same as other problems. Unlike sight or physical impairments, people just lose patience with deafness. They get annoyed at the requests for repetition.
In other words, you won't like losing your hearing. I AM trying to scare you. Get protection, and GET YOUR HEARING CHECKED!
My problems started around 10 years ago. I didn't heed advice given. Result: Tinnitus ( constant ringing). Although sound setup is no problem ( amped speakers, remember). I have difficulties that are restricted to the human voice range. Normal conversation, and sound separation. However, I still hear a bird at long distance, and am very sensitive to the low range.
This has become something of a cause for me, When you're hearing impaired it's not the same as other problems. Unlike sight or physical impairments, people just lose patience with deafness. They get annoyed at the requests for repetition.
In other words, you won't like losing your hearing. I AM trying to scare you. Get protection, and GET YOUR HEARING CHECKED!
Hey! Wondering if any of you get your hearing checked on a regular basis. Or if you had your hearing checked, say, your first year to define a bench mark. S'pose it wouldn't be a bad idea, eh? Write it off as a biz expense.
