Marty Mayes Posted August 25, 2007 Report Share Posted August 25, 2007 Im really starting 2 feel weird now over the last few days iv put my decks on music was pumping and within me gettin into afew tracks i found it almost impossible 2 hear the music right. its as if my ear's were totally closing down then lastnyt watching the telly with my misses she made a comment on how loud i had the tv 2 me it was low but 2 her it was loud and it was because the tv volume was @ 30 on the remote and almost fully up on the cable remote then l8r my ear's starting hurting is there anyway i can protect my ear's while playing on my decks. Any good earplugs about which wont affect my mixing while im wearing them im only 22 cant have my hearing goin on me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Briggsy Posted August 25, 2007 Report Share Posted August 25, 2007 I know how you feel mate. My ears have been knackered for a couple of years now. I really struggle to hear people talk in clubs even when I get tem to repeat themselves three or four times. I've noticed a difference in a normal environment too now. I get earache in my left ear for an hour or so every day, before it eventually wears off. It throbs when i'm clubbing - even when i'm wearing earplugs (which I only started wearing AFTER I started having problems). I used to have my mixer dial at the 10pm mark, and over the years, its slowy crept up to the 1pm mark - which a couple of years ago, would have been unbearable to listen to. Now it feels comfortable. Other people I know can't bear anything even close to that volume, so that proves that i've damaged my ears more. I think you ears do definately shut down if you listen to loud volumes for too long - if I mix regularly, I find that I can't beatmatch so well because my ears lose their sensitivity. If I have a break for a few weeks, my beatmatching is spot on again because everything seems crisper again. I've never used monitor speakers to mix - instead, I do everything in my heaphones with the volume mega loud - so its those that have damaged my ears. The thought of going deaf in the future doesn't really scare me though. I'm aware of the consequences of DJ'ing, and i'm fully expecting it - its been my choice. All I ask is that I have plenty of DJ'ing years ahead of me. I could handle deafness, but blindness would scare the s*** out of me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aza Posted August 26, 2007 Report Share Posted August 26, 2007 Feeling the effects of this too Marty and Briggsy... Many times I struggle to hear and tbh it sh!ts me up! It is a sad knock-on effect and I think we all take our senses for granted. Blindness scares me more, but I still would not like to go deaf! Think of all that music you will miss out on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Briggsy Posted August 26, 2007 Report Share Posted August 26, 2007 Think of all that music you will miss out on! Well, if Electro-House is the way forward, as the media suggests, then i'm all for going deaf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Haze Posted August 27, 2007 Report Share Posted August 27, 2007 Well, if Electro-House is the way forward, as the media suggests, then i'm all for going deaf Can anyone recommend any decent ear plugs then while we are on the subject? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neuro Posted August 27, 2007 Report Share Posted August 27, 2007 Puretone.co.uk and UltimateEar.com do some great discreet ear protection; Above & Beyond have their own designs too! Alternatively those cheap foam ones you can buy in a chemist for about 50p, though obviously they're not anywhere near as effective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Posted August 27, 2007 Report Share Posted August 27, 2007 I've extensively studied the ear, psychoacoustics and other such things so I'd like to think that this is a topic area of which I'm qualified to speak of. In reality, anything that filters out certain frequencies and volume levels will protect your hearing. Even if you were to put a bit of scrunched up newspaper in your ears, it would be better than nothing. This is obviously a drastic measure and I don't expect to see people mince around clubs and live venues with bits of the Sun protruding out of their lugholes!!! There are as others have said, professionally moulded plugs available ranging from around £100-500. My pair are designed for Orchestral/Heavy Duty live situations and are very comfortable to wear indeed and don't spoil the sound in the slightest. They do actually improve the sound if you're in a club with dodgy speakers and trick the brain into filtering out any distortion that shouldn't be there! I really do recommend people getting plugs as you do not want to be 40 years old, unable to fully understand what you're kids are saying to you. Well, thats my reasoning!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Haze Posted August 27, 2007 Report Share Posted August 27, 2007 I've extensively studied the ear, psychoacoustics and other such things so I'd like to think that this is a topic area of which I'm qualified to speak of. In reality, anything that filters out certain frequencies and volume levels will protect your hearing. Even if you were to put a bit of scrunched up newspaper in your ears, it would be better than nothing. This is obviously a drastic measure and I don't expect to see people mince around clubs and live venues with bits of the Sun protruding out of their lugholes!!! There are as others have said, professionally moulded plugs available ranging from around £100-500. My pair are designed for Orchestral/Heavy Duty live situations and are very comfortable to wear indeed and don't spoil the sound in the slightest. They do actually improve the sound if you're in a club with dodgy speakers and trick the brain into filtering out any distortion that shouldn't be there! I really do recommend people getting plugs as you do not want to be 40 years old, unable to fully understand what you're kids are saying to you. Well, thats my reasoning!!! Do these plugs drown out the sound of your mrs waffling in your ear the second you start watching something on tv? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigsteve Posted August 27, 2007 Report Share Posted August 27, 2007 Do these plugs drown out the sound of your mrs waffling in your ear the second you start watching something on tv? :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: If so, they would be well worth every penny of £500! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Posted August 27, 2007 Report Share Posted August 27, 2007 Do these plugs drown out the sound of your mrs waffling in your ear the second you start watching something on tv? when you've found a chick like my missus, i wanna hear all she says. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissie Brown Posted August 28, 2007 Report Share Posted August 28, 2007 when you've found a chick like my missus, i wanna hear all she says. I take it you haven't known her very long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Mayes Posted August 29, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2007 ha ha lmao Nice 1 chrissie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Posted August 29, 2007 Report Share Posted August 29, 2007 I take it you haven't known her very long. how did you guess?!?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uberduck Posted August 30, 2007 Report Share Posted August 30, 2007 What? Sorry guys your going to have to speak up. I can't hear this conversation! For the record: The musical experience that had the most damaging effect on my ears was going to see JFK & Agnelli & Nelson at one of the Elements nights. The sound was dreadful & I had a loud ringing in my ear for a week. The Love Parade was pretty bad too as I was right at the front & the speakers there amounted to the size of a house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quadrant Posted September 2, 2007 Report Share Posted September 2, 2007 I hate ringing in the ears.... frightens me when it stays for more than a day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simcut Posted September 5, 2007 Report Share Posted September 5, 2007 lol, will have to research and get some ear protectors! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neuro Posted September 5, 2007 Report Share Posted September 5, 2007 Puretone.co.uk and UltimateEar.com do some great discreet ear protection; Above & Beyond have their own designs too!Alternatively those cheap foam ones you can buy in a chemist for about 50p, though obviously they're not anywhere near as effective. Ahem, has my earlier post fallen on deaf ears? lol :mrgreen: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simcut Posted September 5, 2007 Report Share Posted September 5, 2007 Uhuh.... thats what I mean, I'll research those websites you've put and buy some Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Briggsy Posted September 5, 2007 Report Share Posted September 5, 2007 The musical experience that had the most damaging effect on my ears was going to see JFK I think JFK has damaged most people's ears mate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simcut Posted September 5, 2007 Report Share Posted September 5, 2007 I think JFK has damaged most people's ears mate How dare you talk about John F. Kennedy like that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bjorn Posted September 6, 2007 Report Share Posted September 6, 2007 its definately on my list to get the £160 etymotic custom plugs.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aza Posted September 6, 2007 Report Share Posted September 6, 2007 I think JFK has damaged most people's ears mate How dare you talk about John F. Kennedy like that! GOOD GOD [JFK - Good God ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aza Posted September 6, 2007 Report Share Posted September 6, 2007 its definately on my list to get the £160 etymotic custom plugs.. £160 - bjorno man, you and buying all the well expensive bits of gear - I keep saying your upto something dodgy and, I still think you are ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bjorn Posted September 6, 2007 Report Share Posted September 6, 2007 £160 - bjorno man, you and buying all the well expensive bits of gear - I keep saying your upto something dodgy and, I still think you are ;) its high on my list but i can't actually afford them at the moment! But im sure you would agree when i say you can't put a price on your hearing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tremor Posted September 6, 2007 Report Share Posted September 6, 2007 Bjorn hits the nail right on the head. You cant put a price on your hearing. To answer the original question of how to be able to mix on your decks without damaging your hearing, first and foremost TURN IT DOWN! I know this sounds obvious and some might say a useless comment but it really is true. Hearing protection should always be a last resort saved for situations like actually playing out in the club where you dont have control over the level so much or if you are forced to be in an excessively loud environment. I studied some of the legislation relating to noise at work as part of my degree and the first course of action is always to try and reduce the noise source first. My own hearing is not too bad despite 7 years of bedroom DJing and I believe this is thanks to settling for lower levels in the first place. I dont have a huge sound system in my room, just a small pair of monitors capable of providing enough level for a good old mix but not too loud at all. I also mix using just my right ear on the headphones, left ear on the monitor and in comparison to any of my dj mates i have the headphone level quite low. I always notice this when having a b2b mix with a mate. That taken into account i still have worse hearing in my right ear to a small degree due to the fact i always use my right ear for headphone monitoring. I do intend on getting some proper moulded plugs for use when clubbing or playing out if I end up playing out more and i already use a generic pair of plugs i got from a drum shop which come in 4 sizes and offer a few dB's reduction when i go clubbing. these help but still clubs like gatecrasher leave my ears ringing after a night with them in, proof that it should only be a last resort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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