ears

[littlecatalyst]

i wanted to post a little warning that seemd to fit in Business cause its about an occupational hazard. lately i have been playing in a smaller club than im used to and its not so loud so i haven't been wearing earplugs... it's been like 6 weeks now and this past weeekend i noticed a bit too much wax in my ears and went for a Qtip (warning a) this is a little tmi b) don't ever do this i have found out since, no qtips, bad!!) the result, i have to go to a new agey place to day and get my ears cleaned out cause i only hear about 25% in my left ear. which totally sucks.

the medical debate is still out as to whether loud sound, like dust, can increase ur production of earwax, but i don't have to chekc the weatherchannel, it does (at least in me). so this is just temporary (right now) but u know its important and i just wanted to send out this out as a littel warning... watch your ears!!

...doesnt even have to be fancy in-ear (http://www.westone.com/music/) ones like the AV gods use
and you don't have to look like a geek cause there are many fine lookin' (http://www.earinc.com/p1-nonelectronic-chameleon.php) and inexpensive ones out there and its really a good investment because i can tell you after just a taste of deafness, this would toally suck if i had a gig tonight..

[tdeagan]

Rule #1 - never stick anything smaller than your elbow in your ear

Problem #1 - damage to the cochlea (via excessive noise levels) is cumulative, e.g. it adds up over time. WEAR EARPLUGS early, WEAR EARPLUGS often (they don't go in far enought to violate Rule #1) Even small amounts of damage add up. Every time you come back from a club with your ears ringing, you've used up a bit of your future hearing.

Damage to hearing from club/music/PAs/etc. typically takes the form of what is called the 4K notch. If you look at the graph showing hearing response across the 20-20K normal spectrum of hearing (x-axis is the frequency, y-axis is the energy level required to hear the sound,) it generally looks like a U with flattened tops (inverted bell curve.) A 4K notch is a spike right around 4KHz (pretty close to the bottom of the curve where we should hear best. I've got one from years of roadie work, it shows up on my audiogram very clearly.

This is problematic because this is a hearing loss right in and near the average female's voice range. So, half the things my wife says to me get lost unless she increases the db in her delivery.

In other words, protect your hearing or you are begging for women to yell at you for the rest of your life! Sigh, like I needed to increase the odds of that.
:rolleyes:

[Mile]

We VJ's are lucky though that we can use earplugs (the DJ can't because he uses a headphone and needs to hear the next song).

I think I'm going to be an earplug-collector if now that I read your stories ;)

[charlielangridge]

Ear plugs are amazingly important. I have, and most crews i've worked with, used them for any prolonged loud noise exposure.

I would recomend Elacin earplugs, which me and my crew have been using for the last year or so. They reduce sound levels without highend roll-off.

Oh a little tip, if your ears are ringing or dulled after a gig, if you put on a radio just about audibly next to you when you go to sleep you shoudl be able to hear properly in the morning, although you are still damaging your hearing, it's usefull f you occasionaly forget your plugs.

[robotfunk]

i'm getting a pair of these made:
http://www.filterz.nl/

(in exchange for some animation but its well worth the 120 euro they normally cost)

they are custom made, by pouring wax in your ear they make sure it fits your ears perfectly, and they mainly reduce the most harmful frequencies so you can still hear the sound well, ideal for people who perform live a lot,

[Kyle]

This kind of ties into 2 articles I wrote on VJC.

Harm Reduction for the VJ Part 1 (http://www.vjcentral.com/article/show/9235)

Harm Reduction for the VJ Part 2 (http://www.vjcentral.com/article/show/9545)

Basically its some tips and tricks on taking care of your body and your senses.

[MoRpH]

Originally posted by tdeagan


This is problematic because this is a hearing loss right in and near the average female's voice range. So, half the things my wife says to me get lost unless she increases the db in her delivery.

In other words, protect your hearing or you are begging for women to yell at you for the rest of your life! Sigh, like I needed to increase the odds of that.
:rolleyes:

Oh gawd that explains sooooo much.

[Mile]

This kind of ties into 2 articles I wrote on VJC.

Harm Reduction for the VJ Part 1

Harm Reduction for the VJ Part 2


I take a brake every 2 hours. Do some darting, outdoor running, fitness etc. Just something different than staring at your monitor

http://www.halsobakery.com/products/sandwich/ham.jpg
Also, VERY IMPORTANT, take time to make the biggest sandwich of your live!

[videoteque]

I always use ear plugs, or even a little ball of kleenex... Before VJing I played the drums!!!:drums: :drums:

Sometimes people joke about it, but I don't f*ck*ng care. I want to hear in 20 years...

[seex]

Saw this post and went to the local pharmacy to get some ear plugs, usualy i remember i shuld when i hear the music and end up working without. Thanks, for reminding me.

[brain]

emergency technique if you forgot your plugs:
use cigarette filters!

u know, at partys a lot of people do not have any use for the nice filters of their cigarettes :Smoking:

[pistolpete]

I've bought a pair of these http://www.sonicshop.de/English/Cont/Plugs/MusicSafe_II.htm and would highly recomend them.