Hearing loss/ ear protection on live gigs?

[Tradfusion]

This one is probably geared more towards the old fart Basschat brigade (like myself). I'm 58 years old now and have been playing live gigs for 38 of them... I have played bass in all kinds of bands and all kinds of music, mostly pop covers bands but dep occasionally for some fairly (very) loud rock bands as well. For the vast majority of these gigs I have worn no ear protection so my hearing has taken a bit of a lashing and over the last 5-6 years I have grudgingly had to admit that I'm in a bit of trouble. Earlier this year I had a hearing test and it confirmed that I have quite marked hearing loss (16-20%) in both ears but worse in my left which doesn't surprise me as I tend to position myself to the right of the drum kit at most gigs. Higher frequencies are worst affected in my case. Bottom line the ENT Consultant has advised me to wear ear protection from now on for ALL gigs which was a bit of a downer to get. I went and bought a pair of these Looper earplugs https://www.loopearplugs.com/products/switch?country=IE which have a 3 way attenuator depending on how loud things get. I've worn them on several gigs at this stage and they do appear to be doing their job, I am not deaf after the gig, however I am finding that even at the lowest setting (allowing most sound through) everything is still quite muffled, I can hear enough to still play in tune (hopefully) but I am really missing not being able to hear the band properly and feel a real disconnect from the other instruments. Its making the whole gigging experience a bit depressing to be honest. Just wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience and if so was their any magic solution to the problem though I'm guessing there isn't... Before anyone suggests in-ears 99% of my gigs are in pub bands, rough and ready, PA is generally a couple of speakers on poles and possibly a wedge monitor, all backline is personal amps and there's usually a full kit of drums, none of the bands use in-ear monitors or play amp-less... any feedback much appreciated 🙂  Dave

[Lozz196]

ACS are your friends. They’re moulded earplugs to your own ear-canals (I got mine done at Boots). I’ve got their PRO17s which apparently give the flattest most neutral sound, no particular frequencies dropped over others.
 

In the band I use them for the music drops from intolerably loud to that of the sort of volume you’d listen to music at home, every instrument crystal clear - in fact it’s a better sound than without them as being quieter it’s far easier to focus on the rest of the band.

 

Not cheap - about £150 - but what price is our hearing. Not IEMs by the way, just regular plugs. 

Edited July 30 by Lozz196

[Tradfusion]

9 minutes ago, Lozz196 said:

ACS are your friends. They’re moulded earplugs to your own ear-canals (I got mine done at Boots). I’ve got their PRO17s which apparently give the flattest most neutral sound, no particular frequencies dropped over others.
 

In the band I use them for the music drops from intolerably loud to that of the sort of volume you’d listen to music at home, every instrument crystal clear - in fact it’s a better sound than without them as being quieter it’s far easier to focus on the rest of the band.

 

Not cheap - about £150 - but what price is our hearing. Not IEMs by the way, just regular plugs. 

Cheers mate, they sound like exactly what I need... I will definitely check them out, we have a Boots locally, well worth the money of they do the job 🙏

[chris_b]

I have ACS PRO17's and PRO26's for a stupidly loud band I play in.

 

You don't like muffled? Well that's what your hearing is heading towards without protection.

 

IMO ACS are good value at twice the price.

[Acebassmusic]

2 hours ago, Lozz196 said:

ACS are your friends........ PRO17s which apparently give the flattest most neutral sound............ in fact it’s a better sound than without them as being quieter it’s far easier to focus on the rest of the band.

 

+1,000,000,000,000 👍 I've used ACS Pro 17's and 10's for the last 15+ years (bass and vocals). As with all hearing protection it WILL sound different to what you're used to and will take a little getting used to but worth percevering. I'd rather have my hearing and be able to gig / listen to music at home for many more years than be forced to stop.

 

Last Friday I received my latest pair of Pro17's which I should have replaced a couple of years ago. The last set I bought was in 2018 so they "cost" me approx. one pack of strings (£25) per year. 👍

[markbunney]

ACS custom all the way. I’ve been using the Pro 26s for years, as like you am struggling with hearing loss and tinnitus.

 

once you are used to them you will never want to play with out them.

 

I had to wear them went I went to see AC/DC the other week as that was also deafening!

 

have a search around as you can usually find a voucher code for 10 or 15% off

[Happy Jack]

Another vote for ACS here - I've worn mine at every gig and musical event for the last 15 years. I already had very bad tinnitus when I bought my first pair and I won't pretend they've "cured" that, but they've certainly slowed down the deterioration and they make gigs far more pleasant places to be.

 

Bonus if you sing (lead or BVs) because you can hear your own voice inside your head far more clearly, helping greatly with pitching.

 

[Tradfusion]

Cheers lads... lots of reasons to get a pair asap. my biggest problem now is getting fitted, I'm in Eire and I've just discovered that our local Boot's doesn't provide the ACS fitting service, according to the ACS dealer map the closest Boot's that does provide the service is in Northern Ireland, a 3 hour drive away and a day off work... it would have been so much handier if I could have had it done locally 😐.. oh and I do pitch in a few BV's here and there, though I think hearing my own voice more clearly inside my head might knock that on the head fairly sharpish 😂

[Stub Mandrel]

I've struggled with most conventional earplugs as they are too severe for me, even ones designed for 'club goers'.

 

Recently found some Studiospares Pacato earplugs, they are 16dB ones with only 10dB attenuation at less harmful low frequencies. Nice comfy fit with removable filter so you can wash the insert.

[Acebassmusic]

5 minutes ago, Tradfusion said:

Cheers lads... lots of reasons to get a pair asap. my biggest problem now is getting fitted, I'm in Eire and I've just discovered that our local Boot's doesn't provide the ACS fitting service, according to the ACS dealer map the closest Boot's that does provide the service is in Northern Ireland, a 3 hour drive away and a day off work... it would have been so much handier if I could have had it done locally 😐.. oh and I do pitch in a few BV's here and there, though I think hearing my own voice more clearly inside my head might knock that on the head fairly sharpish 😂

Give ACS a call. They're usually very good at helping out and might have a solution to getting local impressions made. 🤷‍♂️

[Happy Jack]

Agreed - there are independent audiologists who do this sort of thing without needing a Boots. Any hearing aid specialist should certainly know about this stuff - go in and ask.

 

[wateroftyne]

ACS Pro 17.

[Skybone]

ACS Custom Pro 17's. Highly recommended here.

 

Originally had the 20dB filters in, but they were too efficient, so I replaced them with the 17bB filters. Very glad I did.

[diskwave]

Im 64, with the same story.. If and when I get a rare call to dep for anyone now I use the purple silicon 35db industrial ones and I dont care how stupid I look either.  Dont mess about, its only gonna get worse. 

[chris_b]

I haven't done a gig without some form of hearing protection in 40 years. I started with foam plugs (which were worse than useless in the bands I was in) and moved to ACS about 18 years ago. Without ACS plugs I couldn't have carried on.

 

I have tinnitus and we are at the stage where the wife regularly says, "Do we really need the TV that loud!" I wish I'd not been so cavalier with my hearing in the early days.

 

Basschat, start looking after your hearing before you have problems.

[Skinnyman]

Another vote for ACS. I’ve used their custom ear plugs for years. I got their in-ear buds a couple of years ago. I use them with a behringer personal headphone amp and they fit directly into the custom ear plugs I had made about 9 years ago (they replace the filters). A comfortable and custom in-ear monitor for quite reasonable money. 

[Downunderwonder]

I use the Flare ones. Metal plus replaceable foam plug tips. They send you a starter pack so you find your size tip for future orders.

 

They are fairly flat and a big step up from foam. They live on my key ring. Being never without is great.

 

I expect the custom ACS would be even better.

 

It's not uncommon for bassists in your position to go the route of a personal IEM mixer system with a room mic blend to your bass. It should be a better mix than what you get standing next to the drums.

[police squad]

I've used ACS for 20 years now. In my bands it's all In ear monitoring but if I dep on bass, out come the ACS

I take em to normal gigs as a punter too, just in case it's a bit loud

[Leonard Smalls]

I've been using plugs since the early 90s, first foam, then artillery ones with a chromed cap (proper Frankenstein) and for the last 10 years, ACS Pro 17. Swear by 'em! I find that when mixing a band I can hear distortion and imbalances far better than my dafter bandmates who don't wear plugs, and weirdly, you can hear people talking over stupidly-loud music.

[Len_derby]

Has anyone bought replacement or alternative filters for their ACS plugs? If so, where did you source them from?

[Acebassmusic]

5 minutes ago, Len_derby said:

Has anyone bought replacement or alternative filters for their ACS plugs? If so, where did you source them from?

 

Here's the ACS link, the filters are lower down on the page. 👍

[Muzz]

Another +1 for ACS: I have both inears for use with the current band's posh desk (independently mixable monitor outs: it's the way forwards, kids) and more simple 17db attenuators, which I wear on simpler stages and also when going to see bands in loud venues. A good tip for attenuators is to put them in while you're setting up, so that your brain gets used to the lower levels of sound/noise coming in before it gets really loud.

 

Do it now: I left it too long and have had tinnitus for a good while (I still remember the gig when the whining didn't stop), and you really don't want that...

[Len_derby]

7 minutes ago, Acebassmusic said:

 

Here's the ACS link, the filters are lower down on the page. 👍

Thank you! I need to find out, now, if the current filters are compatible with the plugs I had made in 2005.

[Tim2291]

I use the cheapish Alpine ones available in most music shops. They do muffle the sound but having worn that style since I started gigging at 13 (20 years ago 😵) i've got used to them now and can't gig without them! Whilst the ACS plugs will without a doubt be far superior, the trade off in cost is a no brainer for me! The ones I use protect my hearing and have done through years of heavy metal touring bands, function bands and pub gigs without any issue!

[cybertect]

I'm a similar age and with similar experience - permanent low level tinnitus for the last seven or eight years, fortunately most of the time i can tune it out.

 

I did have some custom plugs which were excellent but I managed to lose them at a gig (grr!). Then the pandemic happened and I have not been performing very much since.

 

Knowing I needed some protection led me to try a few mid-range 'musician' plugs for use as an audience member and I have a couple of favourites.

 

Etymotic ER20XS plugs are about as transparent as they can be IMO. They deliver an 20dB cut in volume evenly across the entire frequency spectrum.  For me at least, they are very comfortable to the point that I sometimes have to check that I have them in my ears - then I discover how loud the music actually is! I use Etymotic IEMs as daily drivers for general music listening out and about, so I'm very used to deep insertion plugs and YMMV. They are about £30.

 

I recently purchased a set of Alpine MusicSafe Pro plugs, which have three different filters for 16, 19 and 22dB. The three-filter versions are under £25, which is pretty good value. A/B testing them against the Etymotics at the same gigs over the last couple of weeks, the reduction in volume with the 22dB filters is noticeably better than the Etys, but they are a little more mid focused, especially if you push them deep into your ears. Oddly, the different frequency response is less noticeable at higher volumes. The 16dB Alpine filters are more evenly tuned and useful for quieter environments (such as amplified acoustic instruments). Swapping filters while you are in a mosh is liable to result in one or more of them getting lost!

 

As a side note, the Etymotics have a small tab that makes getting them out of your ears again much easier. I have to dig in hard with my fingertips  to extract the Alpines. I think they supply a cord which may help, but I don't want anything dangling around my neck at a gig. For ease of use and sound quality, the Etymotics win hands down. if you are going to be playing for many hours in a loud band, they may be a little underpowered, though.

 

With any of these, though, they are like IEMs - your exact experience may vary depending on the shape and size of your ear canals. Custom moulds should be more consistent from one person to the next, but I would certainly recommend either as a backup to keep in your pocket or as a stop gap solution until you can get some made.

Edited July 31 by cybertect