Author: sdr
Date: 2015-02-10 02:58
Glad to see some discussion of earplugs for noise protection in ensemble playing -- no matter who sits behind you. Even if you are fortunate and persuasive enough for your orchestra to get plexiglas sound baffles, earplugs are smart. Just 8-10dB of attenuation will save you from much irreversible hearing loss. If you doubt the risk, load a decent sound level meter app on your smartphone -- the best I've found is "SoundMeter" by Mint Muse ($19.99 last time I checked, and nearly as accurate as the $10k rack sound meters we use in our research labs). Take some readings at your next rehearsal or gig -- horrifying!
Earplugs come in several styles:
• Compressible foam -- cheap, available at any drugstore, substantial attentuation if fully inserted but definitely NOT a flat frequency response.
• Off-the-shelf "musician's earplugs", "triple flange" construction and available in several different levels of attenuation (approx. $12-20). 8-12dB is plenty for most musicians but if you're a death metal guitar shredder and stand near the drummer you might choose something stronger.
• Off-the-shelf musicians plugs with greater comfort than triple flange for extended use (e.g. EARasers for about $50 and my current favorites. NOTE: I am NOT compensated by EARasers for this endorsement -- I just like 'em)
• Custom-molded earplugs made by your local hearing aid dealer (approx. $150/pair) -- made up with your choice of attenuation, usually from 8-25dB. Possibly best comfort and fit but pricey. I actually prefer my EARasers to my custom molded plugs but your mileage may vary.
Oh, and by the way, if you are going to bother loading a sound level meter app on your smartphone, consider loading an audiogram app, too. You can do your own hearing test with quite high accuracy. You can save the tests for comparison. Do one now as a baseline. Better yet, see your local audiologist to get a high tech audiogram on their equipment AND do one with your phone so you can see how they compare. Then, when you get home from a gig you can repeat the test and see if you shifted your thresholds. If so, call your otologist first thing in the AM! There is a free audiogram app, "uHear" by Unitron, that is quite accurate and easy to use. Unitron is a hearing aid company so there is a bit of advertising on some of the screens but not much. And the app is really good. (NOTE: This is NOT a product endorsement for Unitron hearing aids!) There is also an excellent $3.99 app, "EarTrumpet", that provdes both an audiogram app and a personal sound amplifier (a.k.a. "PSA", basically using your smartphone as a really big but excellent hearing aid).
-sdr
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Steven D. Rauch, MD
Professor and Vice Chair for Academic Affairs
Dept. of Otology and Laryngology
Harvard Medical School
Otology Service
Chief, Vestibular Division
Otolaryngology Dept.
Mass. Eye and Ear Infirmary and Mass. General Hospital
Boston, MA 02114
Tel: 617-573-3644
Email: steven_rauch@meei.harvard.edu
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