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Author Topic: Protecting your ears -LIMITING SPL exposure  (Read 7425 times)

turtletone

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Re: Potecting your ears -LIMITING SPL exposure
« Reply #15 on: March 21, 2005, 03:32:27 PM »

I took a listen to those bose noise cancelling phones and I couldn't stand the way they sounded. They had a boost around 12k-15k that was completely puke inducing.
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Michael Fossenkemper
TurtleTone Studio
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Re: Potecting your ears -LIMITING SPL exposure
« Reply #16 on: March 21, 2005, 03:58:44 PM »

The finger rub masking test is at 6 inches for a given of about 83dB. Try it. "Like" frequencies at 85dB.. will mask it.

One inch is very audible at 100dB pressures/ambient.

Disclamer for the forum:

This is what I experienced, YMWV.

Nothing scientific for anyone else and purely subjective.

Everyone hears and perception is different with each subject..hence subjectivity.

My experiences may change with age.

Do not publish this as fact.

It is made up in my mind.

Don't bank on it..

Be warned.

Stop it!!

Stop!!!

LOL!

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lucey

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Re: Potecting your ears -LIMITING SPL exposure
« Reply #17 on: March 21, 2005, 04:56:25 PM »

TurtleTone wrote on Mon, 21 March 2005 15:32

I took a listen to those bose noise cancelling phones and I couldn't stand the way they sounded. They had a boost around 12k-15k that was completely puke inducing.


What a shock ...

Bose and Monster Cable should get married and then kill each other on Jerry Springer.
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Brian Lucey
Magic Garden Mastering

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Andy Simpson

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Re: Potecting your ears -LIMITING SPL exposure
« Reply #18 on: March 22, 2005, 09:59:40 AM »

On the subject of earplugs and cars, I find the 'classic' yellow plugs are perfect for me. In the car/van I put them in and can crank up the music so that the noise floor of the motorway is almost silence and I don't adjust the eq on the stereo because I don't need to.

I think I must be somewhat unusual because I've only ever been to 2 gigs (or any other loud event) without earplugs (way way back).
Basically, I have never calibrated my hearing to loudness and am probably the only FOH engineer who has never heard his work without earplugs....which is ironic really since I'm so damn good! Wink

I guage loudness and eq by pure experience and unlike every engineer I hear, I sound as good at the end of the night as I do at the start, so the last band on don't sound suffer from tired (fucked) ears.
This calibration comes from balancing everything against the natural sound of a drumkit and other loud accoustic instruments (which I've only ever heard via earplugs or a studio microphone).

I'm sure all the seasonned (deaf?) FOH guys will dismiss this as ridiculous and implausible, but I have to say that I wish more FOH guys and the audience would wear these plugs.....obviously it's too late if your ears have already lost too much gain to compensate.

I get all kinds of compliments for my (never over-loud or over-bright) FOH sound and the next/same day my ears are still ready for my studio work.

* I do always make a point of telling the barstaff/promoters/etc to consult me if they feel the volume is too loud or too quiet....and I always ask at the end to make sure. No complaints yet. Wink

Andy

PS. on a recent trip to the cavern (liverpool) I happened to be talking to the in-house FOH man, who noticed my earplugs and told me that it was a good idea since he had measured stage levels from 115-120dB on a regular basis!
That place was painfully loud on stage even with earplugs! No joke.
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Allen Corneau

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Re: Potecting your ears -LIMITING SPL exposure
« Reply #19 on: March 22, 2005, 01:33:50 PM »

>I have to say that I wish more FOH guys and the audience would wear these >plugs.....

Wouldn't the better solution be to turn the FOH down?!?

I'm glad I don' do live sound anymore!

Allen
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Allen Corneau
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Re: Potecting your ears -LIMITING SPL exposure
« Reply #20 on: March 22, 2005, 01:38:16 PM »

My last gig was 91dB average with no more than 100dB peaks at the console and it was plenty loud for all.
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Allen Corneau

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Re: Potecting your ears -LIMITING SPL exposure
« Reply #21 on: March 22, 2005, 01:48:34 PM »

Sorry for getting ahead of myself. That comment wasn't directed at you, but more of a general statement of: "why the f*** does it have to be so friggin' loud in the first place?!?"

I would really like to support the bands I work with by going to see thier shows, but it's always super-loud, and the thick smoke doesn't help either!

The saying goes, "If it's too loud, then you're too old." Well, I'm not "too old", I just value my hearing.

Arg! OK, ranting done.

Allen
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Andy Simpson

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Re: Potecting your ears -LIMITING SPL exposure
« Reply #22 on: March 23, 2005, 10:43:11 AM »

Yeah, of course I agree it'd be great if it could be alot quieter.
More than half the problem is bands with loud drummers, loud loud loud 100w guitar amps and the other half of the problem is that the audience won't shut up.....

Most of the time I just try to get the band audible over the crowd noise.....for those who actually want to listen.

If the audience would simply be quiet and listen!.....

But the audience don't actually want to hear the band, they want to chat, and since they're standing anyway, it becomes club mentality with everyone in the room screaming into someone elses ear at 140dB - by far the most dangerous noise in the room!
This does not happen at classical recitals! (although the spl is sometimes pretty dangerous for the musicians).
Wink

And don't get me started on passive smoking! I always find the extractor fans/air-con in the venue and turn it on before I start (why is it never turned on by default?).

Andy
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-phile-

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Re: Protecting your ears -LIMITING SPL exposure
« Reply #23 on: April 06, 2005, 09:19:44 AM »

Hi guys,

I know this thread has been dea for a while but there is a couple of questions that I would like to ask... Well, I am in NYC (live in Brooklyn) and have been into production for a while now (all aspects -- from programming to premstering/post production -- el. musician trying to do it all myself)... The thing is I have gone to a lot of club events here where the DJ was soo deaf himself that he would crank up mids and highs on the mixer while also turning the gain all the way up -- and the ringing in my ear (or as I would like to say -- "phone calls from the other lobe") has been experienced quite a bit in the past....

My question is : is there anywhere in the city that I can get an audiometry test done -- pretty much completely test my hearing ... I asked my doctor and he had no idea of where to find an audiologies (mind you I am not even saying "good"). The part that freaks me out is that -- for small sounds glitches here and there , audio work, anything that is out of the ordinary (like talking and tv) I can pick out very quickly , no matter how low the level is (I have suprised friends that way -- being able to hear things they weren't), BUT at the same time for speach and tv I need to turn it up to start hearing properly and making out the words without problem and this is freaking me out. On music I usually work on very low levels, till the mixing stage, and my space is treated quite nicely  , so there shouldn't be any constant nodes affecting me on a regular basis ... however my commute is a nightmare since I do listen to my iPod very loud on a pair of Bose Triports... but my hearing on small noises is very good (actually recently I just wear the headphones without turning the music one...just as mufflers)... I am using filters now whenever I go to a club (a pair of 12db(I think) I got from SamAsh), but I want to get the fitted veriable filter that you need an audiologist to take the measures.

Thank you very much in advance!

Best Rgrds,

Tim
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Ronny

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Re: Protecting your ears -LIMITING SPL exposure
« Reply #24 on: April 06, 2005, 11:53:42 PM »




Can't find an otologist in NY, wow, that's like not being able to find a cow turd in Texas.  Smile

Look in the phone book white pages for Bel-tone near you, they are one of the biggest hearing aid franchises and will be able to test you on site in their retail outlet. There are hundreds of those all over the country. Also some optical places like Pearl Optical do hearing tests as well as eye exams, some only on certain days by appointment. If no Bel-Tones in NY, do a search for otologists in the yellow pages. These are ear doctors, some just deal with diseases of the ear, but they'll be able to tell you where to go to get tested if they don't personally test.
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------Ronny Morris - Digitak Mastering------
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-phile-

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Re: Protecting your ears -LIMITING SPL exposure
« Reply #25 on: April 09, 2005, 10:41:01 AM »

Ronny,

Thank you very much for the reply. That is exactly what surprised me - my doctor was trying to convince me that there is no way to find somebody (yellow pages honestly didnot come to mind Sad ), I guess time to look for a new one Smile.

Anyway, I really appreciate the advice and will definitely be using your recommendations.

Tim
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