Musicians earplugs - hearing protection
If you're a musician and revel in live music concerts or loud gigs, and don't wear musicians earplugs your hearing might be at risk, according to the 2010 Binge Listening report by Australian Hearing. Only seven out of ten musicians believed regular gigging was risky, and after this, few wear musicians earplugs. A study was undertaken with a prominent Sydney based newspaper to cross-reference the report’s conclusions with the use of a sound meter measuring volume levels over eight events at different venues.
A normal conversation measures in at around 60 decibels, using the maximum acceptable noise level in a workplace for eight-hour shifts is 85dB. Through these studies, across eight events, amazingly only 1 event stood a volume level under 100dB, which, without musicians earplugs can cause hearing damage within only Quarter-hour.
At one live music event at the Annandale Hotel from the City Lights the threshold of discomfort was almost hit - 119 decibels. At 120 decibels, here is the level in which the loudness physically hurts your ears. Such loud music levels can cause hearing damage incredibly quickly. Often this is obvious to the listener, even without a sound meter, since they physically feel pain.
Musicians earplugs were not found to be employed for many gig goers, which further acts to boost their likelihood of sustaining permanent ear damage. Prolonged exposure to such high volume levels without musicians earplugs is assumed being the greatest single cause of teenagers experiencing hearing difficulties prior to when expected in their life, based on the report.
Musicians earplugs are increasingly accessible and incredibly efficient means of providing protection from hearing damage. Although foam plugs will be the most efficient at filtering sound across all frequencies, they could often muffle sound, negatively having an influence on the knowledge. Filtered earplugs (or musicians earplugs) are a little bit more expensive and can supply the highest audio quality, while bringing levels directly into safer ranges.
Usually of thumb, if you're not capable of hear someone speaking with you right in front, you are at risk of hearing damage. Ask the gig management to show it down - or simply just apply certain musicians earplugs.