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Author: Analog on July 09 2008 Viewed 1236 times. 16 people liked this blog. You can rate it below if you haven't already.
People who enjoyed reading this: Zanf, packetst0rm, Roshi, Otterfan, Fognozzle, Lara, Leo, Moriarty, mlbot, flies, DrexonField, Unknownforce, hecanjog, jkn, quicks, kwyj
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So a couple of weeks ago i bought some earplugs fo playing live and going to gigs.
They're ER20s, "musicians' earplugs", like these: link
Playing with Blood Moon we use a lot of feedback, lots of distortion, and our sound relies somewhat on being LOUD. We can't really do a quiet gig (although we have in the past) and, hence, we can't rehearse quietly either.
Having just bought some new distortion pedals and upgraded to some really loud amps, we thought it advisable to get earplugs. A frind of ours has bad tinitus; so bad it affects her mental health, and we didn't want to end up like that. I value my ears and one of my biggest fears is deafness. (I once had an infection in my ear that almost meant i had to have my eardrum pierced to drain it, i was so scared i cried...)
So we've used the ER20s a few times and they seem great. We went to watch The Fall in manchester and wore them. You can hear everything clearly, even people talking, and when we got outside after my ears weren't ringing at all.
Using them to practice is a bit wierd. You feel a bit detached, like being on drugs in a way. Playing the drums is unusual, the snare feels like hitting a block of wood! But we can play some nasty sounds and not suffer the usual fatigue. I'm looking forward to our gig next week, we'll see how it goes.
Anyway, I highly reccomend using earplugs. As musicians our ears are our greatest commodity.
What do you chaps reckon?
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07/10/08
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Analog
The RUMBLE in your guts!
Seriously though, every gig i go to the music is really loud. And there's nothinhg worse than going to a gig where it's too quiet.
eg; mogwai at ATP - on the main stage and they were really quiet. it really spoilt it for me. Compare that to Sunn O)) in the second stage, MASSIVE sound and an incredible gig.
There;s something very intoxicating about very loud music, it's not just your ears that hear it
07/10/08
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jkn
I always recommend people wear earplugs in band and live situations... I've lost some hearing, but not enoug that I've gotten tested (well, yet, at least). Earplugs I've worn when I was in bands definitely made me feel detached and not quite fully "there" - but I played with a drummer at the time that would just kill his set (in a very good way musically - but the loudness - yikes...).
Thankfully my hearing isn't worse for all the gigs and practices I've put them through. I definitely can't focus on a conversation if more than one person is talking or background noise is too loud though...
It's been a decade since my last band - so I haven't had a need for earplugs in a long time - no recommendations on what to get or what works best...
07/10/08
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Unknownforce
I really need to get some earplugs, my right ear is sore after standing near speakers for about 18 hours over the course of 2 days
07/11/08
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kwyj
I've been using the ER20s for a couple of years now and I think they're great. I do agree that you do loose a bit of the top end though. They're great at smaller venues like the Reds Stage at ATP and the Joiner's Arms Southampton where standing further away from the speakers involves leaving the building.
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