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 Protect your ears, you're gonna need them... |
BattleDrone 
2161... the future.
Registration Date: 30-12-2005
Posts: 6,413
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Ok dudes, I'm a bit older than most of you and been producing/partying quite a few years already... A few weeks ago I noticed some serious ear problems, there were some little irritations for quite some time already, but now it got worse.
So I checked out a doctor who told me that you should really watch out with headphones 
, you'll get damage to your hearing pretty fast from it. But don't think you're on the safe site when on monitors though.
What's most important is not producing on an extremely high level and/or for a long period of time. For example: a level of 85db is ok, but not for longer than 8 hours, after that it can be damaging already. 95db can damage after 4 hours and it goes on like that. 130db is the pain limit for most people, but that doesn't mean you have to be the macho who stays for hours on a party with 129db. Although this might sound like old guy's shizzle to all you young guys, don't forget that you too will have to live several years with those ears of yours and hearing aids are not sexy (just not yet, only if apple starts to make some iHear perhaps 
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Special risks when on headphones:
- Experimenting... an enormous WEEEEP or click, a synth going berzerk with loud noise, a frequency sweep in an EQ to find peaks... Watch out with it, they sometimes actually cause physical pain in your ears.
- Turn up the volume every 15 minutes or so to "feel" the sound. After a while it is so extremely loud that it is doing damage, but you won't notice because it wasn't loud from the beginning. Kinda like the boiling frog story.
The worst thing that happend to me, probably causing my current problems happened when I was picking hihats and listened to about 30 minutes to nothing but (compressed) hihats on my headphones. Suddenly I felt a sharp pain in my left ear with no obvious reason. Since then i can't stand sounds from the higher part of the spectrum, even at modest levels (forks on plates and all that even gives me the creeps now). Seems like my ear lost it's ability to figure out the level of a sound and therefore "thinks" everything is loud, this problem is called hyperacusis, it can be healed more or less by listening to controlled amounts of "pink noise".
I cut down on producing for now and also lowered the levels of my monitors, avoiding headphones and bought one of these....
 to have an idea of the amount of noise I'm making. I never go above 80db anymore now.
Let's hope the treatment helps.
Peace y'all.
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 Check my soundcloud (exclusive tracks on there)
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08-01-2008 01:33 |
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Seven Gun
dotbee 4eva
Registration Date: 16-01-2007
Posts: 2,232
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nice one battledrone.
a very smart, informed and responsible point. 
big upz!
although i cant see me ever wanting to turn it down 
i hate the pain of the filter sometimes when it goes like "wwiiiiichikichikichhciihcchiiiweieieieie"
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"When you lose, dont lose the lesson"
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08-01-2008 05:33 |
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brucifer
Making all the tunes your mum loves
Registration Date: 23-10-2007
Posts: 997
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Hope your hearing gets better soon. I suffer from ear problems now days, partly due to working with heavy industrial machinery and about 18 years of going to punk/metal gigs and raves.
The thing is, you really don't realise how much damage is being done when your younger. You do get the warnings, like walking out of gigs and your hearing is muffled. But sadly, most of us laugh at it... Well worth taking earplugs to a gig/rave, you should keep 'em in ya wallet with ya condoms. You don't know when your going to need either!
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08-01-2008 07:39 |
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Tomos
Infidel
Registration Date: 15-04-2007
Posts: 2,276
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| quote: |
Originally posted by brucifer
Well worth taking earplugs to a gig/rave, you should keep 'em in ya wallet with ya condoms. You don't know when your going to need either!
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Well, as long as you take the condoms you'll be alright. Because if you don't get lucky you can always puts them over your ears.
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MySpace | Soundcloud | Drumnbass.be | Facebook
"It is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring." Carl Sagan
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08-01-2008 08:59 |
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OBLIVION12
Producer
Registration Date: 16-11-2007
Posts: 80
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man i know what your saying! over xmas i had what i think was an ear in fection, the pains direct to the brain and it done my head in, i put the problem down to my computer and me trying to improve my productions which is happening slowly, I remember adjusting a vst, something went wrong with the prcessing and this terrible beep noise bellowed out my speakers and i felt my left ear sort of vibrate inside lol it aint been the same since, i blame my pooter
Man i never want to hear that high pitch aqueal that came out my monitiors again
Im posting the remix of my last tune very soon! its an improvment i feel
laters!
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08-01-2008 12:03 |
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BattleDrone
2161... the future.
Registration Date: 30-12-2005
Posts: 6,413
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When experimenting with synths or EQing it's a good idea to keep the level low. Especially when on headphones. When you are doing your mixdown and you want to have a good listen you could turn the volume up a bit.
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Check my soundcloud (exclusive tracks on there)
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08-01-2008 17:05 |
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Surya
The Robot
Registration Date: 04-11-2002
Posts: 11,238
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I try to always keep the volume down as much as possible, but when adjusting levels and stuff, it needs to be a certain level. But even that won't be above 80db I think (I should buy a meter too...)
If I go out I ALWAYS wear earplugs, and that helps a LOT. I used to have up to 3 days of ringing in my ears afterwards, but now when I wake up, my ears have recovered completely.
I do have some slight tinnitus in my right ear. I've had it for 5 years now, and I think it's steady. I'd like to keep it the way it is now.
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"In dnb you should make people jump not swim"
- Pieter Frenssen 2004
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08-01-2008 19:32 |
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CULTURE BOY
v v v iv a record missing
Registration Date: 12-01-2007
Posts: 1,415
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| quote: |
Originally posted by Tomos
| quote: |
Originally posted by brucifer
Well worth taking earplugs to a gig/rave, you should keep 'em in ya wallet with ya condoms. You don't know when your going to need either!
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Well, as long as you take the condoms you'll be alright. Because if you don't get lucky you can always puts them over your ears.
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TOMO U ARE A FUNNY GUY LMAO! THE PAIN OF A BIG SYSTEM AND SOUNDS IS GOOD BUT VERY BAD
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www.myspace.com/cultureboydnb
soundcloud
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08-01-2008 22:49 |
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Nebulizer
Danny boy
Registration Date: 28-08-2007
Posts: 71
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I have noticed recently that my ears fuzz more than usuall when im in silence. Its now got to a point when i can hear the fuzzing when im watching TV or talking to people. I guess this is just spennding too much time at raves and listening to my speakers when making tunes.
I never got this before but now (and it seems quite suddenly) if i spend an hour infront of my speakers my ears fuzz really quite badly when i sleep. If i leave it a few days it goes down a bit, but i never go more than a few days without making music so the noise has seemed to build - i cant even remember what my ears sound like in silence any more. But the point is that im quite worried about my ears. Im only 17 and even though the fuzz is quite minor, what will it be like when im 40?!
What can i do about this? Will this fuzz go away? Is this an early sign of tinitus or some shit like that? Can anyone relate to waht im saying?
Your thoughts?..
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Art For Your Ears...
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09-01-2008 00:41 |
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Muad'Dib
Andrejnalin
Registration Date: 02-12-2003
Posts: 4,197
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I began to feel some of the upper spectrum is lost for me like 1-2 years ago, and I started wearing earplugs at parties. My hearing is still sometimes dampened by the loud music, but never as before.
Earplugs are a very nice thing, and I recommend you all wear them. I just don't know where to find decent ones here.
@BD: It's actually 85dB - 8 hours; 95dB - 4 hours; 105dB 2 hours...
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There is no such thing without its opposite
-Bene Gesserit
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09-01-2008 02:47 |
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Nebulizer
Danny boy
Registration Date: 28-08-2007
Posts: 71
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I have worn some silicone earplugs to the last few parties ive been to. I got em mainly because they are basically invisible when you wear them, but they are annoying as hell! Its like sticking bluetack in your ears and i seem to find myself fiddling with em all night. They did the job pretty well though. When i get home in the morning after wearing them my ears dont ring nearly as much as if i dont use them. But i do want to get some propper ear plugs because i still think the sillicone ones dont reduce the frequencies enough, its more like raving out with your fingers in your ears all night.
So does anyone know of, or reccommend, any decent ear plugs? Preferably ones that reduce the frequencies (high tones and low tones) more evenly. When i wear the sillicone ones it just gets rid of the high freqeuncies so i can only hear the bass.
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Art For Your Ears...
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09-01-2008 12:55 |
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BattleDrone
2161... the future.
Registration Date: 30-12-2005
Posts: 6,413
Helpfulness rating:
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@ Muad'dib: adjusted the values, thanks.
Good earplugs are custom made for your ears and cost quite some money, but they reduce the whole spectrum evenly, the cheaper ones I used to wear leave tons of bass and a bit of mids and you indeed get the idea you are dancing with your fingers in your ears. When you try to talk to someone you feel like a retard because you can't understand a word of it.
Weird actually, almost everyone seems to wear some kind of protection (= good thing). And most people are complaining about fucked up ears the day(s) after if they don't wear protection.
So I must ask: why the hell don't those party organisers lower the volume with 10-15db, after 20 minutes you don't notice it anymore. It should be illegal to damage people's ears like that? Imagine how empty cinema's would be if it would damage your eyes like parties damage your ears. Why do most people ignore this problem?
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Check my soundcloud (exclusive tracks on there)
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09-01-2008 14:11 |
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CLARKFADER
unregistered
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this is so funny man , ive bin worrying about my ears 4 some time now 
, and i was only woundering the other day wether people were havin the same problems that i am havin !!!!!! i`m 32 now and i`ve bin ravin since i was 15 
, the good old days , and listening to loud music nearly all my life , now it is definately takin its toll , funally enough i thought my right ear was the worsed but when i got them checked they said it was my left ear that was worse and that your brain decives you a bit , sometimes i go 4 days not being able to get into the music im makin , i notice it most of the time now , so be warned all u youngsters look after your ears you cant fix them , only with hearing aids !!!!!!
anyway , i get the same thing , my ears hert most of the time when im out , not good , i`ve always loved loud music and always played it loud at home , but it has come at a price and by the sounds of things a lot of other people r havin the same problems im am havin , take care of them and dont play it too loud , it stops u`r mum from naggin , lol !!!!!!!!!
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09-01-2008 14:31 |
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Invent
Cool Producer
Registration Date: 03-09-2005
Posts: 179
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im studying to becoming an audioloog.. basically checking out peoples hearing, and how to help them with wat kind of hearing aid... also technical sound applies... how to build acoustics and sound barriers.... i wear hearing protection when i go clubbing... but already have slight hearing damage... however not that bad yet... just dont turn up your mp3 whole way and come see me in ten years hahah
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09-01-2008 16:07 |
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BattleDrone
2161... the future.
Registration Date: 30-12-2005
Posts: 6,413
Helpfulness rating:
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| quote: |
Originally posted by Invent
im studying to becoming an audioloog.. basically checking out peoples hearing, and how to help them with wat kind of hearing aid... |
Now there's a job with some good future... in 10-15 years the ipod generation will stand in line in front of your door, just like they lined up to buy the ipod now.
There's a problem with the design of the human brain. When a person does not see any negative results of his deeds within the next 10 years he sees no reason to change or stop his behaviour. Damages your ears, damages your lungs, damages the planet, will kill us all in the end.
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Check my soundcloud (exclusive tracks on there)
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09-01-2008 17:20 |
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Surya
The Robot
Registration Date: 04-11-2002
Posts: 11,238
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Oh yeah, don't forget to recognize when your ears hurt. In most cases it won't feel like pain in your ears, but you will feel it in your jaw.
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"In dnb you should make people jump not swim"
- Pieter Frenssen 2004
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09-01-2008 19:37 |
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Tomos
Infidel
Registration Date: 15-04-2007
Posts: 2,276
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Also, don't wait until your ears are hurting before you turn down the volume/put the ear plugs in. The damage will have already been done.
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MySpace | Soundcloud | Drumnbass.be | Facebook
"It is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring." Carl Sagan
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09-01-2008 20:27 |
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Surya
The Robot
Registration Date: 04-11-2002
Posts: 11,238
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Exactly. Prevention is the name of the game
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"In dnb you should make people jump not swim"
- Pieter Frenssen 2004
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09-01-2008 21:49 |
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