Hello,
I'm a guitar player in the Praise & Worship band at my church and we use the AVIOM monitor system. I’m currently using a set of Shure SL2 earbuds with Comply foam pieces on the buds, but the bass & drums are STILL KILLING ME. What do you recommend for me to use so I can cut out majority of the bass and drums and can adjust them in my earbuds so that the level is not causing my freaking ears to ring & ache every time I play? Help!
Thanks,
Darrell
Darrell,
Well, first, have you turned the bass line all the way off in your feed? If not, start there... my guess is you did this of course, but had to ask.
To get better isolation than you have with the SL2 + comply foam tips, moving to a set of Challengers would be your best bet. I suggest these, rather than a more expensive set of IEMs because the IEMs are made of acrylic, which is not especially good at noise blocking, while the Challengers are made of silicone, which is much better. Since these will not have the solid plastic stem (which I think is mainly responsible for funneling the ambient drums and bass into your canals) you should experience a reduction in unwanted ambient noise of as much as 50% related to what you now suffer.
I would also add that hearing damage is a cumulative phenomenon. You can stand the loud for a short time, but the longer you are exposed during any 24 hour period, the worse will be the effects. If you are practicing with the same setup, you might want to try wearing a set of ear muffs over your monitors during practice to reduce the cumulative dose of noise you are getting. Maybe you could even wear them during services, but that could be a little dicey, I understand…might not look right to the powers or the people. I would suggest a nice subtle black set of low profile muffs like these or these.
By the way, your congregation may be suffering right along with you, so maybe you could convince the powers that be to turn it down a little? Or failing that, provide ear plugs to the members who choose to use them. We have some nice neutral beige ear plugs they are sure to like. They are just $.12 a pair.
Thanks for writing, Darrell!
Until next time, be safe and do the right thing.
Tom Bergman, Vice President
Ear Plug Superstore
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