Drummers: Hearing protection help

[IHateMyJob2004]

Santa brought my 11 yea old a drum set. He loves it. But even my ears hurt when 20 feet away. He is getting hammered with loud noise.

So I want to get him some hearing protection.

I was thinking about getting a few sets of these (for more than just my son):
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Vic-Firth/Kidphones.gc

Are these good? I'm not a drummer so my only real question is what happens across the frequency spectrum with these? Is is a 22 db drop across 20Hz-20KHz or does it tend to drown out cymbals all together or will those get drowned out evenly with the bass? Or would something like this be in higher ends models?

Any advice is appreciated. Even if you tell me to save money and go to Home Depot and get the headsets for use with chainsaws.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

WHAT?

But seriously: those are basically the same as the $5 ear protectors you get at home depot. A lot of musicians use fancy in-ear plugs, but for a kid learning I'd just go cheap - especially for percussion where intonation and tone quality aren't as big a potential problem.

Incidentally, one of Theory profs in college was a percussionist who switched when he started to lose his hearing.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Also, basically no hearing protection I've used works like you're describing - they just mute everything across the board.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Thanks,

I guess I'll just find something cheap that is comfortable.

 

[JoLLyRoGer]

Life long drummer here.

What I prefer to use for practice is the over the ear headphone style like you find in the gun section of walmart.

In fact the ones I use say Winchester on them. My son uses them too. They work great and are pretty cheap too.

If he doesnt like those, get the in ear reusable type with the 3 fins. Also found in sporting goods.

Good luck!!

 

[GagHalfrunt]

The bigger question is what did you do to piss off Santa? He'd only bring a drum kit to an 11 year old whose parents he hated. Solve that problem or next year the kid is getting a flame thrower.

 

[Fenixgoon]

for hearing protection, i like the over-the-ears style earmuffs. i use them when i go shooting (not a drummer). custom molded ear plugs are amazing, but generally more costly. if there are motorcycle shows near you, that's usually the cheapest place to get them. otherwise you'll probably spend $150+.

i find the earmuffs to be a lot more consistent than the foam plugs. of course i don't have too many options when it comes to riding my motorcycle so for foam plugs, i've had best experience with the 3M classic yellow cylinders.

 

[Imp]

Ya... you should watch your hearing with musicial instruments, and it's good that you caught this early. I'm regretting being in band class through two years of high school with no hearing protection. Drums are probably the loudest -- probably why bands usually put drums behind a transparent wall.

I'm not an expert so consider me clueless.

With over the ear, you can run into problems if the cups don't seal/fit properly and they can be affected by movement. The higher Noise Reduction Rating over-ears may feel like vice-clamps too. People use over-ears to shoot guns though. I prefer in-ear foam earplugs because they're cheap, disposable, and don't seem to move if I turn/shift my head. But going into the ear means hygiene, sanitary concerns.

Cheapo ear protection options usually have an unbalanced response so they muffle frequencies unevenly. I've seen "musicians' earplugs" and bought a pair years ago, but they didn't seem to block much sound for me so I ditched them. I've heard that custom molded plugs are the best, but they're expensive and probably not a good idea for a growing kid. On the other hand, who cares about frequency response with drums?

 

[Imp]

P.S. If you want to look at professional stuff or ever get into it, I think the Shure brand is the go-to for hearing/monitoring -- they effectively make all the microphones people use too (SM57/SM58 models)...

 

[dave_the_nerd]

P.S. If you want to look at professional stuff or ever get into it, I think the Shure brand is the go-to for hearing/monitoring -- they effectively make all the microphones people use too (SM57/SM58 models)...

You're talking headphones now, not hearing protection.

Also, while the SM57 is a popular introductory-level mic for recording vocals, it is definitely not "all the microphones people use." (audio snob powers... ACTIVATE!)()

 

[Imp]

You're talking headphones now, not hearing protection.

Also, while the SM57 is a popular introductory-level mic for recording vocals, it is definitely not "all the microphones people use." (audio snob powers... ACTIVATE!)()

You've totally called out my noobness on da audio stuff.

I think in-ear monitors are what "professional" musicians wear. They don't appear to have NRR ratings, but they supposedly attenuate up to xx dB. My understanding is that they block other stuff out so you can hear yourself.

 

[jagec]

With over the ear, you can run into problems if the cups don't seal/fit properly and they can be affected by movement. The higher Noise Reduction Rating over-ears may feel like vice-clamps too. People use over-ears to shoot guns though. I prefer in-ear foam earplugs because they're cheap, disposable, and don't seem to move if I turn/shift my head. But going into the ear means hygiene, sanitary concerns.

I had the opposite problem: in-ear foam plugs would move and stop attenuating properly on the motorcycle (usually when I was going 60 on the freeway and turned my head to check for traffic). Over-the-ear earmuffs while shooting or using power tools were always solid, and I found the "vise-clamp" sensation to be more tolerable long-term than the feeling of something IN your ear.

Note that you can (if you want) double up and wear in-ear plugs under earmuffs. Nice when the guy next to you is shooting a big-bore revolver.

 

[Imp]

I had the opposite problem: in-ear foam plugs would move and stop attenuating properly on the motorcycle (usually when I was going 60 on the freeway and turned my head to check for traffic). Over-the-ear earmuffs while shooting or using power tools were always solid, and I found the "vise-clamp" sensation to be more tolerable long-term than the feeling of something IN your ear.

Note that you can (if you want) double up and wear in-ear plugs under earmuffs. Nice when the guy next to you is shooting a big-bore revolver.

That sucks. I used to wear over-ears for vacuuming, but I'd feel and hear the seal breaking when turning my head.

The double-up thing is hilarious. I did some brief research a while back, and apparently, it doesn't double-up your protection. Foam in-ears with NRR 33 dB + over-ear NRR 25 dB does not equal NRR 58 dB. Something to do with sound transmitted through your body/bones. Maximum obtainable, if I recall correctly, was a bit under 40 dB.

P.S. Oh... "vise" not "vice".

 

[stormkroe]

You're talking headphones now, not hearing protection.

Also, while the SM57 is a popular introductory-level mic for recording vocals, it is definitely not "all the microphones people use." (audio snob powers... ACTIVATE!)()

:thumbsup:

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Grabbing two of these after work. Might get up to 4 pair total depending on needs of the rest of my family:
http://www.lowes.com/ProductDisplay...51&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=50037302

Why on earth does Guitar Center not stock cans like this in store? All they stock are the in ear style protection.

 

[smackababy]

I wonder how bad my hearing will eventually be. I've spent years drumming and playing guitar, not to mention shooting guns. Eh, oh well.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Grabbing two of these after work. Might get up to 4 pair total depending on needs of the rest of my family:
http://www.lowes.com/ProductDisplay...51&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=50037302

Why on earth does Guitar Center not stock cans like this in store? All they stock are the in ear style protection.

Because Guitar Center would look really silly charging their usual markups for something that everybody and their dog knows they can get at Lowe's for a third the price. They stock things that they think they can fleece people on.

Also, musicians tend to prefer the in-ear because they're worried about looking cool on stage. And because we bop our heads around and the cans fall off.

 

[Imp]

Grabbing two of these after work. Might get up to 4 pair total depending on needs of the rest of my family:
http://www.lowes.com/ProductDisplay...51&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=50037302

Why on earth does Guitar Center not stock cans like this in store? All they stock are the in ear style protection.

That reminds me... I need a new set and I have to remember to clean them. The last pair has dead everything caked onto the earmuffs and it doesn't come off.

 

[nakedfrog]

I wear a pair of Etymotic Research ER20 plugs when I go to loud concerts.
On the rare occasion that I do play with a drummer, it's either in a very, very small setting where they're just using a single snare or djembe or something, or digital drums where we can control the volume, so I don't use them when playing.

 

[thomsbrain]

Back in my rock band days, we went through piles of these. Comfortable, cheap, excellent performance (way more effective and natural sounding than muffs).

http://www.amazon.com/Hearos-Xtreme-Protection-14-Pair-Foam/dp/B001EPQ86A

My experience with muffs is that they can never seal 100%, the plastic cases resonate at certain lower frequencies, they don't block sound naturally across the frequency range, the actual sound attenuation is woefully inadequate, and they are a pain in the ass if you are making any kind of body movement.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

I'll be moving to plugs when my son is older. He can't do the cans wrong. Plugs, probably.