Suffering from tinnitus since becoming more successful and doing LOTS of gigs. I use a small compact column PA speaker (not hugely loud most of the time), but has very good frequency response with sub-bass and also 'sizzlingly' high frequencies.
I've been using ear protection since noticing tinnitus. I have foam earplugs, silicone, ear defenders, and at least 4 sets of custom moulded 'pro' earplugs with 10bd, 15db, 17db filters that attenuate across the frequency spectrum.
My current 'go to' are the 15db pro moulded plugs. I try and not 'over use' but just use when the sound levels are high. ie. when I'm actually performing. My levels usually start pretty low (not much louder than acoustic singing, but often by the end they are at a level where I feel earplugs would be better for me.
Some gigs in large care homes (around 50 people) management actually want a full party atmosphere and demand that music is a decently loud volume for dancing etc. Earplugs are definitely needed for me there.
(I'll often check in with my audience and ask if the volume is ok. I rarely ever get complaints of it being too loud)
Yet, my T is still spiking and I fear for my future employment. It stresses me. What am I doing wrong?
In an ideal world I suppose I might just take a year or two off gigs, and let my ears calm down. But this is not an option financially! I've only ever been a musician (bands, piano, guitar, accordion, producing, tours).
What ever I try it doesnt seem to work. I don't understand what is happening. Am I making it worse? Should I be exposing my self to MORE noise instead? Do I need a different speaker?
I just don;t know and it sometimes feels like a daily nightmare that only I know about, and all the time you have to be 'relaxed and happy' during the perfromance.
Not happy. Any advice please? Thankyou !
Written by
Fulltimemuso
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85db is given as a safe level, but, dig deeper and anything over 70db is going to cause more wear & tear on your ears which are sensitive & you could do more damage and increase the tinnitus a lot more. I have similar issues and I think it may well have been traffic noise doing it, I need to stay below 70db for months & years ahead. Music in an enclosed space and some frequencies will probably be too much & 95-105 decibels or so, I am sure you can buy Stronger filters & Ear plugs. Your probably at high risk from causing future problems to your ears & your tinnitus going a lot worse and insane. I think you can also buy ear defenders that limit noise to 85db, but, you might need to limit it to 70db as you go on. My tinnitus is pretty bad at the moment, I am hoping it may settle down, but, it isn't looking good, I have been careful with noise and I think a bit too much noise over 70db recently has caused more wear & tear and damage and my tinnitus is louder. My ears have also turned 50 or have aged, my tinnitus is pretty brutal at the moment & I have been very careful recently. I have also been testing things with the decibel meter and even turning one of my radios up, it easily peaks above 70db and I can feel it in the ears tingling away sort of. In a care home, a lot of people may have deafness, so the music will need to be extra loud for them to hear it. If you invest in some stronger protection ear plugs and check the decibel levels, you maybe safer for a while. If the tinnitus keeps peeking, most likely, it will be louder all the time at some point, as the spikes are often early warning signals. Your music is probably to loud at the moment, get one of those decibel meters for about £15 and check the levels. You could also place the speakers away from you, but, in a room, it won't make much difference in the long term. Where are you based in the UK. Regain Hearing do custom ear moulds and they have clinics in the South East & Kent, the CEO, Lee Fletcher, also plays music and plays in a band. You could get an extended hearing test done & also chat about the situation and see what he recommends.
Think we've spoke before Fulltimemuso. Some people on here who aren't musician/ singers don't realise that ear plugs make very little difference to singers, as your biggest noise level is coming from INSIDE your head, with your own voice. In fact, I'm now convinced ear plugs can create a pressure, and make it worse!! Yes, standing too close to amps, speakers etc can be bad too, but if you look at famous music stars who have hearing problems, they all tend to be singers! I don't do as many gigs as you do, but I do find the less I play, the less bother my T gives. Unfortunately. Take care.
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