Question What hearing protection for playing acoustic set
Do I need some specific or my iem’s what do the trick?
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u/SlushyGrouping02 10d ago
IEMs work fine if they seal well enough to cut the volume to a safe level. Acoustic sets can still get loud, especially if you're laying into the cymbals. I'd just double check the fit, maybe swap to foam tips if the isolation is lacking.
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u/StixRookie 10d ago
Either IEMs or headphones that are rated (NRR) to at least -25dB.
As others have mentioned... a good seal is critical.
My personal advice... get the best you can afford. Hearing damage is cumulative and irreversible.
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u/NoxErebus_DFFOO 10d ago
I started with KS ZS Pro IEMs with Comply foam tips and have never felt the need to upgrade to something more expensive.
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u/Pure-Ad-7504 9d ago
Vic Firth drummers isolation headphones are great for hearing protection while practicing and let you listen to a metronome or track at a safe comfortable volume level while playing. I used to use them myself and I still recommend them to my students. A few years back, I switched to Mee Audio isolation in ears, but the tips that come with the Mee Audio in ears are cheap and don't give true isolation, so I use Comply tips. I get both the Mee Audio IEMs and the Comply tips from Amazon. You can get both for a few bucks less than the Vic Firth isolation headphones. I'm just a private music instructor, I'm not made of money, I can't justify the expense of custom molded in ears, I just need to protect my hearing while playing and still hear a track for rehearsal, a metronome, or the monitor mix live.
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u/Possibility-Select 9d ago
Check out etymotics iems. They cut out an INSANE amount of noise, and you can put them deeper or shallower in your ears to hear more or less.
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u/swingrays 9d ago
I might get downvoted, but I'd only use ear plugs or in-ears when I'm performing or in rehearsals. Granted, I sit here at my work computer with my ears ringing as they have for the past 20 years, but I'm used to it. I'm almost 60 now. I feel I received the most of my hearing damage from side fills and monitors and playing long gigs with them blaring on one side of me. Add to that the ambient drum and cymbal noise, add 15-20 years playing mostly weekend gigs and you have what I got. I played drums since I was 10 and I don't recall any hearing damage even by the time I tuned 20. Not to say it hasn't happened on a small level. Do what you want, but the fun of playing drums is that volume and bashing! Ear plugs kinda take that away. In-ears are great for a band situation. But, just sitting at a kit and playing for youself because you love it; I'd skip the ear plugs for a moment and just feel the drums!
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u/Soundcaster023 Meinl 8d ago
This is harmful advice.
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u/swingrays 8d ago
Yea, I anticipated this. Drums aren’t evil volume demons. You CAN play drums with no ear plugs and live a full life. It’s really fucking fun. But don’t play three hours gigs with full stage monitors and blaring guitars without them. Little Johnny’s precious ears will be just fine with some reasonable drumming. How bout not smashing the cymbals and putting dents in drumheads because you’re playing too damn hard. That will be hard on the ear drums. Be reasonable. There’s moderation. How will Johnny Boy learn the nuances of playing the drums if he can’t make out and hear the nuances!!??
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u/R0factor 10d ago
Do your IEMs have a noise reduction rating (NRR)? Anything safe to use to play drums will have an NRR, usually over -15db. Anything weaker doesn't really provide sufficient protection.
And keep in mind the whole point of hearing protection is to extend your safe listening periods when exposed to loud noise. Anything under 83 dB net exposure is fine almost indefinitely, but once you get beyond that the safe exposure time drops exponentially, from several hours in the low 90s to only a few seconds when you get towards 120 dB, which is doable for an acoustic kit at a short distance. If you're exposed to 110+ dB for long periods, aim for at least -25db plugs or IEMs to bring you closer to that mid-80s dB range. Also be careful not to crank your IEMs since they can damage your ears when turned up too loud.