Original Message 1/6                 Date: 10-Jun-01  @  03:47 AM   -   hearing protection

djvinnybricks

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I was reading a similar thread elsewhere at dancetech, and it made me wonder what can we as DJs do about protecting our hearing.

For any of you who have never spun on a large club/rave system, you generally have to have your headphones up all the way to *kinda* hear what you are doing. My ears always ring really bad after a gig.

I have heard that Juan Atkins (the grandfather of detroit techno) has suffered hearing loss from his years of spinning and general abuse.

Is there is anything I can do to save my hearing other than to quit spinning?!  

Bricks

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Message 2/6                 Date: 10-Jun-01  @  06:02 AM   -   RE: hearing protection

loFreq

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thats really a good question. This could really be avoided with a real DJ booth, that keeps the sound from the dancefloor from distracting you/damaging your hearing. I think club owners need to take things like this into consideration. And you will most likely preform better if your monitor is nice and clear (and not blistering loud) I've been considering purchasing a single mackie studio monitor just to take to gigs, that way i can monitor straight off of the mixer and skip the nasty club delay.

anyway, how about a 'weak' ear plug that would still all0w you to hear whats going on while protecting you hearing a bit.

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Message 3/6                 Date: 10-Jun-01  @  06:07 AM   -   RE: hearing protection

Vinny Bricks

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maybe a small bit of cotton? I think this calls for some experimentation......

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Message 4/6                 Date: 10-Jun-01  @  09:01 PM   -   RE: hearing protection

k

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cigarette butts work for emergency plugs very well. just rip off the filter and stuff it in your ear.

___________________________________

I had an idea for a script once. It's basically Jaws except when the guys in the boat are going after Jaws, they look around and there's an even bigger Jaws. The guys have to team up with Jaws to get Bigger Jaws.... I call it... Big Jaws!!!

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Message 5/6                 Date: 11-Jun-01  @  07:31 PM   -   RE: hearing protection

seenull

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There now exist some really cool (and expensive) attenuating earplugs that attenuate sounds w/o distorting them. This allows you to mix with them, and in theory, would help you to hear the music better, as all the high-end distortion is attenuated. Go to http://www.hearnet.com/index.shtml

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Message 6/6                 Date: 12-Jun-01  @  04:16 AM   -   RE: hearing protection

Vinny Bricks

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See, the problem is in-ear filters don't really help the situation any. If you have your headphones loud to hear what you are doing over bad monitors and you try and put in any sort of ear plug, you will just lower the volume of the headphones.

Yeah, I almost got a pair of filters made by an audiologist. It was going to cost $130 even after the discount I would have gotten through my school. Ironically I couldn't get up the money because I was trying to pay for school.  

See, I think here in the states (at least where i have been) has been a little bit behind in club design in comparison with europe. Almost every "club" I have played at was set up to have bands play. I don't see much as far as actual *dj booths* here. I don't know where you all are and what your scenes are like, but where I am at there are still a lot of paties being thrown in wherehouse spaces woth awful acoustics....

You hear the monitors, the mains, and the delayed reflection off of the back wall. You ar eforced to crank up the 'phones for the reference point you need to pull of the mix. I have seen pictures of european clubs that had plexiglass screens in front of where the dj was. I presume that would help clear the sound up for the dj, and keep crackheads from bunping your turntable.  

Someome needs to design a portable fold up clear plexi gobo.

I hope gobo isn't just an american word.....

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