[Trombone-l] earplugs

[ALEX ILES]

Hey Neil,

I am not a doctor, but my wife used to be an audiologist [hearing  
diagnostician] and she has dealt with this issue with musicians in  
her practice.

The "strange sound" you are hearing is the "occlusion effect" [here  
is a more involved description...http://www.hearingresearch.org/ 
Dr.Ross/occlusion.htm]

Stick just about anything in your ear and you will experience this.

Custom fit plugs minimize the effect drastically. They attenuate the  
sound more evenly.

I used custom plugs for years when I was playing regularly in high  
volume settings. Today, I tend to use sponge plugs and I've gotten  
pretty used to them. If it's THAT loud on the bandstand, I feel like  
pitch and sound nuance becomes a lot less of an issue than protecting  
my hearing!!

If you're playing in big bands regularly [with trumpets, amps, or  
drums blasting you from all directions] or in some other high-volume  
setting, I would put out the dough, especially if the occlusion  
effect is really bothering you. The cool thing about those custom  
plugs is that usually come with a several different filters that  
reduce the sound to a choice of decibel levels.

No such thing as the "perfect ear plug", but then again, once you  
damage your hearing, it doesn't ever return to it's previous level  
again.

Good luck,

Alex
---------------------------
On Sep 25, 2007, at 7:38 AM, Neil DeBoni wrote:

> hi everyone,
>
> I just got some Etymotic ER20 earplugs and tried them out in  
> rehearsal.
> They're fantastic for the rest of the band, but I'm not so  
> impressed at the
> change in what I sound like -- I might as well be plugging my ears  
> with my
> fingers.  Very muffled, strange sound.
>
> Has anyone tried the ER20 *and* custom-fit plugs?  Are the custom- 
> fit plugs
> any different, in terms of your own sound?
>
> I was planning on getting some custom-fit plugs anyway if I liked the
> ER20's, but I'm not so sure I want to spend the big bucks on custom- 
> fit if
> they have the same "problem".
>
>
> Thanks,
> Neil
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