Earplugs for Musicians
Musicians are constantly exposed to high level sounds and need to protect their ears to prevent future hearing problems (hearing loss, tinnitus, hyperacusis, etc).
One of the most useful products to achieve this goal is the high fidelity earplug designed specially for musicians. The following article (excerpt), give an explanation of why is important for the musicians to use this type of earplugs instead of conventional ones.
Hearing Protection for Musicians
Musicians need to hear well, and safely, when they play. Standard industrial-type hearing protectors muffle sound and frequently provide too much attenuation and occlusion to be acceptable for musicians. This article describes the selection of high-fidelity earplugs for musicians.
The Problem with Conventional Earplugs
If 10 dB of hearing protection is good, wouldn’t more protection be even better? The answer is “not always.” Protecting the hearing of those in the music industry isn’t as simple as providing industrial-type hearing protectors and counseling on the importance of their use. In fact, conventional hearing protectors can cause significant problems for those in the music industry, because they produce: 1) Too much high frequency attenuation (unbalanced attenuation); 2) too much attenuation overall; and 3) too much occlusion effect:
• Too much high-frequency attenuation. Inserting an earplug into the ear removes the ear’s natural resonant peak (approximately 17 dB at 2700 Hz in the average ear). This insertion loss, when combined with the earplug’s attenuation characteristics, results in a net treble deficiency of 15-20 dB,4 which causes music and voices to sound muffled.
Most musical instruments have a significant amount of energy above 1000 Hz, with harmonics that are more intense than the fundamental.1 These high frequency harmonics are vital to accurate loudness perception, and they also contribute to the richness of the music. Earplugs with too much high frequency attenuation destroy the tonal balance, which can result in mishearing or overplaying to compensate for the lack of high frequency sound heard through the earplugs.
• Too much attenuation overall. Musicians need to hear, and hear well, while they play. Standard industrial-type hearing protectors not only muffle sound, they often provide too much attenuation; deeply inserted foam earplugs can provide 30-40 dB of sound reduction when far less is needed to protect hearing.
Excessive attenuation may also result in mishearing or overplaying. Drummers, for example, may be unable to monitor the level of play and sustain wrist and arm injuries from striking the drums too forcefully.
• Too much occlusion effect. Occlusion effect is an increase in sound pressure level at the eardrum in the occluded ear compared to the open ear, for sounds generated by the user (eg, vocalist, brass, or woodwinds). When a musician sings or blows into the mouthpiece of an instrument, the sound is conducted via the jaw to the bone surrounding the inner portion of the ear canal. With standard earplugs, this results in an elevated sound pressure level behind the hearing protector. This elevated level, experienced over several hours of rehearsal or performance, may put the musician at risk for overexposure and lead to tinnitus and hearing loss. Occlusion effect can be greatly reduced with earplugs that seal deeply in the bony portion of the ear canal.
It should be noted that occlusion effect isn’t always a problem; if the musician isn’t a vocalist or horn player, occlusion may not be an issue. Sometimes a bit of occlusion effect is desirable for vocalists as an aid in self-monitoring. In this case, a slightly shorter plug that doesn’t seal quite as deeply may be more appropriate. However, for the majority of individuals, a deeply sealed earplug is the best option.
Texts extracted from the article Hearing Protection for Musicians written by Patty Niquette and published on the Issue Stories section of the HearingReview web page. To read the whole article click here.
For further information about musicians earplugs click here.
One of the most useful products to achieve this goal is the high fidelity earplug designed specially for musicians. The following article (excerpt), give an explanation of why is important for the musicians to use this type of earplugs instead of conventional ones.
Hearing Protection for Musicians
Musicians need to hear well, and safely, when they play. Standard industrial-type hearing protectors muffle sound and frequently provide too much attenuation and occlusion to be acceptable for musicians. This article describes the selection of high-fidelity earplugs for musicians.
The Problem with Conventional Earplugs
If 10 dB of hearing protection is good, wouldn’t more protection be even better? The answer is “not always.” Protecting the hearing of those in the music industry isn’t as simple as providing industrial-type hearing protectors and counseling on the importance of their use. In fact, conventional hearing protectors can cause significant problems for those in the music industry, because they produce: 1) Too much high frequency attenuation (unbalanced attenuation); 2) too much attenuation overall; and 3) too much occlusion effect:
• Too much high-frequency attenuation. Inserting an earplug into the ear removes the ear’s natural resonant peak (approximately 17 dB at 2700 Hz in the average ear). This insertion loss, when combined with the earplug’s attenuation characteristics, results in a net treble deficiency of 15-20 dB,4 which causes music and voices to sound muffled.
Most musical instruments have a significant amount of energy above 1000 Hz, with harmonics that are more intense than the fundamental.1 These high frequency harmonics are vital to accurate loudness perception, and they also contribute to the richness of the music. Earplugs with too much high frequency attenuation destroy the tonal balance, which can result in mishearing or overplaying to compensate for the lack of high frequency sound heard through the earplugs.
• Too much attenuation overall. Musicians need to hear, and hear well, while they play. Standard industrial-type hearing protectors not only muffle sound, they often provide too much attenuation; deeply inserted foam earplugs can provide 30-40 dB of sound reduction when far less is needed to protect hearing.
Excessive attenuation may also result in mishearing or overplaying. Drummers, for example, may be unable to monitor the level of play and sustain wrist and arm injuries from striking the drums too forcefully.
• Too much occlusion effect. Occlusion effect is an increase in sound pressure level at the eardrum in the occluded ear compared to the open ear, for sounds generated by the user (eg, vocalist, brass, or woodwinds). When a musician sings or blows into the mouthpiece of an instrument, the sound is conducted via the jaw to the bone surrounding the inner portion of the ear canal. With standard earplugs, this results in an elevated sound pressure level behind the hearing protector. This elevated level, experienced over several hours of rehearsal or performance, may put the musician at risk for overexposure and lead to tinnitus and hearing loss. Occlusion effect can be greatly reduced with earplugs that seal deeply in the bony portion of the ear canal.
It should be noted that occlusion effect isn’t always a problem; if the musician isn’t a vocalist or horn player, occlusion may not be an issue. Sometimes a bit of occlusion effect is desirable for vocalists as an aid in self-monitoring. In this case, a slightly shorter plug that doesn’t seal quite as deeply may be more appropriate. However, for the majority of individuals, a deeply sealed earplug is the best option.
Texts extracted from the article Hearing Protection for Musicians written by Patty Niquette and published on the Issue Stories section of the HearingReview web page. To read the whole article click here.
For further information about musicians earplugs click here.
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