The tiny hair cells that line our cochlea (they assist in translating vibration into sound that our brain can interpret) don’t grow back, so when you’re exposed to loud sounds, they’re destroyed and it’s one part of the body that won’t heal.
Hearing protection is something a lot of us are, ironically, sick of hearing about. At higher education facilities all around the world, there’s two things they teach off the bat: rolling cables and the anatomy, and fragility of our ears.
The tiny hair cells that line our cochlea (they assist in translating vibration to something our brain can interpret as sound) don’t grow back, so when you’re exposed to loud sounds, they’re destroyed and it’s one of the only parts of the body that won’t heal. We’ve all been guilty of struggling to perform on a stage with earplugs in, or wanting to enjoy a concert to the full effect, even if it’s pushing 100dB. While it might only be one concert, or one gig, just two minutes of exposure to 110 decibels can cause irreversible damage to your hearing. Critical listening is out the window after a few years of consistent exposure, so it’s really important to persevere and get used to wearing hearing protection.
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For context, even the sounds of the city like traffic, planes, air conditioner rumble and more can easily reach or exceed 85-90dB, slowly deteriorating our hearing over a lifetime. This, coupled with gigs, as either a performer, a punter or a live mixing engineer can speed up that deterioration process. Live mixing is a tough one to navigate because it’s essential that engineers can hear the sound in its truest form, though you’re really playing with fire.
I’ll be the first, and not the last, to admit that the cheap, single-use foam earplugs do two things badly: fit and protect. They’re not designed for music and they roll off different parts of the frequency spectrum in different ways – usually the top end to radical effect. Your favourite band will quickly sound like you’re standing outside the venue, only the low end thumping through the earplugs. The fit of earplugs is really important as airtight = soundproof, and if the expanding foam doesn’t expand properly, you’re fighting an uphill battle that often results in the foam earplugs expanding themselves out of your ear entirely. What’s more—they’re generally single use and not recyclable!
There’s better options out there, rubber earplugs that can be washed and used for years – all the while providing a better fit, for better protection, as well as more evenly filtering out sound—though still usually with heavier effect on the high end. I’ve tried them all, usually with a pair in the car, in my bag as well as a spare in the road cases that carry my gear to and from gigs. I’m never without earplugs and a spare set and the difference can be really startling. The rubber, reusable design works well, usually using two-three little cups to progressively filter out sound. So when the Minuendo LIVE 17dB earplugs came across my desk – was both intrigued and unsure what to expect. Would this be another earplug like any other?
That’s where Minuendo deviate. Minuendo know the plight of the musician and engineer, that they don’t want to sacrifice sound quality but need to protect their hearing. For this they offer two main options, both as customisable as each other. The Minuendo LIVE 17dB, or the their Adjustable earplugs.
Minuendo Adjustable earplugs
The Adjustable earplugs are exactly that: earplugs that provide varying isolation between 7dB and 25dB of reduction depending on your environment and needs for hearing protection. This makes a great solution for just about anyone—7dB is great for everyday wear if the noise and chaos of the city is too much, whereas 25dB of reduction would keep your hearing protected even if you need to scramble onto stage to fix a faulty cable with a band blaring. Small stage got you stood next to a crashing cymbal? You’ll be protected no matter what. The adjustable nature of these earplugs elevate them above all else, becoming a customisable solution to wherever you are and whatever you’re doing.
Minuendo LIVE 17dB
The LIVE 17dB earplugs are a simpler solution, providing a consistent 17dB of reduction with a startlingly flat EQ curve. The aforementioned competitor, three-cup rubber earplugs do a great job at reducing sound, though in an unbalanced way, reducing more high end and articulation than is ideal. Minuendo’s patented acoustic membrane technology filters out sound evenly, instead of using rubber to filter it out so overtly, and boy oh boy does it do a great job. From 5kHz and beyond, the resulting EQ curve of the LIVE 17dB earplugs is impressively flat, resulting in as accurate an experience as you could want! Both the LIVE 17dB and Adjustable include a premium accessory pack, hard shell case and feature magnetic snap back to make sure you don’t lose them.
Hearing protection cannot be understated as an investment in both yourself and those around you. You’ll be able to work more accurately, for longer, and with better results, all the while, if I may so myself, with earplugs that look pretty cool. Your hearing is much more fragile than you might realise, and even one gig without earplugs can affect your hearing for a lifetime. So what does a hundred gigs do? Well, more damage every minute.
Your ears are your business as a creative, so it’s really important to protect them as once damaged, it doesn’t come back, with things like ageing and time affecting your hearing on top of the damage you might be doing. Minuendo are one company making uncompromising solutions based on the pitfalls of their competitors.
For more info, or to buy Minuendo earplugs, keep reading here.
