How Do Musicians Protect Their Hearing – We answer questions about why singers wear headphones on stage and reveal all the behind-the-scenes information you’ve ever wanted to know.
For music lovers or aspiring musicians, you may have noticed that apart from technical lighting and amazing stage setup for live or online performances, another constant is the headphones that every singer or musician wears.
How Do Musicians Protect Their Hearing
The problem is, if you’re a singer or musician, you might think you don’t need headphones to perform. But we warn you: this will be a serious mistake. Apart from aesthetics, these headphones play an important role in making or breaking any performance.
Ways To Protect Your Hearing
In this article, we can find all the answers to the question of why singers and musicians wear headphones while performing and what they hear from headphones. So read on!
Fans of K-Pop may remember Red Velvet’s Joy falling on stage with ear to ear during a 2016 concert. The headphone results have been uncomfortable.
During the show, Joey fell down clutching his ear in pain and ran off stage. Fans speculated that she might have been surprised by the headphones.
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In fact, there are many reasons to wear headphones on stage. Here are just a few:
From a layman’s perspective, it’s really easy to think of music performance as a freelance job. After all, this is a singer’s show. However, the reality of a stage production is quite different, and a large concert requires 30-50 technicians.
The result? A singer who can think more than just singing and playing music. External direction can take many forms, such as:
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This behind-the-scenes look at Joe Bucci’s performance gives you an idea of the direction he’s headed.
This can help them hear other performers sharing the stage exactly, or provide background vocals to help them maintain tempo and tone.
Without proper control, singers will not be able to adjust their voice to proper pitch and tempo or notice. Harmony with other singers is also impossible. All singers on stage need their own monitoring system.
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This is especially true when multiple artists sing at the same time, such as at a Red Velvet concert.
Speaker monitors (pictured on stage above) are wedge-shaped, hence the name wedge. They were traditionally placed on the floor next to the actor.
However, amplified sound from the wedge may enter the microphone. This results in the dreaded scream/feedback synonymous with amateur rock concerts of the past.
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Another disadvantage of wedges is that they act as anchors for actors on stage. Wedges are at optimal angles for performers to hear properly, and moving out of these areas can dramatically affect performance. For a big stage, actors are needed a lot, which increases the cost significantly.
That’s why most singers today opt for in-ear monitors (IEMs). IEMs allow for more complex movement around the stage. Instead of placing the monitors in a fixed position like wedges, singers wear IEMs that follow their every move and dramatically reduce feedback noise.
Decibels (abbreviated as “dB”) are how we measure sound; Loudly. Health experts point out that while a rock concert is 120 dB, exposure to anything above 85 dB starts to damage your ears. For musicians, hearing protection is essential to sustaining their lifestyle.
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IEMs fit directly into the ear canal, providing the same protection as external earplugs. This protects the performers from the loud noise of the band and the screams of the crowd.
However, internally, they allow you to hear what the microphone is picking up at a safe and comfortable level. Performers (or their technical team) can control how loud the IEMs are and limit them to safe listening standards.
Remember that improperly adjusted headphones and IEMs can damage your ears, for example by opening them above 85dB for too long. However, if used correctly, they will fit your ears perfectly.
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Finally, as mentioned above, IEMs can block feedback noise, which can damage your ears if it’s too loud.
By now you’ve probably realized that the headphones worn by singers are mostly IEMs. If you look closely, you’ll notice they roll over the ears to help singers comfortably incorporate dance and pop movements.
Examples of headphones for singers range from the entry-level KZ ASX to the better SeeAudio Yume. But both are wired IEMs. Because wired IEMs work with any sound system and require no additional accessories.
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A universal or “generic” IEM is a type of contract. As you might expect, they are usually cheaper. It should be noted that these come in many shapes and sizes with different types of tips. You may find something that fits your ear comfortably, but not perfectly. However, be careful as this imperfect fit can affect sound insulation.
Of course, custom IEMs will fit your ear canal more tightly and provide better noise isolation. They do a certain amount of work on your behalf – you just need to get an earful.
“Your ears are as unique as your fingerprints,” says the Atlanta-based medical practice manual on ear pressure. It’s important to take your time and make sure the comment is correct before proceeding.
Musicians Custom In Ear Monitors
Custom made IEMs take a long time to make an impression.
A manufacturer estimates that Empire Ears will take about 8 weeks to receive your ear impressions.
Finally, it should be noted that custom products are harder to return than other products. Custom IEMs are designed for one pair of ears and may feature specific band logos and insignia. This makes it difficult to sell them to others. So it’s a good idea to double-check the return policy before purchasing.
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Custom IEMs are perfect for professionals and people who perform a lot on stage.
While we sometimes see singers covering one ear to hear better, you’ll see the opposite: the singer is taking off the headphones. In fact, as great as in-ear monitoring can be for singers, it has some drawbacks.
It’s hard to overstate the importance and challenges of truly connecting with your audience. It should be described by the actor.
Why Do Musicians Use Earplugs?
In Nancy Baym’s book Playing to the Crowd, the legendary Spanish singer Nacho Vegas is quoted as saying: “…some people who like your music can make you feel that they have important things in common, like your feelings and life experiences. It’s always Not true. But it can also be beautiful. The relationship with the audience can be beautiful and strange at the same time. That’s cool, I think.”
It is clear that this sense of connection can be difficult to truly cultivate. Performers cannot hear the audience in front of them when their ears are blocked by IEMs. What’s worse, the bright stage lights are shining in their eyes, making it difficult for even the audience to see!
It really takes away from the feeling of playing live. By releasing their IEMs, they can bring back the feeling of playing to the audience.
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However there are solutions where you can get the best of both worlds. One of these is a microphone technique called an ambient microphone.
This technique allows ambient sounds (such as audience chatter, reactions, etc.) to be transmitted to the singer’s headphones.
But this is often not the case, especially in basic settings. This requires positioning the microphone so that the ambient sounds of the room are more prominent at the receiving microphone than the direct sound of the music. As a result, it requires a high performance area and a special configuration.
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Headphone distortion isn’t common, but it can be a show-stopper. In extreme cases, like the K-Pop example above, an actor can have an accident.
Check out this compilation of IEM fails for milder cases, including Taylor Swift’s surprise comeback.
As mentioned in our custom IEM section, getting a quality IEM can take a lot of time and money. However, even though the group is playing more melodious music with the actors on stage, they should be a separate duo.
Hearprotek 2 Pairs High Fidelity Concert Ear Plugs, Noise Reduction Music Earplugs, Hearing Protection For Musicians, Festival, Dj’s, Nightclub, Concerts, Drummers, Party, Motorcyclists (23db)
As it turns out, the common practice of sharing headphones and IEMs, while practical, is not recommended. Ears contain germs and bacteria that cause ear infections. Sharing headphones and IEMs is more like a toothbrush than the average user realizes.
The final cost is that recording actors requires different headphones. In this case, it is recommended to use studio monitoring headphones. This allows the singer to hear the recording as closely as possible. There is no risk of any voice bleeding.
Now you have the answers
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