Keep your ears healthy! February 2, 2008
Posted by ConnorSmith in : Chit Chat, Digital home recording studios , trackbackPlenty of us, myself included, spend a lot of time talking about gear.
“What’s the best setting for the new Soundmaster5603aZ4 compressor????”
“How many terrabytes of RAM do I get for my new 28-core computer????”
One thing to remember is this: without healthy ears, all of that gear talk is useless. So what are some things you can do to keep them healthy and happy? I’ll list a few suggestions here.
1 – Noise levels!
Noise is the biggest threat to our healthy ears. When we have prolonged exposure to loud noises, lots of bad things can happen. We can lose hearing in general, certain frequencies can go “bad”, tinnitus can set in… aka lots of bad things. Click HERE to download the pdf of OSHA’s recommended levels of noise exposure. I would suggest that any person in the audio industry buy an SPL meter to check dB levels when working. Try to keep your monitoring levels under 90 dB (preferably C-weighted) to avoid potential damage.
2 – The Gunky Stuff – Keeping your Ears clean
We’ve all shoved cutips in our ears to clean them out. BAD IDEA. While it may seem like they do the job, you can actually be putting yourself in a bad situation. Cutips in the ear canal can push wax down farther, creating a blockage or damaging your ear. Also, ear wax is there for a reason. Without sufficient wax, you are prone to infection, dryness, and other “not-fun” things. Make an appointment with your local ENT (ear-nose-throat) doctor, and have the experts make suggestions. Start by using a soft damp cloth to gently wipe excess wax away.
A Side note on Tinnitus:
Tinnitus is caused a by many different things, including: loud noises, stress, hypertension (high blood pressure), sinus problems, infection, too much aspirin, and many more… Tinnitus is a constant ringing or noise in one or both ears. Its very annoying, and can really impede your life. If you have any of these tendencies or symptoms, its probably wise to see an ENT. If you have some tinnitus, also see a doctor to discuss some potential remedies.
As always, you can email me with any questions about ears, tinnitus, or anything!
Comments»
What’s the Decibel level of a gun shot? How about for a pistol (short barrell? A shotgun? A .375 H&H Magnum to shoot Brown Bears?
Well, depends on the gun.
A smaller handgun could still reach levels of 130-140 decibels. A big 12 gauge or something like that could reach 140-150.
(Speaking in terms of power ratios:) Remember that the difference between 130 and 150 dB is actually 100 times the intensity. There is a difference of two Bels between those two values, so 10^2 is 100 (to account for the logarithmic nature). If you shot a very small gun (like a Beretta) that only registered 120 dB, then your 150 dB shotgun blast would be 10^3, or 1,000 times more intense as that (or 100,000,000 times more intense than the average conversation of ~70dB).
The moral of the story: always wear hearing protection when you go shooting or hunting!