22 Mar
2010
22 Mar
'10
2:08 p.m.
On 21 March 2010 at 17:32, Ken Restivo <ken(a)restivo.org> wrote:
Not to me. I'm not an audio engineer, I have
tinnitus, and my
ears are shot from 25 years of playing music.
The only difference I can definitely hear is between any
dynamic mic and a large-diaphragm condenser like the MXL 990
which I owned briefly a few years ago. But I can't tell the
difference between that MXL into a FastTrack and, say, my
friend's Neumann through a tube preamp.
It's really sad when I learn of anyone's hearing loss. I'm a
drummer for 32 years now. For the last 31 of those years I've
been using ear plugs, first the store bought kind for musician's,
and for 7-8 years now I've been using custom fit musician
earplugs with interchangeable attenuators. Normally, I use 25dB
attenuators. But, I also have 10dB and 15dB attenuators. Those
were US$100, but that's way cheaper than a new pair of ears. I
wear those when playing and when I'm at a concert or around
anything loud that I want to hear, just more quietly.
Both of my kids (6 & 8 years old) have been learning to play
drums since about 14 months old. They each use machinist ear
muffs, with 30dB isolation, when they play, or when they're
around loud sounds.
I can still tell the difference between my MXLs, AKGs, Audixs and
my friend's Neumann and Audio Technica, which all sound great,
but different. Protect what you have, or what you have left.
All the best to you all!
--
Kevin