protecting your hearing when djing

[Patch]

Yes.

[SirReal]

I have custom fitted earplugs that have switchable attenuation pads and give a nearly flat response 20hz-20khz. I generally use the 6 db pad when going to events and concerts. I haven't tried DJing with them as I tend to keep my headphones and booth at a lower level than most but they work great for clubbing and concerts. FYI, they ran me about $190 US and $75 more for the 15db pads.

[dsquareddan]

work in a nightclub doing visuals & lighting 3 or 4 times a week. my custom fit -25dB have been my lifesaver. after losing my old pair, i ended up getting tinnitus for a few weeks before I went out and bought new ones (old ones were 6 years old, so not a total loss).

My advice is most definitely get yourself a pair. I don't wear mine while DJing simply because wearing them with headphones is uncomfortable, however outside DJ booth they are in 100% of the time>

Secondly, TURN DOWN YOUR BOOTH MONITOR. seriously. so many DJ's walk into the booth and crank it to 11 and leave it there for the entirety of their set. THAT's how you go deaf. Mix in headphones if you are comfortable with that. If another DJ or person walks in the booth, turn down the monitor before you talk to them out of respect. no sense trying to yell at eachother when a simple knob turn makes it easier for everyone.

Thirdly, don't redline the mixer and use high quality files. as mentioned in this thread already. low quality tracks cause ear fatique much faster. when you turn the mixer up to the point of distortion, leaving no headroom for effects or peaks, you will quickly hurt your hearing possibly permanently.

Lastly, ignore what lil jon says "turn down for wut"