Noise isolating DJ headphones
Anyone a design engineer ?
Custom hearing plugs have been good , but I’m thinking of headphones that allow an adjustable amount of room volume through passages, in whichever side you choose . This way the perfect blend of room sound , and mixer sound can be adjusted inside the headphones , without ever having to partially remove them .
I have tinnitus , so I’m trying to make my hearing last as long as possible.
Thats what the cue/mix is for :-S … theres no need to hear the room if you are mixing solely in the cans.
I could learn how to do that . I’ve always been a house DJ , and I learned the old school vinyl way , with the room , or booth monitor being very important. Sometimes the room is the only monitor , and its cranked up loud. My friends who learned on CDJ’s , use the cans only for finding a track , but then beat match and mix using the numbers on the decks, and listen to the monitors without the cans. I’ve always found mixing entirely in the cans very difficult . I’d like to try it with the left can hooked to the LH deck , and the right can hooked to the RH deck. I could see that working .
I’ve seen some DJs use concert earplugs under their headphones, which they are then able to crank up to blend better with the room’s sound.
Split Cue is the function you want - master on one ear, cue on the other
You could also use IEM’s for your monitor cue and your cans being fed with the master output via a headphone amp.
+1 on split cue… some mixers allow that via a switch. That’s the way I would do it, but have grown more accustomed to having just a blend between cue and program.
As far as noise canceling headphones… I played an “L shaped” room with high ceilings last week and it had a nasty echo (my monitors were in front of me and didn’t bring a booth monitor). My HD25’s actually did a good job at blocking out the outside noise.
Split cue is something I could set up with my 57sl.
TTM 57SL DIY Split Cue? | Serato.com On another note , using visual waveforms and BPM displays makes it less challenging , but it probably saves the hearing .
Honestly in your situation I reckon you have 4 choices.
I’ve never been a fan of mixing in the cans either, but thankfully my hearing hasn’t suffered (yet! touch wood) -
Where it comes to Cue/Mix, its not too big a deal to teach yourself, I kinda got used to it living in a small condo unit with people on all sides BUT I do mix “more seat of your pants” and more inclined too be spontaneous with one ear off.
I find brining tracks in kinda requires a few precious seconds in that you need to get the tracks almost matched perfectly before turning the knob to mix and only then letting fading in rather than fading in track when the track is @90% matched and being able to ride the fader during the mix.
Kinda requires an extra hand on the cue/mix knob which is kinda a pain in the ass if you are manipulating filters, eq’s or pitch at the same time.
I will practice with the cue mix in the cans . The problem I have , is when the 1200’s drift on a longer mix , i have trouble realizing which deck needs adjusting . The bass sounds so much alike on most house . its so much easier for me with a booth monitor , or similar split cue set up.
By cue/ mix , do you mean the standard practice of using headphones and booth monitor combined ? I do that well , but if I switch to entirely inside the cans , I tend to lose the beats if I’m blending a longer mix. I have custom plugs with 25 and 15db filters , but I find they take away some clarity . I would like some custom plugs , that have a more direct straight passage, from the filter to the inner ear . My plugs have a tight bend that blocks some clarity . I tried describing it to the salesperson at the hearing clinic , but i would have more success dealing directly with the technician making the plugs at the lab . I need to bypass the middle man .
No I mean the Cue/Mix or Cue/Master knob or fader on the mixer - yes it is more difficult as I mentioned above, especially when music is bleeding from the outside world as well.
What type of plugs do you have currently ? so far as I know the etymotic range are the only ones that will give you a proper frequency response throughout the entire spectrum - although others might come close high ends are where things seem to suffer most (or not suffer at all).
15db IMHO is way too big a drop for mixing. And the plugs need to be essentially flat across all frequencies or you will lose some of the ones that you actually need to mix comfortably with e.g. hats.
ER 15 and ER 25 inserts, custom plugs . They aren’t that great sounding . The passage in the plug has sharp bends , doesn’t line up with the filter well. looking at them closely , they could be improved .
Maybe you just have tiny ear canals or the moulds were not well made 
- maybe worth a punt for $50 trying something like the earasers which have no bend at all but designed to go really deep… they apparently only block around 9 or 10db which in thoery should be plenty really for a DJ box.
Sorry gotta ask, but you mention custom plugs with the ER15/25 filters, but are they actually etymotic buit customs, or simply customs with the ER15/25 buttons added in?
Locally made custom moulds , with plastic buttons added in . The moulds were $80/pair , and the buttons were $80 /pair. i’ve used them a lot over the last 8 years , on the dance floor , and at concerts too. It’s time to upgrade . I will look into the etymotic customs , and the earasers you mentioned . Lowering the volume would be best for my condition .. With my tinnitus ,my hearing is still very sharp, but what I have is moderate hyperacusis . I can only handle loud sound without protection, for a short period of time before my ears begin to ache . Concerts, car stereos , raves , career , and Dj’ing , have caused this . Genetics are probably part of it too , as both my Mom’s parents were born deaf , and when Mom was in her 50’s her hearing rapidly deteriorated . Luckily , my dad has excellent hearing. It’s obvious that it gives me a bit of anxiety …lol
I’m picking up something like this , for my friends penthouse patio party coming up .
http://www.dx.com/p/ms6708-1-7-lcd-digital-sound-level-meter-4-x-aaa-107596?tc=CAD&gclid=CNvz3JyG2b0CFROVfgodJyIARg#.U0gycV7oa2w
We have to keep the volume to around 85 DB , or the city of Vancouver will shut us down. At 85DB , the downstairs neighbours ‘should’ remain fairly content . I figure the meter will be a good investment , for any gig that I can measure , and keep the Dj booth to around 85-90 DB.