If you’re a DJ, you need to think about your hearing. You live in headphones. You work in headphones. You are always in the club ( and it’s way too loud).
And you are there night after night. Your ears are how you pay your bills, you need to take care of them. Most hearing problems are the result of long exposure to high volumes. If you are in the club 1-6 hours per shift it can take its toll over time. Here some things you can do.
Rest
Seriously. Your ears, like you, need rest. If you’ve been pushing them really hard on a loud night, try to find some recovery time the next day. My go to is after a night of club bangers, if I do listen to music I try to listen to some classical, at a low volume. If find that works for me, you should experiment and see what works for you.Careful with that monitor volume.
Most clubs set the DJ booth up so it’s behind the main system giving the DJ some level of volume defense. But you need to be on guard over the booth monitors. If you use them try to keep them at a reasonable level. Your ears will thank you and the DJ who follows you will also thank you!Musicians Ear Plugs.
The easiest way to safeguard your ears is with earplugs. Don’t just use them at your gigs, use them when you go out to check out other DJ’s too. It’s a fantastic way to keep your ears from overexerting themselves. You can get by with generic foam ones, but if you are serious (and you should be) you should invest in a pair of Musicians Ear Plugs. They might seem pricey at the outset, but trust me, they are worth every penny.InEar Monitors.
Over the ear headphones will provide you with some volume protection, but they can’t come close to InEar Monitors. Not only will you be reducing the overall volume by as much as -25b but you will also be monitoring at a much lower level than if you were using Over The Ears or a booth Monitor. In my experience you will also be able to hear more detail in the music and experience much less ear fatigue the next day. Personally I like the UE11’s for DJing, the added subwoofer really brings tight punchy bass, and I am still getting the feeling from the big speakers in the room. It’s like swimming in sound.The important thing to remember is to take care of your ears, you only get one pair. If you are concerned about hearing loss or damage, I’d recommend visiting an audiologist and having a test performed.
