How to Protect Your Ears

 06.27.2012| By Shure Notes|

The facts speak for themselves. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) 12.5% of children and adolescents and 17% of adults – over 31 million Americans have suffered permanent damage to their hearing from excessive exposure to noise.

Think this can’t happen to you? Consider this: Just 15 minutes of exposure to high-decibel noise or music can cause permanent hearing loss. That’s right. Permanent. Research indicates that 30% of rock musicians have a measurable hearing loss. Classical musicians fare even worse – with up to 52% experiencing hearing impairment. The good news? Hearing loss can be prevented — so listen up while you still can.

Your ears process sound audio frequencies between 20 Hz and 20,000 Hz. Audio frequencies between 500 and 4000 Hz are the frequencies that we associate with speech.

Hearing loss is classified according to which part of the auditory system is affected. There are three types of hearing loss: conductive, sensorineural (including the Noise-Induced type we’re talking about here) and mixed. We’re going to skip the conductive and mixed types and go straight to the noise-induced cause of sensorineural damage.

Sensorineural Hearing Loss is sometimes called Nerve Deafness and happens when inner ear nerves become damaged and do not properly transmit signals to the brain. Sensorineural hearing loss is the result of:

•  Illness or injury
•  Heredity
•  Excessive noise exposure

It’s the most common type of hearing loss among adults and is rarely medically or surgically treatable. Most sensorineural hearing loss can only be treated with hearing aids. Be aware of this: hearing aids can only amplify the frequencies you can hear – they will not replace the high frequencies that you’ve lost.  More bad news: a single digital hearing aid from a leading manufacturer will set you back around $1500 – and it’s not covered by insurance.

Noise Induced Hearing Loss

Excessive sound exposure damages hearing by over-stimulating the tiny hair cells within the inner ear. There are between 15,000 and 20,000 of these microscopic sensory receptors. When they’re damaged, they no longer transmit sound to the brain.

Sounds are muffled. Human speech is difficult to understand. The damage that occurs slowly over years of continuous exposure to loud noise is accompanied by various changes in the structure of the hair cells. It also results in hearing loss and tinnitus – a ringing, buzzing or roaring in the ears or head, which may or may not subside over time. It may be experienced in one or both ears, and tinnitus may continue constantly or intermittently throughout a lifetime.

Turn it Down!

A typical rock concert can average between 110 and 120 dB SPL (Sound Pressure Level), even in locations with local noise ordinances.

According to the organization H.E.A.R. (Hearing Education and Awareness for Rockers), “At rock shows, the dB level can be as great as 140 dB SPL in front of the speakers and about 120 dB SPL at the back which is still very loud and dangerous.” Probably, the best-known example of alleged rock-related hearing damage is a Smashing Pumpkins concert in 2000 in which loudness levels reached 125 decibels. The resulting litigation against the concert hall, the band, the promoters and the record label is probably still keeping lawyers busy.

Loud music isn’t the only problem. According to music writer Bernard Sherman, “Such stereotypical guy-toys as guns, motorcycles, chainsaws and snowmobiles can punish you ears just as badly – so can leaf blowers; so can some digital movie theater soundtracks.” About 30 million Americans – more than one in ten – are exposed every day to dangerously loud levels of noise.

Are You at Risk?

Given the statistics, it appears that if you were born after 1946, the answer is a loud “yes”. According to the House Ear Institute (HEI), “Advances in the electronics industry have made possible clean sound production at higher sound pressure levels. This has resulted in an average sound increase of 10-15 dB in the work environments of musicians, audio engineers, record and movie/television producers, post-production mixers, dancers and other entertainment professionals.”

Self-Quiz

1.     Do you have trouble understanding certain words or parts of words?
2.     Do you often ask others to repeat themselves?
3.     Do you have difficulties on the telephone?
4.     Do others complain about television or radio volumes?
5.     Do you have more trouble understanding people in noisy environments?
6.     Do sounds seem muffled?
7.     Do you experience ear discomfort like ringing or buzzing in the ears?

If you’ve experienced some or all of these indicators, you may be prone to Noise- Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL). It’s time for a visit to the audiologist.

Keep this in mind – even if you have experienced a degree of loss — it is NOT TOO LATE to preserve your hearing. NIHL is not a degenerative condition unless you ignore it.

Ten Things You Can Do to Preserve Your Hearing

Here are some general tips for diminishing potential damage to your hearing:

1. Limit the amount of time you spend in a loud environment.
2. Wear hearing protection when involved in a loud activity. Forget about tissue or cotton – these homemade devices only reduce noise by about 7 dB. They’re not effective.
3. Be alert to noise levels in your environment.
4. If you know a gig will be longer than usual, decrease the intensity level.
5. Increase distance between you and the sound source – this means standing at an angle from the source – not in front of it.
6. Take breaks during long sessions to give your ears a rest.
7. Be aware of the symptoms of hearing loss – listen to your own ears.
8. Keep the volume at moderate levels when you’re using headphones or earphones.
9. Have your hearing checked by an audiologist. (There are retail ‘hearing aid dispensers’ who are in the business of selling hearing devices and there are audiologists who are trained to evaluate and improve your hearing.  Have your doctor recommend an audiologist.)  Make an audiologist appointment an annual event if you’re at risk or if a loss has been detected.
10. If you think you’re risking your hearing as a result of prolonged exposure, (for instance sounds in excess of 85 dB SPL) buy a sound pressure level meter and measure SPL against OSHA requirements.  A variety of types and models are available for around $50.

Want more information?

H.E.A.R.

Non-profit hearing information source for musicians
www.hearnet.com

OSHA Permissible Noise Standards

Find exposure standards here
http://www.osha.gov/dts/osta/otm/noise/standards_more.html

American Academy of Audiologists

More information on hearing loss, audiologist locator
http://www.howsyourhearing.org/

Sensaphonics

Hearing-protection products – sound-isolating earphones and custom earplugs – for the music industry
www.sensaphonics.com

Tips for Improving Your Tape Ministry Recordings

Contributor:  John Mills

We tend to think of him as “friend of Shure Notes John” but to the larger audio world, he is FOH engineer extraordinaire, audio tech advisor in his popular TechTraining101 site, frequent contributor to Worship Musician plus pro on the bus and at the board with this summer’s Brothers of the Sun tour featuring Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw.  



We’ve been turning to John for practical advice on everything from critical listening to mixing tips for many years now, so when we decided to tackle the topic of tape ministry recording, we didn’t have to look very far.  We tracked him down in cyberspace ‑ somewhere between Paradise Island and Tampa ‑ at crunch time: the start of a 25-city tour.

Before we get to actual recording, let’s touch on a subject that’s rarely mentioned. Recording rights.

“Any time you press record on an audio or video device, you need to make sure you have the rights to record the music. Recording the Pastor’s sermon is perfectly fine because technically he is the copyright owner of his sermon. Music is another story entirely.

If your worship team is singing another worship leader’s song, or a classic hymn for that matter, you can pretty much count on the fact that there are restrictions to pressing that big red record button.  Even if your church isn’t producing CDs to make a profit, the rights aren’t as hard to understand as you might think. For a thorough understanding, you can find detailed information at these websites like these.”

Christian Copyright License International
Music Services Organization

Now that we’ve covered the fact that you really DO need to have the rights to record, let’s talk about actually pressing the RECORD button. 

“Many churches simply hook up the tape recorder to the left/right output of the soundboard. That, as I’m sure your readers are aware, is going to sound pretty bad from a mix perspective.

What is coming straight off the board is often very unbalanced for the recording. It sounds great in the room because you’re hearing the trumpets fine without having a mic on them, but the recording is suffering because it doesn’t ‘hear’ the horn section, or whatever instrument(s) you choose not to mic. “

Many of our Shure Notes readers volunteer or work part-time in churches that don’t have mega-church budgets.  What advice do you have for them?

“Here are some No Budget tips:

• Put a mic on anything you’re not satisfied with on the tape. I can hear the folks in the front row now … “We don’t need microphones on the drums, they’re already too loud.” Tip two will answer that complaint.
• Set up your recording device to take a feed from a pre fader auxiliary send. This will allow the FOH engineer to mix what is needed in the house, while having a completely separate mix for the tape. Yes, this does mean a little more work, but it will give you the ability to mix things differently for the tape.  Make sure your aux sends mutes when you engage the mute on the main channel.  If not, you’ll have stuff going to tape that you really don’t want there.

For those folks in the front row concerned with the volume, tell them not to worry; those mics are just for recording. If you put those extra “recording” mics on pre fader aux sends, you don’t even have to push up the fader for that channel. So if they’re really concerned with the volume, take them to the board and show them that the drum mics aren’t even on in the house.”

OK, what if you have some money to spend?

“A really neat trick on the last install I did was to use a separate Aviom system for the recording.  If you’re having trouble with monitors and recording services, this may be the way to go. We installed an Aviom system (www.aviom.com) for the band to run their own monitors. Then we took an extra control surface to a room just behind the stage. We hooked up the output of the Aviom to the input of the tape deck and monitored it through a set of computer speakers. This gave them the ability to have a pseudo-recording room for a pretty reasonable budget.”

Let’s take a flight of fancy and assume that money is no object.

“If you are really serious about recording music the best way possible, you’ll need a separate engineer in an isolated room with a separate console. It’s really the best way to get amazing mixes.”

We know that not every house of worship has a professional staff.  What’s your advice for the church with a semi-pro crew?

 “Any mix is only going to be as good as the sound person behind the board. If you have only one good audio tech, I wouldn’t spend $100K on a separate recording room. I’d spend my money on educating some of the other audio volunteers. I’ve heard mixes from the simplest of setups that blew away the recordings done by multi-thousand dollar remote recording rooms, because they had a better sound person.”

What separates good recordings from great ones?

“The biggest key to a good recording is making it sound like you were there.
Start with a good, clean, balanced mix of all the instruments. It’s not uncommon in a smaller building to have six or more additional mics on instruments that aren’t even going to the house speakers. They’re just for the recording setup that I described before.

Now that you’ve built a good mix with whatever system you’re using, here are some additional suggestions:

1. A mix straight off the board will never sound completely live because it is getting a tight sound directly from the instruments. You need to add back in some ambience with audience and/or ambience mics. Remember, audience mics are a spice: add too much and it sounds unnatural. Get a good mix of the instruments first and then add in just enough audience so that listeners know that they’re there. I usually start my recording with the audience mics considerably back in the mix. I wait until the middle or end of the first song to decide how much I need. That gives me a few minutes to make the mix as clean as possible before adding the spice.
2. Also of note it’s best to EQ out as much of the low frequencies as possible in these mics.  If I have a variable High Pass filter on my soundboard, I may set it as high as 200Hz.  If you only have a button, engage that, and then take your low frequency shelf filter all the way down.  This lets the warmth of your dry mix come through without muddying it up with a bunch of low mush that the ambient/audience mics are picking up.
3. If you have a stereo aux send then definitely do the mix in stereo and feel free to pan stuff around. Your brain loves to hear things with space in between and around it and stereo audience mics are always going to sound more real. They really add a sense of dimension to the mix.  If you have a little more budget available, the Shure VP88 is one of my favorite stereo mics. Either way, when you add more than one audience mic to the mix be sure to pan the hard left and right so that the listener gets that natural sense of space. “

Final thoughts?

“Live worship recording is an art and a science. It begins with a celebration of faith – the goal is capturing that experience in a form that can be share with the world.”

About John Mills:  John is a 20-year veteran of live sound. He’s toured with some of the biggest names in Christian music – Chris Tomlin, Shane and Shane, Lincoln Brewster and Paul Baloche and is currently on a summer tour with Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw.  John writes regularly for Worship Musician and is a great resource for church tech teams with helpful advice on his TechTraining101.com website.  We’re also crazy about John because he says things like this: “I don’t want to turn around one day and look to see what I’ve accomplished in my life and realize that it was only running good sound at this or that concert. I remember promising God when I first started that if he allowed me to use my talents at this, I would be faithful to share that knowledge.”

ULX-D Dual & Quad Receivers First Look from InfoComm

Can your wireless system fit 100 transmitters into just two TV channels (12 MHz)? Ours can. Meet the new ULX-D™ Digital Dual and Quad Receivers.

As people continue to demand more and more wireless spectrum for their myriad devices, audio pros must find ways to maximize the number of wireless microphones that can operate reliably in the remaining spectrum. Debuting at InfoComm 2012, Shure adds two new additions to the ULX-D Digital Wireless System:  the ULXD4D Dual Channel Receiver and the ULXD4Q Quad Channel Receiver. They pack either two or four channels of wireless into one rack unit, saving  space and reducing installation time.





In Standard mode, up to 17 ULX-D systems can operate in just 6 MHz of spectrum, which is equal to one U.S. TV channel. Need even more systems? No problem. Just activate High Density mode, which allows up to 47 systems to operate in just 6 MHz of spectrum, with a working range of 100 feet.

Skeptical?

This video demonstrates High Density mode with time-lapse footage shot at Shure Corporate Headquarters, where 100 transmitters were placed side by side, and then turned on one by one. If you’re wondering how it works…well, according to Chris:

“High Density mode optimizes the system’s output power and digital RF filtering to reduce its spectral footprint from 350 kHz to 125 kHz, with no loss of sound quality. This allows ULX-D systems to be tuned to frequencies that are much closer together without interfering with each other.”

Go on: see for yourself.



Learn more about ULX-D Digital Wireless on shure.com.

Shotgun Mics and Video Production

By Shure Notes 4-17-2012

With sites like YouTube serving 800 million unique users per month viewing over four billion videos a day, there’s no doubt that the user-generated content (UGC) revolution has taken root and is here to stay. Today, the digital applications that have put recording within just about anyone’s grasp have done the same with video.

But if you spend any time on YouTube, Hulu and other UGC sites, you’ll notice that the audio (especially when a subject is speaking) can be garbled, muddy and unintelligible. If there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s that audio quality can make or break any video project. No matter how creative and professional the visual aspects of a production may be, these qualities can be completely negated by lackluster audio. According to one videographer we know, “It’s easy to fool the eye, but it’s a lot harder to fool the ear”.

Creating good audio can be a real challenge when shooting video – especially if you’re using a consumer-grade camcorder. Mics that are built into camcorders aren’t really designed for high-quality audio. They are designed for sound sources that are very close to the camera and they tend to pick up a lot of background noise.

We like how video expert Israel Hyman puts it: “The microphone is in the wrong place. Frankly, the reason the microphone is on the camera is because it’s built for the camera operator to do the talking. If you’re a parent narrating your child’s birthday party, this is perfectly fine. It will get your voice and your child’s voice (even though it will sound distant). If you’re aiming for a more professional sounding video, you don’t want the off-camera, out-of-frame camera operator’s voice. You want the microphone on the subject”.

Adding an external mic – a handheld, lapel (or lavalier) or a shotgun mic – gives you what matters the most – the best signal-to-noise ratio. In this Shure Notes® blog post, we’re going to give you some tips about the third type – the shotgun mic. Its extremely directional pickup pattern (called a line/gradient pattern) makes the shotgun mic popular for TV news and movie sets.

The shotgun microphone is named for the long, slotted tube in front of the microphone cartridge that makes it resemble a shotgun. This “interference tube” helps reject sounds coming from more than about 30 degrees off to the sides, while still picking up sounds from the front. Because a shotgun mic is either mounted to a camera or a boom, it is rarely seen by the viewer. In fact, it’s almost impossible to imagine a situation in which the mic should appear in frame (unless you’re making a video about making a video).

Advantages

Let’s talk about what shotguns mics are not: They are not telephoto lenses for sound. They do not allow you to zoom in on a conversation from 100 feet away.

Here is how Shure’s Chris Lyons explains it: “Imagine looking through a long tube at a person standing 20 feet away. The person’s image does not appear to be any larger or closer, but is somewhat easier to see, because the eye is not distracted by things happening off to either side.”

This is exactly what shotgun mics do best: they screen out sounds coming from the sides. In practice, a shotgun microphone can typically be placed at four to five times the acceptable distance for a standard omnidirectional microphone. But keep in mind that the shotgun mic will also pick up sounds coming from behind the subject.

Tips for Using Shotgun Mics

• Shotgun mics can be positioned slightly above, below, or to the side of the sound source, so that the mic doesn’t appear in the camera frame.
• Try to avoid aiming the mic at a hard surface, such as a tile floor, brick wall, or hard ceiling. These surfaces reflect sound waves, and may reflect background noise into the microphone or cause the sound to be slightly hollow. (A heavy blanket can be placed on a reflective surface to provide some temporary sound absorption.)
• Shotgun mics are more sensitive to wind noise than standard microphones, so try to avoid moving the mic rapidly and use a foam windscreen if possible. (Larger “zeppelin” or “blimp” type windscreens are usually necessary outdoors.)
• It’s a good idea to use a rubber-isolated shock mount to control handling noise that may be transmitted through a stand or boom.
• If you’re using a boom for a scripted video, make sure your boom person has a script. If more than one speaker is going to be miked, the boom person needs to point the shotgun at the right person at the right time, a challenge when the mic needs to remain out of frame, the sound has to be consistent and the boom may be over 20 feet long.

What to look for when buying a shotgun mic

Mics with a balanced XLR outputs signals will give you better noise and interference immunity. Remember, too, that if you have a stereo mini-jack input on your camcorder, you’ll need to get an XLR camcorder adapter that will allow you to use professional quality microphones.

Shure offers two end-address shotgun condenser microphones.

VP89

Offers a choice or interchangeable long, medium and short capsules. Hand-tuned and assembled in the US, offers natural off-axis rejection without coloration.

VP82

This mic is designed for camera-mounted applications. It is extremely lightweight and has an integrated preamp.

Understanding Mic Specifications - Part 4 - Electrical Output

Understanding Mic Specifications - Part 3 - Polar Pattern

Understanding Mic Specifications - Part 2 - Frequency Response

Understanding Mic Specifications - Part I - Operating Principle

How a microphone works.