Eating Chips with Earbuds In
(originally posted August 16, 2012)
What a horrible thing to do, although I find myself eating chips with earbuds in when watching something online that I don't want to stop while eating those amazing Jalapeno chips from Lays that I can't stop eating once I start. Its like what a earthquake in your brain would sound like. Pretty sure I have gone 5 minutes before realizing I should take the earbuds out while eating those delicious chips. Don't judge me.
But what about mixing with earbuds. Now a days most people listen to music via earbuds, so should we be mixing or at least referencing earbuds in the mixing process? When working an AV gig I always keep earbuds in my pocket; its an invaluable tool when having to operate and cue audio equipment without having to carry headphones around in a corporate environment. When mixing I have yet to use earbuds, I do use headphones often.
There was a post on mastering for earbuds over at the The Big Picture blog that was interesting. Also, the Home Studio Corner looked at the pros and cons of using headphones for mixing. The amount of energy going directly in your ear when using earbuds makes me worry about hearing loss. For me, its too easy to turn up the volume on a song I like not thinking about the decibel level until my ear starts to fatigue. Now I have got into the habit when listen to audio for leisure to start with the volume pretty low. My laptop volume is set to 30 percent most of the time.
How can we tell just how loud the signal is going in our ear with earbuds and headphones? We use SPL meters quite often but do you wonder about the SPL in your ear? Sensaphonics has a In-Ear Level Analyzer that measures the SPL reaching the ear canal if you really want to preserve your hearing. At $300 if you use headphones and earbuds on a daily basis it may be worth the investment to keep your hearing in tact. The Sensaphonics analyzer is programmed for their earbuds and Shure earbuds - check the models before you buy. Auria makes earphones that sit outside your ear instead of inside created for people to use while working out giving the ability to listen to music and hear whats going on around them. Very cool concept because I hate running with earbuds but I cant run without music. Auria may be an alternative to using earbuds in your ear all the time, the frequency response is not as good but that may improve in the future.
Read more about earbuds and hearing damage Here