Hearing protection for musicians, drummers and DJs

Musicians, drummers and DJs protect their hearing best with earplugs that reduce all tones by about the same amount. The mix still sounds right, just quieter. A custom earplug with a DM filter does exactly that. How much attenuation you need depends on your instrument, your place on stage and how long you play.

This article is about the people who make the music. If you go to concerts and festivals as a visitor, read custom earplugs for music and festivals. Here, it is about rehearsing, performing, monitoring and the rules when music is your job.

Why musicians are at extra risk

Arboportaal, the Dutch government's website on working conditions, lists DJs and musicians, such as orchestra members, among the professions with high exposure to noise. That is not so strange. You often stand close to the source, you play many hours a week and rehearsals count just as much as performances.

Acoustic researcher Remy Wenmaekers of Eindhoven University of Technology (TU Eindhoven) found that practising alone at home is hardly less demanding than playing in an orchestra. He told the Dutch broadcaster NOS this in 2017. According to him, only about half of orchestra musicians wear hearing protection. What counts is the total dose, so how loud it is and for how long.

Hoormij, the Dutch association for people with hearing loss, puts the safe limit at 80 dB for a maximum of 8 hours a day. Hearing damage is almost always permanent, and a ringing in your ears after playing can be a first sign. Read more in decibels and hearing damage and preventing tinnitus.

Flat attenuation with the DM filter

Regular foam earplugs often reduce high tones more than low ones. Cymbals, vocals and the attack of a guitar then fade into the background, while the bass keeps booming. For a musician, that is unworkable, because you need to play in tune and hear your bandmates well. There are also universal earplugs that are meant for music. How they compare with custom earplugs is explained in Loop earplugs or custom earplugs.

Dynamic Ear Company describes its DM series as flat attenuating membrane filters. The DM filter reduces low, mid and high tones as evenly as possible. You hear the music as it sounds, just at a lower level. The variants and their values are on the page about the DM filter, and you will find all series on our filter page.

If you play a wind instrument or sing, your own voice sometimes sounds hollow with earplugs in. That is called the occlusion effect. What causes it and what you can do about it is explained in the occlusion effect.

Which approach suits your role?

No filter is right for everyone. This table helps you get started. The hearing care professional gives you the final advice.

More attenuation is not automatically better. Too much attenuation makes playing together difficult and tempts you to take the earplugs out. That is called overprotection. Because the filters are interchangeable, you can still adjust later.

Hearing protection for drummers

As a drummer, you sit right in the middle of the source. In 2025, researchers at the Universidad Austral de Chile measured the sound at the entrance to the ear canal of 21 drummers while they played freely for about 20 minutes in a recording studio. On average, this came to 103 dB(A), ranging from 93 to 110 dB(A) per drummer. For 62% of the drummers, the peaks went above 140 dB(C). A single stroke with normal force on the floor tom produced a peak of 136.5 dB, and on the snare 134.8 dB. The left ear usually took more of the hits, probably because of the hi-hat and the crash cymbal on that side.

For comparison, the Dutch Working Conditions Decree (Arbobesluit) sets the exposure limit value for employees at a daily exposure of 87 dB(A) and a peak of 200 Pa, which corresponds to 140 dB(C). The attenuation of the hearing protection is taken into account. At levels like these, every minute counts, so a two-hour rehearsal weighs much more heavily than the twenty minutes in the study.

Which DM filter suits drumming?

With an average of around 103 dB(A), light attenuation is not enough. That is why the stronger filters from the DM series are the more obvious choice for drummers. According to the Dynamic Ear Company datasheet, the DM 25 has an SNR of 20 dB, with almost flat attenuation of 19 dB high, 19 dB mid and 18 dB low. The DM 20 has an SNR of 17 dB and reduces low and mid tones slightly more than high tones. Because the attenuation is flat, cymbals, snare and bass stay in proportion and you can still hear your timing and dynamics well.

The earplugs for music come with a 16 dB SNR filter as standard. You choose a stronger filter together with the hearing care professional. If you often switch between playing and an even louder situation, there is also a DM with a switch, which according to the datasheet reaches an SNR of 25 dB when closed. To find out whether it fits your custom earplugs, ask us via the contact page. Test a new filter at a rehearsal first. Because the filters are interchangeable, you can still go lighter or stronger afterwards. All values are on the page about the DM filter.

Monitoring behind the drum kit

In your monitor or drum fill, ask mainly for what you can't hear well, such as bass and vocals, and not for more drums. You already hear your own kit the loudest. If you play to a click or backing track through headphones, don't turn them up to make up for the earplugs.

Less noise at the source

You can also do something about the drum kit itself. Ireland's Health and Safety Authority (HSA) recommends not hanging the cymbals at ear height and damping the drums during rehearsals. The Dutch performing arts sector's guide on amplified sound (Branchecatalogus Versterkt Geluid) also mentions acrylic screens around the drum kit and a well-planned stage layout, so that bandmates do not stand right in front of the drums.

Monitoring on stage

With wedges, the monitor speakers on the floor, it is tempting to turn them up as soon as you put your earplugs in. That defeats the purpose. So do your soundcheck with your earplugs in, so that the monitor mix is set up for them.

If you play with in-ear monitoring, that is a different product, namely earphones with built-in speakers. Audibling does not make those. Our custom earplugs are hearing protection with a filter, for musicians who play without in-ears or for moments beside the stage.

In the rehearsal room

A rehearsal room is often small and has hard surfaces. The sound bounces back and the band stands close together. That is exactly where things go wrong quickly, because it feels like an informal evening. A few habits help.

• Put your earplugs in before the count-in of the first song, not when it starts to hurt.
• Agree on a lower volume as a band and don't let the amplifiers compete with each other.
• Plan breaks that are really quiet. Hoormij recommends a noise break and advises not to stand too close to the speakers.

Working conditions rules for professional musicians

If you are employed by an orchestra, music venue or other employer, the Working Conditions Decree applies. From 80 dB(A), your employer must offer hearing protection. From 85 dB(A), wearing it is mandatory, and 87 dB(A) is the exposure limit value that must not reach your ears, even with hearing protection. Read what Dutch law says about hearing protection and the explanation of the Working Conditions Decree.

There is also the Fourth Covenant on the prevention of hearing damage from amplified music (Vierde convenant preventie gehoorschade versterkte muziek). In it, 12 parties made agreements in December 2023 for 2024 to 2027 on sound levels, measurements, hearing protection, information, staff expertise and research. RIVM, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, monitors how this is going and published the first progress report in November 2025. It also states that staff set an example by wearing earplugs themselves.

For orchestras, venues and companies with 10 or more people, we take ear impressions on site. See Audibling Business. Audibling custom earplugs are PPE-3 hearing protection, compliant with EN 352, with certified filters.

Colour and logo for your band

You choose from six colours, namely clear, black, white, green, red and blue. A custom colour is possible by arrangement. Want more? Then choose a standard logo when you design your earplugs, such as the Falcon, the Lion's head or the Skeleton. Your own band logo is available from 10 pairs, with our patent-pending logo print. That is useful for a band with crew or an orchestra. Examples are on custom earplugs with logo, and you will find colour inspiration in which colour earplug goes in which ear.

How to get your earplugs

1. Design your earplugs and choose the DM filter.
2. You get a design code and a PDF. Use them to book an appointment at a partner hearing centre via book an appointment.
3. The hearing care professional takes impressions of your ears.
4. The ear impressions are included in the price and you pay at the hearing centre. Your earplugs are ready about three weeks after your ear impressions are taken.

The earplugs for music have an SNR of 16 dB and cost from €179.90. The Music Premium earplugs have an SNR of 15 dB and cost from €204.90. All models are in the custom earplugs collection.

Frequently asked questions

Which filter is best for a drummer?

Usually one of the stronger filters from the DM series, such as the DM 20 with an SNR of 17 dB or the DM 25 with an SNR of 20 dB. Cymbals and snare sound close to your ears, and in a study of 21 drummers the average came to 103 dB(A). The hearing care professional helps you choose based on your situation.

Can I still hear my band well with custom earplugs?

Yes. The DM filter reduces sound as evenly as possible, so the balance between the instruments stays the same. You do need to get used to them, so practise with them at a rehearsal first.

Are custom earplugs the same as in-ear monitors?

No. In-ear monitors have speakers and a cable or transmitter. An Audibling custom earplug is hearing protection with an interchangeable filter.

Does my employer have to pay for hearing protection?

If you are employed and the noise at your work is above the exposure action values, your employer must provide hearing protection. Also read custom earplugs reimbursed.

Sources

• Arboportaal, Lawaai op het werk (noise at work, in Dutch)
• Arbeidsomstandighedenbesluit (Working Conditions Decree), chapter 6, section 3 on noise (wetten.overheid.nl, in Dutch)
• RIVM, Voortgangsrapportage Vierde convenant preventie gehoorschade versterkte muziek 2025 (progress report, 12 November 2025, in Dutch)
• NOS, Gehoorschade is een sluipmoordenaar voor muzikanten (hearing damage is a silent killer for musicians, 22 November 2017, in Dutch)
• Hoormij, Hoe voorkom ik gehoorschade? (how do I prevent hearing damage, in Dutch, accessed 4 October 2026)
• Valderrama, Arenas and Cardenas, Noise Exposure During Regular Practice Sessions of Drummers and Their Risk for Hearing Loss, International Journal of Acoustics and Vibration 30(4), 2025
• Health and Safety Authority (Ireland), The Noise of Music, sound advice for the music and entertainment sectors
• Branchecatalogus Versterkt Geluid podiumkunsten (2006), via VNPF, in Dutch
• Dynamic Ear Company, acoustic filters for custom moulds

Last updated 7 October 2026