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I have stood in front of bass rigs since the '90s, and the habit I wish I had started earlier is boring. Earplugs go in before the set, not after my ears feel cottony. A great drop is not a reason to gamble the week after. You can love this music and still want to hear a normal conversation on Monday. Those are not enemies.
This is general guidance from a person who camps and goes to shows, not from a clinician. If you have pain, dizziness, sudden hearing loss, or ringing that will not let go, talk to a doctor or an audiologist. Do not wait for a blog to clear you. I can tell you how I behave in a room. I cannot tell you what your ears are doing.
Why bass shows are a hearing problem
The stacks are the point. You feel them in your chest, and that feeling is a lot of why we drove there. The trouble is that loud sound, especially for a long time and especially close to the source, can injure hearing. People notice the ringing first. Sometimes they notice that everything sounds dull, or that they are asking friends to repeat themselves in the car. Sometimes they notice nothing until the damage has already been sociable and quiet.
I am not going to quote a decibel chart at you. Charts vary, rooms vary, and a number you half-remember is worse than a habit you actually keep. Public health agencies publish guidance on loud sound. If you want numbers, read them there, and ask a professional how they apply to you. My version is simpler. If you have to shout at a friend who is an arm's length away, I treat that as loud enough to deserve plugs. If I am staying for more than a song, the plugs are already in.
Foam, filtered, and the pair that actually fits
Foam earplugs are the ones in a jar by the register. They are cheap, they are better than bare ears when they seal, and they make the music sound like it is happening in another room. Roll them thin, pull your ear up and back if that helps the canal open, slide them in, and hold them while they expand. A plug that is falling out is a decoration. If you do not know whether you have a seal, you probably do not.
Filtered plugs, the kind musicians use, are built to turn the volume down more evenly so you still hear the shape of the track. They cost more. They are worth it if you go often and you want the hi-hats to remain hi-hats. Fit is still the whole game. A fancy plug with a bad seal is just an expensive foam plug that failed. Some people get molds made. An audiologist can walk you through that. I am not going to pretend a mold is required for your first show. I am going to say that "they felt weird so I took them out for the drop" is how the drop wins.
Over-ear protection exists too. It is less common on a dance floor because it is bulky and hot, and some venues have opinions about what you can wear. For travel days, for sleeping near a generator, or for a job site, I understand why people use muffs. For a packed rail, in-ear plugs I will actually keep in are the tool I trust. Bring what you will wear, not what looks serious in a photo.
How I actually use them at a show
They live in a case, in a pocket, before I leave the house. A spare pair lives somewhere else, because the first pair will hit a sticky floor. I put them in while the opener is still soundchecking my patience, or in the line, or in the car. I do not wait to "see how loud it is." By the time it feels like too much, I have already spent time in too much.
I take breaks away from the stacks. The side of the room, the lobby, the food stall, a lap outside if outside is safe and allowed. Your ears are not a battery you can see. Rest is part of the night, even when the set is the one you circled. If a friend wants to talk, we step back. Shouting a story into someone's ear for ten minutes is its own exposure, plugs or not.
I do not share plugs. I do not rinse them in a venue sink and call them clean. Foam ones are disposable for a reason. Reusable ones get cleaned the way the maker says, at home, with hands that are not covered in a show. If a plug hurts, it is in wrong or it is the wrong size. Pain is not the seal proving itself. Take it out and reset, or switch pairs.
What ringing means, in plain language
A little ringing after a loud night is common, and it is also a warning, not a badge. It means the night was loud enough to bother your ears. Give them quiet. Skip the afters if your head is already hissing. The next morning, notice whether the ring is fading and whether speech sounds normal.
If the ringing stays, if sounds are muffled, if you feel fullness or pain, or if one ear is suddenly worse than the other, get medical help instead of bargaining with it. Sooner is better than a week of hoping. I am going to repeat the limit on purpose. See a doctor or an audiologist. Do not ask a clothing brand to clear your symptoms, and do not let a friend tell you it is always fine because theirs went away once.
Kids and anyone with existing hearing issues deserve a more careful plan than "stand in the back and see." That plan should come from a professional who can look at the actual person. I will not invent a safe distance. I do not have one to give you.
The rest of the outfit is just storage
Earplugs fail in practice when they have nowhere to live. A shallow pocket, a loose tote, a hoodie you check at the door: that is how you walk in unprotected and notice at the rail. I wear clothes with a pocket I can find in the dark, and I keep the case there. The bass music apparel I actually bring to shows is boring on purpose. It survives sweat and it does not need both hands.
The tee I associate with staying late, when the rest of me wants to leave, is Organs Optional. A ribcage, a lime heart, the words across the bottom. The heart is the part that hangs around. Your ears should get to hang around with it. The shirt does not protect anything. The plugs do. I am only saying the night you came to stay for is the night the habit matters most.
If you are buying a layer to carry those plugs through a cold walk and a hot room, the rave hoodies run small, so size up. A hoodie is not hearing protection. A hood is not hearing protection. I have heard both theories in a parking lot. They are wrong.
Festivals, camping, and the second pair
A festival is a club that lasts until your judgment is worse. You will lose a pair. You will nap near a sound system you do not control. You will forget the case on a picnic table. I pack two pairs for a single club night and more than that for a camping weekend, still in cases, split between a pocket and a bag that stays at camp.
Sleep matters. If the campground is loud, I want a way to sleep that is not "I will be so tired it will not matter." Tired does not turn the volume down. The rest of that camp box, the gear that is not an earplug, is why our sister shop Burner Supply exists. I have been camping at Burning Man and other festivals for years. The hearing habit travels with me. The tent stakes do not belong in this article.
Read the event's site for what you can bring. Some gates are fussy about sealed packages, tools, or outside items, and earplug rules are not a thing I will invent. Plugs are small. They should not be the thing you are arguing about. Put them on before security so you are not digging through a bag in a line.
A small habit you can keep
- A primary pair that fits, in a case, in a pocket
- A spare pair somewhere else
- Plugs in before the set, not after it feels like too much
- Breaks away from the stacks, even during a set you love
- Quiet after, if your ears are already complaining
- A doctor or an audiologist if symptoms stick, hurt, or show up suddenly
You do not get a prize for skipping plugs to prove you can take the sub. You get a Monday. I want that Monday to include the music you remember and the hearing you walked in with. If you are new, start with foam plugs you actually insert, then upgrade when you know you will keep them in. If you are stubborn, as I was, start tonight anyway.
Shop questions live on the FAQ. Hearing questions that scare you do not. Those go to a professional.
Raverr is independent. We are not affiliated with or endorsed by any artist, label, or event.
Shop the gear from this guide: rave hoodies for cold nights and the walk home, and rave shirts for the floor.
FAQ
Should I wear earplugs at a bass show?
Yes. Put them in before the set, not after your ears already feel dull. Foam plugs help when they seal. Filtered plugs keep more of the music if they fit. A hoodie or a hood is not hearing protection.
Are foam earplugs good enough?
They are better than bare ears when you insert them so they expand and stay in. They muffle more than filtered musician plugs. If they hurt or fall out, reset them or try another size. A spare pair is worth packing because the first pair hits the floor.
What do I do if my ears ring after a show?
Give them quiet and pay attention to whether the ringing fades. If it stays, if sound is muffled, if you have pain, fullness, dizziness, or a sudden change, see a doctor or an audiologist. Do not wait on advice from a clothing shop.
When should I put earplugs in?
Before you are in front of the stacks. The line, the car, or the opener is fine. Waiting to see how loud it is means you have already spent time in the loud. Take breaks away from the system even with plugs in.
Do I need custom earplugs?
No. Custom molds are an option an audiologist can help with if you go often and want a better fit. They are not a requirement for your first show. The requirement is a pair you will actually wear, plus a spare.