Earlier this year, I went to get moulds done for my own custom in-ear monitors. This happened thanks to a hearing health scheme by Help Musicians, which I wholeheartedly recommend. It allows musicians to access hearing protection —vital for our profession— at a very affordable price.
If you want to know more about the importance of hearing health, you can read my account of a workshop on the topic by Miles Dakin, from Dakin Custom Audio, which i attended last year. It was enlightening, to say the least.
To get the moulds, I could have gone to Harley Street Hearing, but I decided to get an appointment at an office they have outside of London instead —it was more convenient for me. The appointment lasted approximately 30 minutes and it included a hearing test, some advise on the most appropriate hearing protection for me based on my musical background, and the process of taking impressions of my ears.
This last part was fairly simple. I had to bite into a piece of plastic like one has to do when getting dental moulds. They also squirted some liquid down my ears, which felt funny and a bit uncomfortable, but nothing unbearable. And ta-da! That was basically it.
It’s important for the procedure that the ear canals are completely free of wax. To help you make sure of it, the people in charge send you some advice with enough time in advance. I followed it and I was congratulated for my clean and healthy ears, haha!
Now, if you do have a wax build-up significant enough to prevent the impression being taken, the audiologist there can remove the wax for you at a discounted rate. Some times, this can be done during the appointment, but it’s not always the case. To prevent having to make multiple trips, the best you can do is to take care of all the hygiene in due time.
A good thing they do is that they keep an electronic scan of your ear impressions for a few years. This way, if you want new earplugs, you don’t have to go through the process again. Overall, the office is very friendly and open. They are happy to discuss with you further customisation options for your earplugs (like colours, or whether they have a cord/lanyard), at no extra charge.
The scheme is open to all musicians in the UK. Members of the Musicians’ Union get an additional discount. If you’re a musician, I invite you to apply at your earliest convenience. It’s essential that we protect our hearing!
I can’t wait for my own custom in-ear monitors. As soon as I receive them, I’ll test them out and tell you what I think.
