Compensating for one's normal age-related high-frequency hearing loss...

[Ally-007]

Today, I did a search for 'presbycusis compensation software'. The sort of program I envisage would present the user with some sliders that let you adjust the volume of various high frequency tones, so that they all sound equal in volume. From there, the program would automatically apply a bespoke EQ curve to the computer's audio output. I was a bit surprised that nothing showed up.

 

[Folkcafe]

Our ability to hear higher frequencies (above about 1kHz) tails off increasingly (typically) as we pass the age of about 20. One graph I've seen suggests that the average 70-yr-old man's abilty to hear 8kHz frequencies is reduced by about 60dB! So music mixed and mastered by an 'old' person, without some form of compensation, is likely to sound way too bright, to a 20-yr-old listener. Can anyone offer any suggestions for us older producers, re mixing and mastering, with this in mind? I guess compansating with EQ is probably the obvious approach, but what do you think?
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I didn't see much of the practical in this discussion, so here are my thoughts and experience.

There are a number of approaches to mixing. Some favor low volume mixing and there are hip hop and rock producers that mix with very loud monitors (many claiming they need to feel the music). There was a quote I read (wish I could remember the engineer) that said, "the soul of music is in the mid-range". The example he gave was you could be in a grocery store listening to a very frequency limited sound system and a good song come on, you are still going to groove to it. Given the way most people listen to music these days, the approach to focusing on the range between 400 to 8khz makes a great deal of sense.

I only know of a couple of 70+ year olds with what I'd consider great hearing. Since this seems to be the old timers thread, how many here are delivering industry standard mixes and masters? I stopped around my 50's when I shut down my live sound and recording company and left my job at a commercial studio. I've since worked on a few vanity projects with a good friend that I am certain got listened to by at least a dozen or so people. So, first piece of advice, be realistic about what you are doing and why.

I'm not aware of any tools that will allow you to compensate for your hearing but there are a few that will let you visualize sound. I like Izotope Insight for its spectral view so I can at least see how much energy there is outside my range of hearing. I tend to work first on getting a mix to translate well on limited band monitors or my phone first. Then I borrow a younger set of ears at final to make sure there is nothing offensive in that upper register.

Anyway, here is a guy that has done a decent job considering he spent 3 years in front of a Marshal stack turned up to 11 while touring as the opening act for Kiss. Good artist, producer and engineer. He did this 11 years ago and got little traction even though his old band has a die hard fan base.