do your ears ring 24-7?

[Han]

This afternoon I saw a young guy on TV. He was sitting in his car and an old man was sitting next to him.

He has a 4000 wtt car stereo and was demonstrating how loud it could go.

The old man was protecting his ears with his hands, the young guy was just sitting with a big smile, proud of his car PA system.

After a while they did a hearing test and it turned out this guy in his early twenties, has a significant loss at 3-4 khz.

He kept smiling and his reaction was: well then I need bigger amps I suppose.

MORON !

 

[Outlaws]

He kept smiling and his reaction was: well then I need bigger amps I suppose.

MORON !

Well that explains where the Marshall Mode 4 came into play.

 

[littledog]

I've noticed I have constant tinnitus for about the last three years. As your doctor said, there is no cure. But ear protection devices can keep it from getting worse.

The interesting thing about hearing loss is it is not just caused by exposure to really loud music and/or sounds. It can be caused even by moderately loud music if you are continuously exposed to it for long periods of time.

 

[maskedman72]

that is true. like if you always listen to loud music in your car or even watch a loud tv on a regular basis you can develop it.

 

[Dethska]

huh? speak up I can't hear you.


I've had tinnitus for three years. It developed out of playing drums with no protection for years. It came and went though. Then I went and saw a crappy punk band in a tiny club. They had a really horribly tinny mix going. It really hurt to listen to. But I was drunk and stupid. And it has never gone away since. I carry earplugs with me now. Everywhere. As soon as loud noise hits, I pop them in. I don't care if people laugh. I hate having to ask "huh?" all the time when people talk to me. In crowded places I can't even hear my girlfriend talking to me. It really sucks.

Question- WTF do movies have to be so damn loud? I had to wear my earplugs for all of Two Towers. Any movie with special effects anymore actually. It's not like a rock concert, where the crowd can be noisy. I don't get it.

 

[crazydoc]

Golly... my ears have been ringing since about 1975... do you really think it might fuck with my career? uh-oh... guess I better consider a different line of work? ...damn.

Fletcher

It looks like lots of folks have this problem, and some seem to be respected recordists.

It seems that having tinnitis (which is often associated with hearing loss) would be like tracking, mixing and mastering through tape hiss or other loud noise floor.

Equalizing would be particularly difficult, depending on the amount and quality of the tinnitis, and the non-linear aspect of the associated hearing loss.

How do you explain being able to record, and evaluate audio and recording equipment if you have this condition?

 

[Mark Scheuerman]

I did live sound for about 17yrs.....never used hearing protection & now have tinitus. It seems to be at its worst when I am very tired. When someone pops their gum near me or claps their hands (even once) or any other fairly loud sharp noise, it gets the ringing (more like hiss) going for the rest of the day. Very anoying at times but I seem to have gotten used to it. I also have noticeable hearing loss. Not a good thing since I recently purchased a great deal of recording equipment. I don't do any live sound any more & wear ear protection for concerts & quite a bit of work related things. Pounding nails really kills.
WEAR HEARING PROTECTION.

 

[littledog]

How do you explain being able to record, and evaluate audio and recording equipment if you have this condition?

You may be giving short shrift to how wonderfully adaptable the brain is a psychoacoustical EQ - notching certain frequencies, and boosting others. There are many of us, besides Fletcher, doing critical audio work with varying amounts of hearing disabilities. It may not be ideal, but one way or another we find ways to compensate. When we aren't fully able to compensate for our flaws, we rely on other ears (like mastering engineers) to do any final corrections. And let's face it, almost no one retains the same the ability to hear high frequencies as they get older, unless they are a freak of nature. So, does that should be mandatory retirement for all audio engineers at age 35? It's kind of like the aging athlete - you learn to make up for losses in raw speed and quickness with smarter play.

My particular tinnitus sounds like crickets or tree frogs. It's pretty much 24/7 the last few years (I'm over 50.) Fortunately, the most critical mix decisions like lead vox, kick, snare, bass, etc. don't reside primarily at those frequencies. And I get plenty of young healthy ears paying for my mixes who like them just fine. I'd still say my room acoustics can be more of a limiting factor than my tinnitus. But at least that's something I can work on (and I am.)

 

[homerecordingch]

tintinitus

I have tintinitus and otosclerosis in the same ear. I have found that diet and sleep help with the tintinitus. Otosclerosis, on the other hand, is a tougher nut to crack.

Chris

 

[crazydoc]

You may be giving short shrift to how wonderfully adaptable the brain is a psychoacoustical EQ - notching certain frequencies, and boosting others.

I agree. Even those with "normal" hearing hear the same things differently. Some find the sounds of certain mics and other equipment pleasing, while others find the same thing offensive. There seems to be more difference than agreement.

I think if we were to do critical audiometry, every hundred Hz thru the audio spectrum, to the 1 dB level, we would find huge differences in individual hearing that might explain some of the differences of opinion about audio equipment and recording.
I myself, because of age related high frequency hearing loss, like to crank up the trebel to levels that others find disagreeable.

 

[Blak Jak Balla]

My ears never stop ringing.

It's been this way for as long as I can remember, and to be honest I can't imagine what it must be like for them to not ring. Because I don't know any different, it really doesn't bother me. I would love to know what it is like to hear normally though. I bet it's beautiful.

I imagine I'll probably go deaf one of these days. When I do, I'll have a lot of shit to sell. Stay tuned!

 

[tubedude]

Its much more of a problem sitting in a quiet room or trying to sleep than it is when listening to music or trying to mix. In fact, it doesnt seem to make any difference with music, its when the music stops thats mentally crippling, at 1st at least.

If you dont have it, imagine the sound a regular tube TV makes in a quiet room when its muted. Kind of a whine. Now imagine it, about that loud, all the time, everywhere you go, everything you do. Easily drowned out, but when the noise stops, the noise comes.

I would say the biggest problem to me is that I've taken a little hit to my high end, so I tend to want to boost things too much in that area, and then dithering just makes it even worse, so I have to be careful.

Fun.

 

[David Artis]

Have had ringing in my ears since I took my infantry training in the army.

I couldn't hit the side of a barn with a 45 pistol so this captain walks up and screams at me for being a dunce with a 45 and proceeds to shoot off a clip about 2 inches from my right ear.

My ears have been ringing ever since. When I went to the VA after leaving Vietnam and they confirmed my hearing issues they said the ringing was caused by my playing rock music in the 60's. I unfortunatley had listed my job, when drafted, as a muscian.

Its funny though - when I lose weight it actually lessens. A good reason to keep trim. To bad the holidays are coming up.

 

[swatsds]

I guess hearing can get better in a couple days, or maybe that's the perception. But VERY loud and frequent noise will obviously damage it forever.

I'd look into the hypnosis, audiologists, ear plugs and everything else. It's worth it. I get angry when my ears ring after a show. Ironically, music lovers are the most likely to lose their hearing, and that is devastating.

Plus, if you spring the $150 for expensive custom plugs, you can use them for sleep or when someone is eating too loudly or whatever. That's what I'd wish for.

By the way, sorry for bringing back a 2 year old post! I guess it's important though.

 

[XLR]

An insensitive classical musician might joke that ringing ears are God's punishment for playing rock music... unless they've sat in an orchestra in front of the trumpet section. Happened to me and my ears rang in Bb for days. It was a one time gig playing classical guitar in an orchestra for a special event at the Cabrillo Music Festival in CA a number of years ago. With the trumpets behind me, I couldn't hear anything from my guitar. I was amped but had no monitor. Turned out the marimba next to me was doubling my part, so that helped a little. Should have brought ear protection. I feel for those with tinitus.

Tim

 

[Strave]

According to the audiologist I saw, specially made hearing protection for musicians actually provides less protection than the cheap foam ones... they just let you hear key frequencies better. If you don't need to hear the music in its totality, the best way to go is with the 33 or 34 rated cheapo earplugs that block everything. If you've got to hear your music, get the expensive ones.

(at least according to the $150 appointment )

 

[BroKenSticKs]

If ear plugs bother you too much, and your drummer isnt raging moron that flat out refuses to use them, try the HotRod drumsticks out. They are like a bunch of dowels tied together, and significantly lower the volume of the drums. Turn everything down, and then bring the guitars and bass up to where you have a good mix with the new lower volume drums, and check out the difference it makes. Used a pair the other day and they are great.
Now, drummers wont like them cause they "feel weird" and the snare doesnt explode like it normally does, but DAMN suddenly you can hear everything more clearly, the singer doesnt kill himself trying to be heard, and you can practice later. Tell the drummer to get the hell over it. I mean, whats more important, a weird feeling stick that'll take 30 minutes to get used to, or your hearing.
I know my answer.

ok in that case maybe u should play with a paper pick instead....sure the feel is different but GET OVER IT!

 

[BroKenSticKs]

i'm all for the good quality earplugs though

 

[qbert1]

I've had a low noise - sometimes ringing - in my ears all my life. Though I do remember one day in 4th grade it stopped. The class was working on a test so the room was silent too. I nearly went out of my mind cause I thought I lost my hearing. For a few moments, I heard what complete silence sounds like. I don't think I'll ever forget it; I've never had that experience again (I'm now 29). Wierd, huh?

 

[mattamatta]

Maybe fletcher has problems hearing, but he has no problems listening

I had a time period a few years back when I was doing a lot of jamming with a buddy in his garage... not even that loud, not with a lot of stuff mic'd... and he's one of those rare drummers that has multiple volumes (and they're not all LOUD)... Hehe, I just remembered how if he plays a punk beat, he's got the habit of automatically playing quieter because nobody wants to hear it.

Anyway, I realized with sort of a shock one day that I had been damaging my hearing substantially over the recent times - I realized that my amp was louder than ever and it seemed quieter, and less clear.

Luckily I caught that in time, and gave it a rest, and I think the problem went away.

I've forgotten my earplugs last couple shows I've gone to, but luckily they haven't been over the top loud (although of course any live show is loud enough to do damage.)

I used to always wear ear plugs at shows (not on stage though... never needed it, as it's just not that loud up there. No backline of huge amps for me, and monitors are rarely ever producing audible sound, if ya know what I mean (Much praise to all you sound guys who actually do a good job.... you know who you are... and much shame to you who don't care!)

But I haven't been around as many shows since I haven't been gigging with a band for a couple years.

Anyway, I think I've probably damaged my hearing a little bit from pristine already, at just under 20 years of age, but I still think I could show up the average person.

Hafta go get a hearing test. Friend of mine recently did and can officially hear up to 18 khz now, which is pretty nice.

It's really hard for me to judge how my hearing is... cant compare whether or not I really can hear things well because I'm used to critically listening, and maybe I'm poor at hearing but good at listening. Guess as long as I can get the auditory info I need in my brain, doesn't matter whether it's the physical signal or my interpretation of it that's doing most of the work.


No matter, I can still hear just fine. I'm young, use ear protection when it's needed (course I still subject myself to occasional stuff, but nothing beyond a normally careful person), and my car stereo has blown out 4" speakers with what cant be more than 10 watts of power (I actually kinda like how the speakers buzz with certain frequencies =D)