Hearing - Tips for Helping?

[RhythmRmixd]

Hi All,

I'm gonna bring up a question that I don't believe has been addressed much on the message boards (unless I'm not searching in the right places!), so here I go. Obviously your own hearing plays a crucial part in mixing, mastering, or any aspect of music at all. Do you pros, or anyone who is informed on this topic, do anything to keep your ears and hearing capabilities at their best? I've read that mixing when you wake up in the morning is a good idea, because you (and your ears) are fresh from the night's rest. Are there any vitamins in particular that have direct impact on hearing? Any special daily routines? Just curious.

 

[grinder]

I give my ears a break every 30-45 minutes, depending on how loud I'm mixing. In live, loud situations or when positioning mics, use ear plugs, when appropriate. I clean my ears every morning with a Q-Tip.

 

[LRosario]

That I can think of, no, there aren't any specific vitamins for ears.


It comes down to good practice. Usually a studio workplace has to abide by certain standards for it's workers to work in. Generally, I'm in a 90db environtment for 8 hours straight with breaks of about 30-45 minutes.

Ears pay the bills...hearing damage is not an option. Once you start noticing that you can't quite distinguish high freqs, that means your ears are taking a beating.

Cleaning your ears everyday is difinitly not a good idea. It's natural to have some wax to protect your ears. I clean my ears probably 2 times a week. Thats more than enough.

Other than that, it's just common sense stuff.

 

[MadAudio]

I agree, you've got to rest 'em. Also keep in mind that alcohol (as well as a certain green substance) decreases your ears' response level. Of course a pro never drinks on the job, but sometimes it's nice to have a couple of brews when doin' a little home recording.

I can never emphasize enough (though now that I think about it, it's the first time I've done so here) the value of earplugs. I wear mine religiously, whether I'm rehearsing, gigging or seeing a show.

Of course, there are other things that can affect your hearing. Despite using plugs for the last 12+ years, I have some high end loss and a bit of tinnitis in my left ear. The cause? Nerve damage from a cold.

 

[grinder]

.
Cleaning your ears everyday is difinitly not a good idea. It's natural to have some wax to protect your ears. I clean my ears probably 2 times a week. Thats more than enough.
QUOTE]

That's probably true, but I work constrution, so it's common that my ears get full of dirt.

 

[RhythmRmixd]

That's probably true, but I work constrution, so it's common that my ears get full of dirt.

I work in an office with many people, so mine are full of BS.

 

[EddieRay]

Are there any self-tests to diagnose your own ears? I've been wanting to find out what freq range I can detect or if I've incurred any hearing loss.

 

[grinder]

Are there any self-tests to diagnose your own ears? I've been wanting to find out what freq range I can detect or if I've incurred any hearing loss.

Yeah, I've tried a couple, online, I don't think they're very accurate. Do a google search for online hearing tests.

 

[timboZ]

I made my own CD using Adobe Audition. It has a tone generator. I Used the same ferq as on a 1/3 octave EQ and made a 3 tracks for each freq. One panned hard left, hard right, and center. I also added pink and brown noise tracks to the CD to use with my RTA.

Timbo

 

[pdadda]

Speaking of earplugs, can anyone recommend a good brand? I use the cheap foam ones now, but I find myself more detached from the music when I wear them. Maybe it's because they cut the highs much more than anything else.

 

[Clyde]

Speaking of earplugs, can anyone recommend a good brand? I use the cheap foam ones now, but I find myself more detached from the music when I wear them. Maybe it's because they cut the highs much more than anything else.

aren't true "attenuators" earplugs that block all freqs evenly? i'm also curious about getting a set, how do you get custom ones?

 

[LRosario]

aren't true "attenuators" earplugs that block all freqs evenly? i'm also curious about getting a set, how do you get custom ones?

Custom ones have to be fitted by an ear doctor (using the term loosely).

They can be pretty expensive, but worth it.

 

[andyhix]

There's no question the cheap foam plugs suck. I just got a pair of these a few days ago - under 20 bucks shipped - but I haven't used them in a high vol. environment yet. However, I am super stoked about them, almost as though I had just bought a new guitar or something. I've been blasting my ears for a few years too many, and I'm excited to actually give them the rest they deserve.

Even just listenting to the TV with them in, though, seemed like they do what they claim. It sounded just like the volume was turned down, but the tone didn't change noticably.

http://www.etymotic.com/ephp/er20.asp

 

[Taufactor]

I've noticed that I can't seem to hear high freqs above 15-16kHz, and I'm in my early 30's... I've been a dedicated earplug-wearing club/concert/live musician for some years. I tried testing my hearing with Sony MDR-7506 headphones and a tone generator in wavelab with the spectral analyzer to check frequencies.

I've been buying a brand of soft earplugs called "Hearos" from GC for a while, and they are comfortable and protect my ears from high SPLs without killing too much of the freq. spectrum. They're also flesh-colored instead of bright orange or white, so they don't glow in blacklight.

They don't work as precisely as the expensive "pro" earplugs, but they're sure great for going out to clubs, or saving your ears from painful feedback when catching a show at a local bar with a beat up sound system.

 

[masteringhouse]

Even just listenting to the TV with them in, though, seemed like they do what they claim. It sounded just like the volume was turned down, but the tone didn't change noticably.

http://www.etymotic.com/ephp/er20.asp

I believe you want to link to the high fidelity earplugs:

http://www.etymotic.com/ephp/erme.asp

I've owned a pair of these for years, one of the best investments I've made.

As far as vitamins, Ginko Biloba seems to be popular among the others listed here:

http://www.herbs2000.com/disorders/hearing_disturbances.htm

Probably more fiction to sell vitamins than benefit though. Best thing is to avoid high volumes for any extended period of time, and to stay young!