Members Bobby1Note Posted July 25, 2014 Members Share Posted July 25, 2014 Ahhh,,,, the joys of ummmm "maturing gracefully",,,, like a fine Chateau Margaux,,,, or,,,, a 25 Year Old Highland Park single-malt,,,,, or is it more like finding a soggy old tomato in the back of the fridge??? Hmmm. There once was a time when my hearing was superb,,, but now that I'm a weather-beaten ole geezer, things aren't quite as clear as they used to be. More and more, I have to ask my girlfriend during a movie "what did he say"?,,, What did she say???? I miss a lot of the dialogue in movies, especially when there's background noise or music, and especially when the characters are "whispering". At first, I was putting it down to the bezel-mounted down-firing speakers of my flat-screen TV. I have difficulty hearing monotone voices in noisy rooms, and as for that click,click,click from my car's turning-signals,,,,fuggetaboutit. My girlfriend has to remind me (Bob,,,,your flasher!) I went for a hearing test today (audiogram), and the numbers were kinda scary. The onset of hearing loss has happened very slowly and gradually over the years,,,, to the point where I'm wondering if I can trust myself behind a console. I've never had a complaint,,,, but I'm not certain I can trust myself anymore. If there was a HF "sizzle", I doubt I would hear it. On a day-to-day basis, I seem to cope very well. I don't really feel like I'm missing much of anything, and I'm certainly not over-EQ'ing, but, the numbers don't lie. Have any of you had your hearing checked lately? How has hearing loss affected your approach to mixing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted July 25, 2014 Members Share Posted July 25, 2014 Every couple of years. I protect it very carefully as it's how I make my living. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dbMontana Posted July 25, 2014 Members Share Posted July 25, 2014 I get a screening-level test at work every year. The test goes up to 8k. Last two years I can't hear the 30db test signal at 8k in my left ear -- even when the nurse let me put my finger on the button so I knew exactly when it was coming -- 35db I can hear. So no question I'm missing some "information" when I'm running sound that my 29-year old friend (and live-sound mentor) hears easily. But not too bad for my age all in all. Fingers crossed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cappttenron Posted July 25, 2014 Members Share Posted July 25, 2014 I have some hearing loss from a relatively early age from guns, dirt bikes, loud music you name it. This had happened by the time I was 16. You would think when I mix I would over compensate in the higher frequencies but I don't. Maybe your brain compensates for the loss for what is normal. Could be why I gravitated towards playing bass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Telecruiser Posted July 25, 2014 Members Share Posted July 25, 2014 More and more, I have to ask my girlfriend during a movie "what did he say"?,,, What did she say???? I miss a lot of the dialogue in movies, especially when there's background noise or music, ^^^THIS^^ I'll ask my wife the same thing when we're watching something on TV. I also have tinnitus. Yeah, it sucks. What?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RiddimRider Posted July 25, 2014 Members Share Posted July 25, 2014 Right there with you Bobby, I just turned 60, and I have noticeable hearing loss, not too bad yet. But now I do try to protect what I have left, always using hearing protection when running power equip, or when my band mates decide that they can't hear themselves and start turning up their amp volumes to the point when I'm cringing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dbMontana Posted July 25, 2014 Members Share Posted July 25, 2014 Every couple of years. I protect it very carefully as it's how I make my living. Another benefit of being a Pro for 30+ years? --hopefully recognizing early on how important and precious your hearing was? I obviously don't make a living with my ears but I have been extremely protective of them for the past 25 years or so I'd guess. Problem is the most damage was likely done in those first 37 with power tools and a couple thousand hours flying jump planes with totally stripped to bare aluminum interiors (to save weight). Goes along with wondering how much less reptile like my skin would be now if I had used sunscreen in those years as well. Oh well, old to soon, smart too late. With a little luck my son will still hear in the teens and display a complexion of healthy pallor when he reaches my age. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bobby1Note Posted July 25, 2014 Author Members Share Posted July 25, 2014 Well, I spent most of my working years in commercial jets, and I'm thinking the constant cabin-pressure changes during ascent/descent probably had a lot to do with it. Sometimes, we'd do as many as 5 take-offs and landings in a single day (short-haul flights).Long-haul wasn't bad, since you'd generally fo only one take-off and landing in a day. I can't remember when I first started noticing signs of tinnitus, but it was quite a while back; maybe 20 years ago, or more. I remember going for my first company medical, and "hearing" was very closely scrutinized. They asked a million questions about other family members' hearing loss, etc. It seems a lot of people working in commercial aviation suffer very early hearing loss. Of course, the company never clarified how/when the progression starts to occur, or, early warning signs. Quite frankly, aside from the periodic "whistling" in my ears (tinnitus), I simply never noticed much if any loss. I still hear birds chirping and insects doing what they do, although, I'm probably hearing them far less than I used to. What I find strange is, despite the numbers, I still "feel" like I'm hearing reasonably well. The Doc says my LF hearing is down slightly, but anything beyond 1khz, and the graph is doing a cliff-dive, and at 2khz, I'm down as much as 90db, with a slight rise at higher frequencies. I find those numbers a bit shocking,,,, but why do I feel that it's not as bad as the numbers would have me believe? This has gotten me thinking about fundamentals and harmonics. Just how much of what we're hear is fundamentals, and what percentage is harmonics? Hmmmm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tomm Williams Posted July 25, 2014 Members Share Posted July 25, 2014 Lots of the same issues here, years of gunfire, flying in very noisy aircraft and thinking loud concerts were sooooooooooooo cool. I have noticeable tinnitus in my left ear, right isn't too bad. My approach is to trust that the transducers I've invested so much money in are doing their job. As I know perfectly well my hearing is not top notch, I'm very reluctant to start making EQ adjustments until I've listened from several positions. I'm also going to start using an RTA program on a laptop just as a guide to what's going on. Funny thing though, a lot of my work is with symphony style music, most of the audience probably cannot hear any better than I do !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Regardless, at least to THIS point, I can still mix a very good show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Scodiddly Posted July 26, 2014 Members Share Posted July 26, 2014 I'm lucky, mostly. I can still hear a pin drop, the problem is that I don't things much louder than that. As we get older we do lose hearing, either off the top or the bottom. The noise level in airplanes is a lot more of a problem than most people realize. I wear earplugs whenever I fly, makes a huge difference. For that matter I'll wear earplugs in noisy restaurants, just the loud talking is too much let alone a band. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BlueGreene Posted July 26, 2014 Members Share Posted July 26, 2014 And to think of all the weird looks I get when offering people a piece of that bar napkin I'm stuffing in my ears... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dbMontana Posted July 26, 2014 Members Share Posted July 26, 2014 And to think of all the weird looks I get when offering people a piece of that bar napkin I'm stuffing in my ears... Been there, done that. Many many times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dbMontana Posted July 26, 2014 Members Share Posted July 26, 2014 --snip-- The noise level in airplanes is a lot more of a problem than most people realize. I wear earplugs whenever I fly, makes a huge difference. Did that too -- then I broke down and bought some Bose QuietComfort headphones about 10 years ago. Best $300 I've ever spent. My wife just got a pair of the new in ear model. 90+% of the reduction compared to over ear models but more comfortable and way more convenient. Nice for flying. I still use the over ear ones for mowing the lawn while streaming Pandora. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Scodiddly Posted July 26, 2014 Members Share Posted July 26, 2014 And to think of all the weird looks I get when offering people a piece of that bar napkin I'm stuffing in my ears... Even better when you get the napkin wet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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