Love to know your thoughts on the collab idea. Get free access to my upcoming livestream masterclasses plus other bonuses when you pre-order my book: andrewhuang.com/book All formats (audiobook / ebook / hardcover) are eligible, just hit the "claim bonuses" button on the site and enter your order number and retailer. It really helps the book long term if you're able to support with a pre-order - thank you!!
Andrew, can you please make a song that sounds really good to you? I just want to better understand how it all works for you. Dont you think it can show other creators what a creative process is and how you may approach it? Huge love and respect!
Hear me out but I think this could somehow be fully related to sinuses. Especially because you talk about how it’s came in and out. Maybe I’m totally wrong but I think it’s worth asking about if you haven’t discussed this with any medical professionals yet. I had an ear infection once that was so bad I had lost almost all hearing in one ear for over a month. Eventually things subsided and my situation is very different from what you’re saying.. still thought it might be worth mentioning if this somehow wasn’t brought up yet
Hey Andrew, preordered on Apple Books but they don't send you a receipt until the book comes out (which is when they charge you) so can't enter in the details yet - can I still claim the bonus or do I have to order through another outlet?
Would be cool for you to do a song where you do one version that sounds really good for you, then another that you think we would all really like. Very curious how different they’d be :)
This is a cool idea. There’s gotta be a way to measure the difference between the two and use that info to create an approximation of how Andrew hears things.
What a great idea! That would also help illustrate what Andrew is experiencing. He could also create a version with mirrored changes to hear it like Andrew is.
He already did a video on how different he heard. He showed an eq graph and everything. It was called "this device will change the way you make music" or something like that.
1. I am not a certified Neurologist, but I'm a healthcare professional. There's a chance that your hearing issue is more related to your brain processing than your ear's physiological structure. Hearing is a complex sense and our perception of it is not only controlled by our ears but also by our temporal lobes where the ear signal is processed and interpreted. There's a medical exam called Hearing evoked potential test, maybe you have already gone through that process but it's worth a shot. If possible, an MRI could also provide a better image of your brain structure to prevent that nothing is interfering with the area. 2. I've been watching your channel since 2020 and it has always impressed me with your versatility and skill level. Maybe you could start "adopting" musical projects that you could expand through your creativity and your non-musical vision. The non-musical vision is important because it will provide a better connection and if you need to step back because of your hearing issue, you can still contribute to the project. Money-wise, I guess you could charge for that and share a fraction of the revenue.
Also a medical practitioner but not a neurologist, and I'm thinking along the same lines. Given its acute nature, I would think maybe a cerebrovascular event in the temporal lobe, or possibly the thalamus. But I would assume the possibility has already been explored by specialists.
Occasionally my cheap USB speaker stops working randomly and it did when I clicked this video and thought it was Andrew being the funniest person alive.
Last year I suffered from sudden sensorineural hearing loss, on both ears, and permanently lost some frequencies, especially the bassier ones in my left ear. I've had my bouts with illness but this was to this date the most difficult thing I've faced. Your videos gave me a lot of hope and made me feel a little less alone in the struggle, immense respect for what you do. Taking something as difficult as this and spinning it positively is absolutely incredible.
Same here, occasional bouts of low/mid frequency hearing losses on both ears randomly. It's called cochlear hydrops and can be triggered by allergens. Mine started after getting tick borne illnesses. It can be really rough, hope you feel better now!
I rarely post anything ever, but have to this time. I've been watching you for years and really appreciate how open you've been with your hearing loss. I've suffered hearing loss as well but mine was due to ototoxic medication and my hearing loss happened overnight as well. It was devastating and I just want to thank you so much for being so open and also so positive. You sharing your affliction really gave me hope that I could do music despite the sonic challenges I have. You were one of those UA-cam pillars of inspiration for me that helped me release some of my own music. So thank you Andrew for everything you've done and what you're still doing. Keep being you and being an inspiration! I took your class with Studio now (Monthly) and released Kitchen based on your course of kitchen sounds. I like to design my own sounds too so that class was perfect for me! I'd love to work with you one day! Once again thanks Andrew for everything you do, I'm gunna get your book! Much love and respect!
I was the passenger in a car accident in 2019. It left me bed ridden with extreme light and sound sensitivity for over a year. Luckily the headaches got better, but the tinnitus and unequal hearing has stayed. I had to give up my band that brought me so much joy once my headaches came back, but I'll always love listening and home producing thanks to your videos. I hope you find what happened to your hearing, and thank you for the years of inspiration and knowledge.
I had the same thing happen (I was driving though, no passengers thankfully) and now due to age I also have frequency loss in a certain range. I test tracks with other people and use tools like iZotope Neutron and Ozone, to leverage the tools to hit the sweet spots that might not perfectly meet what my hearing would tell me. I also test tracks in all kinds of different speakers and settings.
Hey man, I'm glad we're both still kicking, crazy how things can change so much in a single instance. Thank goodness for music :) And thanks for the program recommendations!
as someone with all types of headache and migranie damn near every day i know how tough and debilitating they can be,people think you can just brush it off when in reality migranes can make you unable to speak drive or even walk
Gotta respect how you look at something considered "negative" by many people as a sort of blessing and not only didn't let it to stop you, but to let it to make you you and form a part of your special identity. You just never fail to inspire us Andrew. Thank you ❤🙏
!!!!Band Roulette!!!! A software or website to give everyone random band members. The members of a band should all be using the same daw to make it easier for them to share files. And over a month time the many band can make songs and there is a community page for people to vote on the best song that month and you andrew check in on the most voted for songs and at the end of the month winner/s gets a prize/s it just a shout-out for all the members stuff. Let me know what you thing. Give me credit for my idea is your use it 👍❤
@@tfwnoyandere while I agree with your sentiment, Olypmic level performance is measured quantitatively rather than subjectively and as such it's not the most accurate comparison. An Olympic athlete with a limp is simply not an Olympic athlete because they don't hold up at the quantitative level. Conversely, Andrew's qualitative inability to perceive sounds the same way as others actually offers a unique perspective to the art which could potentially deepen his style.
Hey Andrew! Five years ago, I lost complete hearing in one ear overnight because of the microstroke. It was a challenging period for me because it was hard to produce music like I used to do. After three years, I had cochlear implantation surgery, and it helped me a lot. The sound is very artificial, so I know how it is when you hear different frequencies and sounds from different sides, also with different volumes. I returned to the music production and I stayed motivated. I remember your previous content about hearing issues, and you are always inspirational to me. I hope your problem won't progress and you will find a way to improve it. Technology right now is moving a lot in this field.
@@Scoots1994 For now, when you have a completely deaf ear, it's the best option. I can recommend it to people with single-side deafness because it's an impressive complement to hearing :) Of course, the surgery can be scary, but it's not that bad.
As a casual follower I had clearly now clue about your hearing. I must say the success you have pulled together is outstanding. Really shows that you can overcome all challenges to express your own skills. Thanks for sharing the story and that sweater! Good luck figuring out that next step. I must say your talents in getting on a camera and just communicating something interesting to those watching is likely a bigger asset than you music per se. The music you clearly love and the excitement that if brings you I’d the fuel, but being able to present that to people is not to be overlooked. Whatever that collaborative thing is you end up exploring, leverage you ability to present and share it.
First of all, thanks SO MUCH for sharing your journey with hearing loss over the years. I have a very similar hearing situation to you that started a couple of years ago (much quieter and uneven frequency response in one ear). Seeing how far you’ve made it as a musician, even with this setback, is super inspirational and comforting, so thank you for being so open about it! One silver lining of my hearing loss that I would like to share is this: *It fundamentally changed the way I listened to music in a way that made me a better musician.* Let me explain. Over the years, as I got more and more into music production, I found myself listening to music through a very different lens, trying to dissect how the music was constructed on a very technical level, trying to determine which frequencies different instruments were taking up, listening for compression or other audio effects, how it filled the stereo field etc. etc. Once I started noticing the issues with my ears, listening to music with this technical mindset was horrible. It would constantly be making me aware of my hearing loss, making me anxious, worrying if I was losing my hearing forever, I could no longer focus on the music I was listening to. This feeling was especially pronounced when songs had a lot of stereo processing going on. I knew I wanted to keep listening to music and making music, as it was such a fundamental part of my life at that point, being a constant hobby and passion for the past 15 years. Therefore, I made what felt like a very significant decision. No more listening to music with headphones or in stereo. I bought a decent speaker and set everything to mono and began only listening to music through that. This was the only way I could manage to listen to music without constantly noting the frequency response difference between my ears and hating the experience. But quickly, it made me realise something. I realised that by hyper fixating on picking out production elements for so long, I had no longer been listening to music FOR the music. By taking away the option to really focus in on every little detail of a track by listening on a worse speaker and in mono, I found myself focusing on the whole again. How all the instruments came together to make the whole, how the whole made me feel, how the composition flowed, how it made me feel. I actually started enjoying a lot of music MORE than before my hearing issue, by reframing how I listened. No longer was I listening as a technical exercise, I was listening for FUN again. I found myself applying this mindset reframing in my own music production as well. Instead of fixating on tweaking a million parameters to make that synth part sound just perfect, I was concentrating more on composition and arrangement. I finally started FINISHING tracks. I realised that what was keeping me from being happy with my music wasn’t my inability to hear compression, or my understanding of how to perfectly EQ my snare. It was that I wasn’t thinking about my work as the musical whole, about what part would come next in the the track to make it musically interesting. I’ve actually got to the point where I have finished many tracks now, and have since a couple months ago started posting my music here on UA-cam, which is the first time I've shared my music with others. My hearing still does bother me a lot, but after a couple of years of this situation I’m starting to come to terms with it. And it’s weird to think that if not for my hearing loss, I would potentially still be stuck analysing my tracks to death, rather than getting on and finishing them. Makes me feel a little better about it. Anyway, all the best, have pre-ordered the book 🙏
After 7 years of learning music theory and analyzing everything I hear, I’m pretty much where you’re at with learning to enjoy again. I just got so fatigued with analyzing it was almost inevitable. Now I switch on between analyzing and enjoyment because once I’m wore out from analyzing, I have no choice but to just enjoy it
@@fawks9996 it was definitely getting gradually worse for a while before I really recognised the problem. Since then I’ve done all I can to protect them (ear protection at loud events, listening to music way quieter, don’t fatigue my ears from mixing for hours), and I haven’t felt deterioration in ~18 months. It’s kinda hard to tell though, as I also have issues with ear wax blocking them that makes my hearing vary a lot. Right after cleaning they feel pretty good (not perfect, but more manageable), but they’ll quickly block up again.
thank you for answering my question. How did you manage to break the anxiety because I realised that my hearing isnt completely bad.. it varies, its just the anxiety of eventually losing my hearing that demotivates me everytime and I end up doing nothing@@emayex_music
Congratulations! I have also found that out, I found myself enjoying music more when listening on a mono speaker rather than when using a pair of headphones or stereo speakers
After all these years, you continue to be a shining light in what can be a dark world. And it's really not even about the level of skill you constantly show in your songs, it's the persistence with which you tackle your problems and demand a solution, unafraid of imperfection, always striving for creativity and passion above all else. Sure, you've taught us how flip a sample or EQ some drums, but you've also shown us how to make music out of anything. How to find inspiration. How to continue moving forward. Instead of just giving us all the answers like a youtube cheat sheet, you've taught us how to ask our own questions, and find our own answers, and for that I'm grateful. Thank you for sharing your wisdom and your unique perspectives, and continuing to inspire me and many others. I only wish I could help you as much as you've helped me grow as an artist and as a human. ~ Sincerely, a long time lurker
I was born with hearing loss in my left ear, about a 20-25% drop in hearing, and I didn't let that stop me from becoming a live sound engineer. The first 10 or so years, I was really in this space where I felt I needed to be the one making all the changes. I was the one creating my vision of what audio and music should sound like. I was very stubborn and looking back it shaped me into wanting more collaboration. The first step was asking for help with my hearing. I got into it with a great audiologist and ENT to keep my ears in good shape and I made the decision to add a hearing aid because I knew I needed the help. While not perfect, I am hearing more stereo and realized how hard my brain was working before to keep everything sounding great in the mix. Freeing that mental space allowed me to ask more of my musicians like what does it sound like in their IEM'S or monitors, how can I facilitate a better working environment, asking the audience what sounded great or bad etc. Collaboration feels good and it's important to make the experience more vibrant and more like a collective. It really feels like a collective would work here, highlighting artists, working on tracks with different people from different backgrounds, creating a space where music can be shared freely, creating events all over the world etc.
I'm a live audio engineer. This video connected me with another level of you as a person after years of subscribing. Gonna grab a copy of your book for sure. Thanks Andrew!
Just preordered your book. Your philosophies on the line between music creation as a form of personal expression and as a career path alongside how your hearing damage has impacted those views for you is beyond inspiring. If this video was just the tip of the iceberg, I’m really eager to hear everything you have to say about all of it in your book. I discovered your channel like 4 or 5 years ago and was a huge supporter for a while back then. I only recently found your channel again and remember why I fell in love with your content and your outstanding musical abilities. Thank you Andrew.
I've always had this idea of having a community that has one streaming channel. You have it maybe set for 10 hours per day , but multiple producers have 1-4 hour time slots where they login to the channeland produce a song to the audience. The audience maybe gives their input via voting/bits/etc. and the song begins to evolve in real-time. This gives insight into the production process, as well as visibility to the producer.
I would love a series on you just making music for yourself based on how you hear it and enjoy it. You are the only one who can tell us what you hear so it would be really interesting to know what the world sounds like to you. Then maybe you take the same tracks and send them to your team and showcase what that help can do to evolve the sound, and maybe that’s when you make it open to your community to collaborate on. I would just love to know what everyone’s perspective is on each song, with an emphasis on yours.
My dad, a professional trumpet player, suffered from a rare fungal infection in one ear that caused some permanent hearing loss and weird effects before treatment. He had to sit at a 45° angle with a tincture of anti fungal oil in his ear canal for a month to cure it. This was the 80’s, so perhaps methods have changed, but look into it! It was hard to detect and he lucked out with a specialist. He still plays great today!! Love the art, channel, and all your videos. Kick ass man.
This stuff you were talking about at the end is emblematic of what drew me to your channel to begin with. It's always had this collaborative sense to it, of bringing musicians together who just love making music and sharing it and it is such a delight to watch. It's part of what makes your style of creation special - I hope you find something amazing and collaborative and revolutionary. I'll be watching
as a musician with Otosclerosis who's had a stapedectomy, I appreciate you sharing this update. The average person (even my doctors in the past) think that a perfectly normally functioning ear is essential to being a musician... Showing your audience that a great musician like yourself overcomes even hearing loss means a lot to me and every other person in this art form with some kind of hearing loss. would love a hearing loss collab hahaha
Wow and wow. I’m a lifetime musician and a Producer (15 years) who finally overcame resistance to my hearing loss. I am one week into wearing hearing aids. Is it the end for me? If I need help, is it still my music? I am thrilled to hear your take and your honesty. Thank you so much. You can bet…when I have doubts…a voice in my head will say “Well, if Andrew Wang is handling it, you can too” . Thanks
IMHO.. As long as you want to produce music.. You can!. It doesn't matter if you get to the point you can't hear anymore (Beethoven). You can always find a way. Also even if you have trouble making it and need help, it is still coming from you.. It's your own music of course. look up Jason Becker. Good luck.
I was diagnosed with tinnitus a year and a half ago, I stopped going to festivals and I left the music production classes as well. I just decided to suffer from it instead of talking about it and it took me months to just accept that it’s part of my life. Knowing the way you are dealing with this (which is way bigger than my problem), makes me admire you even more now. I hope you can be aware about how important this video is for people who love music and deal with this kind of issues on a daily basis. Warmest regards from Argentina and hope you can get better soon ❤❤❤
Literally 3-4 weeks ago, I woke up with Tinnitus in my left ear. I literally felt like I was going insane, still do, but I am adjusting to it. High pitched ringing 24/7. God I wish there was a pill we could take for this.
I have had tinnitus for 3 years now. I was in deep depression for 6 months and just wanted to stay at home. Now I do my life like before but always wear earplugs (loop) for concerts and music festivals! You should do it too.
If the tinnitus is not from hearing damage, there is a good chance to get rid of it. I had tinnitus because of back tension, which affected my neck and jaw. Took a while until I found out and many visits to different specialists... Long story short, got rid of my tinnitus after four years of ear ringing. I have to make sure to stretch, work out and relax ;). There were occasions when my tinnitus came back, but always with neck/back pain and during very stressful times where I wasn't moving much. But as soon as I started working my back, it went away completely, pretty mind blowing! Thought I'd share, since you usually hear that once you've got tinnitus it never goes away.
@@talinaraeI've been suffering from tinnitus for at least 10 yrs now, and learned to live with it, but really miss how it felt to have normal hearing and listening and making music. Also lost hearing ability over 15k overnight, although I'm 48 I could hear 17.5 k last year. And I feel nowadays I never hear the bass like it used to be, maybe I lost the low end as well. Done a few hearing tests and they strangly came out quite good, but that's mainly focussing on the 500hz - 8k range, just for speech. I was just wondering if a chiropractor could be of some help, have you tried that? A while ago when I had corona, the tinnitus got so bad that I could not sleep for 3 days and it was the tension on my jar that made it worse. Massaging helpt a lot so I'm more and more inclined to believe tinnitus is a muscle /nerve caused problem.
I have really really bad tinnitus. It’s insane. Along with hyperacusis. I got some custom molded and still go to shows and festivals and make music. I’m not going to let it ruin my life. More good days than bad days. But it controls me. I just tell it I’m the fucking boss. Best of luck you’re not alone.
As I’m worried about my hearing the last couple days….it’s comforting to hear this happened to you 20 plus years ago and you still have managed and even have become this INSANE music producer, I wish you all the best and more.
i don’t know how, but this communal artist idea could be the most interesting things in music right now, if done right. i’m gonna keep thinking about this!
I never even knew you had these hearing issues. I have no advice to give you since I'm not familiar with anything like that but I truly wish you the best. ❤️
Hey! Thanks for sharing your story. I have hearing loss and your story sounds very similar. Around 8 years old I vividly remember not being able to hear my friends out on the playground when I was actually quite social. Long story short, it's really effed me up, especially during the pandemic when everyone covered their faces when I'm a lip reader. Also have the same frustrations around music and mixing/mastering. Very inspiring learning more about your story and gives me hope for myself. Appreciate the message... was feeling particularly dejected this week around my relationship with making music.
I think a fun way to engage into a more collaborative community would be to open a discord or something where people can just make and share whatever, and maybe people can share unfinished tracks and just let anyone add to it
I really liked how Bishu tackled this kind of task. He made an album called Bishu x U where he found incredible producers in his community and collaborated with them on making new tracks.
This video came at the right time for me. My hearing has been bad all my life, and I'm missing a lot of high and low frequencies in my hearing. I'm currently studying music production. This semester I'm doing a minor in Live Event Production, and we were recently setting up a PA, and experimented with different frequency settings to check whether or not it works. The whole time my class went like ''oh this change is really significant'', and I just had to pretend to agree while not actually being able to hear it. This made me think a lot about my hearing again, which I don't actually do so often anymore. But when stuff like this happens it makes me aware of it, and makes me scared my music only sounds good to me. My point is, I'm glad I'm not alone, and it comforts me that someone as talented as you can struggle with something like this, but still make amazing art. Thanks for talking about this, Andrew.
It takes a lot to make good stuff out of a bad situation. You are one of my greatest inspirations of all time and hearing you say all these things about your community is really nice.
Hi Andrew, I’ve been deaf in one ear since birth, and I am a professional musician. It has its flaws but totally manageable. I’m just here to send you support and love.
The Sonic Boom series was so good! 😀 I'm imagining taking that concept and the 4 producers format, and forming a record label or a studio that delivers Andrew Huang level of quality of music production with some amazing artists, but with a lot of behind-the-scenes action and spin-off series. Kind of like what Corridor Digital does, but with music production instead of CG production. Whatever you decide I'm looking forward to what comes next, and if that's spending less time here on YT then so be it. And thanks for sharing, always appreciate hearing your story ❤
Speaking as a creative who used to want everyone to hear everything and becoming someone who, not only switched genres and learned an instrument but also completely quit sharing their music : I love the parts i've shared differently. Once i let it out i no longer see it as my own. I really do believe it becomes what you want it to be. I tend to listen a lot more to the ones i never shared. The ones that made me cry when i wrote them, or the figurative journal entries that i'd never share with a soul. It's all me. It's all in my art. Some is only mine. Some of it was more important to let go♥️ Really appreciate the topic. It's one i think about alot.
3 things: 1: dude.... if you ever make a sequel/ new book, "Beyond the Mix" would be a KILLER title!!!! 2: I never would've guessed this would've been a thing you've been wrestling with! 3: WHERE DID YOU GET THAT CARDIGAN/SWEATER?!?!? I NEED IT ITS AMAZING!!!
Hi Andrew, I have the same "condition" as you, although for me, I was born with it and it runs in the family. But my hearing is also really bad, yet I'm a musician and doing great. I have also have my moments where I seem to be in a very relaxed state or something, where I'm like hyper focussed, and in this state, my hearing is also better, but also it goes away. One thing that you say in the video is that you make your own music sound worse because your hearing is off. I actually found a really good way to deal with it. My soundcard has an EQ option, but there's also like free software that can EQ your sound before it is sent to the speakers if your soundcard doesn't come with an EQ. What I do is listen to the music I like, and then use the EQ on my soundcard to alter it so that it sounds like I want it to sound. Boosting certain frequencies, cutton on others. I started to do this to make sure that what I hear through my speakers comes as close to the real world as possible, but I finetuned it since. As a result, when I make my music with that same EQ preset on, I really can make it sound the way I want it to sound because my EQ compensates for my ears. If you mixed/mastered your song like this, and you then turn off the EQ and check your mix as you normally would, you will find that you are almost there, or maybe you are already there. I would suggest you to try it out. Maybe its a keeper. ;)
What software do u use? I downloaded an EQ in my pc but it bypasses the soundcard when using a plugin/daw, it does work on youtube or Spotify but i want it to EQ also when in my DAW
@@simonsanchezkumrich8489 My soundcard has an EQ, but the one EQ that seems to work almost everywhere is Equalizer APO. Do note, for ASIO and WASAPI to work, you cannot put it in exclusive mode.
"It is good and it is bad." That is such a good way to honestly look at anything in your life. We so often tend to hyperfocus on one or the other and over time that is just detrimental because we are blinding ourselves. And seeing you demonstrate how you do that was really cool to see. I wish you much growth, success and self-discovery Andrew.
First of all, just wanted to say that like everyone else here, you’ve been a great inspiration to me over the years and your openness and positivity is genuinely amazing! Secondly, when I think about musical projects that involve an entire UA-cam audience, the first one that comes to mind is the Toad Choirs from Louie Zong (which are amazing). So, if you’ve got something written and just want to involve the audience for the performance, maybe you can just ask everyone to send in their audio clips for a choir/symphony/etc. that would be cool! And as far as money goes, I think everyone would be happy if the final product is either free if possible (i.e. a sample) or 100% of the profits are donated to charities (i.e. UA-cam ad revenue, streaming revenue). That way we all feel like we’re contributing to something meaningful!
I rewrote this several times, didn’t know how to find the right words. I follow your work for 11 years now, from the start it was clear that you are a complete artist and your craft is amazing. I’m so glad to see this outcome and vision you got on your hearing situation but mostly I’m deeply moved by the fact that you want us onboard. You inspired a lot of musicians, producers, composers such as myself and of course I’m gonna be one of the hundreds that will definitely wants to work with you for that originality, for that craft and just for the artist you are. I would have a lot more to say but I’ll just say that I’m composing since 7 years now and it all started with watching your videos. So yeah, if I could help, hell yeah I will ! PS : Book pre-ordered, after the Masterclass, the T-shirt, dude I’m gonna be broke. Damn I’m a fanboy :/
I’ve recently been diagnosed with single sided deafness and it sounds similar to your situation in the fact that I don’t listen to loud music and the doctors don’t know why this happened. Been coming to terms with it as a music producer but this gave me some encouragement 🙏🙏
As someone's who's been dabbling in music production (haven't really released anything out to the public yet), with my mindset so far being _"I want to do everything myself - maybe except for vocals"_ , LOL - thank you for this. It's some food for thought! 🙃 Also, I had literally no idea you had been hearing impaired! In fact, I kind of assumed that you must be pretty close to having a _perfect_ hearing. Wow. Been a long time fan but learning this, I respect you even more 😌
I've loved watching you change as an artist over the years. Been watching since the songs to wear pants to days and the energy, joy, and integrity you put into your music really shows. I'm always glad to see you doing well and can't wait to see what you do in the future.
ANDREW id like to thank you! i have the exact same problem where at times i can barely hear my own voice and other times I can hear a conversation in another room. I'm happy you've spoken out about this made me feel less alone in my hear loss. Best of luck and recovery and Thank you for everything!
i would love to see music challenges in maybe a monthly format. i believe that challenges really open peoples minds to all kinds of new creativity (for example, make a song completely from sine waves), and if it's on a regular basis, it gives viewers plenty of time to submit their work. not only would it build a community, but it would also shine light on smaller producers who have tons of talent!
First of all, I love that you don't give up, greatness comes from struggle and you're honestly achieving it. That being said, I'm assuming you've already gone to a neurologist to see what's up with your hearing part of the brain; I've just recently being diagnosed with ASD and I can say that this could be related, maybe not, but didn't want to let the opportunity pass in case you haven't considered, I know I have my own struggles with hearing, ranging from speech recognition and apparent tinitus that randomly appears.
I have a very similar story, about 10 years ago I lost half the hearing in one ear. It turned out to be nerve damage from a head cold. At the time I was a keyboard player that never practiced and wasn't very good. After the hearing loss I quit music for several years. Then I bought a drum set and fell in love with drumming, I practiced 4 hours a day and finally became the musician I always wanted to be. I'm now in a band that's producing the best music that I've ever created, and somehow the hearing loss made me better at recording and mixing. Sometimes horrible things that happen to you can change your perspective just enough to do great things. I also got your book, looking forward to listening to it.
Two ideas that immediately pop in my mind when you talk about "involving more people" : - A label ? Given you have a lot of exposure and credibility, having the opportunity to expand on that and "take under your wing" other artists (lesser-known or even well-established) could be fitting. It reminds me of the "4 producers challenge", in the sense that you always had people you loved the work of, but it'd be a more prolongated way of pushing some artists to the front of the scene. - And collabs with random subscribers/musicians ? In a streamed format, or constructed exchanges, or in a video format... I think that'd be awesome, directly collaborating with strangers, on project/styles you might be unfamiliar with !
i had this SAME THING HAPPEN RECENTLY. I attribute mine to an ear infection i got, i went to bed and felt my ears CLOSE UP. Woke up and couldn't hear at all. Two weeks, no hearing. Horrible time in my life honestly as i am a musician. What i found online sounds like it might be my problem and could be yours Andrew. Eustasian tube dysfunction. (look it up) Basically fluid behind the ear drum, docs cant do much about it at all... There is ways to fix it tho, exercises etc. Since then, my one ear seems to be a bit better. Though i still cant hear out of one ear... Hope this helps any who are going through this as it really is terrible.
I second this. I’ve had this exact experience, I’ve suspected it was my Eustachian tubes for a long time due to the fact I used to get ear infections a lot and have come to know what it feels and sounds like when they’re blocked. Every now and then I get a loud pop in one of my ears which makes them ring and for a brief minute I can hear 10x what I normally can in that ear before I feel it close up again.
Im comming good from a three month ordeal with this, the key was nasal sprays, steoid based and alergy based, every morning I can still hear some draining and clearing. A tiny tinnitus in one side is decreasing gradually. The full blockage and infection felt like it came over night but in truth I felt I wass always clearing my ears and nose for years. Im happy now.
@@sqcaraudioI have been dealing with something similar since September. I'd really like to know what nasal sprays you are using? I've been to 4 different doctors and had no real answers until I searched for my own on the Internet. For me nasal irrigation and phenylephrine HCI has been the only thing to provide any relief.
@@aaronj7987 so remember, not a doctor. Everything could be coincidence etc. currently Dimetapp inc brompheniramine and phenylephrine. With Dymista inc Azelastine hydrochloride / fluticasone propionate. Had doctor just recomend Rhinocort and a specialist recomend Nasonex. My parents had similar simptoms and their doctor recomended the first two above. Also the salt water stuff keeps me stuffed up so I stopped it. Parent recomends wear water proof earplugs when bathing etc. Best ever advice. I was always trying to clean/wet my ears.
Putting this in a separate comment - I wrote this in response to the first half of the video. Hi Andrew, I really appreciate getting a window into your world in this way! Thank you for sharing what it's like to be you. I am also grateful for your nuanced perspective on authenticity! I did pre-order your book so I'm curious to read more about this there :) but for now I'll say that in my view, there is no such thing as an artist "by themselves" - we're all always influenced by our culture(s) of origin, friends past and present, whatever we find inspiring or moving like other music, art, a really cool bug, leaf, tree friend, the feeling of wind on our skin, kissing a lover, an insane sunrise or sunset, heartbreak, etc. etc. It's always a conversation with multidirectional communication, and each of us is a part of a vast web. So if that's the case, then the question of "is my art for myself or for others" kind of takes on another dimension, because to some extent I am my friends, family, culture, influences. It's not so much a binary distinction (me vs you) as it is a gradient (more me, more you). So the choice is where to land on that axis, and I think that can and does differ with everything an artist puts out. Maybe this seems kinda woo but I think the reality does actually bear up under examination. My several cents :P
Thank you for sharing your hearing loss with us. I have been a musican all my life with hearing loss and a frequency response that drops rapidly from -20db @1khz and ends up at around -90db @5-6khz in both ears, so I find it very difficult to hear things like speech & cymbals properly. Very recently, I decided to spend my hard-earned money on a decent pair of hearing aids, capable of wireless streaming & set up by an experienced audiologist, instead of purchasing any more gear for a while. It is worth every penny and given me exactly what I need to enjoy making & listening to music once again. Good luck with coping with your particular type of hearing loss and get some hearing tests to find out exactly what the problem is. May you always enjoy making your music and others will always enjoy joining in with you and listening to it.
musician and physician here. I suspect you have seen ENT and audiology. How aggressively have you engaged neurology? The issue sounds more central and less peripheral in nature. (btw, I still want to be you when I grow up). Best of luck to you
It’s very strange. I’m thinking because his loss is bilateral and different frequencies, I would suspect that he had an exposure to something ototoxic, perhaps a medication.
LOVE your approach to your physical limitations. And i LOVE your sweater. And Im excited for your book to arrive ❤❤❤ my brain tumour forced me to slow down enough to dive into the world of music 🎶 and I'm thankful for that. Our bodies know what we need. ❤ looking forward to seeing what becomes of all this !!!! Thank you for being so real.
I love the way you think Andrew. Your ideas are always so genuine and authentic, yet also trailblazing and legitimately impactful! Keep sharing that wonderful mind with us, and good luck as you continue this journey! We're with ya!!!
I’m commenting late but I feel the same on another topic: I had struggles in life, which forced me to be much more social, adapted and embrace various viewpoints and I’ve became a better human then I ever was when everything was « easy »
One thing you could do is start like a discord full of all kinds of music creatives. If anyone needs a musician, they can post there. If anyone needs an editor, post there. Etc. This would help to facilitate the kinds of free flowy kind of collaboration you talk about.
Years ago, I had something weird happening: EVERY SOUND was half a tone lower. One of the weirdest experiences of my life, I couldn't even enjoy my favorite songs. A few days later, everything was normal. I still fear it might happen again someday.
Sorry to hear of your audio problems. If every sound was a semitone lower, how did you know? Wouldn't it be impossible to access a correct reference tone in order to identify the problem? Unless you have perfect pitch, and your entire pitch criterion was altered by a semitone compared to the identified key of a given piece of music... genuinely curious.
i think i had the same experience for a day! but it gets you crazy, since you can only remember how the pitch of things used to be. even now i'm not even sure if it was just a crazy impression, or if i got used to the change after a day and still keep it. really weird.
@@michaelspencer-arscott it started with Discord notification sounds, I thought they were changed because they appeared to be lower than usual. Later, I listened to a song I used to play along with guitar (same studio version from that time), at first just for fun and realized the song was also a semitone lower. After searching for other songs I know how to play, I realized that I was either listening all of them with this weird "effect" in my hearing or my references were wrong this whole time. Other songs I just used to enjoy felt lower as well, just happened with every single sound. A few days later, a Discord notification felt "usual" again and was like none of that ever happened. I'm still confused by it to this day, feels like a nightmare.
@@paulimbacana similar feeling here. I'm 100% sure about getting the usual tones back (an easy example: the classic riff from Iron Maiden's The Number of The Beast - the song, I mean - has that characteristic D5 power chord here and there and I was listening to a C#5 instead when it happened), still not sure if it was something with my hearing itself, a side effect from mid effects of flu (something like obstructing the exact point of tone perception, which could be oddly specific, but justifiable due to being temporary) or maybe I was just having a few weird days.
Omigosh! So, presumably, you tuned the guitar with a tuner and then went to play along with a familiar song and found yourself fretting one step (up, I guess) in order to match the key by ear... That is genuinely upsetting! BTW thanks for the response.@@hatempire
Andrew, back in my college days when I happen to discover your channel on UA-cam, I was a bedroom producer, learning new things. All those things you described in 1:25 happened to me too. At first I ignored it. Then this hearing issue worsened and it came to a point where I had difficulty hearing and couldnt hear anything above 12k. Song volume needed to be increased and bass boosted so that I could hear properly. Then I decided to consult a doctor who happened to diagnose the problem and came forward with 3 issues 1. Impacted Earwax 2. Sinus 3. OTC withdrawal symptoms The first one was easy , basically cleaning my Earwax. The sinuses were responsible for the middle ear infection, which kept re-appearing. The one which worsened my sinuses was withdrawal of OTC medication ( nasal spray). It had been more than 2 years that I was continuously using nasal spray because blocked nose was hampering with my sleep schedule. I found that my nasal bleeding was becoming an issue and without any consultation tried giving up my nasal spray. As a result , my sinus worsened and my hearing got affected. At the end with medicines prescribed by doctor, it took me a month and my hearing came back to normal. I know how frustrating it feels when a musician feels he is losing his hearing. Stay strong brother, don't give up hope. There sure will be a solution to the problem.
I love this more nuanced perspective on "you should only create for yourself and not think about how it will be received." I love art that is challenging and wasn't created with pandering intent... But at the same time I want to share my art with as many people as possible, so if the song is 95% the same but I can tweak it 5% creatively for a 3x return in reception...? Yeah I'll take that.
Let me start with the fact that you're an inspiration. Your creativity and dedication let a lot of creatives not only see your workflow but also learn how we can hear the world differently. Not because your hearing is different but because you listen to the world and hear everything it is offering you and more. You can get the sound you'd like to achieve, it doesn't matter, from an everyday object, a nature recording or from your students on your courses. Thank you for that and thank you for updating us on your hearing, transparency is always appreciated. As a visually impaired producer / mixer I also understand how it is to ask for help with your work. It doesn't matter I hear everything when suddenly my screenreader voice freezes for some reason and I don't know what's happening on the screen or when some plugin is completely unaccessible for screenreader itself. :d So, lets just say, I hear you. ;) As for cooperation with people, I think it would be cool to have an opportunity to interact with you on any level. Not only in the comments but maybe during some live streams or something. I didn't win the opportunity to talk in this draw connected with a preorder of your book and I would love to get a chance to exchange at least a few words someday, that's why I think such live sessions would be amazing. Some contests also could be great, they would allow your viewers and listeners not only to get some feetback on their music from you but also share their work with each other. Many different side projects can be born from this kind of activity as well.
I am a musician and a live production director of 10 years and I've had hearing loss my whole life. It started getting bad in my mid 20s and I realized I'd need hearing aids. Didn't do anything about for 3 years but finally bit the bullet last fall. It's taking time to adjust to it but it really has opened up a whole new world to me. My hearing begins to fail around the 1-2kHz range and just plummets after that. It's like taking a high-cut on your master EQ down to 2k. I've always known I was missing my high end frequencies but now that I can actually hear them, it's like listening to music for the first time again. I think it would be worth to visit an audiologist and see what you could possibly do for your situation.
You are the adaptive individual in the middle of your circumstance. What shines true is your lust for creativity and the genuine genius you bring to that. Don't ever sell yourself short Andrew. Your graft is as strong as your vision, and that's incredibly rare.
I'm a psychologist specializing in working with artists and I think there is so much richness and insight in what you're sharing. Serious, deep respect. I don't think this is where you're pointing to in your request for collaboration, but as I listened to you share my thoughts kept coming back to this one idea: I see you as a brilliant and highly effective teacher. Specifically, you remind me of a hero of mine, Eloise Ristad, who wrote "A Soprano on Her Head." It's kind of a memoire in which she shares vignettes of her interactions with performing artists across a wide range of disciplines, helping them to access their self-expression. The way you share about your own process, it's obvious to me that you have an understanding of and compassion for what it means to live as an artist and you are able to articulate that in clear and supportive ways. I'm not suggesting that you pivot to full time pedagog, but it strikes me that, if you don't know her work already, Ristad's book might offer you something meaningful and, hopefully, inspiring. Thanks for doing what you do!
Hi Andrew. Singer/songwriter here with severe/profound hearing loss. My loss is from years of loud noise exposure but I was diagnosed at 38. I kept going for several years but my loss is so bad now I can't hear well enough to sing on pitch. I think I mostly sang for myself because not being able to hear it and adjust to what I like has taken the joy away. Glad you can keep going!
So sorry to hear about your hearing loss. A lot of my family in my mom's side have hearing issues so I can sympathize with people who have a hard time hearing. Praying for you
As someone who has listened to alot of loud music. I feel like I have definitely dodged a bullet with my hearing. I'm alot more careful these days. Glad you have not let hearing loss get in the way of making music!
As a musician, hearing loss is one of the things I’m most scared of losing. I feel like I’d lose a part of myself. There was this one time where I coughed or sneezed hard enough that one ear sounded a bit off tune compared to the other. Music sounded weird, car horns sounded like microtonal tones (which was kind of silly ngl), but it flat out frightened me into thinking this might be a long term effect. Luckily it got better after a day but it still was a wake up call for me. I hope your hearing gets better, and it’s great to see you’re flipping this situation into a positive one!
Thanks for posting on this random subject. I've been dealing with what I can only describe as on and off hyper-acusis for about 3 years now, ever since a loud gig on a small stage with no protection. I use only IEMs when plugged in with others now, and use earplugs when at live shows we host (I book 150+ a year at our venue). Yet surprises can still exist. An "engineer" in the past year blew my ears back out again with bass and speakers blaring on stage, even with my headphones for self-monitoring. It ruptured my ear canal, but fortunately that heals back. The permanence of my issue has started to do exactly what you say here: it gave me more clarity with regards to my intent.
As a deaf person from the age of 2, I love making music and sounds, I have always been frustrated by the fact that I cannot hear any sounds above 2500 Hz including a majority of high hats and cymbals. So rather than worrying too much about how others might perceive my music, I mainly just made it for me and if others like it, great. I would love to hear some of the songs that you have made for yourself and even more if you were to hear some of mine (if I ever get round to releasing them). Otherwise I have always enjoyed your content, from the "Pink Fluffy Unicorn", your community drawn music video "Every Night I Dream Of Dancing" and even "Sonic Boom" with Rob Scallon. You do you my friend, you'll always have a follower in me.
My dude! Awesome video. Music is a huge part of my life. I went to school for music education, I still practice every day, I listen every day. I lost 90% of my hearing in my right ear and day to day life became harder and not being able to hear in stereo was a terrible thing. I decided to get a cochlear implant. It was a pretty jarring adjustment but all said, I’m glad I did it. I don’t know if it’s something g you’ve considered with your own situation but it was a scary thought for me. Ears, we don’t appreciate ‘em enough! :D
Most inspiring video I've seen in a long time! Good luck to you Andrew, and to all your family 👍 May you give us the pleasure of watching your videos for many, many years 🤗
I'm really down with the idea of seeing you collaborating with a whole bunch of different people, and possibly participate. Maybe that can be an opportunity to see different producers' approaches (like in a 4 producers flip the same sample, but on the same song). Maybe you can collect samples made by tour audience (crazy sound design, or voice samples, or creating a big choir by having a lot of people singing the harmonies of a same song) to make a song. Maybe that can show HOW to work with other people, to encourage people to do the same. I'm sad to know about your hearing loss, but I'm happy if you're able to turn things around and make it positive. This is a great inspiration and I truly wish you all the happiest. Also, I think being optimistic and naive is a very precious thing to preserve, so I hope you never lose this. Seeing something made from a good place of heart is always more inspiring (that's what I think at least). Also, I love your jumper.
I actually was born with hearing loss, and it's kind of comforting there are other musicians who have it as well - this video helped me a lot with music, thank you
Get yourself the Sound ID - Sonarworks room correction - correct the room to flat and then customise your EQ to tune it to your ears. Do this by playing records you know sound great and then adjust EQ in sonarworks until the music sounds great to you. Then all you have to worry about is making music that sounds great to you. Trust me, it really works - I have autism spectrum disorder and my brain does funny things to certain frequencies, but now all my mixes translate perfectly
Last February I suffered an ear infection in my left ear. When the pain was gone there was still a feeling of “fullness” in my ear. Like I was wearing an earplug in my left ear. My voice sounds so weird and lopsided in my ears. I have to turn my head to hear things the same in both ears. It’s super weird. Just sharing to let you know that you’re not alone in sudden hearing loss. It’s jarring and disconcerting, and I feel for you. I’ve been a fan for a long time, I took your learn monthly course. Love what you bring to the community, and I live the community you create. 💕
I've (unfortunately) produced my music mostly on my own my entire musical life. When I collaborate with my brother (who is an infinitely better musician in his own right) the songs we work on together are so much fuller, detailed, and - this is important - different than if I had produced it on my own. Andrew, the challenge is knowing what we as individuals bring to a piece of art and allowing others to interpret in their own way and then add their dimension. I believe not only does this allow us to share our art with those who appreciate it, we immediately expand that audience by allowing those we trust and work well together to bring their audience into fold. This brings our music to a greater audience, and ultimately captures the interpretation of others as well to share with the world. As always, love your music, videos, and your perspective.
Hey, just a small piece of advice for those in the comments who are experiencing troubles or concerns with their hearing-PLEASE visit an audiologist and get the professional help you need. Depending on the country you’re in our scope of practice may be slightly different, but we are specialists in hearing healthcare and can help with a lot of hearing or balance-related disorders like hearing loss, tinnitus, hyperacusis, etc. This is the primary focus of our practice.
Hi Andrew. I'm a semi serious musician who decided to keep it as a hobby when Napster came, 25 years ago or so. I have had tinnitus for about as long, got it a bit earlier. It is what it is. It makes mixing and mastering very difficult, but apart from that, and not hearing what people are saying, it doesn't bother me too much. You seem to make the most of it, and from what I can hear with my impaired hearing your mixes usually sound good to me :D. As long as the hearing loss is stable, I wouldn't worry too much about it. You're a talented and skilled musician, and that won't change.
I have been suffering with almost the exact same issue for the past 6 years, right ear significantly worse in frequency loss. I started getting constant tinnitus about 3 years ago and just even hearing you talk about it makes me feel better, thank you
I think it's important what you're doing when you talk about hearing things. I'm struggling with tinnitus and I feel so good when other young people share their problems with their ears. Love and respect from Finland. By the way, the trippy mushroom sweater looks cool and the longer hair suits you very well!
Andrew, I've followed you on and off since quite a few years ago when you were uploading mostly a capella covers. I have to say that what you're talking about here, big, distributed collaboration projects, really took off during the depths of the pandemic and there are a bunch of us still out here plugging away at it with the small home studios we built so that we could keep making music when we couldn't be in the same place anymore. At the risk of diluting that pool further than it already has been due to everything opening back up, it would be amazing to have someone with your platform getting involved and promoting that style of music making. Some of us already have a lot of experience doing this that would almost certainly be of value to you, and as the music director for one of those groups (Untitled Virtual Ensemble), I would totally be willing to be a sounding board for any questions or concerns you might have about that process.
The whole chapter on Clarity of Artistic Intent really spoke to me. I think about this all the time, authenticity vs. playing the algorithm game, art vs. industry, artistry vs. artisanry... I've learned a lot from your videos over the years, and I can see how much your philosophy and passion for what you do has inspired me! Thank you Andrew!
Probably won't get seen but I'll add my two cents. You are an audio expert, everyone around you is as well. Most, if not all of your followers are here because we like seeing both your knowledge and skill at manipulating noise into something that is amazing, something we can all agree is phenomenal music. From all the top comments it should be very obvious that a lot of us have hearing loss in some form or another. All that said, shaping your music for an ideal ear, which you don't even possess, seems like a fools errand. Both to yourself and your followers. We love the process, the skill, the transformation, and most of all the host. Without you none of this would be seen at all. So make your music how you want to. If that means you spend extra time to make a track perfect because you want it to be, then do it. If you love how a song sounds to you and you alone, then release it as is. There is no such thing as an ideal ear outside of computer recreations and pitch perfect individuals who are few and far between. Make what makes you happy.
john darnielle of the mountain goats once spoke about how some hearing damage he experienced significantly changed his songwriting. previously he almost never used 7th or 9th chords in his songs, the flavor just never appealed to him, but after his hearing changed he found that the chords suddenly opened up to him, he could hear and understand their beauty now. its interesting how that works, u almost never think of music taste having a physical element to it but it absolutely does. it isnt just a mental amalgam based on cultural context and personal interest, we all *hear* music really really really differently.
Love to know your thoughts on the collab idea. Get free access to my upcoming livestream masterclasses plus other bonuses when you pre-order my book: andrewhuang.com/book All formats (audiobook / ebook / hardcover) are eligible, just hit the "claim bonuses" button on the site and enter your order number and retailer. It really helps the book long term if you're able to support with a pre-order - thank you!!
My thoughts are that you are a great composer.
I just saw an interview with KFlay and she has the same issue with her hearing. Scary. I hope you get answers one day
Andrew, can you please make a song that sounds really good to you? I just want to better understand how it all works for you. Dont you think it can show other creators what a creative process is and how you may approach it?
Huge love and respect!
Hear me out but I think this could somehow be fully related to sinuses. Especially because you talk about how it’s came in and out. Maybe I’m totally wrong but I think it’s worth asking about if you haven’t discussed this with any medical professionals yet. I had an ear infection once that was so bad I had lost almost all hearing in one ear for over a month. Eventually things subsided and my situation is very different from what you’re saying.. still thought it might be worth mentioning if this somehow wasn’t brought up yet
Hey Andrew, preordered on Apple Books but they don't send you a receipt until the book comes out (which is when they charge you) so can't enter in the details yet - can I still claim the bonus or do I have to order through another outlet?
Would be cool for you to do a song where you do one version that sounds really good for you, then another that you think we would all really like. Very curious how different they’d be :)
This is a cool idea. There’s gotta be a way to measure the difference between the two and use that info to create an approximation of how Andrew hears things.
What a great idea! That would also help illustrate what Andrew is experiencing. He could also create a version with mirrored changes to hear it like Andrew is.
I agree. Would love to see that
oh yess! its exactly how i think!
He already did a video on how different he heard. He showed an eq graph and everything.
It was called "this device will change the way you make music" or something like that.
1. I am not a certified Neurologist, but I'm a healthcare professional. There's a chance that your hearing issue is more related to your brain processing than your ear's physiological structure. Hearing is a complex sense and our perception of it is not only controlled by our ears but also by our temporal lobes where the ear signal is processed and interpreted.
There's a medical exam called Hearing evoked potential test, maybe you have already gone through that process but it's worth a shot. If possible, an MRI could also provide a better image of your brain structure to prevent that nothing is interfering with the area.
2. I've been watching your channel since 2020 and it has always impressed me with your versatility and skill level. Maybe you could start "adopting" musical projects that you could expand through your creativity and your non-musical vision.
The non-musical vision is important because it will provide a better connection and if you need to step back because of your hearing issue, you can still contribute to the project. Money-wise, I guess you could charge for that and share a fraction of the revenue.
i'm not a neurologist either, nor am i in healthcare, but i am an engineer. i agree
First thing I wanted to ask..if he had his brain checked out also since it affects both ears and had such a sudden onset.
Also a medical practitioner but not a neurologist, and I'm thinking along the same lines. Given its acute nature, I would think maybe a cerebrovascular event in the temporal lobe, or possibly the thalamus. But I would assume the possibility has already been explored by specialists.
@@ikbendusanI am not a neurologist nor am I in healthcare, nor am I an engineer, but I am a construction worker, I agree
I'm unemployed and I agree.
Occasionally my cheap USB speaker stops working randomly and it did when I clicked this video and thought it was Andrew being the funniest person alive.
omg this is so dark but hilarious
NUROLINK
Last year I suffered from sudden sensorineural hearing loss, on both ears, and permanently lost some frequencies, especially the bassier ones in my left ear. I've had my bouts with illness but this was to this date the most difficult thing I've faced. Your videos gave me a lot of hope and made me feel a little less alone in the struggle, immense respect for what you do. Taking something as difficult as this and spinning it positively is absolutely incredible.
Same shit happened to me 2month before how are you now😢
Same here, occasional bouts of low/mid frequency hearing losses on both ears randomly. It's called cochlear hydrops and can be triggered by allergens. Mine started after getting tick borne illnesses. It can be really rough, hope you feel better now!
@@uranus7561 hi....u feel ear fullness and it's feel like under the water effect?
I rarely post anything ever, but have to this time. I've been watching you for years and really appreciate how open you've been with your hearing loss. I've suffered hearing loss as well but mine was due to ototoxic medication and my hearing loss happened overnight as well. It was devastating and I just want to thank you so much for being so open and also so positive. You sharing your affliction really gave me hope that I could do music despite the sonic challenges I have. You were one of those UA-cam pillars of inspiration for me that helped me release some of my own music. So thank you Andrew for everything you've done and what you're still doing. Keep being you and being an inspiration! I took your class with Studio now (Monthly) and released Kitchen based on your course of kitchen sounds. I like to design my own sounds too so that class was perfect for me! I'd love to work with you one day! Once again thanks Andrew for everything you do, I'm gunna get your book! Much love and respect!
I was the passenger in a car accident in 2019. It left me bed ridden with extreme light and sound sensitivity for over a year. Luckily the headaches got better, but the tinnitus and unequal hearing has stayed. I had to give up my band that brought me so much joy once my headaches came back, but I'll always love listening and home producing thanks to your videos. I hope you find what happened to your hearing, and thank you for the years of inspiration and knowledge.
I had the same thing happen (I was driving though, no passengers thankfully) and now due to age I also have frequency loss in a certain range. I test tracks with other people and use tools like iZotope Neutron and Ozone, to leverage the tools to hit the sweet spots that might not perfectly meet what my hearing would tell me. I also test tracks in all kinds of different speakers and settings.
Hey man, I'm glad we're both still kicking, crazy how things can change so much in a single instance. Thank goodness for music :) And thanks for the program recommendations!
as someone with all types of headache and migranie damn near every day i know how tough and debilitating they can be,people think you can just brush it off when in reality migranes can make you unable to speak drive or even walk
I'm really sorry you lot went through issues like this. Glad it hasn't fully impaired your spirits though! Keep on making, more power to you.
Gotta respect how you look at something considered "negative" by many people as a sort of blessing and not only didn't let it to stop you, but to let it to make you you and form a part of your special identity. You just never fail to inspire us Andrew. Thank you ❤🙏
he clearly doesnt have a disabling amount of hearing issues. he's got the equivalent of a slight limp.
!!!!Band Roulette!!!!
A software or website to give everyone random band members. The members of a band should all be using the same daw to make it easier for them to share files. And over a month time the many band can make songs and there is a community page for people to vote on the best song that month and you andrew check in on the most voted for songs and at the end of the month winner/s gets a prize/s it just a shout-out for all the members stuff. Let me know what you thing. Give me credit for my idea is your use it 👍❤
@@meangreen99he cant hear bass really at all with all do respect
@@meangreen99 a limp would be pretty disabling to some olympic athletes no? certainly not enabling
@@tfwnoyandere while I agree with your sentiment, Olypmic level performance is measured quantitatively rather than subjectively and as such it's not the most accurate comparison. An Olympic athlete with a limp is simply not an Olympic athlete because they don't hold up at the quantitative level. Conversely, Andrew's qualitative inability to perceive sounds the same way as others actually offers a unique perspective to the art which could potentially deepen his style.
Hey Andrew!
Five years ago, I lost complete hearing in one ear overnight because of the microstroke.
It was a challenging period for me because it was hard to produce music like I used to do.
After three years, I had cochlear implantation surgery, and it helped me a lot. The sound is very artificial, so I know how it is when you hear different frequencies and sounds from different sides, also with different volumes.
I returned to the music production and I stayed motivated.
I remember your previous content about hearing issues, and you are always inspirational to me. I hope your problem won't progress and you will find a way to improve it. Technology right now is moving a lot in this field.
(Sincere) Cool story! Thanks for sharing.
@@CatFish107 ❤️
Nice fitting name. 😁
I'm looking at cochlear implants too ... scary to me for some reason.
@@Scoots1994 For now, when you have a completely deaf ear, it's the best option. I can recommend it to people with single-side deafness because it's an impressive complement to hearing :)
Of course, the surgery can be scary, but it's not that bad.
As a casual follower I had clearly now clue about your hearing. I must say the success you have pulled together is outstanding. Really shows that you can overcome all challenges to express your own skills. Thanks for sharing the story and that sweater!
Good luck figuring out that next step. I must say your talents in getting on a camera and just communicating something interesting to those watching is likely a bigger asset than you music per se. The music you clearly love and the excitement that if brings you I’d the fuel, but being able to present that to people is not to be overlooked. Whatever that collaborative thing is you end up exploring, leverage you ability to present and share it.
Clearly, you must say. :P
@@alexmoore9720 don’t get mad at Siris terrible dictation.
this dude isnt deaf hes playing yall for fools.
@@1-eye-willy he also did not say he was deaf, fool. To be considered deaf you need a 81 db loss of hearing. That is loud.
@@1-eye-willyhe never said he was deaf?
First of all, thanks SO MUCH for sharing your journey with hearing loss over the years. I have a very similar hearing situation to you that started a couple of years ago (much quieter and uneven frequency response in one ear). Seeing how far you’ve made it as a musician, even with this setback, is super inspirational and comforting, so thank you for being so open about it! One silver lining of my hearing loss that I would like to share is this:
*It fundamentally changed the way I listened to music in a way that made me a better musician.*
Let me explain.
Over the years, as I got more and more into music production, I found myself listening to music through a very different lens, trying to dissect how the music was constructed on a very technical level, trying to determine which frequencies different instruments were taking up, listening for compression or other audio effects, how it filled the stereo field etc. etc.
Once I started noticing the issues with my ears, listening to music with this technical mindset was horrible. It would constantly be making me aware of my hearing loss, making me anxious, worrying if I was losing my hearing forever, I could no longer focus on the music I was listening to. This feeling was especially pronounced when songs had a lot of stereo processing going on. I knew I wanted to keep listening to music and making music, as it was such a fundamental part of my life at that point, being a constant hobby and passion for the past 15 years. Therefore, I made what felt like a very significant decision.
No more listening to music with headphones or in stereo. I bought a decent speaker and set everything to mono and began only listening to music through that. This was the only way I could manage to listen to music without constantly noting the frequency response difference between my ears and hating the experience.
But quickly, it made me realise something. I realised that by hyper fixating on picking out production elements for so long, I had no longer been listening to music FOR the music. By taking away the option to really focus in on every little detail of a track by listening on a worse speaker and in mono, I found myself focusing on the whole again. How all the instruments came together to make the whole, how the whole made me feel, how the composition flowed, how it made me feel. I actually started enjoying a lot of music MORE than before my hearing issue, by reframing how I listened. No longer was I listening as a technical exercise, I was listening for FUN again.
I found myself applying this mindset reframing in my own music production as well. Instead of fixating on tweaking a million parameters to make that synth part sound just perfect, I was concentrating more on composition and arrangement. I finally started FINISHING tracks. I realised that what was keeping me from being happy with my music wasn’t my inability to hear compression, or my understanding of how to perfectly EQ my snare. It was that I wasn’t thinking about my work as the musical whole, about what part would come next in the the track to make it musically interesting.
I’ve actually got to the point where I have finished many tracks now, and have since a couple months ago started posting my music here on UA-cam, which is the first time I've shared my music with others. My hearing still does bother me a lot, but after a couple of years of this situation I’m starting to come to terms with it. And it’s weird to think that if not for my hearing loss, I would potentially still be stuck analysing my tracks to death, rather than getting on and finishing them. Makes me feel a little better about it.
Anyway, all the best, have pre-ordered the book 🙏
After 7 years of learning music theory and analyzing everything I hear, I’m pretty much where you’re at with learning to enjoy again. I just got so fatigued with analyzing it was almost inevitable. Now I switch on between analyzing and enjoyment because once I’m wore out from analyzing, I have no choice but to just enjoy it
Do you feel like your hearing condition got worse in time? Cause I struggle with the same problem and it really worries me. I'm 22 btw
@@fawks9996 it was definitely getting gradually worse for a while before I really recognised the problem. Since then I’ve done all I can to protect them (ear protection at loud events, listening to music way quieter, don’t fatigue my ears from mixing for hours), and I haven’t felt deterioration in ~18 months. It’s kinda hard to tell though, as I also have issues with ear wax blocking them that makes my hearing vary a lot. Right after cleaning they feel pretty good (not perfect, but more manageable), but they’ll quickly block up again.
thank you for answering my question. How did you manage to break the anxiety because I realised that my hearing isnt completely bad.. it varies, its just the anxiety of eventually losing my hearing that demotivates me everytime and I end up doing nothing@@emayex_music
Congratulations! I have also found that out, I found myself enjoying music more when listening on a mono speaker rather than when using a pair of headphones or stereo speakers
After all these years, you continue to be a shining light in what can be a dark world.
And it's really not even about the level of skill you constantly show in your songs, it's the persistence with which you tackle your problems and demand a solution, unafraid of imperfection, always striving for creativity and passion above all else.
Sure, you've taught us how flip a sample or EQ some drums, but you've also shown us how to make music out of anything. How to find inspiration. How to continue moving forward.
Instead of just giving us all the answers like a youtube cheat sheet, you've taught us how to ask our own questions, and find our own answers, and for that I'm grateful.
Thank you for sharing your wisdom and your unique perspectives, and continuing to inspire me and many others.
I only wish I could help you as much as you've helped me grow as an artist and as a human. ~ Sincerely, a long time lurker
As a Lactose intolerant chef, the idea of "Who is this art for" is so funny for some reason. Sometimes you forgo the cheese on the track.
I'm a programmer who is bad at programming. So a programmer! Badum-tsss! 🥁
Control c, Control v, it's all you need. And access to the internet.@@kphaxx
I was born with hearing loss in my left ear, about a 20-25% drop in hearing, and I didn't let that stop me from becoming a live sound engineer. The first 10 or so years, I was really in this space where I felt I needed to be the one making all the changes. I was the one creating my vision of what audio and music should sound like. I was very stubborn and looking back it shaped me into wanting more collaboration. The first step was asking for help with my hearing. I got into it with a great audiologist and ENT to keep my ears in good shape and I made the decision to add a hearing aid because I knew I needed the help. While not perfect, I am hearing more stereo and realized how hard my brain was working before to keep everything sounding great in the mix. Freeing that mental space allowed me to ask more of my musicians like what does it sound like in their IEM'S or monitors, how can I facilitate a better working environment, asking the audience what sounded great or bad etc. Collaboration feels good and it's important to make the experience more vibrant and more like a collective. It really feels like a collective would work here, highlighting artists, working on tracks with different people from different backgrounds, creating a space where music can be shared freely, creating events all over the world etc.
This ❤
That is awesome!!
I'm a live audio engineer. This video connected me with another level of you as a person after years of subscribing. Gonna grab a copy of your book for sure. Thanks Andrew!
Just preordered your book. Your philosophies on the line between music creation as a form of personal expression and as a career path alongside how your hearing damage has impacted those views for you is beyond inspiring. If this video was just the tip of the iceberg, I’m really eager to hear everything you have to say about all of it in your book. I discovered your channel like 4 or 5 years ago and was a huge supporter for a while back then. I only recently found your channel again and remember why I fell in love with your content and your outstanding musical abilities. Thank you Andrew.
Thank you so much, I hope it speaks to you!
I've always had this idea of having a community that has one streaming channel. You have it maybe set for 10 hours per day , but multiple producers have 1-4 hour time slots where they login to the channeland produce a song to the audience. The audience maybe gives their input via voting/bits/etc. and the song begins to evolve in real-time. This gives insight into the production process, as well as visibility to the producer.
I would love a series on you just making music for yourself based on how you hear it and enjoy it. You are the only one who can tell us what you hear so it would be really interesting to know what the world sounds like to you. Then maybe you take the same tracks and send them to your team and showcase what that help can do to evolve the sound, and maybe that’s when you make it open to your community to collaborate on. I would just love to know what everyone’s perspective is on each song, with an emphasis on yours.
I bet most of us wouldn't even be able to tell the difference. :P
My dad, a professional trumpet player, suffered from a rare fungal infection in one ear that caused some permanent hearing loss and weird effects before treatment. He had to sit at a 45° angle with a tincture of anti fungal oil in his ear canal for a month to cure it. This was the 80’s, so perhaps methods have changed, but look into it! It was hard to detect and he lucked out with a specialist. He still plays great today!!
Love the art, channel, and all your videos. Kick ass man.
I just barely escaped hearing loss due to something similar a couple of years ago. The treatment was the same.
This stuff you were talking about at the end is emblematic of what drew me to your channel to begin with. It's always had this collaborative sense to it, of bringing musicians together who just love making music and sharing it and it is such a delight to watch. It's part of what makes your style of creation special - I hope you find something amazing and collaborative and revolutionary. I'll be watching
as a musician with Otosclerosis who's had a stapedectomy, I appreciate you sharing this update. The average person (even my doctors in the past) think that a perfectly normally functioning ear is essential to being a musician... Showing your audience that a great musician like yourself overcomes even hearing loss means a lot to me and every other person in this art form with some kind of hearing loss.
would love a hearing loss collab hahaha
Wow and wow. I’m a lifetime musician and a Producer (15 years) who finally overcame resistance to my hearing loss. I am one week into wearing hearing aids. Is it the end for me? If I need help, is it still my music? I am thrilled to hear your take and your honesty. Thank you so much. You can bet…when I have doubts…a voice in my head will say “Well, if Andrew Wang is handling it, you can too” . Thanks
IMHO.. As long as you want to produce music.. You can!. It doesn't matter if you get to the point you can't hear anymore (Beethoven). You can always find a way. Also even if you have trouble making it and need help, it is still coming from you.. It's your own music of course. look up Jason Becker.
Good luck.
I was diagnosed with tinnitus a year and a half ago, I stopped going to festivals and I left the music production classes as well. I just decided to suffer from it instead of talking about it and it took me months to just accept that it’s part of my life. Knowing the way you are dealing with this (which is way bigger than my problem), makes me admire you even more now. I hope you can be aware about how important this video is for people who love music and deal with this kind of issues on a daily basis. Warmest regards from Argentina and hope you can get better soon ❤❤❤
Literally 3-4 weeks ago, I woke up with Tinnitus in my left ear. I literally felt like I was going insane, still do, but I am adjusting to it. High pitched ringing 24/7. God I wish there was a pill we could take for this.
I have had tinnitus for 3 years now. I was in deep depression for 6 months and just wanted to stay at home. Now I do my life like before but always wear earplugs (loop) for concerts and music festivals! You should do it too.
If the tinnitus is not from hearing damage, there is a good chance to get rid of it. I had tinnitus because of back tension, which affected my neck and jaw. Took a while until I found out and many visits to different specialists... Long story short, got rid of my tinnitus after four years of ear ringing. I have to make sure to stretch, work out and relax ;). There were occasions when my tinnitus came back, but always with neck/back pain and during very stressful times where I wasn't moving much. But as soon as I started working my back, it went away completely, pretty mind blowing! Thought I'd share, since you usually hear that once you've got tinnitus it never goes away.
@@talinaraeI've been suffering from tinnitus for at least 10 yrs now, and learned to live with it, but really miss how it felt to have normal hearing and listening and making music. Also lost hearing ability over 15k overnight, although I'm 48 I could hear 17.5 k last year. And I feel nowadays I never hear the bass like it used to be, maybe I lost the low end as well. Done a few hearing tests and they strangly came out quite good, but that's mainly focussing on the 500hz - 8k range, just for speech.
I was just wondering if a chiropractor could be of some help, have you tried that? A while ago when I had corona, the tinnitus got so bad that I could not sleep for 3 days and it was the tension on my jar that made it worse. Massaging helpt a lot so I'm more and more inclined to believe tinnitus is a muscle /nerve caused problem.
I have really really bad tinnitus. It’s insane. Along with hyperacusis. I got some custom molded and still go to shows and festivals and make music. I’m not going to let it ruin my life. More good days than bad days. But it controls me. I just tell it I’m the fucking boss. Best of luck you’re not alone.
As I’m worried about my hearing the last couple days….it’s comforting to hear this happened to you 20 plus years ago and you still have managed and even have become this INSANE music producer, I wish you all the best and more.
this was a fantastic video!
a strange reminder that content creators also watch and comment on videos
Two staples of my childhoood collided today. Nice.
this is such a trip
your zombies videos got me through middle school.
Do you make music @MrRoflWaffles?
i don’t know how, but this communal artist idea could be the most interesting things in music right now, if done right. i’m gonna keep thinking about this!
I never even knew you had these hearing issues. I have no advice to give you since I'm not familiar with anything like that but I truly wish you the best. ❤️
Hey! Thanks for sharing your story. I have hearing loss and your story sounds very similar. Around 8 years old I vividly remember not being able to hear my friends out on the playground when I was actually quite social. Long story short, it's really effed me up, especially during the pandemic when everyone covered their faces when I'm a lip reader. Also have the same frustrations around music and mixing/mastering. Very inspiring learning more about your story and gives me hope for myself. Appreciate the message... was feeling particularly dejected this week around my relationship with making music.
I think a fun way to engage into a more collaborative community would be to open a discord or something where people can just make and share whatever, and maybe people can share unfinished tracks and just let anyone add to it
I second this, it'd be cool to have a discord
@@tungster24 This was my first thought. Just set up some channels and maybe see if collabs happen naturally between community members
I really liked how Bishu tackled this kind of task. He made an album called Bishu x U where he found incredible producers in his community and collaborated with them on making new tracks.
This video came at the right time for me. My hearing has been bad all my life, and I'm missing a lot of high and low frequencies in my hearing. I'm currently studying music production. This semester I'm doing a minor in Live Event Production, and we were recently setting up a PA, and experimented with different frequency settings to check whether or not it works. The whole time my class went like ''oh this change is really significant'', and I just had to pretend to agree while not actually being able to hear it. This made me think a lot about my hearing again, which I don't actually do so often anymore. But when stuff like this happens it makes me aware of it, and makes me scared my music only sounds good to me.
My point is, I'm glad I'm not alone, and it comforts me that someone as talented as you can struggle with something like this, but still make amazing art. Thanks for talking about this, Andrew.
It takes a lot to make good stuff out of a bad situation. You are one of my greatest inspirations of all time and hearing you say all these things about your community is really nice.
Hi Andrew, I’ve been deaf in one ear since birth, and I am a professional musician. It has its flaws but totally manageable. I’m just here to send you support and love.
The Sonic Boom series was so good! 😀 I'm imagining taking that concept and the 4 producers format, and forming a record label or a studio that delivers Andrew Huang level of quality of music production with some amazing artists, but with a lot of behind-the-scenes action and spin-off series. Kind of like what Corridor Digital does, but with music production instead of CG production. Whatever you decide I'm looking forward to what comes next, and if that's spending less time here on YT then so be it. And thanks for sharing, always appreciate hearing your story ❤
A music version of corridor would be sick as heck. Great idea
Speaking as a creative who used to want everyone to hear everything and becoming someone who, not only switched genres and learned an instrument but also completely quit sharing their music :
I love the parts i've shared differently.
Once i let it out i no longer see it as my own. I really do believe it becomes what you want it to be.
I tend to listen a lot more to the ones i never shared. The ones that made me cry when i wrote them, or the figurative journal entries that i'd never share with a soul. It's all me. It's all in my art. Some is only mine. Some of it was more important to let go♥️
Really appreciate the topic. It's one i think about alot.
3 things:
1: dude.... if you ever make a sequel/ new book, "Beyond the Mix" would be a KILLER title!!!!
2: I never would've guessed this would've been a thing you've been wrestling with!
3: WHERE DID YOU GET THAT CARDIGAN/SWEATER?!?!? I NEED IT ITS AMAZING!!!
It's rare that I see or hear something so profound on yt. It's also amazing how graciously you're handling the situation.
I had no idea, this makes what you've done over the years so much more impressive man. *HIGH FIVE*
Hi Andrew, I have the same "condition" as you, although for me, I was born with it and it runs in the family. But my hearing is also really bad, yet I'm a musician and doing great. I have also have my moments where I seem to be in a very relaxed state or something, where I'm like hyper focussed, and in this state, my hearing is also better, but also it goes away.
One thing that you say in the video is that you make your own music sound worse because your hearing is off. I actually found a really good way to deal with it. My soundcard has an EQ option, but there's also like free software that can EQ your sound before it is sent to the speakers if your soundcard doesn't come with an EQ. What I do is listen to the music I like, and then use the EQ on my soundcard to alter it so that it sounds like I want it to sound. Boosting certain frequencies, cutton on others. I started to do this to make sure that what I hear through my speakers comes as close to the real world as possible, but I finetuned it since.
As a result, when I make my music with that same EQ preset on, I really can make it sound the way I want it to sound because my EQ compensates for my ears. If you mixed/mastered your song like this, and you then turn off the EQ and check your mix as you normally would, you will find that you are almost there, or maybe you are already there.
I would suggest you to try it out. Maybe its a keeper. ;)
What software do u use? I downloaded an EQ in my pc but it bypasses the soundcard when using a plugin/daw, it does work on youtube or Spotify but i want it to EQ also when in my DAW
@@simonsanchezkumrich8489 My soundcard has an EQ, but the one EQ that seems to work almost everywhere is Equalizer APO. Do note, for ASIO and WASAPI to work, you cannot put it in exclusive mode.
"It is good and it is bad." That is such a good way to honestly look at anything in your life. We so often tend to hyperfocus on one or the other and over time that is just detrimental because we are blinding ourselves. And seeing you demonstrate how you do that was really cool to see. I wish you much growth, success and self-discovery Andrew.
First of all, just wanted to say that like everyone else here, you’ve been a great inspiration to me over the years and your openness and positivity is genuinely amazing!
Secondly, when I think about musical projects that involve an entire UA-cam audience, the first one that comes to mind is the Toad Choirs from Louie Zong (which are amazing). So, if you’ve got something written and just want to involve the audience for the performance, maybe you can just ask everyone to send in their audio clips for a choir/symphony/etc. that would be cool!
And as far as money goes, I think everyone would be happy if the final product is either free if possible (i.e. a sample) or 100% of the profits are donated to charities (i.e. UA-cam ad revenue, streaming revenue). That way we all feel like we’re contributing to something meaningful!
I rewrote this several times, didn’t know how to find the right words. I follow your work for 11 years now, from the start it was clear that you are a complete artist and your craft is amazing. I’m so glad to see this outcome and vision you got on your hearing situation but mostly I’m deeply moved by the fact that you want us onboard. You inspired a lot of musicians, producers, composers such as myself and of course I’m gonna be one of the hundreds that will definitely wants to work with you for that originality, for that craft and just for the artist you are. I would have a lot more to say but I’ll just say that I’m composing since 7 years now and it all started with watching your videos. So yeah, if I could help, hell yeah I will !
PS : Book pre-ordered, after the Masterclass, the T-shirt, dude I’m gonna be broke. Damn I’m a fanboy :/
I’ve recently been diagnosed with single sided deafness and it sounds similar to your situation in the fact that I don’t listen to loud music and the doctors don’t know why this happened. Been coming to terms with it as a music producer but this gave me some encouragement 🙏🙏
As someone's who's been dabbling in music production (haven't really released anything out to the public yet), with my mindset so far being _"I want to do everything myself - maybe except for vocals"_ , LOL - thank you for this. It's some food for thought! 🙃 Also, I had literally no idea you had been hearing impaired! In fact, I kind of assumed that you must be pretty close to having a _perfect_ hearing. Wow. Been a long time fan but learning this, I respect you even more 😌
I've loved watching you change as an artist over the years. Been watching since the songs to wear pants to days and the energy, joy, and integrity you put into your music really shows. I'm always glad to see you doing well and can't wait to see what you do in the future.
ANDREW id like to thank you! i have the exact same problem where at times i can barely hear my own voice and other times I can hear a conversation in another room. I'm happy you've spoken out about this made me feel less alone in my hear loss. Best of luck and recovery and Thank you for everything!
i would love to see music challenges in maybe a monthly format. i believe that challenges really open peoples minds to all kinds of new creativity (for example, make a song completely from sine waves), and if it's on a regular basis, it gives viewers plenty of time to submit their work. not only would it build a community, but it would also shine light on smaller producers who have tons of talent!
First of all, I love that you don't give up, greatness comes from struggle and you're honestly achieving it. That being said, I'm assuming you've already gone to a neurologist to see what's up with your hearing part of the brain; I've just recently being diagnosed with ASD and I can say that this could be related, maybe not, but didn't want to let the opportunity pass in case you haven't considered, I know I have my own struggles with hearing, ranging from speech recognition and apparent tinitus that randomly appears.
I have a very similar story, about 10 years ago I lost half the hearing in one ear. It turned out to be nerve damage from a head cold. At the time I was a keyboard player that never practiced and wasn't very good. After the hearing loss I quit music for several years. Then I bought a drum set and fell in love with drumming, I practiced 4 hours a day and finally became the musician I always wanted to be. I'm now in a band that's producing the best music that I've ever created, and somehow the hearing loss made me better at recording and mixing. Sometimes horrible things that happen to you can change your perspective just enough to do great things. I also got your book, looking forward to listening to it.
Two ideas that immediately pop in my mind when you talk about "involving more people" :
- A label ? Given you have a lot of exposure and credibility, having the opportunity to expand on that and "take under your wing" other artists (lesser-known or even well-established) could be fitting. It reminds me of the "4 producers challenge", in the sense that you always had people you loved the work of, but it'd be a more prolongated way of pushing some artists to the front of the scene.
- And collabs with random subscribers/musicians ? In a streamed format, or constructed exchanges, or in a video format... I think that'd be awesome, directly collaborating with strangers, on project/styles you might be unfamiliar with !
i had this SAME THING HAPPEN RECENTLY. I attribute mine to an ear infection i got, i went to bed and felt my ears CLOSE UP. Woke up and couldn't hear at all. Two weeks, no hearing. Horrible time in my life honestly as i am a musician. What i found online sounds like it might be my problem and could be yours Andrew. Eustasian tube dysfunction. (look it up) Basically fluid behind the ear drum, docs cant do much about it at all...
There is ways to fix it tho, exercises etc.
Since then, my one ear seems to be a bit better. Though i still cant hear out of one ear...
Hope this helps any who are going through this as it really is terrible.
yeah i had an infection in one ear, couldn't hear properly for a month
I second this. I’ve had this exact experience, I’ve suspected it was my Eustachian tubes for a long time due to the fact I used to get ear infections a lot and have come to know what it feels and sounds like when they’re blocked. Every now and then I get a loud pop in one of my ears which makes them ring and for a brief minute I can hear 10x what I normally can in that ear before I feel it close up again.
Im comming good from a three month ordeal with this, the key was nasal sprays, steoid based and alergy based, every morning I can still hear some draining and clearing. A tiny tinnitus in one side is decreasing gradually.
The full blockage and infection felt like it came over night but in truth I felt I wass always clearing my ears and nose for years.
Im happy now.
@@sqcaraudioI have been dealing with something similar since September. I'd really like to know what nasal sprays you are using?
I've been to 4 different doctors and had no real answers until I searched for my own on the Internet.
For me nasal irrigation and phenylephrine HCI has been the only thing to provide any relief.
@@aaronj7987 so remember, not a doctor. Everything could be coincidence etc.
currently Dimetapp inc brompheniramine and phenylephrine. With Dymista inc Azelastine hydrochloride / fluticasone propionate.
Had doctor just recomend Rhinocort and a specialist recomend Nasonex. My parents had similar simptoms and their doctor recomended the first two above. Also the salt water stuff keeps me stuffed up so I stopped it.
Parent recomends wear water proof earplugs when bathing etc. Best ever advice. I was always trying to clean/wet my ears.
Putting this in a separate comment - I wrote this in response to the first half of the video.
Hi Andrew, I really appreciate getting a window into your world in this way! Thank you for sharing what it's like to be you.
I am also grateful for your nuanced perspective on authenticity! I did pre-order your book so I'm curious to read more about this there :) but for now I'll say that in my view, there is no such thing as an artist "by themselves" - we're all always influenced by our culture(s) of origin, friends past and present, whatever we find inspiring or moving like other music, art, a really cool bug, leaf, tree friend, the feeling of wind on our skin, kissing a lover, an insane sunrise or sunset, heartbreak, etc. etc. It's always a conversation with multidirectional communication, and each of us is a part of a vast web.
So if that's the case, then the question of "is my art for myself or for others" kind of takes on another dimension, because to some extent I am my friends, family, culture, influences. It's not so much a binary distinction (me vs you) as it is a gradient (more me, more you). So the choice is where to land on that axis, and I think that can and does differ with everything an artist puts out.
Maybe this seems kinda woo but I think the reality does actually bear up under examination. My several cents :P
I like the distinction you make, it resonates with me
Praying for you brother! 🙏🏽 Wishing you blessings! 🙏🏽
Thank you for sharing your hearing loss with us. I have been a musican all my life with hearing loss and a frequency response that drops rapidly from -20db @1khz and ends up at around -90db @5-6khz in both ears, so I find it very difficult to hear things like speech & cymbals properly.
Very recently, I decided to spend my hard-earned money on a decent pair of hearing aids, capable of wireless streaming & set up by an experienced audiologist, instead of purchasing any more gear for a while. It is worth every penny and given me exactly what I need to enjoy making & listening to music once again.
Good luck with coping with your particular type of hearing loss and get some hearing tests to find out exactly what the problem is. May you always enjoy making your music and others will always enjoy joining in with you and listening to it.
musician and physician here. I suspect you have seen ENT and audiology. How aggressively have you engaged neurology? The issue sounds more central and less peripheral in nature. (btw, I still want to be you when I grow up). Best of luck to you
It’s very strange. I’m thinking because his loss is bilateral and different frequencies, I would suspect that he had an exposure to something ototoxic, perhaps a medication.
andrew is our century's beethoven fr
LOVE your approach to your physical limitations. And i LOVE your sweater. And Im excited for your book to arrive ❤❤❤ my brain tumour forced me to slow down enough to dive into the world of music 🎶 and I'm thankful for that. Our bodies know what we need. ❤ looking forward to seeing what becomes of all this !!!! Thank you for being so real.
I love the way you think Andrew. Your ideas are always so genuine and authentic, yet also trailblazing and legitimately impactful! Keep sharing that wonderful mind with us, and good luck as you continue this journey! We're with ya!!!
Dude produces music like he does with impaired hearing? Effing God tier
What about making a video about you mixing FOR YOU so we get to hear the difference?
So what you're saying is that you're basically Beethoven.
I’m commenting late but I feel the same on another topic:
I had struggles in life, which forced me to be much more social, adapted and embrace various viewpoints and I’ve became a better human then I ever was when everything was « easy »
One thing you could do is start like a discord full of all kinds of music creatives. If anyone needs a musician, they can post there. If anyone needs an editor, post there. Etc. This would help to facilitate the kinds of free flowy kind of collaboration you talk about.
Dope sweater
Andrew... You're just becoming the modern day Beethoven!
My thoughts exactly!
Probably my fav post of yours. So open, So genuine. Wishing you the best of luck.
I love this man so much! Thank you for everything music-wise over the years.
Years ago, I had something weird happening: EVERY SOUND was half a tone lower. One of the weirdest experiences of my life, I couldn't even enjoy my favorite songs. A few days later, everything was normal. I still fear it might happen again someday.
Sorry to hear of your audio problems. If every sound was a semitone lower, how did you know? Wouldn't it be impossible to access a correct reference tone in order to identify the problem? Unless you have perfect pitch, and your entire pitch criterion was altered by a semitone compared to the identified key of a given piece of music... genuinely curious.
i think i had the same experience for a day! but it gets you crazy, since you can only remember how the pitch of things used to be. even now i'm not even sure if it was just a crazy impression, or if i got used to the change after a day and still keep it. really weird.
@@michaelspencer-arscott it started with Discord notification sounds, I thought they were changed because they appeared to be lower than usual. Later, I listened to a song I used to play along with guitar (same studio version from that time), at first just for fun and realized the song was also a semitone lower. After searching for other songs I know how to play, I realized that I was either listening all of them with this weird "effect" in my hearing or my references were wrong this whole time. Other songs I just used to enjoy felt lower as well, just happened with every single sound. A few days later, a Discord notification felt "usual" again and was like none of that ever happened. I'm still confused by it to this day, feels like a nightmare.
@@paulimbacana similar feeling here. I'm 100% sure about getting the usual tones back (an easy example: the classic riff from Iron Maiden's The Number of The Beast - the song, I mean - has that characteristic D5 power chord here and there and I was listening to a C#5 instead when it happened), still not sure if it was something with my hearing itself, a side effect from mid effects of flu (something like obstructing the exact point of tone perception, which could be oddly specific, but justifiable due to being temporary) or maybe I was just having a few weird days.
Omigosh! So, presumably, you tuned the guitar with a tuner and then went to play along with a familiar song and found yourself fretting one step (up, I guess) in order to match the key by ear... That is genuinely upsetting! BTW thanks for the response.@@hatempire
Maybe we can help
Maybe we can help
Andrew, back in my college days when I happen to discover your channel on UA-cam, I was a bedroom producer, learning new things. All those things you described in 1:25 happened to me too. At first I ignored it. Then this hearing issue worsened and it came to a point where I had difficulty hearing and couldnt hear anything above 12k. Song volume needed to be increased and bass boosted so that I could hear properly.
Then I decided to consult a doctor who happened to diagnose the problem and came forward with 3 issues
1. Impacted Earwax
2. Sinus
3. OTC withdrawal symptoms
The first one was easy , basically cleaning my Earwax. The sinuses were responsible for the middle ear infection, which kept re-appearing. The one which worsened my sinuses was withdrawal of OTC medication ( nasal spray). It had been more than 2 years that I was continuously using nasal spray because blocked nose was hampering with my sleep schedule. I found that my nasal bleeding was becoming an issue and without any consultation tried giving up my nasal spray. As a result , my sinus worsened and my hearing got affected. At the end with medicines prescribed by doctor, it took me a month and my hearing came back to normal.
I know how frustrating it feels when a musician feels he is losing his hearing. Stay strong brother, don't give up hope. There sure will be a solution to the problem.
I love this more nuanced perspective on "you should only create for yourself and not think about how it will be received." I love art that is challenging and wasn't created with pandering intent... But at the same time I want to share my art with as many people as possible, so if the song is 95% the same but I can tweak it 5% creatively for a 3x return in reception...? Yeah I'll take that.
Let me start with the fact that you're an inspiration. Your creativity and dedication let a lot of creatives not only see your workflow but also learn how we can hear the world differently. Not because your hearing is different but because you listen to the world and hear everything it is offering you and more. You can get the sound you'd like to achieve, it doesn't matter, from an everyday object, a nature recording or from your students on your courses. Thank you for that and thank you for updating us on your hearing, transparency is always appreciated. As a visually impaired producer / mixer I also understand how it is to ask for help with your work. It doesn't matter I hear everything when suddenly my screenreader voice freezes for some reason and I don't know what's happening on the screen or when some plugin is completely unaccessible for screenreader itself. :d So, lets just say, I hear you. ;)
As for cooperation with people, I think it would be cool to have an opportunity to interact with you on any level. Not only in the comments but maybe during some live streams or something. I didn't win the opportunity to talk in this draw connected with a preorder of your book and I would love to get a chance to exchange at least a few words someday, that's why I think such live sessions would be amazing.
Some contests also could be great, they would allow your viewers and listeners not only to get some feetback on their music from you but also share their work with each other. Many different side projects can be born from this kind of activity as well.
I am a musician and a live production director of 10 years and I've had hearing loss my whole life. It started getting bad in my mid 20s and I realized I'd need hearing aids. Didn't do anything about for 3 years but finally bit the bullet last fall. It's taking time to adjust to it but it really has opened up a whole new world to me. My hearing begins to fail around the 1-2kHz range and just plummets after that. It's like taking a high-cut on your master EQ down to 2k. I've always known I was missing my high end frequencies but now that I can actually hear them, it's like listening to music for the first time again. I think it would be worth to visit an audiologist and see what you could possibly do for your situation.
You are the adaptive individual in the middle of your circumstance. What shines true is your lust for creativity and the genuine genius you bring to that. Don't ever sell yourself short Andrew. Your graft is as strong as your vision, and that's incredibly rare.
I'm a psychologist specializing in working with artists and I think there is so much richness and insight in what you're sharing. Serious, deep respect.
I don't think this is where you're pointing to in your request for collaboration, but as I listened to you share my thoughts kept coming back to this one idea: I see you as a brilliant and highly effective teacher. Specifically, you remind me of a hero of mine, Eloise Ristad, who wrote "A Soprano on Her Head." It's kind of a memoire in which she shares vignettes of her interactions with performing artists across a wide range of disciplines, helping them to access their self-expression. The way you share about your own process, it's obvious to me that you have an understanding of and compassion for what it means to live as an artist and you are able to articulate that in clear and supportive ways. I'm not suggesting that you pivot to full time pedagog, but it strikes me that, if you don't know her work already, Ristad's book might offer you something meaningful and, hopefully, inspiring. Thanks for doing what you do!
Hi Andrew. Singer/songwriter here with severe/profound hearing loss. My loss is from years of loud noise exposure but I was diagnosed at 38. I kept going for several years but my loss is so bad now I can't hear well enough to sing on pitch. I think I mostly sang for myself because not being able to hear it and adjust to what I like has taken the joy away. Glad you can keep going!
So sorry to hear about your hearing loss. A lot of my family in my mom's side have hearing issues so I can sympathize with people who have a hard time hearing. Praying for you
As someone who has listened to alot of loud music. I feel like I have definitely dodged a bullet with my hearing. I'm alot more careful these days. Glad you have not let hearing loss get in the way of making music!
As a musician, hearing loss is one of the things I’m most scared of losing. I feel like I’d lose a part of myself. There was this one time where I coughed or sneezed hard enough that one ear sounded a bit off tune compared to the other. Music sounded weird, car horns sounded like microtonal tones (which was kind of silly ngl), but it flat out frightened me into thinking this might be a long term effect. Luckily it got better after a day but it still was a wake up call for me. I hope your hearing gets better, and it’s great to see you’re flipping this situation into a positive one!
Thanks for posting on this random subject. I've been dealing with what I can only describe as on and off hyper-acusis for about 3 years now, ever since a loud gig on a small stage with no protection. I use only IEMs when plugged in with others now, and use earplugs when at live shows we host (I book 150+ a year at our venue). Yet surprises can still exist. An "engineer" in the past year blew my ears back out again with bass and speakers blaring on stage, even with my headphones for self-monitoring. It ruptured my ear canal, but fortunately that heals back.
The permanence of my issue has started to do exactly what you say here: it gave me more clarity with regards to my intent.
As a deaf person from the age of 2, I love making music and sounds, I have always been frustrated by the fact that I cannot hear any sounds above 2500 Hz including a majority of high hats and cymbals.
So rather than worrying too much about how others might perceive my music, I mainly just made it for me and if others like it, great.
I would love to hear some of the songs that you have made for yourself and even more if you were to hear some of mine (if I ever get round to releasing them).
Otherwise I have always enjoyed your content, from the "Pink Fluffy Unicorn", your community drawn music video "Every Night I Dream Of Dancing" and even "Sonic Boom" with Rob Scallon.
You do you my friend, you'll always have a follower in me.
I and so many others wish we could help directly, but just never forget you are one of the most awesome people alive!
My dude! Awesome video. Music is a huge part of my life. I went to school for music education, I still practice every day, I listen every day. I lost 90% of my hearing in my right ear and day to day life became harder and not being able to hear in stereo was a terrible thing. I decided to get a cochlear implant. It was a pretty jarring adjustment but all said, I’m glad I did it. I don’t know if it’s something g you’ve considered with your own situation but it was a scary thought for me. Ears, we don’t appreciate ‘em enough! :D
Most inspiring video I've seen in a long time! Good luck to you Andrew, and to all your family 👍 May you give us the pleasure of watching your videos for many, many years 🤗
I'm really down with the idea of seeing you collaborating with a whole bunch of different people, and possibly participate.
Maybe that can be an opportunity to see different producers' approaches (like in a 4 producers flip the same sample, but on the same song).
Maybe you can collect samples made by tour audience (crazy sound design, or voice samples, or creating a big choir by having a lot of people singing the harmonies of a same song) to make a song.
Maybe that can show HOW to work with other people, to encourage people to do the same.
I'm sad to know about your hearing loss, but I'm happy if you're able to turn things around and make it positive. This is a great inspiration and I truly wish you all the happiest.
Also, I think being optimistic and naive is a very precious thing to preserve, so I hope you never lose this. Seeing something made from a good place of heart is always more inspiring (that's what I think at least).
Also, I love your jumper.
I actually was born with hearing loss, and it's kind of comforting there are other musicians who have it as well - this video helped me a lot with music, thank you
Get yourself the Sound ID - Sonarworks room correction - correct the room to flat and then customise your EQ to tune it to your ears. Do this by playing records you know sound great and then adjust EQ in sonarworks until the music sounds great to you. Then all you have to worry about is making music that sounds great to you. Trust me, it really works - I have autism spectrum disorder and my brain does funny things to certain frequencies, but now all my mixes translate perfectly
Last February I suffered an ear infection in my left ear. When the pain was gone there was still a feeling of “fullness” in my ear. Like I was wearing an earplug in my left ear. My voice sounds so weird and lopsided in my ears. I have to turn my head to hear things the same in both ears. It’s super weird. Just sharing to let you know that you’re not alone in sudden hearing loss. It’s jarring and disconcerting, and I feel for you. I’ve been a fan for a long time, I took your learn monthly course. Love what you bring to the community, and I live the community you create. 💕
I quite liked the change to the more collaborated music stuff but also have a bit of nostalgia for the older content. Do what is good for you bro.
I've (unfortunately) produced my music mostly on my own my entire musical life. When I collaborate with my brother (who is an infinitely better musician in his own right) the songs we work on together are so much fuller, detailed, and - this is important - different than if I had produced it on my own. Andrew, the challenge is knowing what we as individuals bring to a piece of art and allowing others to interpret in their own way and then add their dimension. I believe not only does this allow us to share our art with those who appreciate it, we immediately expand that audience by allowing those we trust and work well together to bring their audience into fold. This brings our music to a greater audience, and ultimately captures the interpretation of others as well to share with the world. As always, love your music, videos, and your perspective.
Hey, just a small piece of advice for those in the comments who are experiencing troubles or concerns with their hearing-PLEASE visit an audiologist and get the professional help you need.
Depending on the country you’re in our scope of practice may be slightly different, but we are specialists in hearing healthcare and can help with a lot of hearing or balance-related disorders like hearing loss, tinnitus, hyperacusis, etc. This is the primary focus of our practice.
Hi Andrew. I'm a semi serious musician who decided to keep it as a hobby when Napster came, 25 years ago or so. I have had tinnitus for about as long, got it a bit earlier. It is what it is. It makes mixing and mastering very difficult, but apart from that, and not hearing what people are saying, it doesn't bother me too much. You seem to make the most of it, and from what I can hear with my impaired hearing your mixes usually sound good to me :D. As long as the hearing loss is stable, I wouldn't worry too much about it. You're a talented and skilled musician, and that won't change.
I have been suffering with almost the exact same issue for the past 6 years, right ear significantly worse in frequency loss. I started getting constant tinnitus about 3 years ago and just even hearing you talk about it makes me feel better, thank you
This was just straight up inspiration. I've been a diy guy for so long but maybe I've been hindering myself .thanks for sharing
Cool ideas, love how you make things work even higher powers try to make it difficult. And I LOVE how the rack and bassdrum LEDs are in sync ;-)
I think it's important what you're doing when you talk about hearing things. I'm struggling with tinnitus and I feel so good when other young people share their problems with their ears. Love and respect from Finland. By the way, the trippy mushroom sweater looks cool and the longer hair suits you very well!
Andrew, I've followed you on and off since quite a few years ago when you were uploading mostly a capella covers. I have to say that what you're talking about here, big, distributed collaboration projects, really took off during the depths of the pandemic and there are a bunch of us still out here plugging away at it with the small home studios we built so that we could keep making music when we couldn't be in the same place anymore. At the risk of diluting that pool further than it already has been due to everything opening back up, it would be amazing to have someone with your platform getting involved and promoting that style of music making. Some of us already have a lot of experience doing this that would almost certainly be of value to you, and as the music director for one of those groups (Untitled Virtual Ensemble), I would totally be willing to be a sounding board for any questions or concerns you might have about that process.
The whole chapter on Clarity of Artistic Intent really spoke to me. I think about this all the time, authenticity vs. playing the algorithm game, art vs. industry, artistry vs. artisanry... I've learned a lot from your videos over the years, and I can see how much your philosophy and passion for what you do has inspired me! Thank you Andrew!
Probably won't get seen but I'll add my two cents. You are an audio expert, everyone around you is as well. Most, if not all of your followers are here because we like seeing both your knowledge and skill at manipulating noise into something that is amazing, something we can all agree is phenomenal music. From all the top comments it should be very obvious that a lot of us have hearing loss in some form or another.
All that said, shaping your music for an ideal ear, which you don't even possess, seems like a fools errand. Both to yourself and your followers. We love the process, the skill, the transformation, and most of all the host. Without you none of this would be seen at all. So make your music how you want to. If that means you spend extra time to make a track perfect because you want it to be, then do it. If you love how a song sounds to you and you alone, then release it as is.
There is no such thing as an ideal ear outside of computer recreations and pitch perfect individuals who are few and far between. Make what makes you happy.
john darnielle of the mountain goats once spoke about how some hearing damage he experienced significantly changed his songwriting. previously he almost never used 7th or 9th chords in his songs, the flavor just never appealed to him, but after his hearing changed he found that the chords suddenly opened up to him, he could hear and understand their beauty now. its interesting how that works, u almost never think of music taste having a physical element to it but it absolutely does. it isnt just a mental amalgam based on cultural context and personal interest, we all *hear* music really really really differently.