I Really Screwed UP - Don't Make My Mistake
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- Опубліковано 24 сер 2024
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Appreciate the warning ‼️ The crazy thing is that mixing at low volume is much more accurate for me
I worked in a loud sheet metal fabrication plant for 20 years. Loud shears, breaks press's etc. I used to get laughed at because I used both ear plugs and earmuffs. Unlike a lot of my coworkers when it closed down, I walked away with my hearing intact and all my fingers.
Working in a home studio, I got tinnitus about four years ago. It nearly drove me crazy at night when I went to bed. I live on a small 40 acre farm, and the nights are dead quiet...nothing but tinnitus
.I got around it by telling myself that it was my brain, showing me it was still working.......that and one of those sound generators that you keep by the bed and switch on when the lights go off.
That's what really saved my sanity...for about $20. The other thing that works at bed-time is...lIstening to yourself breathing...I mean really listen and concentrate...you'll go out like a light....
I use a fan at night, im 32 and have had tinnitus since i was probably 22, developed it from concerts before I even started my machining career. Fans saved my sleep for real.
I agree with dedp, use a fan or a white noise machine at night. It will help tremendously.
I have tinnitus. I’m 65. I’ve had it for decades. It takes a lot to compensate. 20 years in the Air Force started my tinnitus journey. Thanks for bringing this forward. Trust me, Barry is 100% on the money. Once you have it, it can get much worse.
As a teen I remember Pete Townshend discussing hearing loss, so I’ve always worn ear plugs in every band rehearsal or concert setting. It’s one of the few things I got right.
Thanks for bringing this up Barry, it may be the most important topic to be discussed by any musician or engineer. Besides playing music loud, I realized when I mow the lawn I turn my earbuds up to the max just to hear normal. I will be changing this habit, among other things so thank you 🙏
🙋♂️ old person here. Yes if I could go back and lecture my younger musician self, I would definitely make certain to tell myself younger drummer self the beauty of ear protection, monitoring levels, and riding around with two 12in bass speakers in the back of my vehicle so everyone could listen to what I was listening. And after dropping a stick by accident on an electronic drum pad, that fell right on the clap sound, with my ear perfectly level with the high end horn on my behringer amp, further stealing what was left of my already failing hearing. Now conversations with someone are short of embarrassing, with the need of them repeating what was said……The ringing will NEVER stop.
Protect your hearing now!
I am a rockstar impersonating a truck driver. I’ve been driving over 35 years but if you ever took a decibel meter inside of a tractor you would be surprised of how loud it actually is.. being in that environment, sometimes 24 hours a day for several days. I realize many many years ago that my hearing was very vulnerable and I have worn earplugs almost 100% of the time. ThankfullyI have preserved my hearing up to this point.
I am 46 now. I have been a drummer for like 20-30 years now. Boy I am glad I bought my first pair of hearing protection back in 2003.
Almost forgot...I work with a db meter in front of me....always stay below 80dB....always....
Talk softly then😅
It’s so odd that even musicians are so nonchalant about gradual hearing loss. I bet if it was gradual vision or mobility loss it would be taken more seriously
I feel something bigger is going on. The amount of people getting tinnitus is way higher than I can ever recall. I’m 50 and my ears started ringing about a year ago. Sometimes it either stops or I don’t notice. Other times it’s obvious.
It would be interesting to study these people and zero in on the commonalities. I wonder if wearing Bluetooth earbuds has anything to do with it. BT is supposed to be safe non-Ionizing radiation but the experts have lied to us before.
Repeated COVID infections may cause tinnitus. Not much research on it, but many reports.
Suggestions for those with the problem, and no cost:
1. EMF - keep you phone as far away from you as you can. Same with your wifi router or access point.
2. Put your phone on airplane mode. That "should" turn off the cell antennas, wifi antenna, and bluetooth antenna.
3. Try just turning off your phone at some time of night, say 7pm if you can. Do you really need to be that connected all the time? Same with an iPad.
4. Try to have as much of the house wired ethernet and turn off the wifi antenna on your computer. If you really need air drop for something, turn it back on for a minute.
5. Get out in the yard, or nature, make sure no phone or watch is turned on, and ground yourself by taking your shoes off in the dirt or grass.
6. Really try to limit your exposure. If you are in a fairly loud environment at say band rehearsal, take more breaks and give your ears a chance to rest. Or work on vocals acoustically in the room.
7. Try NAC before being in a loud environment. The US military had a lot of studies on that way back and it seems to help at least to some degree.
These things have helped me enormously as I've gotten older. One thing I notice when I've subjected my self to some volume that it now takes more time to recover.
Lastly, just leave you phone on and leave it on your guitar amp and then ask yourself if it's doing that to my amp, what's it doing next to my head or to your balls when in your pocket. Also, remember France (I think) was going to ban the iPhone due to the amount of radiation coming off it and apple just said that we turn it down instead. None of this stuff is really regulated for our health, and there are many billions to be made by allowing such devices.
radio frequencies are not the same thing as sound waves.
Thank you for sharing, Barry. I am 23 years old and have tinnitus myself. Fortunately, from all my ENT and self tests, I don’t have MAJOR hearing loss across the spectrum. Last year was especially tough, but a lot of it is mental. All the best.
Thank you for the warning. I recently sold my big amp because my neighbors complained. I got a Fender Champ. My ears are very happy now. 🙂
I've always been a considerate neighbor so I don't crank my amp up very loud. I have a little Bugera V5 that has power reduction down to 0.1 watts. I find that even that setting cranked up is too loud to be a considerate neighbor. I'm keeping my loud amps but I invested in a reactive load box attenuator. Makes a difference. I've never been one to crank the amp because I want to preserve my hearing. I've been to plenty of concerts and I didn't wear ear plugs for most of them. I'd rather take care of my hearing.
@@user-gx4ky6ct8c So you're saying you're a considerate neighbor. OK, got it 👍
@@briancoyne6700 I don't know how you came to that conclusion.
Great advise and wisdom. Enough respect to your advice as an elder in this scene.
I’m 65 when I started playing drums at 15, my practice methods were, closed ear pioneer headphones, to learn songs and play along. And I used gun range shooting muffs when I free styled and soloed. I never made a living playing drums so I was not subjected to 5 nights a week performing. And now I use an K-kit to dramatically reduce stage volume. (The cymbals are what will damage your hearing). Electric guitar players my age are all wear hearing aids now. Listen to Barry folks.
I was fortunate at 16 to have "an industry rep" come watch one of our band practices. I watched him take out a single earplug and put it in. I asked where the second was and he said "no hearing left in that ear anyway".
😱
That was a solid wakeup call for young me and i still have some ringing from living a life for 49 years.
Hang in there! As the saying goes, yoube survived 100% of your worst-days-ever before now. We humans adapt and overcome, so give yourself a little grace and time to grieve and a workable path forward will likely present itself.
I have tinnitus since 2001 (23 years!) because of a bad dive into the sea that smashed my eardrum. At the time of the accident, I was doing an internship in one of the most famous italian music studios.
I know very well that ringing and the build-up.
Barry, thanks for sharing, thank you for the advice. Keep pushing and stay safe!
Absolutely. As a 50-year-old who remembers a Corrosion of Conformity gig at Club Bananaz with my left ear facing towards the stage monitors without earplugs (because we forgot - consider an earplug holder on a keychain or something)... the fans we use to keep us cool here in the Cali High Desert, I miss things said to me even in bed right beside me. This kind of permanent damage that I have, with the high-pitched ringing, messes with so much in my life that I'm kicking myself to this day - and making sure my wife and 16-year-old son are protecting their hearing so they retain everything they can! Thank you for drawing attention to a limitation many of us in the music production industry are attempting to overcome! "You rock AND you roll, sweet Suzy!"
Great advice!
Fortunately, for me, I do not have this illness, however I did realize recently that my ears aren't as good as they used to be, because I used to listen to music at very high volumes.
So, recently I've started turning down the volume in my speakers & headphones by a lot!
I'm 55 and I'm right there with ya. I completely agree with your message. I also protect like crazy now, but too little too late.
I'm older than you Barry and I know exactly what you're talking about. I'm lucky that I've taken (for the most part) of my hearing.
Unfortunately my hearing isn't what it used to be because of my age. I've lost a lot of high end. In recognizing this fact, I've been able to somewhat compensate both in the studio and when mixing live shows.
I'm that old man mowing his lawn with big ear muffs and a silly floppy hat!! LOL (just mowed my lawn two days ago ......) I might look ridiculous, but I'm protecting my hearing and my face, ears and neck from skin cancer.
Hearing loss IS a serious problem that I hope more and more younger people will protect themselves from.
I recently bought a battery electric lawn mower. It's a lot quiet than an engine mower.
I’ve been mixing and doing sound design since the mid eighties, but I started playing in bands as a full time gigging musician in the mid 70’s. Big bands, rock bands, pop bands, everything. I’ve had noticeable tinnitus for the past 15 years, and Barry is correct. It never goes away. Mine is up around 9k, which means I have a drop off from that point up in my hearing. I’ve learned not to overcompensate in mixing for what I perceive is “ not enough highs”, and I can still work. LISTEN TO BARRY AND FOLLOW HIS ADVICE!! We did not have the advantage of someone with his experience being available for this kind of advice when we were starting out. Had we known, we would have used hearing protection mowing lawns, going to concerts, even on stage.
What i do to deal with it is to always have stuff going on, music, a fan, etc. I know how much it sucks to not being able to sleep, I listen audiobooks or stuff like that, is just a thing of focusing your attention somewhere else.
I recently crossed a threshold I've feared for a long time. Bands, DJing, studio stuff, hi-fi, headphone obsessed, etc since my teens...I made it to 42 with little to no noticeable hearing loss. And the tinnitus was there but able to be ignored. I'd have a major "sound event" - a concert I forgot earplugs for - where I'd get a spike in ear ringing, which would then fade back down to its floor. And that floor imperceptibly inched up over time, but was fine.
Recently, I had a notably long string of fatiguing ear activity capped by a few very high volume "sound events." And that, unfortunately, majorly increased my floor. The spike in ringing happened and barely faded back down. The new floor is frightening, and the worst is that it seems to be extremely easily re-agitated.
The good news, it finally scared me straight. I'm keeping all volumes under control, limiting time of exposure, etc. And honestly, that isn't even unpleasant to do (I say as a reformed volume-monster). Plus it puts me on better footing for protecting myself for the rest of my life.
But wow, although it doesn't impede my day to day functioning, I'm struggling to wrap my head around the new normal, it's absolutely a source of anxiety, and I feel very stupid for not making this adjustment just a little earlier.
To give a little more color to the obvious advice, I'm now thinking of it as a bit more akin to a repetitive stress injury. The length of time, frequency, relentlessness with which you're stressing your hearing system might be just as important as the sheer volume levels. Tinnitus isn't only about keeping the volume below ear splitting levels, just like tennis elbow isn't about one single catastrophic action.
A box fan in the room can help provide enough noise to overpower the riiiinnngggg whilst trying to sleep.
Two points: in a very young man's life, he needs his Peter Pan days. I wouldn't be in audio today unless I was willing to do some "stupid" things... one of which was dropping out of college. If you're playing it safe and certain... an engineering degree (electrical, mechanic, etc) is the way to go.
As far as hearing goes, hearing is your most precious tool and you have to treat it as such. If you're a hearing professional, you don't go to concerts... if you do, you have to wear hearing protection. Any place that there is loud music, you can't be. Each concert degrades your hearing so slightly.
Finally... don't cheat or cheat on people, don't talk about anybody in the industry badly, you never know who will be a part of your next opportunity, get to know the people in and around your niche in the industry. Business a lot more know-who than know-how... even if it takes a sh-t-ton of know-how.
Thanks for the video, Barry. I have permanent tinnitus and I have Meniere's which is a fun time. I had a lifetime of crappy monitor mixes on the drums that blared in my left ear, and with the Meniere's, I hear low/low mid frequencies and it gives me vertigo. What really saved me was switching to in ear monitors with a 10-20db cancellation and it really helped and potentially saved my hearing. I tell my young students to always wear earplugs when they practice and go to shows. It's not sexy, but man, even if you're not in music, it's so much easier when you get older. Reminder to younger musicians(I'm 42), don't be too cool to wear plugs or your in ears when you go to shows, and if you can, use em on stage. And the bonus points are that you can play to a click! Thanks again, Barry, and good luck with the tinnitus journey. I know I've gotten used to my constant ringing. Haha.
We appreciate you wise words for this generation thank you 🙏
18+ year professional career here. Always been conscious of volume levels but still have mild tinnitus. Long exposures even at low-moderate volumes can also impact hearing
Amen brother! I was failing hearing tests by the time I was in junior high. And I definitely now regret not taking better care of my ears. Loud music, loud music in headphones, loud concerts.
I made a terrible mistake 25 years ago when I was testing a speaker and put my ear on the grill. A live mic was turned on next to the speaker and 2000 watts of screaming feedback blasted my ear. I could not hear for over 2 months. I thought my life was over as I could not figure out how I could work. An Audiologist test confirmed that all my high frequency nerves were gone and I could not hear over 5K. Over time the hearing gradually returned with the help of a hearing aid ....... BUT.... that day left me with a never ending constant whistle that plays in my head. I have lived with it for 25 years and when it gets really bad, I have to tell myself that while incredibly annoying, it does not HURT. I still perform and I even produce my own recordings. I use AI to help balance the mixes as I am never certain that the treble content is correct on anything I do. I feel for all of you who have this issue. It is truly a pain in the ear
Same here, I started going to concerts at 14 and playing out at 18. Now at 46, I’m dealing with it daily. I hardly mix with monitors speakers, I primarily use headphones due to living situation. I keep it to about a hour max when mixing and recently purchased a TC Electronics Clarity M which has helped tremendously seeing frequencies quicker than straining my ears without it. It has really helped me get better mixes without ruining my hearing at loud volumes. I also take Maca Power (superfood) with helps calm the brain and neurons dealing with Tinnitus. Green Tea also helps immensely too. Stay safe Barry and thank you for bringing this topic up.
There is nothing like driving on an old road on a beautiful day with the windows up AC on and listening to music at reasonable levels and driving the speed limit. ❤😊❤
You, me, and Pete Townshend. (I may be older than you.) I have tinnitus for which I have three causes: German measles as an infant, too much hunting and shooting as a teenager-without ear protection-and listening to music too loud with earphone. Don't do it. Tinnitus sucks.
Thanks Barry for bringing this topic up. It's a topic that many in the music business don't seem to want to admit or discuss very much. I'm similar to you in age and developed tinnitus and hearing loss in my left ear about 4 years ago. In my case, my doctor and I believe it was caused by some type of virus or flu like illness which then led to me developing a ringing/hissing sound in my left ear. Unfortunately, I kind of ignored it and didn't go to the doctor right away thinking it would clear up at some point. When I finally did go, it was too late. They gave me a hearing test, and I found out that I lost about 40% of my hearing in my left ear. My point to anyone reading this is, if you notice any changes in your hearing, you should see your doctor right away. I would also recommend having your hearing tested every few years, even if you think your hearing is fine. Especially, if you are a musician or work in the music industry.
Hearing loss can be very sneaky as you age. You don't always notice it as it's happening until one day someone asks you why you always have the TV on so loud and keep saying "What?" all the time.
Thanks for sharing! I’m one of those guys who’s your age (or older), but was lucky enough to find out about that issue when it was first becoming an issue for musicians in the 80s.
Everyone, please listen to him. It may not be cool at a concert to wear some sort of hearing protection, but, if you care about your hearing, you have to. The volumes at concerts these days is dangerous.
Thanks again!
I started playing rock music in 1963. Even then I was aware of the risk of hearing damage. I really tried to protect myself. I' d stuff tissue in my ears to try to mitigate the damage, or use earplugs. In high school I had my hearing tested and found I had a high frequency loss. I continued playing and continued using ineffective means of reducing my exposure. Today, at 75, I have tinnitus and have some difficulty understanding speech. Happily, it's not nearly as bad as it could be. Music shouldn't have to be loud to be enjoyable.
I was testing the limits of aliasing the other day on my monitors trying to run tests on recording different things with analog distortion to figure out what could cause problems and what types of things Id want to generally run at higher sample rates. Was running a high pass filter very high up and boosting by like 18dB in the 18-21k range to try and see if I could here a difference at different sample rates. Didnt even sound that loud to me but all the sudden my whole body started to get insanely warm. Turned it off and first thing I looked up said increased body temperature is a side effect of being exposed to too high levels of very high frequencies. Crazy since it being so high up you can barely hear it anyways, but those sound waves are still coming at you. Ears were sore for a full day after. Only 24 now but definitely made me think and care more about this stuff, appreciate your warning!
When I was younger I had a stack and and cranked it up. Always asking people what they said. Thanks again, Barry. For helping us.
Agreed. It's a complex matter, since people experience a whole spectrum of different tinnitus. Mine also came up because of a (too) lengthy drums recording session. So your advice should not be overheard: Our ears are organs, they have their limits. It's that simple. Additionally, a lot of unhealthy behaviours and habits can add on top of that. Respect for our bodies, for our health is mandatory. Thanks for opening up this topic here!
I also had tinnitus Barry. People told me it was not curable. I didn’t consult any doctors because half of the things they tell you like they’re sure about it, they’ll disprove it 5 years from now. What I did was one day I sat down with it to listen to the ringing like I listen to music. Not the singing along kind, but the critical kind, like when you’re producing. I sat down doing nothing for hours but listening to the ringing for a few days and it went away, or I should say got so quiet to the point where I don’t hear it. Why don’t you try it, take a break from music. And while you’re at it why don’t you sit in a park and enjoy the soil underneath your palms and feet. It will really help, trust me.
I've been a musician since I was 15, and DJ since I'm 35 and now I'm 51, but I've never played crazy loud. I've ALWAYS mixed at speaking volume and the loudest I ever get is at DJ events, and even then I use an SPL meter to know where I am and it's not very long durations. I used to hear the rining at about 17 Khz and I could ALWAYS count on it to go away. Then one day, it didn't, and this was back around 2009 I believe. Thankfully mine doesn't really bother me and I can ignore it. Stress makes mine worse for sure.
I've had tinnitus for many years. I'm also blind in one eye from an incident as a child.
What's the point of whingeing? Overcome it, accept it, live with it. There are many worse things, I'm still blessed.
38 and I’ve been dealing with it for a couple years now. Sometimes it’s hard to sleep because it’s so loud. Interestingly, the gentlest of white noise makes it almost disappear. I try not to be bothered by it and sometimes just listen to the squeal as an act of acceptance. I’m fine with it. It’s not ideal, but my hearing isn’t completely gone yet. Recently, I listen to stuff way quieter than necessary knowing my ears adjust and I can tune in.
Thank you Barry. Means a lot .
Thanks for this. It's a great reminder. I have a bandmate who lost the hearing in one of his ears permanently. I can't even imagine how that is. I have been wearing earplugs at band practice for 20 years, and get my ears checked regularly. I've lost some hearing (normal) but overall doing well for being 58.
I'm 38 now, and about 10 years into pro live sound... and easily 10 years of playing drums in rock bands before that, and about half a decade of motorcycles. Since we came back from the pandemic I ALWAYS have plugs on me. I honestly believe that not doing any shows for over a year lessened some of my hearing issues. I did a test on myself recently (slow sine wave sweeps) in each ear and definitely have lost some top end. Used to be able to hear slightly over 20k (even in my mid 20's, before going pro), now I'm down to about 17 in each ear now... slightly less in my left ear (lefty drummer, hats). I have managed to avoid any considerable tinnitus luckily but the folks I know who have it I genuinely feel for.
So glad you're talking about this! Great video, and I think I needed that reminder. I feel like I'm careful overall, but definitely am not thinking about it as often as I should. Love what you do!
I've had tinnitus for about 30 years. It is like 1000 high pitched notes going all at once in each ear. I will never hear actual silence. I have been able to cope and play in bands as well as engineer music. Tinnitus is very bad when I'm in a quiet place or if I plug my ears. I do try to protect my hearing so that it does not get worse. I carry earplugs in my car in case I go somewhere loud. I agree with you when you say that people don't want this.
Love that table you made that's in front of you - absolutely beautiful!!
Standing next to a drummer or monitors on a concert/gig/rehearsal without ear protection is a big no no.
It WILL fuck you up.
You don't have to be *insert OLD age* to get the infinite sine wave generator in your brain.
thankyou for your honesty. I too as a 65 year old home studio owner and long time musician have it.
That table is gorgeous!
Great message, great video. OSHA has a safety chart that outlines how many hours of rest your ears need away from loud noise after so many hours of exposure at whatever decibel level. Look it up folks!
Shop vacs, gas powered lawn mowers, chainsaws and string trimmers are very loud as well.
I have low tinitus, my ENT said it's caused by long exposure to very low sounds. I listen to a lot of live bootlegs, you know, unmixed, unmastered recorded shows so it probably came from that. Basically instead of a ringing in my hear, I have a rumbling. Imagine a damaged speaker rumbling, that's not only what I hear, but I feel it too. My ear drum literally trembles. So take care of your hearing, you never know what you might get.
My drummer can hardly stand to be in my control room (treated floor to ceiling) because his tinnitus is sooooo bad. He still plays shows without earplugs and is such a loud drummer that I have to use two amps! I think it’s bonkers, he’ll be deaf for sure before he reaches 60. I definitely messed up in my teenage years going to shows without hearing protection. Despite that I can still mix but I protect my hearing now. Definitely a worthwhile thing for any music lover/professional.
I got tinnitus from earbuds and stress. Never had problems with loud PAs the time I mixed life concerts.
Yep, this is me too. I’ve had a little tinnitus for years, but recently it got worse and my left ear developed another tone. Went to the ENT and I’m going to have an MRI to rule out anything physical, but I’ll likely end up with hearing aids.
My tinnitus is at about 8-9K. I've had it for years. My ear doctor is confident that it is from nerve damage, plain and simple. There isn't a cure...yet. I mix at low volumes but am aware of what I can and can not hear anymore. I use the tone generator in my daw to give myself hearing tests about 3 times a year. Good video!
Barry this is the best video you’ve done- my tinnitus started in March 24, and I freaked out because no one talks about it, turns out every musician I know in they’re 40’s has it…
Thank you sir! What an honest and humble warning! This is definitely a PSA to all audio engineers and musicians! As a drummer from the 70’s I can tell you this is 100% true. Though I don’t have tinnitus, I know my hearing has been damaged some over the decades of playing. Take heed to the wisdom of this video young people. Clearly it was shared with care and concern.
BARRY!!!!! I’m gonna make a response to this like I did to your waves video 3 years ago. I’m not a UA-camr but you inspire me to be one! Lol
Hi Barry, you make a very very good point. In Audio your hearing is everything. Arguably, your ears are the most important thing in your studio. Thanks for sharing your experience and wisdom on this topic. This is something young engineers must sit up and take note about. Nice one.
Sorry to hear about your hearing Barry. How has it impacted your ability to mix music? I'm a drummer and I know exactly what you're talking about. I'm sure this wasn't an easy video to do but I thank you for sharing your story!!! The message of hearing protection is an important one and needs to get out there for everyone!!!
I went to audio school in Japan and there was one teacher there who told us we had to put our ears up directly to each of the four cones in a marshal cabinet while it's playing at full blast to really hear the difference. I swear my hearing has never been the same since, but I've made it a habit to only listen to things at loud volumes only when it's absolutely necessary
Wow
I always appreciated your video’s. I’ve learned a lot from you especially when it comes to RME. Just a little advice if you try a diet of beef,lentils,and pumpkin seeds. You’ll find that the combination acts as a fighting agent against tinnitus. Give it a try and let me know.
I'm in my mid 40's, and I can hear up to 16k still. I take several precautions I take on a regular basis, including custom molded ear plugs that knock down 36db that I use at concerts and when playing in front of a full stack of guitar speakers. Gingko balboa and niacin supplements also help to open the small blood vessels in your ear to relieve tension. Still, I won't have my monitors set beyond 80db and same for my headphones. Your hearing is so incredibly important and you can never regain what is lost.
Wise words. Please listen and take notice now.
I actually believe that modern in ear buds with noise cancellation can be part of the solution. I am in my 50's and I have been listening with headphones most of my life headphones. The headphones when I came up were just bad. I would hear thin sounding music and I would turn it up to make it sound better. When outside they had to compete with the environmental sounds and they would lose miserably. So I turned them up. With the improvement in sound and the ability to greatly reduce external noise I tend to listen to music a lot lower than I used to. Of course this can be about age but I don't think so. I even used a pair of AirPods during a Heart concert as ear protection. It was way better than not having ear protection (It did have some issues with kicks causing spikes at times so it isn't perfect). So it really comes down to how those products are used. They can harm but I think it can help if used wisely.
I’ve had tinnitus for about 20 years. If you could get past the first 5 years without going completely insane, you’ll be ok. You need your brain to get used to it. Takes a long time.
I've been mixing in headphones. I learned real fast to keep it down. I also play drums and didn't always practice with protection until I tested it to peek at 115db where I sit. I could get away with a few hrs of practice a few times a week, or jamming with others, or mixing what we play, but doing all 3 was no good. I ended up with short term tinnitus and clogged ears. The loudest now is when I mix, but I mix 90% at low volume and crank it momentarily to hear it how others will likely listen to it.
Thanks Barry, yep we were out and about!, I'm actually much healthier now then I was then... I've noticed that my hissing ringing ears has gotten better now that I've improved my cardio blood circulation via nitric oxide producing supplements and diet and NO SUGAR.. I use a product called " Cardio Miracle" ... all organic and pretty tasty... I havn't felt this good in years. (56) good health does take work and attention.
Important topic that should be reminded to all audio professionals regularly 🙏🏻
Closed back headphones are a rarely discussed cause of tinnitus in the studio environment. Even at medium volumes.
Highly recommend running air filters in the background to help. Molekule AirMini+s have a high pitch 16k and up whine that really mask the tinnitus on an ongoing basis.
Barry, you feel like an uncle to me. Thank you for doing what you do and always making thoughtful content.
Hi Barry,
The same over here...When I was a young idiot no body told me that there is something like ear protection. The problem was that the guitar player back then was crazy loud when we played live. The amp was just two steps behind me and was blowing my ears away. I sleep with TV on (with timer)...without would be almost impossible. How loud the ringing is depends how stressed I am. What works for me is sport. When I workout on regular basis it's like 70% better. I almost forget it. When I have some holidays I notice it's getting better too. Do you hear the ringing louder when you are stressed? Maybe some meditation would help.
Wish you all the best
Greetings from Germany
Michael
100%. I'm a bit younger than you, but I've been very careful about my hearing from a young age. I went to exactly one concert (in the audience) without hearing protection...and maybe I got lucky. I couldn't stand it and left early. Since then, it doesn't matter if I'm attending, performing, or doing some other loud hobby - if I don't have my earpro, I don't do it. For most concerts, this means musicians earplugs that still sound good. For some, it means 33dB NRR foamies that you'd use for very loud hobbies, just depending on how loud it is. But, I bring both. If I don't have them for whatever reason, I give away my tickets.
I will, however, disagree about IEMs/earbuds, depending on context. When you need to block out ambient sounds, they're better, especially compared to turning up speakers. But, you have to be careful. You have to accept that it'll never be the same experience as cranking a pair of speakers. And that's a good thing, because cranked speakers will damage your hearing just as fast. There's not much danger of it happening anyway, but I'll never get on stage without IEMs again. And I've gotten to the point that I flat out prefer my IEMs to the room/treatments/speakers that I put tens of thousands of dollars into - they sound better, give more detail, and functionally don't have a noise floor. I can get what I need out of them at a perfectly reasonable volume that does not cause any hearing fatigue - my mind gets tired before my ears do. And compared to headphones, they're just uncomfortable enough that they encourage me to take breaks at least every couple hours, which improves everything.
i got it too, for 35 years. The good thing is: most get used to it. And I dont hear it mostly. My brain ignores it. Hate earplugs when playing so Id rather have noise. BUT some get it BAD and then its life threatning. So I guess im lucky.
He's correct. So many people don't take care of certain things with their body. They just take it for granted.
You ears and hearing are crucial.
Sound is the 2nd most important source of information from the world human being take in.
visual being the 1st. If you lose part of or all of your hearing, it's putting yourself in a world of MORE disadvantage than life already deals you. And it's not necessary.
Same here. I do not notice it much doing day to day activities but when trying to go bed is a different story. Normally what I do is have the TV on at very low volumes as a distraction unless I am dog tired then I fall asleep with no issue. I do not play or mix my music loud. I think the rule is crank it for about 30 seconds so you can hear the bass and kick because they need volume to be heard and then immediately turn it down to conversation levels.
I’m definitely appreciating the warning, Barry! But just to be clear, are you or are you not running for president?😉
Good thing for me I worked in the telecom industry were I got into the habit of using earplugs cause many work situations I found myself in were around loud noise,I even use them at home or going to the movies or to a club or bar where loud music is played
I’ve had a jet engine on tick over in the middle of my head for ten years now :-/ it will never stop 🛑 I have trouble mixing and it’ll probs stop me doing music which will be the end for me .
Apparently tinnitus could be Vagus Nerve/mental trauma related, I’m sure not the case for everyone. Could be worth while to look into that
Also there’s a quote I like
“What you fear will appear, what you look at, disappears”
There’s a comment on here about a dude listening to his tinnitus as if he were listening to music, actively listening to it rather than trying to ignore it, it went away, so he looked at it rather than feared it, thought that was cool.
Great episode. I can’t wait until someone comes up with a cure for this
Thx for this, Barry.
As I sit here with my ears ringing in this quiet room I can attest this is a real thing. It also gets worse the more you focus on it or when you think "why is this happening"... so unfortunately the best thing you can do is just try and ignore it... even though its there constantly when silence is around you. Definitely wish I told my younger self at all those band practices and concerts to wear better ear protection.
Right? We seriously regret no earplugs back 1979 at an AC/DC show...the volume was just too frickin loud. That said,my missing frequency is due to standing so close to the drummer for decades of playing -- his cymbals got me,man. Those damn crash freq hurt. db meters are inexpensive,buy one yesterday
When I was 14 or 15 and I just started playing in bands I thought it was super cool to not use hearing protection. We’d practice 3-4 days a week from like 10am - 3pm (with breaks for goofing off) during the summer and like once a week during the school year. We played so loud in a relatively small sunroom starting at around age 20 I wised up to it. I started using in search which yes, they’re too loud as well, but much much better than playing without them. I’m sure I did some hearing damage, but so far I haven’t seen any major side effects except when I’m in loud rooms it’s a bit hard to understand what people are saying sometimes. I don’t really do earbuds that much and I keep them at a medium volume most of the time.
Good subject. Also a scary one. I had it for years, a mild version. I've learned to respect my ears. I had my ears measured. I'm ahead of people of my own age which did surprise me a lot. So it's not a hearing loss issue. At times those high frequencies do return sadly. I can not even recreate the noise with a synth. It's a certain undefinable high character light phasing pitch . Like 3 to 5 octaves up the noise cicadas make with a touch reverb. Ultra high pitched and boxed...Funny fact: It's a very faint yet distinct enough to hear it when listening to louder music. Yet it's impossible to hear it while driving, cycling or just standing outside. Those very high frequencies are perceived in the brain, so yeah issues with the nervous or damaged inner ear systems. In a way I do believe the brain is capable shift a big part to the background or it just goes away. As long if it not too loud of course. But it is a very shitty thing to deal with. It's the thing I'm most scared off.
One more odd thing: I always associate the noise with a mild orange or faint pink color. Tinnitus episodes phases sends you deep in to mind explorations worrying about things. The only upside to tinnitus, it's a good alert against maxing out on coffee.
I fight with this condition as well and I am 57. Yep at times it is worse than others. I also have to get my mind off of it to deal with it. Dealing with it mentally helps. You cannot sit and concentrate on it. Doing that makes it worse. Get your mind onto something else helps.
Protect your hearing while you can. Great public service announcement.
Great video !! I’m gonna share this to my guitar player. I play drums and have been wearing ear protection since mid 90s he likes to blast that mess triple rec with no protection. I notice when he tracks through headphones his volume needs to louder
Another crucial thing to understand is that stress is a massive comorbidity and contributing factor to tinnitus. Many banking executives and hedgefund managers spontaneously develop it. Don't burn out, make sure you exercise and eat well, in addition to hearing protection.
I can totally relate I played on stage very loud amps and monitors for 30 years and now I've had severe tinnitus in my left ear for about 3 yrs now and it's so loud now I cannot stand silence because it makes it even worse. it has started to affect my short-term memory as well. do yourself a favor and start taking care of your ears now.
Same here. Plus 30 plus years of construction related noise. Truth spoken, pay attention and protect your hearing.
At 72, I hear you and the ringing! I did try. When I was younger and going to concerts, I would put napkins, cigarette filters or whatever was handy in my ears! When I started working, in a large industrial warehouse, they provided the foam ear plugs and I started using them. The problem with those was that they were designed to block out the high frequencies and let the vocal range through, for communication! Unfortunately, the foam ear plugs made everything sound boomy and I would leave them out way too long at a good concert. Now I always carry good music ear plugs with me! Unfortunately, I didn't do enough, some days the ringing is so loud, it is hard too hear anything else! Oh well, I figure that it is just part of getting OLD! 🤔