How might high-frequency hearing loss affect one's music-hearing and playing?
- Thread starter RoscoeElegante
- Start date
TurtlesnTanlines
TDPRI Member
Audiologist. It’s a cool experience. Each ear has a different frequency range. As you age this changes naturally.
I met one guy who only had Koa Taylors because he didn’t hear the higher frequencies that were bugging me. These were $7k guitars. My ear heard imbalance harshness…his heard smooth, but lively.
I met one guy who only had Koa Taylors because he didn’t hear the higher frequencies that were bugging me. These were $7k guitars. My ear heard imbalance harshness…his heard smooth, but lively.
Charlie Bernstein
Doctor of Teleocity
No effect on me. I've always sounded horrible.
TheCheapGuitarist
Tele-Afflicted
A friend of mine is a long-time drummer, and whenever I'd ride in his car with him he'd crank the stereo and he has the extreme highs and the bass boosted like crazy, hardly any mids at all. It sounds effing awful.
For me it makes it harder to hear myself in a live mix and also makes my judgement of my tone a bit terrible.
Have to set my amp up close to my ear or end up playing too loud so band mates complain.
I need to set my tone too dark by my ear or it sounds too bright.
Oddly, I can hear it being too bright when playing back a recording, better than while playing.
Have to set my amp up close to my ear or end up playing too loud so band mates complain.
I need to set my tone too dark by my ear or it sounds too bright.
Oddly, I can hear it being too bright when playing back a recording, better than while playing.
Gaylord Amsterdam
Tele-Meister
I've got a 30 percent loss in the midrange from about 400hz to 2k. How that happened I do not know, but before I was diagnosed I would always boost 500hz until everyone said it sounded muddy and to me it was pure bliss.
For the longest time high end bothered me, I liked a more muted "woman tone" for years, but since I started playing Teles I now love the chimney top end and everything else sounds muddy to me now lol
For the longest time high end bothered me, I liked a more muted "woman tone" for years, but since I started playing Teles I now love the chimney top end and everything else sounds muddy to me now lol
Brent Hutto
Tele-Afflicted
On those frequency sweeps, like in the linked video, I can hear a fairly sudden drop out just below 9KHz then I start hearing the sweep again, faintly, between 10KHz to just over 11KHz. Then nothing.
I suspect that 9KHz notch matches the very high pitched tinnitis I hear almost all of the time nowadays. Probably lucky at my age (60's) to still be able to pick up a little information up over 10KHz.
I suspect that 9KHz notch matches the very high pitched tinnitis I hear almost all of the time nowadays. Probably lucky at my age (60's) to still be able to pick up a little information up over 10KHz.
MyLittleEye
Tele-Meister
Worst concert I ever attended was seeing Fleet Foxes at the Brixton Academy.
Whoever was on the mixing desk must've had serious hearing loss already; either that or forgotten to take out his earplugs during the soundcheck.
All I remember from the gig is the overwhelming sound of cymbals!
My range on that test was 40hz-13k although with 13k it was more a case of sensing its absence at 14k - Tinnitus for me joins in to 'harmonise' at around 7k and 11k.
I spent a decade in the RAF with a bit of shooting, jet engines and operating a map folding machine ("Rat-a-tat-a-tat! for 8 Hrs a day) all served in good measure.
A most memorable 'duty' was to stand in the middle of Lossiemouth airfield and video practice routines for the Tornado display pilot. The ground would actually shake when he threw on the re-heat
I only ever forgot to take ear defenders the once!
Whoever was on the mixing desk must've had serious hearing loss already; either that or forgotten to take out his earplugs during the soundcheck.
All I remember from the gig is the overwhelming sound of cymbals!
My range on that test was 40hz-13k although with 13k it was more a case of sensing its absence at 14k - Tinnitus for me joins in to 'harmonise' at around 7k and 11k.
I spent a decade in the RAF with a bit of shooting, jet engines and operating a map folding machine ("Rat-a-tat-a-tat! for 8 Hrs a day) all served in good measure.
A most memorable 'duty' was to stand in the middle of Lossiemouth airfield and video practice routines for the Tornado display pilot. The ground would actually shake when he threw on the re-heat
I only ever forgot to take ear defenders the once!
MyLittleEye
Tele-Meister
Pete Townsend famously struggles with tinnitus.
Too much loud nose...
His goes all the way up to 11
Too much loud nose...
His goes all the way up to 11
CCK1
Tele-Afflicted
The fall off in hearing starting around 6 KHz is pretty normal in those of us in a “certain age group”.
NoTeleBob
Friend of Leo's
The good news might be that guitar frequencies and harmonics don't go above that.
trapdoor2
Friend of Leo's
I'm wearing my hearing aids right now. I wear them from the time I get up (6am, usually) to bedtime (midnight). 7/365... Resound brand...replaced the Phonaks I hated.
Just go to an audiologist and get tested properly.
I did all the same stupid stuff: shooting w/o hearing protection, loud engines, etc. Have all the issues too. Tinnitus, etc.
Miz Diane understands...but cannot seem to remember I need direct and clear speech. Face me, enunciate, tell me the subject. Slow down! I'm across the house for Dogs sake! What the hell are you talking about?
Oh. Sure. I'll have a sandwich...
Just go to an audiologist and get tested properly.
I did all the same stupid stuff: shooting w/o hearing protection, loud engines, etc. Have all the issues too. Tinnitus, etc.
Miz Diane understands...but cannot seem to remember I need direct and clear speech. Face me, enunciate, tell me the subject. Slow down! I'm across the house for Dogs sake! What the hell are you talking about?
Oh. Sure. I'll have a sandwich...
It's a real hardship for those like myself who enjoyed making home recordings. Nextel phones used to work like a phone and a two radio. We used them at work. An incoming phone call had a phone like tone while the incoming two way radio was a very high pitched beep. Being on the phone potion did not silence the beep
.
I had a bad connection with a caller, couldn't hear what they were saying and kept upping the volume level. With the volume maxed out one of the men in the field attempted to call in on the two way radio and the high pitched beep nearly knocked me out of my chair. For the next three or four hours I couldn't hear anything with my left ear. When the sound started coming back it started as a ring and slowly turned into a darker tone. When the strange sounds in my left ear finally disappeared I thought I was OK.
Maybe a week later I was in my studio to record for the first time since the accident. I put my over the ear headphones on and started to lay down tracks. Something wasn't right. I came to realize I couldn't hear the hi-hats with my left ear. Checking the issue out the high frequencies were missing from the left side of the headphones. I had an idea. I flipped the phones 180 degrees and found the same issue on the same left side. It wasn't the head phones. It was my left ear. A visit to a doctor confirmed high frequency hearing loss. The doctor said it might slowly come back or might never come back. That happened maybe fifteen or twenty years ago. I'm still waiting for any type of improvement. Believe me. Trying to do home recordings when it comes to panning, mixing, channel volume, etc. is near impossible. I struggled for quite awhile by constantly flipping the headphones from one side to the other but over time ..... I've pretty much given up.
.
I had a bad connection with a caller, couldn't hear what they were saying and kept upping the volume level. With the volume maxed out one of the men in the field attempted to call in on the two way radio and the high pitched beep nearly knocked me out of my chair. For the next three or four hours I couldn't hear anything with my left ear. When the sound started coming back it started as a ring and slowly turned into a darker tone. When the strange sounds in my left ear finally disappeared I thought I was OK.
Maybe a week later I was in my studio to record for the first time since the accident. I put my over the ear headphones on and started to lay down tracks. Something wasn't right. I came to realize I couldn't hear the hi-hats with my left ear. Checking the issue out the high frequencies were missing from the left side of the headphones. I had an idea. I flipped the phones 180 degrees and found the same issue on the same left side. It wasn't the head phones. It was my left ear. A visit to a doctor confirmed high frequency hearing loss. The doctor said it might slowly come back or might never come back. That happened maybe fifteen or twenty years ago. I'm still waiting for any type of improvement. Believe me. Trying to do home recordings when it comes to panning, mixing, channel volume, etc. is near impossible. I struggled for quite awhile by constantly flipping the headphones from one side to the other but over time ..... I've pretty much given up.
11 Gauge
Doctor of Teleocity
Yep, most amp cabs and speakers actually start rolling off around 4KHz or so.
