Ear Fatigue Questions....

[jbuehler]

I have been noticing something lately that scares me. I monitor and mix for average 2 to 3 hours a day and my ears start to hurt. It isn't ringing it is just aggitation.

What is wierd is I don't listen to music loud at all. I always mix at lower volumes. I listen to music on headphones at work but in very low volumes.

I am very aware of taking care of my ears.

What is wierder is that the aggitation seems to go away when I play music louder. It is almost like low volumes are lacking the full freq image and my ears don't like it.

Does that make sense?

What does annoyed aggitated ears mean when there is no ringing and music is at low volumes?


More details:

The aching lasts for up to a half hour after the music goes away. I can feel it coming on as I mix and if I stop before its full effect it goes away almost instantly. As soon as the aggitation has peaked, I need a half hour without music to make it go away. It seems to come on easier and faster with low bitrate harsher digital music but it comes on when I am playing the vibes or organ as well.

Any info would be appreciated!

[u b k]

there's no need to be scared. my best guess based on my own experience: it sounds like your room has some serious phase issues --- peaks and nulls, comb filtering, end ringing, etc. phasey sound is very difficult for the brain to reconstruct and make sense of, and the more it has to do it the more fatigued it gets. what you are actually experiencing is brain fatigue, not ear fatigue.

the problem is compounded at lower volumes, because the ears have to 'reach for' the signal, which involves more work. low and low-mid peaks in the room cloud the sound, making it even harder to hear. whatever the state of your room's acoustics, it's important to monitor loud enough that the sound reaches you comfortably and is easy to distinguish at all freqs. for some guys this is 65db, for some it's 85db. you have to find what works for you.

is your room treated? lots of bass traps and well placed absorption and diffusion?


gregoire
del
ubk
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[jbuehler]

Originally Posted by u b k

is your room treated? lots of bass traps and well placed absorption and diffusion?


gregoire
del
ubk
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It is treated but no bass traps. Just lots of foam for reflections.

How do you explain my ear fatigue from headphones at low volume? Is that just from crappy sound?


BTW thnks for the response! I was worried!