Hearing damage?

Daedalus77 · 26th May 2008

So I had an unfortunate incident this afternoon:

I was listening to a cue mix over headphones (coming from our Hearback system) to verify levels. The Hearback mixer volume was only about 50%, and the aux sends in PT feeding it were down around -15 dB.

Then, while trying to get optimum levels, my assistant accidently command-clicked the grouped auxes making up the cue sends, and...yep, you guessed it, sent all of them to unity, slamming my ears. The click was particularly loud.

Needless to say, I had the headphones off almost instantaneously. But that one piercing click really hurt, and the thing is, my ears still hurt a bit. No ringing that I can perceive, but maybe a little "wooliness"—like after a loud show.

I hoping I didn't do permanent damage.

Thoughts?

Alas. The hazards of audio work....

Never1 · 26th May 2008

Chances are, if it just feels a little "soft" you've just got a temporary threshold shift. It'll come back around, but take it easy on the listening/playback levels for the next few days as you've shocked your hearing.

it happens. I try to never mess with cue mixes while someone is dicking around in the workstation. One command click and boom, you get blasted. I wish there was a saftey against this sort of thing, like being able to disable the command.

mikey · 26th May 2008

Sorry to hear about that.I would take a few days off if you can and give them a rest

FFTT · 26th May 2008

Agreed. Take a silence break and see how things are in a week or so.

If you MUST expose yourself to sound do so at very low levels if at all possible.

dbbubba · 27th May 2008

Somehow your hearing sort of "heals itself" for a while in these situations.

Keep doing it and it heals less and less.

In one year I toured mixing F.O.H. with a band on a major label.
They were a LOUD band and we always had BIG sound systems as per our rider.
We did a U.S. tour of medium sized venues, but the sound systems were always BIG and loud.
I mixed up in the 112 to 114 db range... LOUD!

I also recorded and mixed at my studio during this period.
I noticed that the "temporary threshold shift" became less and less "temporary" and in the end I had hearing loss.
I had simultaneously done live club sound and studio work since I was nineteen.
By the time I was in my late '30s the damage was done.

I can still mix fine and now almost twenty years later I don't think of it as a hinderance.
I know "how" to listen and "what to listen for.
Still, there are details like extra noises and things like click bleed that get past me.
I have to be more on my toes.

I do say, "What?" a lot.

Be carefull.

The un-expected level changes due to "a wrong click of the mouse" are one thing that DAWs are bad about.
It can happen on an analog console, too.
It is maybe a bit harder than one click.

26th May 2008	#1
Daedalus77 Lives for gear Joined: Aug 2006 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 1,645 Thread Starter	Hearing damage? So I had an unfortunate incident this afternoon: I was listening to a cue mix over headphones (coming from our Hearback system) to verify levels. The Hearback mixer volume was only about 50%, and the aux sends in PT feeding it were down around -15 dB. Then, while trying to get optimum levels, my assistant accidently command-clicked the grouped auxes making up the cue sends, and...yep, you guessed it, sent all of them to unity, slamming my ears. The click was particularly loud. Needless to say, I had the headphones off almost instantaneously. But that one piercing click really hurt, and the thing is, my ears still hurt a bit. No ringing that I can perceive, but maybe a little "wooliness"—like after a loud show. I hoping I didn't do permanent damage. Thoughts? Alas. The hazards of audio work....

26th May 2008	#3
mikey Lives for gear Joined: Sep 2004 Posts: 587	Sorry to hear about that.I would take a few days off if you can and give them a rest __________________ mikey

26th May 2008	#4
FFTT Lives for gear Joined: Dec 2005 Location: A stoned throw from ground zero Posts: 5,768	Agreed. Take a silence break and see how things are in a week or so. If you MUST expose yourself to sound do so at very low levels if at all possible. __________________ Don't look at me in that tone of voice Put music in your heart and heart in your music

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26th May 2008	#2
Never1 Lives for gear Joined: May 2007 Posts: 905	Chances are, if it just feels a little "soft" you've just got a temporary threshold shift. It'll come back around, but take it easy on the listening/playback levels for the next few days as you've shocked your hearing. it happens. I try to never mess with cue mixes while someone is dicking around in the workstation. One command click and boom, you get blasted. I wish there was a saftey against this sort of thing, like being able to disable the command.

27th May 2008	#5
dbbubba Banned Joined: Sep 2005 Posts: 7,099	Somehow your hearing sort of "heals itself" for a while in these situations. Keep doing it and it heals less and less. In one year I toured mixing F.O.H. with a band on a major label. They were a LOUD band and we always had BIG sound systems as per our rider. We did a U.S. tour of medium sized venues, but the sound systems were always BIG and loud. I mixed up in the 112 to 114 db range... LOUD! I also recorded and mixed at my studio during this period. I noticed that the "temporary threshold shift" became less and less "temporary" and in the end I had hearing loss. I had simultaneously done live club sound and studio work since I was nineteen. By the time I was in my late '30s the damage was done. I can still mix fine and now almost twenty years later I don't think of it as a hinderance. I know "how" to listen and "what to listen for. Still, there are details like extra noises and things like click bleed that get past me. I have to be more on my toes. I do say, "What?" a lot. Be carefull. The un-expected level changes due to "a wrong click of the mouse" are one thing that DAWs are bad about. It can happen on an analog console, too. It is maybe a bit harder than one click.