Yep, we're all BAD people!

http://www.microweb.com/ronpell/EnemiesOfOurEars.html

Mike,
who's drinkin' coffee and getting ready to deafen a few customers this afternoon!

heh

huh?... can you repeat that please?

While the assertions are a bit over the top... they're not altogether wrong. I have significant hearing loss in the 4kHz range (which is the range most greatly affected by "loud")... however, it's happened gradually so except when I'm trying to communicate with my kids, I don't much miss it. All of the 'reference' material I listen to has the same problems as the program material... so I still have a point of reference.

Having been to only a dozen or so 'live' performances in the last couple of years... I can say that most of what I hear out there is pretty painful in the presence areas [despite my hearing loss in a good part of the presence range].

In many ways, it seems that the "barking" nature of compression drivers is being taken as an acceptable form getting things 'loud' as opposed to something that should be 'controlled'... but with the price of diesel, and the cost of truck rentals the onus seems to have been placed on "how much truck space can we save" rather than "what's the quality of the audio" with all too many tours.

It's kind of unfortunate... I'd love to say the guy is full of ****... but I can't... worse, I'm afraid I was part of the problem for almost as long as I've been trying to be part of the solution.

Peace.

Fletcher writes:
I hear that.

Jasper

I wish I could hear that...

I'm pretty sure that I'm missing a chunk in there as well.

Now that's odd. Most of the shows I've been to recently have struck me as too loud overall, and with way too much kick drum, rather than too much in the higher ranges.

Again, my experience differs. I remember when a two truck rock show was the norm. The last few I worked were at least seven trucks.

Something seems to be wrong with the hearing of many FOH guys, but I'm not sure this guy has hit it precisely.

4k is were most people start to lose their hearing, whether by abuse, old age, or a combination. I've heard audiologists refer to it as "the 4k notch."

Depending on how bad off you are, the notch typically centers around 4k and gets wider and deeper from there. Of course your high end tends to rolloff also.

When I was fitted for custom earplugs a few years ago, I was discussing this with the audiologist. She showed me some charts of other clients (carefully putting her thumb over the names, of course! ) She was comparing them to mine and pointing out how much worse they were.

The charts she showed me all looked like uncharted oceanic trenches, and were certainly much worse than mine. Scary worse!

I was 46 at the time and tested to have normal loss at 4k for a person my age. I'd started using foam plugs religiously when performing back in the early 80's.

Of course, I haven't gotten away completely free without paying some price for 30+ years of loud music, large caliber weapons, compressed air in shops, hot rods and motorcycles, etc. etc. I've come out of this all with a serious case of tinnitus and can't hear frequencies much over 11.5k.

"Will someone PPLEASE answer that phone??!!!!!!"

Anyway, back to the scary charts. After she pointed out to me how lucky I was to not have worse damage compared to these other patients, I asked her about their ages and history of exposure.

... they were ALL under 25 and she attributed the loss to wearing headphones listening to Walkmen.

Hey, it's a loud world out there. Let's be careful!

interesting, I don't know what does my audiogram look like, I'm 23, but I think I lost something with those headphones in my teens, deathmetal/industrial, not good for the ear.

I don't know why exactly, but I usualy find freq 2-5kHz to turn down for more smooth... it is very likely caused by monitors - Events ;-(

My right ear reacts to the aggressive transients with something like quiet sub-bass thing, I don't like it.

Is it possible all this compressor snap&bite cause hearing loss?

However I often leave too loud places after a short while to be sure I won't have more problems in the (near) future.

I used to ride the University shuttle bus to and from work. There was almost always another rider within 2 or 3 seats of me wearing headphones with Metallica or someone cranked so loud I could hear it just fine. Insane!

My right ear actually crackles sometimes when hit by sharp transients like a loud snare drum.

...of course, I always stand on the drummer's immediate left when playing (bassist) so I can watch his kick pedal and snare. Helps to lock in a groove!

Mike

can "crippled" engineers do a good records? know your ears and compensate ;-), know your monitors and compensate? find monitors that complement your hearloss ;-)))?

and what about the eyes, I have very strong glasses and there is possibility of becoming blind, because of retina problems... but what can I do when computer and monitors are the centre of my world?