Honnestly, can a Tinnitus make unable to mix as audio engineer ?

[NotreDame]

Edited Topic ! Here is the question : I have a tinnitus, but I have a normal hearing and the tinnitus is pretty quiet.

I made many audiograms (tonal, vocal) : Normal hearing, I am between 0 and -20 db

and a advanced hearing test (PEA in french) wich is directly linked to my ears/head (so it is objective) and wich confirm that I have a normal hearing at least between 1000hz and 8000hz.

Having a tinnitus is fearing me. Because I am in doubt with myself.

But yeah, I think it is still possible to mix with tinnitus, no ? What is your opinion on it ?



Precedent subject :


Well...I know I made several topics about it, but please don't delete this one, or delete the other topics...

I am 20. Some months ago I spoke about a hearing problem I had. One ear has soften high and was really sounding muffled. The other ear was good.
I saw an ENT some days ago, he made a serious "washing" of my ear.

Now my hearing is really better, it Sound nearly the same than my ear. So I think my hearing is okay.

But I suffer tinnitus. I have tinnitus on both ears, something above 12khz... I also have hyperacousia, wich makes my ears vibrating when There is some Sound.

So...while music, and music production are my passions, I am now having a lot of doubts with myself.

Basically, can I continue music production in a serious way ?

This is really serious...Some people destroyed me while I Read their messages on the internet.
Some said that having tinnitus = having a bad hearing (is it true ?) some other said that you have to leave music production if you have tinnitus...

I spent my day in my bed, crying, crying a lot... This is really serious for me... Please, have you any advices, some of you have tinnitus or not ?

Can tinnitus be an obstacle for music production ?

Also, is it real that having tinnitus means that your hearing is bad ?

Thanks ... This is really killing me, I don't eat, I do nothing except crying...

[Zombie Queen]

I've got tinnitus after a bad flu. After couple weeks of going nuts I learned to ignore it. At least I don't need dithering anymore. So, you probably won't make it as mastering engineer, but it shouldn't stop you from making music. Many mature folks can't hear anything above 12khz. No need for a drama.

[dark water]

Hello NotreDame,

I have tinnitus, as do a number of other music producers at KVR (for example, xoxos if I remember correctly). Mine is reasonably permanent and gets worse when drinking alcohol or suffering from a heavy cold.

Yes, you can still create and produce music.

Ignore people who say that you can't - what would they know about your hearing issues?

At worst, you might just have to accommodate and work around the frequency issues with your hearing, and your ability to do this will improve with producing experience.

At best, what you think you have you might not have at all.
Tinnitus is very much a psychological phenomenon as much as a physical one.
Have a look on the internet at 'tinnitusmiracle' amongst other ideas around holistic issues: the ideas by Coleman are supported by some and derided by others. Either way, research into that area of holistic treatments will at least give you a different take on what many people incorrectly believe to be (mainly) a physical problem.

[slipstick]

If you have tinnitus you don't have perfect hearing. Tinnitus can cause problems by masking some sounds so that you don't hear them as well as you should. But it's not difficult to compensate for it. Many of us do.

OTOH if you really have hyperacusis so that the quietest of sounds cause you genuine pain then trying to make music is just being stupidly masochistic. I'd give it up immediately.

Steve

[NotreDame]

Thanks for your messages...

However I didn't say that I have a perfect hearing, but I said that I have a normal hearing (thanks to audiogram...).

About hyperacousia : I have some vibrations in the ears.
My ent said it was hyperacousis, but it is not hurting my ears...
I can go in a club without having any pain... I have vibrations in the ears simply.

[classic]

First..........any kind of illness has its couse in stress!!!
Stress is very clear deffined as............Something that invalidates or evaluates you or what you are and do and........it is something you have the feeling you cant do anything against it.

Behind this stress you find ALWAYS somebody never only something!!!

So some people are not good for you right at the moment.



Second.
This stress gives you sickness.
Make sure that all kinds of inflammations inside your body are cured. Could be in your intestine, sinus and so on.
Work with a dock to ensure it.

Third.
Bad food is stress for your body. You need really good food to give your body the material to heal him self. Its a support you have to give him.

Add vitamins and especially look for OPC. You can find it on ebay. It cleans your blod vessels and raises the circulation and thats what your ear needs.


Now something very essential four you.

Change any negative thinking about the Tinitus and replace it with something possitive.
Remember....you get what you enrich with your energy.
The more you fear it the more you get it.

Give your selfe and your body time to recover because one thing is for sure there are people out there that have lost their Tinitus so why schouldn't you?

[Winstontaneous]

I have tinnitus, and while it is not ideal, it doesn't prevent me from making and enjoying music.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned here - in my experience, muscular tension in the face/jaw/neck/shoulders/back can contribute to ringing in the ears and other audible phenomena in the nervous system.

[deastman]

Here we go again. It kind of feels like you just want attention, posting the same topic over and over and asking for the same advice, over and over.

Look dude... either keep making music or don't. Those are your two choices. We can't make that decision for you. So make your choice and get on with your life.

Edit for context:
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=490784
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=489527
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=488036
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=488635
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=488158

[dnekm]

Go see an audiologist and talk with them about getting a masker hearing aid.

A masker is a hearing aid which emits white noise at the same frequency as your tinnitus - cancelling it out.

At least, these things existed back in the 1980's when I worked in the hearing industry.

[keyman_sam]

I'm in this group too, and so is a friend of mine.

Some tips: Keep your mind busy. You can still make music. Drink less caffeine. Sleep more - on days I sleep less its loud.

More stress = louder. More occupied/happier doing what you do = softer/unnoticable. There are days where I don't even notice its there because I was busy and happy putting my mind to something else.

It isn't the end of the world. There are certainly many things that are significantly worse than this. It isn't nice but it is a new journey and one millions of others share with you. The bottom line is - It doesn't prevent you from having a happy and fulfilling life.

[Googly Smythe]

There are a lot of sites out there that contain much info about coping with and living with tinnitus - look them up.
A lot of people here have confessed to suffering with tinnitus - it hasn't stopped them from making - and enjoying making - music. Join 'em!

As a sidenote, madness is often defined as asking the same question and expecting a different answer...

[chk071]

Can only double the opinions expressed here. I suffer since my youth from tinnitus, and, sometimes it really annoyed me, but, the best is to try and live with it, and make the best out of it. I surely can enjoy music. I'm simply a bit careful, i don't listen in excessive levels, and i try to take a break every 1-2 hours. I also find that, the older i get, the less the tinnitus bothers me, i even think it has improved, and i don't hear it as much as i used to. Stopping to smoke surely has helped too, as i'm pretty sure it will worsen things, or even cause the tinnitus in the first place, after all, it's related to blood circulation. I had quite a few middle ear inflammation when i was younger though, and i also listened to some very loud music when i was younger, so, that could have "contributed" to it too.

[risome]

One would suggest seeing a ENT specialist on a regular basis and not seek unsolicited unqualified advice on a serious medical complaint on a internet forum about synths.Better for you in the long run. I hope you find some relief

[annode]

I have high pitched tone in my right ear when it acts up. It's always there lightly in both ears unless it's very quiet. Some music files at any volume will set it going. Some files will not. Those which do not can if loud enough for long enough. A Marshall guitar amp will set it going badly.

I'm sure all this is true for you. Whatever audio work you get involved with, can you do the job? How long before you can't do the job and it shows? That's the rub. Go to a school and do what they ask of you. That's how you can answer your questions.

Mixing for example is training your mind and ears to recognize and differentiate musical tones from others.
You don't need precise hearing. You only need to know when you hear such and such it means such and such.
That such and such sounds different from one person to the next...you just need to know what it is and what it means. If you can hear the sound of a Fender Precision bass then make a mental audiogram of it in your mind, you can tell it isn't a Fender Jazz bass. This is an audio decision. When you get enough of these so called audiograms in your head,(ear training and experience) your able to make educated audio decisions. Then you can be a mix engineer.

[NotreDame]

But does it mean that my hearing is not good/precise of I have a tinnitus ?

If my audiogram is okay, then my Hearing is good, even if I have a tinnitus, no ?