First of all: It’s not really a total loss of hearing, but more some kind of "dull" hearing on my right ear...

I’m mostly making music with headphones. I didn’t go clubbing for one year and I never hear music too loud neither on headphones nor on sound systems.

What happens so far is:

Before about 2 or 3 weeks ago, I begin to note that sometimes my headphones sound some kind of strange/unbalanced on one side.. The effect was that "soft" that I neglected it and thought it was about a membrane or so (like "damn if it gets worse, need to buy new HPs").

Then, yesterday, I was playing around in Ableton and doing some stereo spread adjustments. I was satisfied with the sound after a while and finally put a utility on the master to check how it sounds like in mono.
By chance I selected the wrong option "swap" (L/R channel) followed by a kind of WTF-moments not to experience often in live.. It suddenly sounded total messy in the higher mids like someone added tons of distorted tape hiss somewhere, which of course isn’t explainable when just swapping L/R output. After doing the common stuff everybody would do in that situation, like hearing each channel on its own etc, I had the genius idea to put the headphones the other way round on.

After the distortion (still had the swapped-channels option on) was gone, and after repeating to toggle the headphones for felt 100 times, it was clear that neither the DAW, the audio interface nor the HPs itself was the fault, but some "interface" behind the membrane of the HPs (=my ears or something behind "that chain" like nerves leading to the brain or the brain itself)..

After spending hours to clean my right ear (of course, that would be too easy) I did several measurements with L/R panned sine tones to finally be able to self-diagnose that I’m fucking deaf on the right ear :,-(








Of course I’ll visit an ear specialist (otologist?) next week. But that really feels like one is disabled – especially since the effect begun some weeks ago and (at least seems to) gets slightly worsen.

Maybe someone out here (DJs?) have a similar suffering? It would be nice to get some feedback from those.. Also, maybe some of you have a similar (not that hard) hearing problem without notice it?
A simple check that is done in less than 10 minutes is to create a sine wave @5K, panning it full to one side and slowly increasing the volume until one can notice the signal. When doing so with toggled panning, the tone should be audible at the same volume. It’s advisable to do this test with headphones ;-) In case of cheap and/or old ones, it’s also advisable to toggle L/R of the HPs when toggling the panning to reduce possible measuring inaccuracy based on the HPs.

Assuming that things don’t getting worse, I already have – at least a theoretical – approach how to compensate the hearing loss when mixing with headphones. Nah, don’t want talk about that now..

One thing I don’t understand is that the loss is very extreme in the 3-8K area (up to 30db!) and, at least by my measurements, nearly not notable at around 500 Hertz.. I suppose this might have something to do with psychoacoustic effects or that the ear is more sensitive in those areas?

I'm looking forward to doctor's opinion and keep you updated...

 

I lost quite a bit of hearing in my left ear from (American) football in my teens. Side of my helmet slammed up against someone's chest plate. Whether the impact from the hit, or the sheer volume of the collision, or some air pressure weirdness from the ear hole slamming into a hard flat surface, my ear was never the same and I knew the exact moment it happened.

Doesn't bother me too much. I set a shortcut in my default Live project that activates a Utility that swaps L/R and another one that collapses to mono. Just gotta check my work from time to time. Similar arrangement in Cubase, although ususally by the time I'm in Cubase all the work on the beat has been done and I'm just recording mostly mono vocals.

 

Do you swap channels in computer? Or you wear your headphones on from left/right to right/left? different things a bit. Because there you swapping signals internally and here you changing headphones vice-versa because both channels of your headphones are different, they are not equal. But 30 dB is fucking insane level of loss if it is so..be careful, protect your precious ears, go to doctor.

 

Possibly cerumen... 30 dB is compatible with that

 

I've got some minor damage in my left ear but its more of a ringing/screeching which is what I understand more cases of hearing loss are like. I'm not any kind of doctor but a muffled sound might be a clog in your ear, possibly wax or something that a doc can put a solution in and get rid of. Sending thoughts your way!

 

sounds like she's (he's ?, pronouns) got good healthcare available... the otologist will likely nail it for her...
and as yet there don't seem to be any wrap around self exam otoscopes on the market to peer into your own ear...
and undo the goo !

not sure if simply saline would cut it.. the OTC cerumen removers have carbamide peroxide ( at least mine does )
since we're doing physics why not throw in a little chemistry..

 

Cant you just buy that candleish looking thing that you put in your ears and let it burn out?

 

Don't think this is just your ear. It could be some kind of a health problem that just influences your ear. Like clogged arteries, for example. Your lifestyle could be too unhealthy. Fast food and sedentary lifestyle?

One tip: NEVER CLEAN YOUR EARS on the INSIDE. That is, never use anything that goes inside your ears. All you should do is clean them on the outside. The wax protects your ears from bacteria and viruses. If you use hydrogen solution to clean your ears they could get infected with bacteria and viruses that can take away your hearing completely from you.

Get an appointment with a doctor. Check up your physical condition. Check up your heart and blood. Do MR, for you never know .

Trust me I know what I'm talking about.

I had a heart surgery 2 years ago and before I had heart failure [@45yo] due to huge aneurysm on my main artery that developed due to my really unhealthy life style I partially lost my hearing in the right ear cause of clogged arteries. Plus I've been cleaning my ears every couple of months with hydrogen solution, idiot. NEVER do that.

Plus, I am vegan , but I used to eat rather unhealthy self-indulgent stuff too much since I was born. Healthy diet cannot save you from disease unless you exercise and especially walk a lot.

This crap has practically ruined my life. Don't let it happen to you.

p.s. still I hear perfectly well on my left ear and I can judge a mix with it. But you know... it's not stereo as it used to be. There is a chance it might get better, but I have to change my life style and stop smoking in the first place. And move a lot every day. Thankfully my diet is really good now and I learned how to love it. Generally lots of veg and beans, and fruits 2 times a day. Helped a lot.

 

Last edited: Mar 26, 2017

I do my walks now. I do eat a healthy kind of a vegan diet now, but I still smoke a bit and drink too much. I won't be around for too long I guess, but hey I like my life as it is. Fuck it. Jim Morrison died at 27. I'm lucky to have lasted this long. I've outlived him! And Ian Curtis died even younger. Poor guys.

But having problems with ears really sucks the life out of you in so many ways, not just being able to mix and master properly.

Edit: Hopefully it's just a cerumen, but I think your lifestyle has been too sedentary for years as mine, and that's why I think you should do a checkup before it's too late. Heart failure can kill you. I hope I'm being just over-caucus, of course!

 

Last edited: Mar 26, 2017

See a professional like you plan to do. Everything else would be nothing but speculations. Hope all will be well again soon!

 

Thank you all for your helpful answers. And of course also the funny ones

@Cav Emp
Yeah, even without understanding the rules, American Football is hard. I only see it once a year (Super Bowl is recently even broadcasted in German TV) and saw the South Park episode about it ;). I hope the amount of your hearing loss is not that much.. I will also have to swap channels/panning and do other tricks like that if things don’t get better with my ear.

@mild pump milk
Yes, tried everything, 100% sure the ear is causing the issue. To test it, it’s sufficient to use a single "earplug headphone" from my mobile phone, listen to something on left ear, putting it into right ear – and here we go – dull sound & voices are nearly gone (some kind of automatic karaoke FX plugin in my ear – probably the most analog effect I ever heard^^).

@Wavemantra & @giancarlo & @beatmagnus
That makes some hope. I would be so glad if it’s just about some cerumen deep in my ear which can (only) be removed by a doctor. As said, I tried everything on my own to clear at least everything in front of the ear-drum. But yeah, who knows what dirt may be deeper and prevent the “ear mechanics” to “swing”.

@Herr Durr
I’m a female she-male ;) But one can call me "he" if talking in the third person of me ;) I’m happy with the German healthcare with build-in Obamacare. And I’m always open for throwing in chemistry in whatever opening except my asshole, which is and stays virgin.

@Von_Steyr
The idea itself sounds a little bit strange, but since there is the chance that after the ear-drum is roasted I’ll get a perfect pitch (at least a wise shaman told me so), it’s maybe worth a try – no risk no fun. Or.. Let’s see what a doctor says about this interesting idea.