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Hey guys, I'm having a hearing scare but it's an unusual one..I've come to the conclusion that I definitely have mild tinnitus already, and it is what it is, but I went to a live rock show 3 days ago, did NOT wear ear plugs because I'm an idiot, and since then I can't hear bass frequencies properly in ONLY my left ear.

I've even conducted an experiment in my DAW (FL Studio) using a typical straight sine wave I use for sub bass, no tricks, playing a low C2 note (30-ish hz). In my right ear, sounds exactly as always - physical presence, "pressure" on the ear (I have decent Shure headphones) like it should, but in the left ear it sounded weak and feeble, no pressure at all but the note itself was audible at least. It basically sounded like how a sub sounds when it's blown: like it's just flapping with no rumble. To accurately reproduce what I'm hearing, play a C2 note and then take the Parametric EQ2 and use the "20 + 18 khz cut" preset (or any EQ and just sharp cut) and move the low cut to exactly 50 hz to cut below 50 hz, then play the note. That's exactly how I'm hearing it in my left ear without the EQ, just regular. And what's even more interesting is when *I* turn on that same cut at 50 hz, I can't even hear the note at all in my left ear. **This is all at standard volumes and default channel settings within the DAW**


...What in the hell is going on? I've never been to a specialist for this before but you bet your ass I'm going the second I can schedule an appointment so you don't have to tell me twice, but any ideas or by any chance someone with a similar story? Might it be some sort of fluid/wax build up? (ive had my ears blocked by wax before, it's nothing quite like this plus there's no wax when doing the cursory sweep with a finger which means i doubt wax is the issue) Is it maybe carry-over from the show still and I need to wait/rest even longer??

did you flip your headphones around and try R on L?

rayman612 wrote:did you flip your headphones around and try R on L?

Yeah funny enough I did, as well as try standard ipod earbuds and then switching those around too - I tried to stupid-proof my testing as much as possible. I was confident it wasn't the earphones tho because I had already been noticing the problem just in general every day life first - walking around, in the car especially, etc.

Yeah definately get that checked out asap and try to keep your volumes down and avoid in-ear headphones etc until you do that. I've got some overall mild hearing loss on my left ear as well as some tinnitus as well, remember that the idea of the injury is a lot worse than the handicap itself, it's the thought of it that's scary. If it stays, you'll get used to it and eventually notice it's actually not that big of a deal, it's just easy to get caught up in the idea.

My friend got a similiar injury after standing too close to a cannon being fired, he couldn't hear the highest notes on a piano so it's definately possible, don't play around with stuff like that. Not to be a dick and scare you, just be careful and take it seriously.

Hope it works out for ya my friend.

Aside from a dcotor checking it out, give it a few more days of rest - i.e. no music listening at all. Similar thing happened to me at a club a few years back, took 4/5 days before I felt right again.

as someone with tinnitus/tiny bit of hearing loss
you typically always lose hearing in high frequencies first
its possible that its attenuation from the loud gig but if its anything more than a few days its probably wont come back unless its a another other ear related issue.

my advice:
graph your hearing - http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/jw/hearing.html
if one ear is different or theres a curve that looks like a drop in unusual places you should see an ent.

other possible causes would be tube dysfunction or sinus blockages.

magnesium is good to take before/after loud gigs
as is piracetam for restoring hearing loss.

Sinus blockage linked with attenuation from the loud gig imo.
I get the same thing when I DJ sometimes.
Normally always linked to my sinus.
I blow out my ears often by holding my nose and popping them.
Tends to always make a huge difference.

I uh...

Was trying that chart seriously, but hten I got lost in making a melody with it..

Go to see an ENT specialist immediately and explain all symptoms /details and rest the ears completely whilst awaiting an appointment. Could be an infection coincidence + ears response to overly loud sound coupled, maybe the ear released extra wax which
can glue it up a bit. Definitely wear earplugs next time. Usually you hear about HF loss mainly.

Hope you get it sorted.

SafeandSound Mastering
Mastering studio UK

Thanks so much for the serious replies everyone, definitely some encouraging things that some of you have experienced similar things. Thank god the local ENT was able to fit me in right away today so I'll be heading there in about an hour. Definitely puts me at ease a bit because I know ear-related injuries/infections if left untreated for more than a few days easily become permanent, and I was worried if they didn't have time today then after the holiday and whatnot it might be too late.

On a better note, I definitely "feel" a lot better in the sense that I'm not experiencing un-balance when moving around and listening to things like I did the last few days, as if my left ear is letting more in or de-pressurizing. We'll see what the ENT says.

RARRR_ wrote: my advice:
graph your hearing - http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/jw/hearing.html
if one ear is different or theres a curve that looks like a drop in unusual places you should see an ent.

Just tried that out and sure enough my left ear is still not quite hearing things right. The good news is the curve for everything above 90 hz is the same for both ears, give or take 6 dbs and also at 16 khz (which my left ear could not hear until -6 but my right ear heard around -30 o_0). But 60, 45, and MAINLY 30 hz were very different. 60 was again within 6 dbs of my right ear, 45 same but I at least felt the rumble and pressure from that range in my left ear. At 30 though, I felt it properly in my right ear around -12ish (nice and strong, at least, I wasn't going for the second I hear it at all), but on my left ear I bumped it up to *0* and it still sounded like a blown sub, just a barely audible tone flapping in the wind with no pressure. Again, not the headphones.

Ficticious wrote:I uh...

Was trying that chart seriously, but hten I got lost in making a melody with it..

But hey, actually, I'm really glad you're taking this seriously. You'll be fine man, I've got some mild hearing loss and some tinnitus as well. I now wear earplugs whenever I go out at all, even just to a really loud bar. The low frequency loss doesn't seem very normal, I'm betting that'll come back soon, just as a couple of other guys here have thought.

Take this as a warning sign to wear goddam facking earplugs! I'm to the point where I don't even like being at a gig unless I have earplugs, cause shit is too loud! You'll adjust.

Update us when you get back.

Alright so I went earlier today...She cleaned the shit out of my ears, my right ear just a tiny bit but my left ear (the troublesome ear) was apparently loaded with wax, had to suction it out. I thought hey perfect maybe that really was the problem. Definitely felt a lot better throughout the day. They gave me a professional hearing test and based on standard regular person frequencies they declared my hearing perfectly normal (mind you no frequencies went below the low 100's during that test) Well I finally got home tonight (I just turned 21 as of 12 am on this date 11/22/12 so I was out at the bars for the first time legally ;D) and just now tried my test again with the sub bass...sure enough, same result. Though it mainly seems to be stuff in the 30hz region, not so much F#2 and higher - those i felt the rumble/pressure in my left ear same as my right. But F and below for some reason I just can't feel that presence only in my left ear It's very irritating...definitely livable but god is it mystifying...

At any rate my frequency spectrum is more filled out now - Stuff sounds full on both sides of my ears again, meaning even in the crucial 250-500 hz range where it was kinda scooped before. Now my hearing is only lacking < 40 hz and > 16 khz.

Grimenoceros wrote:Alright so I went earlier today...She cleaned the shit out of my ears, my right ear just a tiny bit but my left ear (the troublesome ear) was apparently loaded with wax, had to suction it out. I thought hey perfect maybe that really was the problem. Definitely felt a lot better throughout the day. They gave me a professional hearing test and based on standard regular person frequencies they declared my hearing perfectly normal (mind you no frequencies went below the low 100's during that test) Well I finally got home tonight (I just turned 21 as of 12 am on this date 11/22/12 so I was out at the bars for the first time legally ;D) and just now tried my test again with the sub bass...sure enough, same result. Though it mainly seems to be stuff in the 30hz region, not so much F#2 and higher - those i felt the rumble/pressure in my left ear same as my right. But F and below for some reason I just can't feel that presence only in my left ear It's very irritating...definitely livable but god is it mystifying...

At any rate my frequency spectrum is more filled out now - Stuff sounds full on both sides of my ears again, meaning even in the crucial 250-500 hz range where it was kinda scooped before. Now my hearing is only lacking < 40 hz and > 16 khz.

Like I said... give it time, without pummeling more low frequencies into your ear. If it persists, go to see the doctor again and emphasise that you seem to be missing low frequencies.