Anyone else out there have Tinnitus?

[Chainsaw Calligraphy]

Over the past year or two I've developed a mild ringing in both ears. I think it's linked to a vitamin B deficiency so hopefully I can stop it from getting worse. Obviously this was pretty worrying but so far all I've noticed is some very slight high frequency attenuation and an annoying ringing whenever there is prolonged silence. I was wandering if anyone else out there has had to deal with this and how they cope with it as an audio engineer.

 

[StefTD]

feel glad that it isn't strong, got mine when I was like 12-13 years old, it's pretty heavy
from time to time, but I got used to it (probably because I was so young) and I don't
rely on my ears during normal life because they suck anyways (my hearing is reduced
since I was a few months old).
As an audio engineer (no way I would call myself one) it would suck, but at the same time
it's more about knowing your ears imho, sure I would love to have better hearing, but
I am still able to realize if something is really compressed or if there's a peak (unless it's
above 15khz, than there's no way for me to hear it) or something like that.

It's pretty interesting if you try some stuff with people with better hearing but without
ae knowledge, like adding lots of low mids to a guitar and ask them what you changed,
if it was more in the low end or more mids, or reduced highs, in 90% of the cases, they
have no clue "it's different"...
Afaik Al Jourgensen (Ministry) said something like "my ears are fucked, but they're still
good enough to work as an AE"

 

[crillemannen]

I got it since i was 15. Got worse at 17. These days im really sensitive to loud noise and high pitch sounds. Like taking out the dish from the dish washer. Don't have any hearing lose though and can still hear up to 18khz.

I think people either lose there hearing or they get sensitive like i have. It is a bitch though constantly hearing a ring and always have to worry about, is this to loud? Do i have earplugs with me etc...

 

[RedDog]

Mild ringing, can't hear above 17khz. Gets uncomfortable in dense silence, I need to have constant noise to function properly. Not surprisingly, my ears are very sensitive, I can hear very quiet things happening.

I think of it as an built-in in-ear dither, truncated to an infinite bit depth.

 

[Trevoire520]

I've got a bit of ringing in both ears could hear up to about 17k or so last time I checked.
I only notice the ringing at night when the room is silent though and it's actually much better than it was a year or so ago. Just had to start looking after my ears, turn the music down in the car, wear earplugs at gigs etc. I'm glad it's improved as the level it was at before was getting me quite depressed.

Avoid caffeine and alcohol, they make the ringing MUCH worse I find.

 

[StefTD]

what really kills me is the sound of our vacuum cleaner, I have to open all the windows
and put some music on to be able to clean the rooms with it without going crazy.

 

[mva801]

I have it pretty bad. I've always had it as far as I know. Had ear infections when I was a kid, then went to metal shows. My ears have always been SUPER sensitive, so after like two shows I always brought ear plugs. Had my ears checked by an audiologist and had custom plugs made, she said my hearing was excellent actually. up to 18kHz, pretty even on both sides. There's just a ringing.

Alcohol DEFINITELY makes it a bit worse, so I never drink while working. It gets pretty damn annoying after a long day mixing/ recording drums. Right now I really only engineer part time (20-30 hours a week) but I feel like if I had to do it much more, it would really start to annoy me. Most the time it doesn't interfere with my day to day life, and I've just learned to tune it out and take it EASY on the ears. Always watch the volume, take frequent breaks, and -30db low end destroying ear plugs at EVERY live show. I also wear the -12 or so dB Hearos at loud bars and such.

Just be careful and cautious. Hope it gets better for you. I do wonder though how much longer I'll really be engineering, before I get to the point that I'd rather save my ears than work as an AE. Tough choice too, cuz I've got a decent gig as a house engineer and I spent $20,000 on audio school.

 

[Plendakor]

I do, never really notice it except when it's total silence OR when I'm drunk. When I'm drunk and go to bed, it's LOUD AS FUCK. I hope this thing is stable and does not become worse when aging.
Anyway, I protect my ears nowdays.

Edit: Haven't read you guys replies before replying... so you too struggle with this shit after drinking... ;|

 

[Pedro Teixeira]

I'm not fully sure if I have it or not. I know that in silence I can hear a "hiss" on my ears, not so much as a "high pitch whine" as people describe tinnitus as, but a "hiss", just constant, not sure if that is tinnitus or not, but Plendakor, I remember since ever that when you get pretty drunk the "noise" you can hear from that kind of stuff, even just the normal noise everyone hears in silence just gets infinitely louder, that's pretty normal allround though

 

[schwinginbatman]

I think I may have it a little bit. It's only when I'm in a quiet place do I notice it. I used to go to metal shows without any ear protection, but nowadays at practice and concerts they're a necessity. I use the yellow construction ones I think. Haven't had any problems with intelligibility. In fact, at one of the venues I typically go to, they actually help cut down on the insane highs that the sound guy puts through the PA.

 

[Chainsaw Calligraphy]

I've definitely noticed that alcohol makes it worse as a lot of you have said. That could also be linked the the vitamin deficiency I mentioned earlier as alcohol depletes your body's supply of B6 or B12 IIRC. This has defiantly been a wake up call for me about the importance of taking care of your hearing.