Tinnitus & Hyperacusis - should it stop you from continuing composition education

Hi guys,

I'm in the middle of my studies (2nd year of BA, planning to apply for masters degree in composition for screen next autumn) but I have serious doubts whether I should continue.

Over last couple of years I seem to have developed Hyperacusis (hyper sensitivity to sounds but in a bad way) & Tinnitus (constant noise, initially in one and now in both ears) which, at times are hampering my compositions by driving me crazy.

It's not that I can't hear things properly but after couple of hours with music, both my ears are just buzzing and get really sensitive. And after a day spent mixing the composed piece the hearing is, well, slightly impaired. And I have a subjective feeling that it's getting worse over years.

I can still quit music, but that's the one thing I love most :) My ENT doctor just says "your hearing is within a norm now" (ENT norm, which which means, you can hear speech), "the only thing I can do", he says "is to prescribe you a hearing aid when/if it gets worse".

I have had the feeling that it's getting worse over years but it's still not bad enough for hearing tests to pick it up.

Have you had any experience with it or do you know anyone who actually had a successful composing career despite such issues (please don't mention Beethoven).

Or anyone who gave up career in composing for that matter?

Thanks for any info.

I'd recomend seeing a better doctor who is actually concerned about your musical wellbeing. You should have good ears for composition and if your doctor can't fix them, find a better one who can.

My ears are extra sensitive as well, and I have slight tinnitus. I wear ear plugs wherever there might be loud music or when I am practicing the piano. Maybe if you wear ear plugs while composing your hearing won't be worse afterward. I found that my tinnitus goes almost completely away when I pop my ears. And it seems to get better on its own whenever I'm in the quiet for extended periods.

I dont think it should stop you but I think you need to be extra careful now.

Hearing issues havent stopped some of the composers I know, in fact my composition professor wears hearing aids due to an ear condition he has had since he was young. And of course best known composer with hearing issues would be Beethoven.

My suggestion is dont stop with your musical goals, be careful with your hearing, and possibly get a second opinion from another doctor about your options and possible treatments.

If music is important you, composition (in contrast to performance and teaching instruments) is still a field that lets you concern yourself with music a lot while keeping the strain to your ears to a minimum. The question here is just -how- you compose.

You say: "And after a day spent mixing the composed piece the hearing is, well, slightly impaired."

Well, that's the problem. If you spend your day mixing music, then it's not composing, but mixing that's the problem. If you'd really just concentrate on writing music, it would be well possible to approach it all from a more mental side, imagining what you want and writing it down and only use audio feedback (playing chords on the piano, using the playback feature of your software if you feel that's necessary [but better not with headphones!], and of course attending performances of your pieces) at specific points, to a limited degree. It may also be that trying out some chords on a piano and such won't be a big problem, since you can do that very quietly.

Sitting all day in front of your computer mixing, with headphones on, is a totally different thing though!

So the first thing I'd ask myself is: Do I need to do this mixing stuff for the music I write? (I don't know -what- music you write, so I can't answer that for you.) And how can I reduce the amount of (especially loud) listening I have to do while composing?

If composing is important to you, I'd rather first try to take steps towards making composition more bearable and less straining, rather than just dropping it altogether. Just treat your ears with care.

I'd recomend seeing a better doctor who is actually concerned about your musical wellbeing. You should have good ears for composition and if your doctor can't fix them, find a better one who can.

Well, doctors can't just magically fix everything. Some of these diseases have certain treatments, can get better or at least be kept at bay, but not always. I know plenty of people who got a tinnitus, and they often never really get rid of it - they can just see to it that it's not worsened or that it's not stimulated too much.

Composing and mixing are really two entirely different processes. An important thing here is that spending a whole day mixing music isn't bad only for your auditory system, but also for your mix - tired ears, exposed to the same kind of material, are not much trustworthy, just as your nose gets used to the smell (in the professional studio world, this is part of the reason why mixing and mastering are often not made by the same person). So I think it's important to take enough breaks. Another important thing is that mixing excessively with headphones is, again, not very good for both your ears and your mix - most audio engineers don't recommend mixing with headphones or at least not mixing -only- on headphones, unless you use professional, high-quality headphones and are rather experienced in the field. Of course, to mix on monitors well requires acoustically treated room.

The SPL (sound pressure level) that you expose you ears to is obviously important. Even if you use an instrument or software to help your composition process, I think you are still more gentle to your ears than when mixing music, which often exposes your ears to constant loud volumes for long periods, and to mix adequately, you cannot rely on very low levels. (Long ago, I read some recommendations to mix at approxmately 75-80 dBSPL (but I might be wrong), which of course cannot go on for too long.) In your situation this is critical. Perhaps, you could focus on composing and postpone the mixing state. Another possibility is, if you have a close friend, who is interested in mixing and mastering, to ask him to assist you, discussing with him what you really want in the final sound - this could be beneficial for both of you.

Another important thing is that mixing excessively with headphones is, again, not very good for both your ears and your mix - most audio engineers don't recommend mixing with headphones or at least not mixing -only- on headphones, unless you use professional, high-quality headphones and are rather experienced in the field. Of course, to mix on monitors well requires acoustically treated room.

Just wanted to mention: I may have involuntarily put out the rumour that he was mixing with headphones, since I mentioned them. He didn't actually ever say anything about headphones though.

Thanks for all the info guys,

The music I am making most of the time is for screen (student projects ATM), which often needs good mix and that is why I need to produce the full package for the picture.

I do mix using near field monitors (however the room is not treated properly), but, as Kamen mentioned, the proper mixing levels are 75-80 Db (SPL which is just a killer to me).

It seems that I will have to start wearing earplugs. I just came back from a Philharmonic Orchestra concert (being part of the audience) and when the whole crowd was applauding it was just too loud for me and the ringing has kicked in hard again (brass fortissimos seemed to do the trick as well ;) ).

As for the composition process, I am trying to train my ear to be able to compose purely on piano but it's not working yet. And since I am still learning - composing, arranging and mixing / mastering take more time than I would like to.

ATM my composing process is : piano -> Sibelius -> Cubase & Samples (and this stage is the most straining one)

Recently I got hold of a whole set of ear training books and CDs so perhaps these will help me build the mental model of the music that I am usually writing with samples feedback.

One more hope is that I have a very good friend who is very good with mixing so it seems like I will be asking him for help a bit more often ;)

As for my crap doctor, I think I will be getting a second opinion from someone who should know more about the Hyperacusis & Tinnitus issues soon.

I guess I will give myself a chance and try to follow all your advice.

Thanks guys, I really appreciate it.

Yeah, using good earplugs for concerts and the like is definitely recommended. You can get custom fitted ones for your ears, made specifically for musicians. They are rather expensive, but they don't muffle the sound as much as normal earplugs and give you a pretty good representation of the sounds you hear (just quieter). I'd rather spend some more money on earplugs early than on surgery and similar later…

As for composing in your head/at the piano: Give it time. Such things are hard to start out with, but it's a matter of training and usually worth it.

I don't know anything about Hyperacusis, but it sounds awful, and you have my condolences. I've had Tinnitus all my life. At least, as far back as I can remember. It's never gone away. The important thing to remember is that the difference between insanity and simply dealing with it is all about mind over matter. Tinnitus has been very frustrating for me at times, but I've learned to cope. All I can suggest is being very careful with your hearing. I.e. bring earplugs to concerts, don't listen to loud music, etc. That's all common sense anyway, really.

I've managed to be successful as a musician (I think so, anyway) in spite of Tinnitus. If you really want to treat it (I've found no permanent solution, but I haven't tried everything, either.) I would suggest sound treatment, it's been a nice temporary fix if I really just want a few seconds of silence. You can find sound downloads for free on a multitude of Tinnitus websites. Heck, even Youtube has them:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srgZBQkxYc8&feature=related

Alot of musicians have Tinnitus. I have a very musical family, and almost all of us have it. It sucks, yes, but we've learned to deal with it in our own way. It's hard sometimes, for sure. My older brother has many different forms of Tinnitus, and he has alot of friends who have it. He's told me that some of his friends reduced their Tinnitus to almost nothing by consuming Ginko and Ginseng.

Some other musicians with Tinnitus are Bono, Neil Young, James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich of Metallica, and Eric Clapton. I'm sorry that I can't help you with your Hyperacusis. I can't imagine how awful that could be. Good luck on overcoming!

Alex,

Thanks for your comment.

I haven't tried sound treatment yet but I'll give it a go.

It is reassuring to hear that people with Tinnitus can have a successful musical career :) I thought that this kind of condition may be too much of an obstacle when you need to spend so much time with music. I will try to focus on keeping it at bay.

My current concern is to make sure it does not get worse and I hope to get some answers from the Hyperacusis specialist that I found recently. Hopefully I will get some more information soon:)

Thanks again!