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Post by the other mark williams on Jan 3, 2022 16:11:59 GMT -6
So as I dial in my new monitors over here, I'm reminded how much volume difference there is between my left and right ears. It's a lot, and though I haven't actually scientifically measured the difference, I can definitely say my left ear hears things several dB louder. I'm wondering if any of you have a similar experience.
For some reason, it doesn't bother me much in headphones, but whenever I set monitors up in my room, I find I have to turn down the level on the left monitor a bit. And when mixing, I usually watch a L/R power meter of some kind to make sure I'm not overcompensating by leaning the mix to the right.
I accepted this as part of my hearing many years ago, but I'm curious if any of you have a similar situation.
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Post by plinker on Jan 3, 2022 16:15:35 GMT -6
As a person with allergies, I ALWAYS have volume differences due to congestion and inner-ear fluids.
Might this be affecting you, too?
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Post by the other mark williams on Jan 3, 2022 16:23:56 GMT -6
As a person with allergies, I ALWAYS have volume differences due to congestion and inner-ear fluids. Might this be affecting you, too? Oh yeah, this is usually part of the picture for me, too. Winter is usually my best season because all the things I'm allergic to are dead, but I'm on antihistamines year-round + nasal steroid use in Spring/Summer. Did allergy shots for quite a few years, but it's been a good while since then. I had a lot of ear problems as a small child, including at least two full-on ear drum ruptures! I had tubes three different times. A lot of scarring on my ear drums. One of the reasons I got interested in audio was because I spent so much time in the sound booth at my ENT doing tests on headphones while the audiologist sat on the other side of the glass. Flying is always an adventure. I almost passed out once (as an adult) on a flight to NYC because the pain and pulse in one of my ears was so great. I have constricted Eustachian tubes, making ear popping rather challenging. |
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Post by kcatthedog on Jan 3, 2022 16:26:49 GMT -6
Hmm, what are your new monitors ?
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Post by the other mark williams on Jan 3, 2022 16:36:02 GMT -6
Hmm, what are your new monitors ? Neumann KH 310. This is definitely not a "monitor" problem I'm speaking of, though. It happens with every set of monitors I've ever put up. |
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Post by kcatthedog on Jan 3, 2022 17:06:42 GMT -6
Oooh, sweet, lucky you: let us know how you get on with them !
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Post by stratboy on Jan 3, 2022 17:08:51 GMT -6
My ear canals are shaped very differently from each other. I sometimes wonder if that affects my hearing. Not a balance problem, more of a trust what I’m hearing thing.
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Post by gravesnumber9 on Jan 3, 2022 17:43:11 GMT -6
I also have flat Eustachian tubes and pretty unmatched hearing L/R. Same as you, louder in the left ear by at least a few db.
In terms of balancing monitors I go back and forth. Sometimes I adjust the volumes to balance them by "ear" (which results in the left channel being turned down) but sometimes I get really in my head on that so I just set them equally trusting my brain to compensate instead of going nuts on balancing. Neither one seems to result in better or worse mixes, it's just a matter of what bothers me more or less at the time.
When mixing down I always check L/R levels on the meters but, honestly, the type of music I do doesn't really need to be perfectly balanced anyway. Anyway, that's my take as someone with what sounds like a similar situation.
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Post by reddirt on Jan 3, 2022 18:35:49 GMT -6
Hi mark, we assume you are symmetrically positioned in your room?
Cheers, Ross
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Post by christopher on Jan 3, 2022 18:42:54 GMT -6
I know this comment is setting myself up to be embarrassed because I have zero facts to back this up, but here goes anyway:
I’m pretty sure there were studies done and people hear less highs in their right ear. I read about this when I was researching other medical ear problems, and I seem to remember it was said in a talking down to mortals matter of fact kind of way. Like a “nobody knows this because they’d never care to know” kind of comment. I should have bookmarked it.
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Post by the other mark williams on Jan 3, 2022 20:01:45 GMT -6
Hi mark, we assume you are symmetrically positioned in your room? Cheers, Ross i am indeed, Ross. In my current space, I do not have exactly equal sound treatment L/R, but I’ve had even treatment in other rooms in the past and still noticed the problem. |
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Post by the other mark williams on Jan 3, 2022 20:04:50 GMT -6
I know this comment is setting myself up to be embarrassed because I have zero facts to back this up, but here goes anyway: I’m pretty sure there were studies done and people hear less highs in their right ear. I read about this when I was researching other medical ear problems, and I seem to remember it was said in a talking down to mortals matter of fact kind of way. Like a “nobody knows this because they’d never care to know” kind of comment. I should have bookmarked it. In the “talking on the phone” era with no headsets, right-handed people more often held the receiver to their right ear. Do that long enough, and I believe it could cause hearing loss in that ear. |
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Post by Tbone81 on Jan 3, 2022 21:40:03 GMT -6
I know this comment is setting myself up to be embarrassed because I have zero facts to back this up, but here goes anyway: I’m pretty sure there were studies done and people hear less highs in their right ear. I read about this when I was researching other medical ear problems, and I seem to remember it was said in a talking down to mortals matter of fact kind of way. Like a “nobody knows this because they’d never care to know” kind of comment. I should have bookmarked it. In the “talking on the phone” era with no headsets, right-handed people more often held the receiver to their right ear. Do that long enough, and I believe it could cause hearing loss in that ear. I have significantly different frequency response between my ears. It’s easy to tell when I’m on the phone, it’s crazy how much more difficult it’s is for me to make out speech with my left ear. |
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Post by jmoose on Jan 3, 2022 23:00:44 GMT -6
Most people have a dominant ear it's like being right or left handed. Nothing odd there. Hearing loss in one ear also isn't uncommon. If you want to know your own specifics find an audiologist & get a hearing test.
Some people... whether known or unknown compensate & can over compensate for the differences that should be resolved by the grey matter in between.
Have a musician friend who, after a long haul admitted to being nearly deaf in one ear. Short version is he mixed and nearly ruined his bands album, kicked back from mastering... Songs were listing hard, nearly capsized. He kept panning towards his good ear.
For him "compensated" monitors didn't help. If anything only reinforced his fukked hearing and also threw a wrench at anyone else who listened in his home studio.
What sounded right to him was bizarre to most everyone else.
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Post by drsax on Jan 4, 2022 0:29:42 GMT -6
So as I dial in my new monitors over here, I'm reminded how much volume difference there is between my left and right ears. It's a lot, and though I haven't actually scientifically measured the difference, I can definitely say my left ear hears things several dB louder. I'm wondering if any of you have a similar experience. For some reason, it doesn't bother me much in headphones, but whenever I set monitors up in my room, I find I have to turn down the level on the left monitor a bit. And when mixing, I usually watch a L/R power meter of some kind to make sure I'm not overcompensating by leaning the mix to the right. I accepted this as part of my hearing many years ago, but I'm curious if any of you have a similar situation. yup, same here. You’re not alone my friend  |
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Post by christopher on Jan 4, 2022 1:15:43 GMT -6
Yeah the article I read attributed it to spatial cues and cerebral processing and human evolution, having to do with ancient hunting etc. which I thought was probably silly, but then also intrigued that someone would notice enough to make a theory. I’m left handed, but my right ear has less response. I’ve never used a phone on my right ear, mostly it’s my left ear that gets all the abuse, especially in sound engineering.
And everyone I’ve talked to it’s the right ear that’s screwy, It was really cool to read about it, made me appreciate how mixes often place high end info.I check inverse stereo quite a bit, references too.
Regarding stereo spread, my ADD prefers early stereo as where most people don’t care for it. So yeah I’m guilty of breaking rules all the time, I love that stuff.
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Post by howie on Jan 4, 2022 1:43:36 GMT -6
My ears are wacky. Outside of getting older - I inherited a disease called Osteosclerosis: an ear disorder that is characterized by abnormal hardening of bone and an elevation in bone density - which affects the stapes bone in the ear - the tiniest bone in the body - that needs to vibrate. It did not manifest itself until about 8 -10 years ago (My grandmother had it - and my sister got it much earlier than me)
So... When 'Obamacare' came along I signed up for an operation - here in Santa Cruz - to get that fixed - they will only do one ear - as it is risky - I had the right weaker ear operated on. (Actually twice! - as the first time I woke up from anesthesia - the surgeon was standing there and said, the laser did not work - so I had to come back and go under again!) Ultimately, this operation - 6 years ago - was sucessful - and I did not get back everyhing lost - but it helped. Nowadays my left ear - which was the louder ear 6 years ago - is now the weaker ear - though it can get higher frequencies than my bionic right ear. The bass frequencies in the left crappy
I look at meters when I'm mixing - and sometimes reverse the left & right on my headphones to hear the differences in my ears - try to compensate... and then, of course, there's the tinnitus - I don't think that tinnitus hiss is like 'mixing to tape'
I also have a hearing aid that I wear in my left ear - only for music - that gives a few DB boost - 'opens up the stereo field'.
I look at the young fresh pink ears of people in the twenties with considerable envy.
Whatayougonnado? One makes music or one does not.
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Post by drumsound on Jan 4, 2022 1:44:54 GMT -6
In the “talking on the phone” era with no headsets, right-handed people more often held the receiver to their right ear. Do that long enough, and I believe it could cause hearing loss in that ear. I have significantly different frequency response between my ears. It’s easy to tell when I’m on the phone, it’s crazy how much more difficult it’s is for me to make out speech with my left ear. I have different frequency responses in my tow ears. I'm pretty used to it, but it is a thing. I remember reading that in years past, many people had some loss their left ear, from driving with the window down. |
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ericn
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Balance Engineer
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Post by ericn on Jan 4, 2022 16:07:43 GMT -6
You learn to reverse the stereo field as you go, seriously with most of us running monitor controllers and patchbays it’s not hard to reverse/ sum to mono / monitor left or right.
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Post by bikescene on Jan 4, 2022 16:36:02 GMT -6
My left ear seems to be more sensitive to mids than highs. I favor cell phone use with my left ear.
I use the Hornet Track Utility plugin to quickly swap left and right channels on my master channel since I can’t trust my left ear in regards to highs.
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Post by lpedrum on Jan 4, 2022 16:56:42 GMT -6
I have slightly less hearing in one ear. It's thankfully not really a problem but for my own peace of mind for mixing I set up the FLUX Stereo Tool Plugin (free at the Flux site) and set it up to simply flip the stereo image. I put it in the Cubase control room (or you could put it on your stereo buss) and simply turn the plugin on or off when I want to flip the stereo to insure I'm balancing things okay.
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