• Software
  • Something to help calibrate your headphones... (p.2)
2015/01/20 10:37:10
bitflipper
Wally, I can relate. Although I'm a mere child of 63, there's no doubt that my ears' frequency response has been damaged by a half-century of live playing. I know it's the result of gigging because for most of that time I stood stage left (nowadays I sit stage left) and today my left ear is more reliable than my right (e.g. I hold the telephone to my left ear).
 
For me, the greatest danger in terms of mixing and mastering is over-representation of the frequencies I don't hear well (12 KHz and up). I hear this problem in mixes made by younger ears, too, though it's caused not by hearing loss but by mastering in headphones. Headphones kind of mimic age-related hearing loss, but it's even worse since age-related loss tends to be a smooth rolloff and headphones get uneven and weird at the high end.
 
It would seem to make sense, then, to compensate headphones so they're flatter. However, the brain is a wonderfully adaptive organ. Over time, it will program itself to recognize what a good recording sounds like over any playback system, including headphones. Given enough repetition, your brain will eventually be able to tell you when your recording sounds right, even when the transducers aren't being honest.
 
As long as you can visually ascertain that you're not too hot at the very top of the spectrum, you'll be OK. A spectrum analyzer is therefore non-optional gear for the over-50s. Actually, it's recommended for the over-40s, too, because audio engineers lose their hearing faster than the general population.
 
At least, that used to be the case. A recent study showed a frightening percentage of teenagers have the hearing acuity of a 50-year-old, the result of constant use of earbuds at high volume. When that generation is our age, they'll be functionally deaf. Mass deafness is predicted to become a major public health issue in 30 years' time.
 
So for the young guys reading this: your ears are your most precious resource; protect them now!
2015/01/20 12:28:44
WallyG
bitflipper
...As long as you can visually ascertain that you're not too hot at the very top of the spectrum, you'll be OK. A spectrum analyzer is therefore non-optional gear for the over-50s...



I've been collaborating with my oldest son (in his 40s) on several songs. (he recently moved to Japan) He plays Trumpet, Sax, Clarinet, Synth, and Drums. I send him what I consider the final mix and he comes back and says the ride cymbals are too hot, and I say "what cymbals?". He my ears for the upper range. Being young if for wimps!
 
Walt
 
2015/01/20 13:59:28
bitflipper
For those of you lucky enough to be attending Winter NAMM this year: free hearing tests have been available there in the past, and hopefully are again this year. Do that first, before your ears have been assaulted by the cacaphony of NAMM all day. It's an eye-opener!
2015/01/21 11:27:38
drewfx1
There are also cheap loudness meter apps for smartphones and whatnot. Some are not terribly accurate, but newer iPhones can get decent results:
 
http://www.safetynewsaler...ate-noise-measurement/
 
Even if you already have a proper meter, do you carry it with you everywhere?
 
I got the cheapest one of the four recommended in the link above ($1), and it allows you to see OSHA style statistics and also measure over time (hint: put it in another room while it's running and see how the noise you're making affects others in your abode).
 
https://itunes.apple.com/...oisee/id549239949?mt=8
2015/01/21 11:47:55
bapu
drewfx1
There are also cheap loudness meter apps for smartphones and whatnot. Some are not terribly accurate, but newer iPhones can get decent results:
 
http://www.safetynewsaler...ate-noise-measurement/
 
Even if you already have a proper meter, do you carry it with you everywhere?
 
I got the cheapest one of the four recommended in the link above ($1), and it allows you to see OSHA style statistics and also measure over time (hint: put it in another room while it's running and see how the noise you're making affects others in your abode).
 
https://itunes.apple.com/...oisee/id549239949?mt=8


iAndroid
iLoser
2015/01/21 11:54:28
drewfx1
bapu
iAndroid
iLoser




:)
 
I'm guessing if you already have a proper meter you could run some test tones and see where things stand.
 
Something else to note - I don't know about Android, but older versions of iOS filtered out low frequencies from the built in mics pretty aggressively (which makes sense  for a phone). At some point they allowed apps to bypass this.
2015/08/25 08:27:39
Hrodulf
Most of our software has been developed based on feedback from forum users, so I thought it’s only fair if we try to give something back! Here’s a 20% discount for all Cakewalk forum members. Enter CakeW-20 on checkout at our store and you will get a 20% price reduction for all products except headphones and the trial pack (which is already super cheap!). Just don’t wait too long - the offer will end on August 31st!
2015/08/25 08:44:58
Mesh
Hrodulf
Most of our software has been developed based on feedback from forum users, so I thought it’s only fair if we try to give something back! Here’s a 20% discount for all Cakewalk forum members. Enter CakeW-20 on checkout at our store and you will get a 20% price reduction for all products except headphones and the trial pack (which is already super cheap!). Just don’t wait too long - the offer will end on August 31st!


Link to your site?
(you may have to type it in manually.....you need 20 or 25 posts to post an actually link)
2015/08/25 10:03:50
Hrodulf
Just type Sonarworks dot com. Or google it, we have plenty of good reviews floating around!
2015/08/25 10:20:55
Mesh
Hrodulf
Just type Sonarworks dot com. Or google it, we have plenty of good reviews floating around!


Ahh thanks.....(from the previous post, I couldn't tell you were from Sonarworks).
 
Also, thanks for the discount code. 
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