Hi folks! First of all, THANK YOU! My tinnitus is currently one month old and during this month i have been visiting this forum and reading your posts. It seems this one of the few places where people actually support each other and can provide some useful information. So, how did it all started? Well I guess my love of music brought me here. Being a DJ in local clubs and creating electronic music at home after a boirng desk job is great fun, but after all you spend so much time in a noisy environment. Even if you think you are 'conservative' with your loudness levels it can be too much for your ears. It just appeared after one night - it wasn't even that loud. My T is really mild. It really doesn't bother me now. When it startet I was kinda scared, but reading this forum was really helpful in coping. I have a slight tone in my right ear which I can hear only when it's silent, but yeah, it's there. And in my left ear I can sometimes hear an uber-high pitched sound. Also, I have mild hyperacusis, but it seems to be going away with each day. I'm coping quite well - I visited ENT, changed my diet, started learning relaxation techniques and the initial panic and depression disappeared. What really worries me is my music career. A the point when I got T it was getting kinda interesting. I earned some extra money by DJing, I created music at home and I hoped that within a couple of years I would earn enough to make a living of music and be the happiest man on earth, but I think that the problems with T and hyperacusis may ruin it I'm afraid of losing my hearing. THAT is the worst part of it. I can hear and sleep well, but if I want to stay it that way I have to protect my hearing, whic means no parties, no gigs, no festivals. My dreams are basically gone. That's kinda depressing. Hope you are doing better. Do you think it is possible to have some sort of music career with T?
Hi Can't help you with the music side of things - but I just wanted to say I got a huge giggle out of your avatar Are you from Coffs?
No, I just googled "banana wtf" or something like that and I thought that would be perfect for an avatar.
I'm not sure you need to or should put your passion, to rest. Our Passions are what keeps us going. Obviously you need to protect your ears and hearing even more so now. I have slight hearing loss with my T, but I love music (I think that's universal) and can't imagine my life without it. I just don't power blast it anymore, of course I'm not a DJ in your daily environment. In your line of work I realize that's not possible in a club situation, but I'm sure there are others here that can share their tips on how they manage, in a situation such as yours. Don't give up on your passion, there's got to be a way to manage.
Might I ask how old are you? Personally I've had mine for a month, which started 5 days after a dj gig. Since that I haven't dared exposing myself to noise, but I do know many of my colleagues on the dj field have tinnitus and they still do gigs. Bear in mind that people such as Carl Craig, Laidback Luke, Roger Sanchez, Dubfire, Moby and MANY other djs have tinnitus yet they continue playing their music You almost need t in order to have made it lol ;d Some play with musician earplugs, others with in-ear monitors. With that rate of t which you're describing I think stopping what you love is more harmful, than taking the right precautions keep on doing it. Check out the movie "It's All Gone Pete Tong". A comedy on DJ Frankie Wilde, yet quite serious. djdownload.com/earworm/2008/10/23/my-struggle-with-tinnitus/ Another interview with some djs dealing with it in different ways all best
^ This. I'm also in the DJ/producer boat. It's super common in our field, millions of musicians from all fields deal with tinnitus, I think it just comes down to being responsible with your hearing and taking steps to prevent things getting any worse. Get a pair of custom fit musicians ear plugs with interchangeable filters (that way you can use -10/15dbs for DJing and then -25db when clubbing) - I have a pair of Resounds but I hear Etymotic/ACS are the top dogs for custom fits. They're a bit strange at first but once you're used to them, you'll wonder how you ever went out without them, I wish I had invested in a pair YEARS ago. From my own experience, take a break from going to gigs and festivals for the moment and let your ears recover, I was a bit of an idiot when I first got tinnitus/hyperacusis and still went to 3/4 extra gigs without ear protection within the first month. It didn't make it any worse at the time, but I wonder if I would've recovered better had I taken a break. When you're more comfortable in a couple months, you can go out again, just make sure you have your ear plugs with you, take breaks, stay away from speaker stacks, drink plenty water, etc. Try to space out how often you head out clubbing as well, be more selective about where you go and how much time you spend. With the production side of things, ease back into it when you feel comfortable (wait until the hyperacusis goes away imo) - just be careful with levels and take breaks every hour or so to give your ears a rest, you can definitely still do it though! With the DJing, you have to find whatever works best for you. Some people say they can't use ear plugs while DJing because it muffles the sound - with a pair of -10/15db filters/plugs though it's definitely more manageable, just also be wary of the monitor levels in the club, people crank that sh*t up like crazy. Otherwise like Tenna mentioned, some DJs use in-ear monitors, no experience with these though but definitely something to look at. Otherwise, if you find it too hard to continue DJing with tinnitus, think about switching to a "live" set up, get a bunch of controllers (maybe some hardware) and do some crazy live stuff with Ableton. This way you won't really need to worry about monitoring as much and having headphones blasting in your ears for hours. Anyway, good luck buddy! I can fully empathize with you, but you can definitely make it all work - just take it slow and be smart about it!
Oh, thanks for the support, I really appreciate that I'm 24 (almost 25). Well, taking a break is obvious and I already cancelled all the gigs I had planned until the end of the year. I also did some research and as it turns out I can order the Elacin earplugs near the place where I live, so I guess that's gonna be the next move. I'm also considering moving into playing live, since it doesn't require using headphones, especially when I am already familiar with Ableton. I think that's not the end of the world, but it's going to be a bit more challenging to than I thought, but yeah, nothing in life is so easy. And Im' definitely going to see that movie, a friend already told me about it I have only one more question. Do you experience an increase in T after working out? I think that in my case there is a connection, I'm not sure.
I'm working through this myself and am gradually exposing myself to louder environments. Yonkapin's advice seems pretty sound (forgive the pun), I'm certainly going to take it. This article is pretty helpful and although it's not that positive about the symptoms getting better, it's very useful for learning how to deal with it. Earlier this year before my T started I saw a couple of really decent sets from Eats Everything who has pretty bad T, so it needn't stop your own creativity. Turn it Up: DJing with Tinnitus | DJBROADCAST It's lucky that you've caught it early and can take relevant precautions now. It doesn't sound like it will affect your life much at all. I do think a break from clubs would be well advised though in the meantime. Also you've got to do a bit of risk analysis, think about the long term and how it could affect that desk job. Good luck!
@Banana can you alter the sounds 'manually' by mooving your neck/head or pushing some nerves? just curious @Balthazar I had no idea Eats Everything had it too! It's sad, but nice to know. (his Entrance Song probably contributed to mine! almost completely worth it) Btw Carl Craig's view on it is quite interesting
That is really and interesting article, thanks. And yes, Carl Craig's opinion is really interesting. You can see your T just as a system noise. Didn't know he has T. I saw him last year and his set was AWESOME. So, I guess I shouldn't quit at all, just take some precautions. Hell, it may even be a blessing in disguie, if I take care earlier while my hearing is OK, it will be better. At least I hope so. Thanks!
I think there is hope there for you! Keep Carl Craig's pov in mind. See it as an addition to your refrigerator, tv and all the other sounds that are already around you, and then as a reminder/blessing in disguise
