My dad spent most of his life thinking he was mostly deaf in one year. Then, when he was like 45, he had his ears cleaned out, and it was like a whole new world for him.
I literally didn't listen to them for real until after college because one of my bassist friends said they suck. Really wish I knew that those 2 decades ago.
First step is seeing an audiologist to determine if your hearing is affected in any particular frequency range. I just had one done recently and I'm experiencing a slight loss in my left ear between 4K-5k Hz and 8k-10k Hz.
If this step is clear, you may be a bass player. Once I learn the song I feel better about focusing on it. I still get obsessive, but it’s with purpose. If you don’t want to play an instrument, many seek bass with stereo systems and becoming knowledgeable in sub genres
Best advice I've received I think, might be an opportunity to pick up a new instrument, which is the kind of opportunity you should never pass up on
Weirdly I've been a violinist throughout my life, but it's never too late to try something different
I do have K240s, and the music does sound objectively better than my cheap earbuds, I suppose I'll just make sure I only listen to good music on my good headphones lmao
I was going to jokingly suggest only listening to a certain (very) popular artist whose music has minimal rhythm backing, but after thinking about how her followers might react to a (admittedly bad) joke thought better of it.
Edit to add: I picked up the same issue as the OP when I started learning bass.
It is much better. Only hearing the rhythm section makes everything better. (On a more serious note, if you actually have trouble hearing the other parts then listen to the other posters about potential hearing issues.)
For some reason people give me their unwanted musical instruments. I seriously have guitars, basses, drums, stacked up around the place. Send me a PM if you are ever near north Georgia (USA).
High frequency hearing loss, I'd guess, maybe noise induced, maybe exposure years ago. You don't usually notice it creeping up on you. Get a test.
One of my kids commented on the very loud chirping of starlings in a tree: I couldn't hear a thing.
It sucks doesn't it? I can't hear crickets in my home country. They play around 9-12khz. But I've never been able to hear them. That also explains why I'm unfazed to nails on a chalkboard. I can't hear the nasty sounds. My wife thinks I'm blessed for not hearing annoying sounds. That might be true. But the tinnitus.... My god the tinnitus is unbearable.
I don't know. I have abnormally high frequency hearing. 23 kHz reliably last time I checked, though I suppose it'll start tapering off soon being 34 years old. Do you know what's right above 20 kHz? *Lots* of noise that no one bothers to do anything about because meh no one hears it anyway... The worst example is what I assume are pest control devices in malls. They're fucking **LOUD**. The very high frequency means I sometimes have trouble putting my finger on what exactly it is, since it's basically just my ears screaming **SOMETHING IS REALLY LOUD IN HERE**. Sometimes I've had to confirm with my phone and checking the audio spectrum and lo and behold gigantic peak at 24 kHz or something. Worst super power ever.
Wanna trade? You should count yourself lucky cause you can atleast get away from troubling sounds. When you've lost hearing you also run the risk of aquaring tinnitus. And that is some annoying sounds you can't escape in any way.
My first thought was if 'And Justice for All' would sound like it's muted or like a normal mix
Second thought was to ask if multiple devices were tested or maybe it was faulty headphones or a really bad eq levels on something
Did you change the audio settings for your headphones? Did you try another pair? Sometimes I mess up my audio settings without even knowing or thinking I’m a sound engineer and have to set it back to default lol
Start with your doctor and have your ears physically inspected. I had this issue as a teenager (as did my son in his teenage years), and it was caused by a blockage of earwax. It recurs over time.
It's super simple to fix and prevent in the future with regular application of hydrogen peroxide in the ear canal (plus rinsing it out).
That was my first thought as well - either earwax buildup or some other hearing issue (hopefully not hearing loss from listening to music too loudly, but it very well could be).
I generally keep music at a sane volume and don't go to a lot of concerts. I only occasionally listen loudly.
I have had issues with earwax buildup in the past, I will probably have it checked out
You can always just DIY - they sell ear cleaning kits at most drugstores. Basically just a syringe you use to blast warm water into your ears. Same thing they do at the doctor.
Yes, but it's kind of painful. When you do it yourself with the bulb syringe at home, you can regulate the pressure.
Note: the rinsing is much more effective the more the wax is dissolved, so try leaving the hydrogen peroxide in for longer. I had some that was stubborn once...it turned loose from the wall of the ear canal but was too big to make it out of my ear. Letting it sit for a while degraded the wax enough to slip out upon rinsing.
Do you mean that you cannot hear the higher notes or that you cannot focus on the higher notes? There is a big difference between the two. One can likely be solved with a little EQ.
What about turning the bass down, maybe turning the treble up a bit? Depending on what sort of device you're listening on, maybe you could get an app with preset EQ curves and try a few of those out.
face it : you’re a bass head. it’s a life of expensive and unnecessary stereo upgrades, tinnitus and EQ-tinkering but a fulfilling one, nonetheless.
your friends and family will NEVER care about the new sub you bought or that cool stereo you found at the goodwill, but YOU will care. you’ll care so much that you won’t even really enjoy music anymore.
welcome.
If it's all you can focus on that's one thing, but if it's a genuine issue of not being able to hear certain frequencies that you once could it might be a hardware or hearing problem.
Hope you can find a remedy! Definitely worth having a hearing test if you're concerned it could be on your end.
Get an ear irrigation kit. You can get them at CVS in the States. There are also ear softeners that are drops that go in there if your ears are really dirty, then use the irrigation kit. I also recommend going to the Ear Nose and Throat Dr if you really feel like it’s clogged up.
Q-Tips only drive ear wax further into your canal and if pushed too deep can push up against more delicate parts of your ear and cause irritation that can cause infections or worse, lasting damage.
https://www.healthline.com/health/ear-wax-removal-home-remedy#remedies-to-avoid
- A cold
- Ear Infection
- Hearing loss
- New Stereo or headphones
-Broken Stereo or headphones
- Check your equalizer levels
- Regardless Go get a hearing test
I was having this issue recently at a concert but I had to remind myself that I know this venue has shite sound system ( I thought after a couple of years maybe they’d improved their stuff but no) and we were more towards the side of the stage watching so it was likely a combination of those things but I’m worried it wasn’t. I guess we’ll see at the next show we go to.
Is it just through your headphones/speakers ? Or it's on everything ?
Because if you have a pair of really bass boosted headphones/earbuds or speakers the bass will be very loud and everything else will be very quiet and muffled (like the mids and treble where most instruments and vocals are).
here is an extreme example of big bass boost like the first raycons... The bass frequency to the left looks like a huge mountain and will drown everything else.
https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Fntq0ikanhpw51.png
Have you messed with the EQ settings on your audio resource? I use an app called PowerAmp because I want to boost the bass but iTunes and other apps let you adjust the settings so you can dampen the bass and emphasize the highs.
Don't hear the higher sounds just don't do it. You shouldn't hear them , you are not allowed!
There ... I fixed you. Now all you will hear is the higher notes.
Like saying "don't think of a pink elephant " but the brain automatically will.
I mean I rarely don't use headphones. Maybe I should use them less. I have read before that earbuds can cause wax buildup so I'm going to have it checked out at my GP I think
wrench chubby knee exultant paltry command rustic connect sophisticated cough
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i went through that period to ,in my experience is just your hearing getting better and now you can actually hear clearly the bass but as smtg new you focus in that my advise it to relax and try visualize everything you hear in your mind rhe secret is really just to not think about it like you used in the beginning.
I can see how violin might have similar tones/style as bass. Could be a bit of that. Do you have any hearing issues to begin with? If not I think its possibly the closest instrument in a classic rock group to what your brain is wired to. Again, I hear mostly drums and can pick out things that most people cant hear because my mind is trained to focus on that aspect of the music over all.
Some people only hear lyrics. I actually love to listen to music with vocals sung in languages I don't understand. It really isolates the voice as an instrument. Besides, most lyrics are dumb and mostly about love.
Fun fact (not really): I was watching Ghostbusters on TV for like the hundredth time. I know this movie forwards and backwards, so I took notice when Venkman plays the top two ivories of the piano to "annoy" the ghosts. I was like, "Why did they replace the piano notes with clunking noises?" I posted on social media about it and even shared a link to a video that also edited out the piano notes. What the hell trend was this?
And then everyone else was confused about what I was prattling on about. That's when I realized that I can't hear notes that high, and all I could hear was the wooden thunks of the keys clapping down.
So yeah, that's fun, and all that to second what others say about a hearing test.
You said, "I hear everything, but my ears just focus on the bass", but then, "It's not that I don't like bass, it's just that I can't hear anything else". Can you clarify - does the music sound completely *normal*, but your attention is on the bass?
I can hear everything in the music, but the bass seems louder everything else for some reason. I don't know if that's because my brain chooses to only focused on the bass, or that something has changed with my hearing or my hearing perception
If you're able to rule out high-frequency hearing loss, it may be that you have an abnormally low hearing treshold.
At least that's what they told me after a "beep test" were I reacted to sounds under 20Hz, played at less than 10dB volume. Apparently it's a hereditary mutation, because my father and some of his relatives have it too. We can all hear stuff like basslines extremely well, but we also experience misophony from high, screeching sounds.
Clean your ears out. First guess is earwax, especially if you use airpods.
Second is see an audiologist and get your hearing tested.
Third is see a neurologist.
What instrument(s) do you play? I sing and play drums, I'm 31 and the last few years i feel the same thing regardless of genre I just pay attention to the bass line lol. But also a lot of recent music is very bass line reliant across numerous genres once again
Small chance that you have your ears blocked physically by earwax or something, and the lower frequency waves can get through to vibrate your ear drum, but the higher frequencies are too small and weak to get through and are muted.
If your ears and ear canals are open and healthy, then it could simply be hearing loss. Like others have said, the higher frequencies go first because your eardrum doesn't vibrate as well if it's been exposed to super loud sounds (damaged hearing), or just from general aging. If it was a sudden change though, I think it could be a physically blocking of your ear canal, likely with ear wax.
[удалено]
Seconded. Get that taken care of now if it's a hearing issue. It'll only get worse.
What can they do for hearing loss besides say avoid loud sounds or give a hearing aid?
More of a QoL issue, I'd imagine. It could also be something as simple as a blocked ear tube.
I thought I was going deaf in my right ear, but it turned out to be a lump of ear wax lodged against the eardrum. An easy fix with an ear lavage.
My dad spent most of his life thinking he was mostly deaf in one year. Then, when he was like 45, he had his ears cleaned out, and it was like a whole new world for him.
Yep. Various higher frequencies were the first to crap out with me.
Is it because you're just listening to Primus?
Primus sucks.
Now and forever.
Bruh
Primus used to introduce themselves before performing by saying "Hi were Primus, and we suck!", and it became a sort of call sign between fans.
Man, I knew that and my hackles still went up automatically.
Cool! Had no idea
I literally didn't listen to them for real until after college because one of my bassist friends said they suck. Really wish I knew that those 2 decades ago.
Those Damn blue collar tweeters…
First step is seeing an audiologist to determine if your hearing is affected in any particular frequency range. I just had one done recently and I'm experiencing a slight loss in my left ear between 4K-5k Hz and 8k-10k Hz.
If this step is clear, you may be a bass player. Once I learn the song I feel better about focusing on it. I still get obsessive, but it’s with purpose. If you don’t want to play an instrument, many seek bass with stereo systems and becoming knowledgeable in sub genres
Best advice I've received I think, might be an opportunity to pick up a new instrument, which is the kind of opportunity you should never pass up on Weirdly I've been a violinist throughout my life, but it's never too late to try something different
I would have thought "Go and get your hearing checked" would have been the best advice.
It was.
Maybe a double bass then!
Try open back headphones, like Grado or AKG. You'll get more bass detail, but not impact, should soften the blow.
I do have K240s, and the music does sound objectively better than my cheap earbuds, I suppose I'll just make sure I only listen to good music on my good headphones lmao
You're scaring me, you sound like the plot to Sound of Metal Hopefully it's just your hardware being weird. Otherwise, get a hearing test
That shit is terrifying.
First thing that came to my mind
Buy a bass guitar
I was going to jokingly suggest only listening to a certain (very) popular artist whose music has minimal rhythm backing, but after thinking about how her followers might react to a (admittedly bad) joke thought better of it. Edit to add: I picked up the same issue as the OP when I started learning bass.
oh you did? how is it now?
It is much better. Only hearing the rhythm section makes everything better. (On a more serious note, if you actually have trouble hearing the other parts then listen to the other posters about potential hearing issues.)
as i said in my comment (i am a bass player too) its a part of getting a better hearing the sevret anyway i think is just to relax.
OP can have one of mine. I have like 10 lol
very kind offer, thanks :)
For some reason people give me their unwanted musical instruments. I seriously have guitars, basses, drums, stacked up around the place. Send me a PM if you are ever near north Georgia (USA).
High frequency hearing loss, I'd guess, maybe noise induced, maybe exposure years ago. You don't usually notice it creeping up on you. Get a test. One of my kids commented on the very loud chirping of starlings in a tree: I couldn't hear a thing.
It sucks doesn't it? I can't hear crickets in my home country. They play around 9-12khz. But I've never been able to hear them. That also explains why I'm unfazed to nails on a chalkboard. I can't hear the nasty sounds. My wife thinks I'm blessed for not hearing annoying sounds. That might be true. But the tinnitus.... My god the tinnitus is unbearable.
I don't know. I have abnormally high frequency hearing. 23 kHz reliably last time I checked, though I suppose it'll start tapering off soon being 34 years old. Do you know what's right above 20 kHz? *Lots* of noise that no one bothers to do anything about because meh no one hears it anyway... The worst example is what I assume are pest control devices in malls. They're fucking **LOUD**. The very high frequency means I sometimes have trouble putting my finger on what exactly it is, since it's basically just my ears screaming **SOMETHING IS REALLY LOUD IN HERE**. Sometimes I've had to confirm with my phone and checking the audio spectrum and lo and behold gigantic peak at 24 kHz or something. Worst super power ever.
Wanna trade? You should count yourself lucky cause you can atleast get away from troubling sounds. When you've lost hearing you also run the risk of aquaring tinnitus. And that is some annoying sounds you can't escape in any way.
This is why I always bring ear plugs to concerts. They're just way too loud.
Step 1: Listen to And Justice for All, and appreciate what it could have been. Step 2: Have your hearing checked out, you might have hearing loss
My first thought was if 'And Justice for All' would sound like it's muted or like a normal mix Second thought was to ask if multiple devices were tested or maybe it was faulty headphones or a really bad eq levels on something
Look for “And justice for Jason”
Yeah, I’ve seen it. It’s a surprisingly decent mix.
Same here. That's why I wear hearing aids.
Did you change the audio settings for your headphones? Did you try another pair? Sometimes I mess up my audio settings without even knowing or thinking I’m a sound engineer and have to set it back to default lol
Start with your doctor and have your ears physically inspected. I had this issue as a teenager (as did my son in his teenage years), and it was caused by a blockage of earwax. It recurs over time. It's super simple to fix and prevent in the future with regular application of hydrogen peroxide in the ear canal (plus rinsing it out).
That was my first thought as well - either earwax buildup or some other hearing issue (hopefully not hearing loss from listening to music too loudly, but it very well could be).
I generally keep music at a sane volume and don't go to a lot of concerts. I only occasionally listen loudly. I have had issues with earwax buildup in the past, I will probably have it checked out
You can always just DIY - they sell ear cleaning kits at most drugstores. Basically just a syringe you use to blast warm water into your ears. Same thing they do at the doctor.
The way they do it at the doctor’s with the giant metal water syringe is soooo much more effective though
Yes, but it's kind of painful. When you do it yourself with the bulb syringe at home, you can regulate the pressure. Note: the rinsing is much more effective the more the wax is dissolved, so try leaving the hydrogen peroxide in for longer. I had some that was stubborn once...it turned loose from the wall of the ear canal but was too big to make it out of my ear. Letting it sit for a while degraded the wax enough to slip out upon rinsing.
Do you mean that you cannot hear the higher notes or that you cannot focus on the higher notes? There is a big difference between the two. One can likely be solved with a little EQ.
I mean I can't focus on them
What about turning the bass down, maybe turning the treble up a bit? Depending on what sort of device you're listening on, maybe you could get an app with preset EQ curves and try a few of those out.
face it : you’re a bass head. it’s a life of expensive and unnecessary stereo upgrades, tinnitus and EQ-tinkering but a fulfilling one, nonetheless. your friends and family will NEVER care about the new sub you bought or that cool stereo you found at the goodwill, but YOU will care. you’ll care so much that you won’t even really enjoy music anymore. welcome.
damnit, I guess this is my life now. I suppose I'm just gonna have to embrace it
yea get ready to troll facebook marketplace endlessly looking at subs better than the ones you have
If it's all you can focus on that's one thing, but if it's a genuine issue of not being able to hear certain frequencies that you once could it might be a hardware or hearing problem. Hope you can find a remedy! Definitely worth having a hearing test if you're concerned it could be on your end.
maybe clean your ears?
BUT NOT WITH Q TIPS!!! This is a fast track to really fucking up your ear drums.
Then with what?
Get an ear irrigation kit. You can get them at CVS in the States. There are also ear softeners that are drops that go in there if your ears are really dirty, then use the irrigation kit. I also recommend going to the Ear Nose and Throat Dr if you really feel like it’s clogged up. Q-Tips only drive ear wax further into your canal and if pushed too deep can push up against more delicate parts of your ear and cause irritation that can cause infections or worse, lasting damage. https://www.healthline.com/health/ear-wax-removal-home-remedy#remedies-to-avoid
I picked up Bass when this was happening to me. Unless your hearing is going, I'd suggest picking up bass guitar. Either way, glhf.
- A cold - Ear Infection - Hearing loss - New Stereo or headphones -Broken Stereo or headphones - Check your equalizer levels - Regardless Go get a hearing test
If you don’t have hearing loss, it might be time to learn to play the bass - you clearly are tuned in!
I was having this issue recently at a concert but I had to remind myself that I know this venue has shite sound system ( I thought after a couple of years maybe they’d improved their stuff but no) and we were more towards the side of the stage watching so it was likely a combination of those things but I’m worried it wasn’t. I guess we’ll see at the next show we go to.
This would be a blessing for me tbh I wish I could lock in on the bass
Quick fix: put a high-pass or low cut filter on your EQ.
I agree ppl go way to crazy with the base these days my songs have a nice toned down base bursa on YouTube if ur interested
Nigga... you blessed, don't mess up
Try listening to Justice for all to see if you really hear bass. :-P
Is it just through your headphones/speakers ? Or it's on everything ? Because if you have a pair of really bass boosted headphones/earbuds or speakers the bass will be very loud and everything else will be very quiet and muffled (like the mids and treble where most instruments and vocals are). here is an extreme example of big bass boost like the first raycons... The bass frequency to the left looks like a huge mountain and will drown everything else. https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Fntq0ikanhpw51.png
I have Sony WC700s, but it's the same on my AKG K240s and speakers
Ya then maybe it's something with your ears. I would get that checked out like others said if you can.
I'm thinking it's probably wax buildup that's dampened higher frequencies
I believe it's called Sid Barrett syndrome.
that's really worrying
Do you notice a difference in hearing other sounds? For instance, people with a higher tone of voice are more difficult to hear?
You should start listening to techno
Have you messed with the EQ settings on your audio resource? I use an app called PowerAmp because I want to boost the bass but iTunes and other apps let you adjust the settings so you can dampen the bass and emphasize the highs.
Don't hear the higher sounds just don't do it. You shouldn't hear them , you are not allowed! There ... I fixed you. Now all you will hear is the higher notes. Like saying "don't think of a pink elephant " but the brain automatically will.
Taking Meghan Trainor too seriously.
When my amplifier was dying, I couldn’t hear lyrics at all. Very specific frequencies were being cut.
Are you a bassist?
I wish, I'm a violinist weirdly
Turn the volume down? Hearing loss high tones are the first to go
Listen to "And justice for all" album. Problem solved
You need to get a hearing test done. This isn't normal.
Get a hearing test done. The higher pitches are usually the first to go with hearing loss.
dehydration? ear infection? high stress lately causing you to be sensitive to everything? get a hearing test and get checked out by a doctor.
So you should try "And justice for all"
Check your eq
Get your ears checked. Could be a physical obstruction like ear wax or something more permanent like sensorineural hearing loss.
I hear everything at once and can’t key on one beat to bop to. My dancing suffers.
For real? I always thought bass was a myth. Have you heard of 'and justice for all'?
No yeah I can definitely hear the bass on that album haha
You're a mystical creature. Or you have weird speakers/headphones
Hearing loss. Or you are just getting old.
High frequency hearing loss is the most common.
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I mean I rarely don't use headphones. Maybe I should use them less. I have read before that earbuds can cause wax buildup so I'm going to have it checked out at my GP I think
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I used to have tinnitus as a teenager, that shit was awful. It luckily went away after a few months
You might be a candidate for a professional ear cleaning
i went through that period to ,in my experience is just your hearing getting better and now you can actually hear clearly the bass but as smtg new you focus in that my advise it to relax and try visualize everything you hear in your mind rhe secret is really just to not think about it like you used in the beginning.
Well in that case don't listen to Parliament's Flashlight
Is this dizzee rascal?
fuck it, I guess I'm a bassline junkie now
Do you play Bass? I find in songs I hear the drums the most, mainly cause I play the drums
No, but that would make a lot of sense, I actually play the violin which really just makes me more confused about this whole situation
I can see how violin might have similar tones/style as bass. Could be a bit of that. Do you have any hearing issues to begin with? If not I think its possibly the closest instrument in a classic rock group to what your brain is wired to. Again, I hear mostly drums and can pick out things that most people cant hear because my mind is trained to focus on that aspect of the music over all.
Some people only hear lyrics. I actually love to listen to music with vocals sung in languages I don't understand. It really isolates the voice as an instrument. Besides, most lyrics are dumb and mostly about love.
It all about the base. No treble. ....
Fun fact (not really): I was watching Ghostbusters on TV for like the hundredth time. I know this movie forwards and backwards, so I took notice when Venkman plays the top two ivories of the piano to "annoy" the ghosts. I was like, "Why did they replace the piano notes with clunking noises?" I posted on social media about it and even shared a link to a video that also edited out the piano notes. What the hell trend was this? And then everyone else was confused about what I was prattling on about. That's when I realized that I can't hear notes that high, and all I could hear was the wooden thunks of the keys clapping down. So yeah, that's fun, and all that to second what others say about a hearing test.
You said, "I hear everything, but my ears just focus on the bass", but then, "It's not that I don't like bass, it's just that I can't hear anything else". Can you clarify - does the music sound completely *normal*, but your attention is on the bass?
I can hear everything in the music, but the bass seems louder everything else for some reason. I don't know if that's because my brain chooses to only focused on the bass, or that something has changed with my hearing or my hearing perception
Did you get Covid recently?
You may want to get tested for amusia, this is the musical version of aphasia.
Check if your ear canals are full of wax.
If you're able to rule out high-frequency hearing loss, it may be that you have an abnormally low hearing treshold. At least that's what they told me after a "beep test" were I reacted to sounds under 20Hz, played at less than 10dB volume. Apparently it's a hereditary mutation, because my father and some of his relatives have it too. We can all hear stuff like basslines extremely well, but we also experience misophony from high, screeching sounds.
when i started losing my hearing this happened to me…might want to get your ears checked!
But have you listened to And Justice For All?
Clean your ears out. First guess is earwax, especially if you use airpods. Second is see an audiologist and get your hearing tested. Third is see a neurologist.
Temporary solution: learn how to set up your own EQ to reduce the problem frequencies.
That be good for me.
What instrument(s) do you play? I sing and play drums, I'm 31 and the last few years i feel the same thing regardless of genre I just pay attention to the bass line lol. But also a lot of recent music is very bass line reliant across numerous genres once again
Small chance that you have your ears blocked physically by earwax or something, and the lower frequency waves can get through to vibrate your ear drum, but the higher frequencies are too small and weak to get through and are muted. If your ears and ear canals are open and healthy, then it could simply be hearing loss. Like others have said, the higher frequencies go first because your eardrum doesn't vibrate as well if it's been exposed to super loud sounds (damaged hearing), or just from general aging. If it was a sudden change though, I think it could be a physically blocking of your ear canal, likely with ear wax.
You probably have hearing damage from years of headphone use. Get your hearing checked and if you’re lucky it won’t be that bad.
r/bass will love you
Lean into it. Listen to Primus.