EQ Old Ears

At 90, my ears are creating a problem. What sounds good to me, sound sharp to others with normal ears. What sounds good to other people, sound muddy to me.

If I play music for the groups that meet at my home – or go to my neighbors with my KMA, (easy to carry) how do I set an acceptable EQ?

I have given this problem much thought --- I am looking for some suggestions.
Thank you, John C.

Impressive at 90! Do you have monitors? I find the same at my age. It gets better when I mix through Yamaha HS7s. I pay a bit more attention in toning down the treble in my studio. These particular monitors bode well with my QSCK8.2s live too.

I might be wrong but since you have been a piano tuner for many years, it could be a matter of perception. When I am forced to have my Bose close to me, I perceive too much bass, but when checking the room out, and asking people, I find the eq fine. That addesses the muddy problem, but unless you are playing guitar, how can you be sharp with a KMA?

Consider yourself fortunate to still have some degree of hearing left to work with. Keep in mind that as we age, men tend to lose the high frequency sounds, while women tend to lose the low frequency sounds. The best way to compensate for this is with hearing aids - in fact, it is the only way. Hearing aids will allow you to adjust and amplify the frequency that you have lost, thereby correcting your EQ so you will hear the sounds normally. Monitors will not do this. I, and several others on this site, have experienced the same problem over the years, and I found myself cranking up the high EQ on the keyboard, higher and higher so I could hear those high hat cymbals, strings, steel guitars, etc, while audience members with normal hearing were complaining that the sound was too loud. After purchasing hearing aids, I knew exactly what they were talking about, and I was able to make the adjustments.

Hope this helps,

Gary

That could save a marriage. She can't hear him and he can't hear her. Win win.



chas

Hi Gary, I always read all your post You are an Amazing Person. Always offering Help to everyone! Hearing aides are coming soon for My ears. I still do sound for special events at My Church. My left ear is getting bad. Still happy with your Bose aides? I think they will be ordered in the near future. Sincerely Harold

Yes, the Bose aids really work well for me. I have a friend, though, that has severe hearing loss and thus far, no hearing aids, regardless of the brand or cost, have helped him. He now is becoming a lip reader.

All the best,

Gary

I don't John meant that the pitch was sharp, but rather the tone/EQ was perhaps too bright.

I lost my right ear about 5 years ago. On the band stan my right ear faced the band – same for tuning a piano. My left ear is still holding. Yes, we lose the high notes as we age. Two years ago, I gave up tuning.

Gary, I do consider myself fortunate in many way. I still drive my car, go shopping, attend meetings, and lead classes. But, thnaks.

Now let’s get back to my original post; I posted the reason (question) for my post poorly.

1-If I set the EQ to what I am listening to, it will sound sharp/bright to the good ears.
2-If they, the good ears, set it, it will sound muddy.
My question is: How are others players on this forum handling this. (if it’s possible) Opinions??????
Thanks, John C.

Thanks Gary just what needed to hear from you...I know what I need to do so does my Wife! Maybe then I can turn the volume down on the TV. My wife's comfort range 25 Myself 30+ very simple...Thanks again Gary

I got good advice from a guy around my age who talked about how we men lose hearing in the upper range and tend to set the upper eq too high. His solution was to ask a woman (women) what sounded best and go with that.

As far as sounding muddy to you you may want to reposition the speakers so they are facing directly at your ears. That's what I do when needed.

Scott

John, give Eddie Shoemaker (Btweengigs) a call. He had to deal with the same issues for years, and it cost him a small fortune in conventional hearing aids before resolving the problem. Back then, conventional hearing aids went for about $3,000 per ear. The Bose system cost me about $849 for both ears - big difference.

Gary

The real trick is to start flat with a good CD (The Nightfly is still one of the tried and true test CD’s) and don’t adjust it unless someone complains!

One thing to avoid is trying to add any upper and lower end in rooms that have a lot of tile and/or glass. As older players playing for generally older audiences, nothing will annoy and make people struggle to have a conversation over your music more than a lot of high end pinging around the room.

If you’re struggling yourself, unless you got a big budget, a simple set of little in ear monitors can restore some clarity without breaking the bank. $30 or so will do the trick. We don’t move around much as keyboard players, so pretty easy to hardwire them to your PA’s or keyboard’s headphone out (if your keyboard has the mic in and effects).

It’s always better to have the crowd struggle to hear you than struggle to hear each other!