uglysound wrote: Sun Feb 27, 2022 4:45 pm
When you, like me, have age/music/lifestyle-related hearing, how do you avoid fatiguing frequencies/sounds that you can't hear when playing and/or recording synthesizers/gadgets that can potentially cover a huge frequency range?
edit: I understand that this is likely resolved with EQ. Is shearing off higher frequencies less of a concern with synthesized sound that will usually require effects to create "space" anyway?
First thing is to get a hearing test to know where you're at. Accepting hearing loss is one of the brutal tragedies of aging but this is the way of things. Hoping a technological/medical fix is a possibility by the time I get there (sadly just around the corner)
There are free RTA apps on your phone to check what is being broadcast out into your acoustic environment if you want to check. They're not as accurate as you would use as a professional sound installation tech but they should be just fine to double-check your work if you're concerned.
You can also ask younger folks if they'd be willing to give a listen.
Beyond that I wouldn't stress over it too much. If you find some weird spikes w/ the rta, ask someone to give a listen and see if they wince. If you need to roll down the highs, sure do so. But if you are continuing to make music the way you always have, I wouldn't be super concerned about it.
And of course, having it professionally mastered should wipe away any concerns - and you can always ask the mastering engineer if they thought it was too harsh/bright/piercing.