Do both of your ears sound alike?

[top_ape]

I almost always end up switching the L/R once or twice when I'm mixing, and I'm continually surprised at how things sound subtly different in each of my ears. In my right ear things are just a tad less present, and I tend to mix just a bit brighter and louder on that side sometimes (this is much much more true on headphones than speakers).

Anyone else ever notice this? It freaks me out a little, like a very obvious reminder that some damage has already occurred.

[Snarl 12/8]

That's one of those things that only freaks me out once I notice it (again). I'm not so sure it's damage. Try it with your eyes. Mine are both different. So are my breasts, etc.

Human symmetry is a myth.

I've come to wonder if our ears are hooked up to different sides of our brain the way our hands, feet, etc. are. Maybe one ear is better for some shit and your other is better at other shit. Try to enjoy being a primate as best you can.

[sessionsatstudiom]

I almost always end up switching the L/R once or twice when I'm mixing, and I'm continually surprised at how things sound subtly different in each of my ears. In my right ear things are just a tad less present, and I tend to mix just a bit brighter and louder on that side sometimes (this is much much more true on headphones than speakers).

Anyone else ever notice this? It freaks me out a little, like a very obvious reminder that some damage has already occurred.

Do you drive with your windows down? Do you wear earplugs when you play your instrument? Are both your ears exactly the same?

These can be a few of the differences in symmetrical hearing. Many people do not realize the hearing damage that can come from driving with a window down.

Mike

[groover]

I notice I have a definite bias about which side I pan things to in a mix. I don't really think it has much to do with symmetrical hearing. It feels more akin to the way we read from left to right in this culture. Sometimes I purposely change things up, but when I do I always feel like the mix feels less natural.

This reminds me of something a vocal teacher* I had years ago said - "Be
careful not to confuse a style and a rut."

*Apologies for not remembering his name.

[themagicmanmdt]

yes, noticably so, but not so much that things tend to sound lopsided.

i definitely pick out when L/R is reversed, not necessarily b/c i'm used to guitar or etc being on this side or that of the stereo system, but that the tone is different than i'm used to.

however -

i tend to not think of it dispelling the importance of treating stereo as being matched - since i know and my ears know what stereo is to me, and what creating that '3d' soundfield is as well.

then again, my ears aren't too off that I feel a big big dissimilarity between L/R that it hampers my engineering, or causes me to do a little corrective EQ for the left over the right.

actually, that's the big thing -

my right ear is a little dull in comparison to the left.

i have a feeling it's due to talking on the phone.

it's all relative - so i 'calibrate' my ears to the room/mix/system, and still present matched stereo to that. i do rely on electronically proved matched pairs (or super close) to make sure my ears don't skew things up for the rest of us.

but, i still rely on my ears and my ears alone.

[fossiltooth]

No one hear ears identically out of both ears. But most people don't listen well enough to notice. The same is true with our eyes - most people see a little more blue out of one eye and more red out of the other

I hear a little more high-end in my left ear than my right. It can subtly effect my panning decisions in headphones, so if I use cans while mixing, I make sure to listen to the cans turned each way.

On speakers, it's less apparent, but I almost always tune my speaker gains by ear before mixing to make sure I have a solid center image. Subtle stuff: We're talking about 1, 1.5 db one way or the other.

We all have this to some degree or another. Whether its enough to notice, and whether you choose to account for it in the process is up to you.

[maggot]

Excellent question. Mine sound different. They have different E.Q.s. Different hearing damage from my 20s(which side was the Twin Reverb on and which side had the ultra-loud drummer? Can't remember....)? Maybe. When I'm mixing on headphones I have to turn them around backwards from time to time.

[vvv]

My left ear "sounds" a little deeper - definitely loss of highs for various reasons, including I always play stage right ...

And my left mang-breast may be a little bigger.

[A.David.MacKinnon]

Both ears sound very different. it's just one of those things

[mjau]

Yup, I've definitely noticed both a difference between ears, and a bias when panning.

[drumsound]

My ears are totally different. Driving with the window open and drumming are probably why.

[top_ape]

It's interesting to me that of 3 of the 4 people who specified (myself included) it was the right ear that seemed more dull. Someone suggested talking on the phone as a cause and I have to admit that sounds plausible, except that I more often find myself using the left. Same with driving with the window open.

This is not to discount simple inherent differences of course. I imagine it must be some combination of the two.

I was thinking though, it actually FEELs like a bigger problem than it is, when swapping L/R, because if I've mixed the R just a tad brighter due to duller perception on that side, when I switch I'm now hearing a brighter mix in my "bright ear" and a duller mix in my already dull ear - so the effect is actually doubled.

That made me feel better. Also, hearing that a bunch of other people all have the same issue and deal with it in the same ways.

[JM56]

Each ear is different in shape, externally and internally, hence freq differences.

And no mixing/listening space is symetrical. So, some differences can actually be the room,,,furniture, lava lamp placement,...

Recently I noticed a slight difference. Turned out to be a connector in the patch panel. A little cleaning and the right channel was not as "dull."

And headphones also have differences.

To compensate:

First mix in mono: been told by the big boys to do this for years

Often swap L/R: Panipulator is your friend: small, can be used on many channels, quick toggling


Eyes are also different. More red (warmth) in my right eye. Difficult to swap L/R quickly to verify proper 3D imaging.

I wonder if freq responses of eyes and ears somehow corrolate.

J

[stylus flanger]

from wiki:

Hearing-

Owls exhibit specialized hearing functions and ear shapes that also aid in hunting. They are often noted for the asymmetrical ear placements on the skull in some genera. Owls can have either internal or external ears, but the genera exhibiting asymmetrical ear geometry only have external ear placements. Asymmetry has not been reported to extend to the middle or internal ear of the owl. The asymmetrical ear placement on the skull allows the owl to pinpoint the location of its prey. This is especially true with the strictly nocturnal species such as the barn owls Tyto or Tengmalm?s Owl.[17] With the ears set at different places on the skull, the owl is able to determine the direction in which the sound is coming from by the minute difference in time that it takes for the sound waves to penetrate the left and right ear.[citation needed] The owl turns its head until the sound reaches both ears simultaneously, at which point it is directly facing the source of the sound. This time difference between ears is a matter of about 0.00003 seconds, or 30 millionths of a second. In coordination with this left to right calibration, some owls (like the barn owl) have slightly asymmetrical ears up and down that allow the owl to recognize whether the sound being received is higher or lower in vertical space by the volume of the sound in each ear. If the sound is louder in the ear facing more upwards, then the prey is higher up than the owl?s focus.[20] Like the eyes, that utilize feather movements to focus light, the ears are surrounded by feathers to maximize hearing capabilities. Behind the ear openings there are modified, dense feathers which are densely packed to form facial ruff which creates an anteriorly-facing concave wall which cups the sound into the ear structure.[21] This facial ruff is poorly defined in some species and yet prominent and nearly encircling the face in other species. The facial disk also acts to direct sound into the ears and a downward-facing, sharply triangular beak allows for little sound reflection away from the face. The shape of the facial disk is able to be adjusted at will to focus sounds more effectively.[17] Owls have an audible range similar to that of humans, but are far more acute to certain frequencies which allow it to detect even the slightest movements of its prey. Once the owl has determined the location of its prey, it flies towards it according to the last sound perceived. If the prey moves, the owl is able to adjust its flight pattern mid-flight.[20]

[MisterMark]

I think the phase in my left ear is inverted.