how to "neutralize" the hearing (in between a break of) a listening session

[tomster777]

hi, one small question, my media-"mega-pro" skilled friends , do you know how to kinda "neutralize" the hearing (in between a break of) a listening session? am helping one friend of mine, @ his graduation-thesis in music science+ psychology (@ humboldt-univ., berlin); am making some beats for him+ then he will do some field study with people, who listen up to 3 hours to the beats+ who describe, what they feel @ each beat... (& in between the breaks they should kinda neutralize their ears...) many thanks in advance, best regards+blessingx, tom (P.S.: do you do the neutralizing best with "white noise/ pink noise/ classical music...? have heard that e.g. @ a perfume-testing session the people will get coffee powder for neutralizing their noses...)
many thx in advance 4 answering :-)


digi rack 003+, PreSonus FirePod, mac pro 8-core, Logic 9, Cubase artist 6, Waves bundle, sony condenser mic...

[jimmys69]

I find silence to work best. :D

[Ripeart]

I wholeheartedly agree with silence. Add time. I take 20 minutes every couple of hours to get my ears back home. It's also important to remove yourself from the listening area as your ears and your mind become accustomed to the acoustic properties of that space.

[Mo Facta]

I take a walk in the garden and get some sunshine on my face. Sometimes I listen to my mixes as I'm putting them down from just outside the control room door.

Cheers

[JohnTodd]

Natural sounds help me quite a bit. Birds chirping, wind blowing through trees. The fresh air helps cleanse the mind.

Of course, that's all hard to find in the city. Silence is golden there.

But definitely get out of the studio - even if it's just to go out on the porch or out back, even in the city. Get away from the worksite for a while. A change of venue helps a lot.

[MadMax]

You might already be aware, but the "hair cells" in the ear need time to decompress. Especially after being exposed to repetitive frequencies for a prolonged period of time.

Silence is the most effective method, but I agree that just a change to a quieter non-musical environment is preferred over something like a change to a different musical environment; such as listening to soft background level music.

Noise canceling headphones in a different room could be a good choice, if you can't get to a quiet room.

There is a psychological component of changing environments that comes into play as well... and getting outside to fresh air, moving to a room that is the opposite environment to the listening environment can also be a big influence.