Acoustic CR® Neuromodulation: Do It Yourself Guide

[Vkis]

Hi, Steve. i ve been trying for several days your tones with large brakes. only for 10-60 minutes. i wonder what scientific algorithm of it, but i found one strict logic - after 30-60 minutes of listening i get sudden splash of T which lasts for 3-7 seconds. A had such splashes earlier once a month but never new what causes them.

 

[Map]

I tried to listen to it for some time (3500 hz tone) and it definitely turns my high-pitched part of T into hiss for few minutes. If it would stay this way forever it would be great relief for me

I will try to listen to it every day now.

 

[michalCZ]

I have the same experiences as Map ( with 3500 Hz ).

 

[Steve]

The 3500Hz tone should be pretty much in line with the treatment, I get a broader and thinner noise after using the device sometimes myself. After my next appointment I'll know what group I'm in and should find out a lot more about what's supposed to be happening / what the outcome measures are. As far as I can tell, they expect you to have a change in pitch so if you can try and match your tone again it'll be interesting to see if it's moved.

Vkis, your tone sequence will probably be different to the treatment as it needs to be scaled up. I have a lot of info now from different places so pretty soon I should be able to match it much better.

 

[Map]

My pitch changes immediately after listening to several loops of these tones. My T frequency was measured to be around 3,5 Khz. I will continue to listen to this at least an hour daily and see what will happen.

I wish my T will change into this hiss permanently, not only for few minutes. This relief I am experiencing with it now really gives me great hope

 

[Steve]

I've been doing some experimentation with this and looking at the research and have come up with a different tone sequence. It's attached below. I used it yesterday for a short time and again this morning and it seems to thin out and reduce my tinnitus.

The Theory (briefly and completely an experiment and very theoretical):

ANM uses 4 tones around your central tinnitus tone to reset neurons that are mis-firing. In reality most of us have several tones, or a broad noise, and can experience different noises at times.

If this 'pure tone' stimulation is making the neurons fire as they are supposed to then it should theoretically work if we stimulate a broad range of them across our hearing, keeping enough separation to allow different neurons to fire (I think these tones are from just under 100Hz up to around 10,000Hz).

I've created a random pattern of tones on musical notes rather than using pure Hertz values as I think that our perception is well tuned to the Western music scale so will respond better. There are 5 patterns in total with the tones spaced a 4th apart (5 semitones), each pattern is pitch shifted 1 semitone so that by the end of the 5 patterns all notes on the musical scale have been played. The patterns are randomised and repeated 4 times each.

The sequence should be listened to on a loop, on headphones or earphones, reasonable quality so you can hear all tones. Volume should be relatively low, enough to be able to hear them all comfortably and where you can forget they are playing after listening for a while. Don't focus on the tones, listen to them while doing something else (work, reading etc)

The only thing with this is that it isn't to your personal audio profile, if you have a moderate or worse hearing loss in a region then you may not hear all the tones equally. If you do struggle to hear them all don't listen to it loud to try this out as that could be damaging to your hearing.

 

[unik]

I've been doing some experimentation with this and looking at the research and have come up with a different tone sequence. It's attached below. I used it yesterday for a short time and again this morning and it seems to thin out and reduce my tinnitus.

The Theory (briefly and completely an experiment and very theoretical):

ANM uses 4 tones around your central tinnitus tone to reset neurons that are mis-firing. In reality most of us have several tones, or a broad noise, and can experience different noises at times.

If this 'pure tone' stimulation is making the neurons fire as they are supposed to then it should theoretically work if we stimulate a broad range of them across our hearing, keeping enough separation to allow different neurons to fire (I think these tones are from just under 100Hz up to around 10,000Hz).

I've created a random pattern of tones on musical notes rather than using pure Hertz values as I think that our perception is well tuned to the Western music scale so will respond better. There are 5 patterns in total with the tones spaced a 4th apart (5 semitones), each pattern is pitch shifted 1 semitone so that by the end of the 5 patterns all notes on the musical scale have been played. The patterns are randomised and repeated 4 times each.

The sequence should be listened to on a loop, on headphones or earphones, reasonable quality so you can hear all tones. Volume should be relatively low, enough to be able to hear them all comfortably and where you can forget they are playing after listening for a while. Don't focus on the tones, listen to them while doing something else (work, reading etc)

The only thing with this is that it isn't to your personal audio profile, if you have a moderate or worse hearing loss in a region then you may not hear all the tones equally. If you do struggle to hear them all don't listen to it loud to try this out as that could be damaging to your hearing.

So since this is broad range of audio tones, technically it should also work for ultra high frequency T, right? I'm at around 13,500 hz and I'll give it a try later today...

 

[Map]

Thank you Steve. I tried this new musical sequence and it is working for me somehow too. Although it unfortunately doesn't change volume, it still changes tone from pitch to much tolerable buzz.

I am still in deep belief this is the way how to improve my T permanently

 

[Steve]

Unik, it may work for your high frequency but as I say this is just a theory, it's based on what I've learnt from this thread and taking part in the trial and from some trial and error with different tones. I didn't want to take the frequency any higher than it is as it's not natural to hear a tone that high unless it's part of another sound. Let me know if it doesn't work and I'll write something with some quiet, higher frequencies.

Map, that's what I found too. My T is quite bad at the minute, blocked ears, possibly hay fever, making it very loud. This sequence is bringing it down and making it more manageable.

 

[michalCZ]

Hi Steve,
could you create a sequence around 3000Hz, 4000Hz and 4500Hz, please?
I would like to compare the effects of 3500Hz, which me within one minute of listening to T change from tone to noise and lasts about five minutes.
Thanks.

 

[Aisling]

Steve is this sequence you made yourself giving you better results than the acoustic cr neuromodulation device itself

 

[Steve]

Hi Steve,
could you create a sequence around 3000Hz, 4000Hz and 4500Hz, please?
I would like to compare the effects of 3500Hz, which me within one minute of listening to T change from tone to noise and lasts about five minutes.
Thanks.

Hi Michal, I will post these soon, I just need to be sure of the sequence from the actual treatment, haven't had time to look through all of the new info and decode it yet. While you wait, download the musical neuromodulation file from earlier in this thread and try that to see if it helps.

@Aisling Yes it does work better than the ANM device for me - could just be the sensation of something new for my auditory system though. Every time I use the ANM device my tinnitus seems louder and a broader frequency, I feel as though it's brought back my hyperacusis too. If I'm on the actual treatment then it definitely isn't for me. I do a lot of music and sound projects so maybe the repetition of 4 tones over and over is not good for my brain.

 

[Aisling]

Funny you say that Steve. I am having the same results. My tinnitus seems louder, hyperacusis is back and I got more headaches. Do you think these symptoms will settle if we stop the trial?
Do you also think you could do something up for me too?

 

[jamesg]

Tone cycle for 8000 Hertz tinnitus based on the theories above. I can either mail an MP3 or if there's a way to do it embed the file for download here.

Now I've synthesised the sounds and programmed the sequence it will take a matter of minutes to do it for any tone. I'll even do a discount and charge you a mere £3500 each, can't say fairer than that eh?

Hi Steve,

Are you still doing these files for people? I found my frequency - its 8823 - is there anyway you can get an MP3 file over to me based on that frequency? Really appreciate it if you can! Thanks.

 

[jibs]

I haven't been able to do anything about this for awhile now. Been way too busy. But I have noticed my tinnitus is louder because I spent so much time focusing on the sound. It is now easier to focus on it without wanting to, making it often louder.

Going to try the new sequences though. ( sounds like techno music heh)

 

[jibs]

Does your musical modulation mask your tinnitus? With noise cancelling headphones. I can still notice mine.

 

[Steve]

Does your musical modulation mask your tinnitus? With noise cancelling headphones. I can still notice mine.

No it doesn't mask me. I do feel it suppressing my tinnitus though, that happens after a few minutes. That suppressing effect seems to last up to a couple of minutes after stopping. I'm thinking that the brain gets used to a sound easily and even though the patterns are randomised they should be in short bursts. I'm going to make up some sequences of 4 minutes of tones followed by 4 minutes of sound (something expansive and frequency rich).

Feel free to throw out a few shapes whilst listening to see if that has an effect too.

Out of curiosity, why are you using noise cancelling headphones? I ask as I bought a pair recently for the gym - they play rubbish music through bad speakers that was killing my ears. I find that after using them the intensity of my tinnitus is often lower. I had wondered about matching my tinnitus tones and playing the sound externally to see what would happen - would the noise cancelling have some weird psychoacoustic effect that reduced the intensity?

 

[jibs]

I just use them because I had access to them and figured they would be better.

But when I was listening to tones before. It was via my phone at work using earphones.

 

[jibs]

I would love to lower it. I will try it for an extended period tomorrow.
I have a defence force hearing test next Friday and if it were lowered. It would help me a lot.

 

[Steve]

I'll work up a sequence today based on the 4 minutes and post it here. What sorts of masking sounds do you find are the most soothing for you?

 

[jibs]

For 15 years I have just used a fan. That completely masks it. It is only really audible in silence. But then it is reasonably loud.

 

[michalCZ]

I have not total masking sound, I have sounds for relax, which makes my T in soft pleasant noise. Masking is only about volume sound for me. But I have been experimented only 3 months, before my T wasn´t problem ( last 5 years ).
So, my sounds for relax :
1) made in ATA website ( viz attached file )
2) running water in the bathroom
3) Steve sound for 3500Hz

It is a combination of high frequency pulses (birds singing and sound of Steve) and white (maybe pink) noise.

Combination TRT and ACRNM.

 

[jibs]

Yeah I can agree with that. Your brain does get like a tempo on a 30 second loop. I tried that mp3 you posted for an hour the other night. But didn't get much suppression out of it. I can't remember exactly because I used it before sleeping.

 

[Roy]

Hi. What is the ANM device? Is the the same thing being offered by The Tinnitus Clinic in the UK? If so, I suspect it won't work for me as I get a lot of headaches and it might make them worse.

 

[Markku]

Hi. What is the ANM device? Is the the same thing being offered by The Tinnitus Clinic in the UK? If so, I suspect it won't work for me as I get a lot of headaches and it might make them worse.

The treatment protocol is called Acoustic CR Neuromodulation.

The device using this protocol is called ANM Neurostimulator.

See: http://www.thetinnitusclinic.co.uk/tinnitus-treatment/acoustic-neuromodulation/anm-neurostimulator

 

[Roy]

Hi. An idea occurred to me. Up in the loft I have an old audio signal generator. I wondered, if I connected this to an earphone, could I find my T pitch by doing short bursts of tone until I get one that matches? Then I could use Audacity to create sequences of tone around that pitch, save it to MP3 and play it in a loop. I think my tone is about 8000 (I tried it in Audacity, but listening to a continuous 8k tone is almost painful, so it's have to be short pulses. Not sure if the experiment would be safe though. 8k is a bit near my upper hearing limit and I might be inadvertently blasting my ear with too loud a signal and not realize it. Of course, it'll be academic if the signal gen doesn't work anymore!

 

[Roy]

Hi Markku, thanks for the info.

 

[Aisling]

Roy

I am on the trial in Nottingham with the ANM device and it is giving me headaches and ear pain :-(

 

[jibs]

My ears ached a bit after using it for extended periods. You want to use it on the lowest possible volume that masks your tinnitus.

I had to stop using my phone because it had 15 volume notches and after awhile even using at the 1st notch became too loud and annoying.

 

[Edward]

Hi Steve,
Could you create a sequence for 9000Hz please? I am dying for it. I spent a lot of time and tried extremely hard and eventually I found that my T is 9000Hz. Thank you very much.