about
Tinnitus is the perception of sound in the absence of a corresponding external sound. Tinnitus is usually described as a ringing noise, but some subjects describe buzzing, humming, whistling, tunes, or songs. The sound perceived may range from a quiet background noise to a signal loud enough to drown out all outside sounds. Subjective tinnitus can have many different causes, but most commonly results from otologic disorders - the same conditions that cause hearing loss. The most common cause is noise induced hearing loss, resulting from exposure to excessive or loud noises. The inner ear contains many thousand minute hairs which vibrate in response to sound waves. Receptor cells (hair cells) in turn send signals to the brain which are interpreted as sound. If these hairs become damaged, through prolonged exposure to excessive volume, for instance, then deafness to certain frequencies occurs. In tinnitus, they may falsely relay information at a certain frequency that an externally audible sound is present, when it is not.
credits
from
Tapegerm Collection Vol. 4,
track released September 7, 2006
Mental Anguish: August 2006 field recordings
Hal McGee: theremin, kora, cracklebox, circuit bent electronics, electric guitar, shortwave, synth
license