Comments on: Shopping around for vowels http://www.michaelchorost.com/blog/2008/01/26/shopping-around-for-vowels/ Michael Chorost, author of <i>Rebuilt</i>, on cochlear implants Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:27:39 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.2 By: Ulf http://www.michaelchorost.com/blog/2008/01/26/shopping-around-for-vowels/#comment-81 Ulf Mon, 28 Jan 2008 16:48:26 +0000 http://www.michaelchorost.com/blog/2008/01/26/shopping-around-for-vowels/#comment-81 Your writing these days are highly interesting! I'm learning a lot from you, and also from Jeff about the technicalities of sound (and teh workings of HI-res CI). It certainly will help me when I get there, having a decent vocabulary to describe sounds and their workings :-) I already asked a technician at the hospital if it is possible to tweak your own hearing at home, but that's a NO-NO :-) (danger of overload, and possible permanent damage to the nerves was the explanation) I also plan to purchase newer audio equipment for my PC in preparation, a music keyboard and new speakers. So I can play with the sounds before and after the implantation. (it's incredible what the PC can do with sound! Ever tried Steinberg Cubase?) Oh, and I have a suggestion for you: You write about your right ear not picking up certain parts of the words from Winnnie-the-Pooh... I think that reading out aloud and speaking to yourself could be good training... Do you do that? Did you do it to your first ear? I have noticed from reading Harry Potter-books to my son, that I also get exhausted from listening to my own voice, I think that maybe our own voice is the ultimate sound-calibration tool? We know it inside and out.... Your writing these days are highly interesting! I’m learning a lot from you, and also from Jeff about the technicalities of sound (and teh workings of HI-res CI). It certainly will help me when I get there, having a decent vocabulary to describe sounds and their workings :-)
I already asked a technician at the hospital if it is possible to tweak your own hearing at home, but that’s a NO-NO :-)
(danger of overload, and possible permanent damage to the nerves was the explanation)
I also plan to purchase newer audio equipment for my PC in preparation, a music keyboard and new speakers. So I can play with the sounds before and after the implantation. (it’s incredible what the PC can do with sound! Ever tried Steinberg Cubase?)
Oh, and I have a suggestion for you:
You write about your right ear not picking up certain parts of the words from Winnnie-the-Pooh… I think that reading out aloud and speaking to yourself could be good training… Do you do that? Did you do it to your first ear?
I have noticed from reading Harry Potter-books to my son, that I also get exhausted from listening to my own voice, I think that maybe our own voice is the ultimate sound-calibration tool? We know it inside and out….

]]> By: Michael Chorost http://www.michaelchorost.com/blog/2008/01/26/shopping-around-for-vowels/#comment-78 Michael Chorost Sun, 27 Jan 2008 21:00:51 +0000 http://www.michaelchorost.com/blog/2008/01/26/shopping-around-for-vowels/#comment-78 Glad you made that point about it not being due to the surgeon, Jeff. The cochlea is the size of a pea, and there's no way to control insertion depth precisely enough to match frequencies on both sides. Besides, there are almost surely small differences in the anatomy of each cochlea that would render such an effort moot even if it could be done. Glad you made that point about it not being due to the surgeon, Jeff. The cochlea is the size of a pea, and there’s no way to control insertion depth precisely enough to match frequencies on both sides. Besides, there are almost surely small differences in the anatomy of each cochlea that would render such an effort moot even if it could be done.

]]> By: Jeff http://www.michaelchorost.com/blog/2008/01/26/shopping-around-for-vowels/#comment-76 Jeff Sun, 27 Jan 2008 19:05:38 +0000 http://www.michaelchorost.com/blog/2008/01/26/shopping-around-for-vowels/#comment-76 One more thing: I am not implying that an sort of error was made during the surgery. As far as I know, there is currently no reliable way for the surgeon to precisely place the electrode array in relation to pitch perception. I suppose they could wake us up in the middle of surgery and ask if a particular tone sounds like an A-440, jiggling it in or out until it did -- but I'd rather not go through that :) If the brain can't quite fix it, software is the answer. My dream array would have electrodes from base to apex, and then the software would be capable of re-targeting the pitches as necessary. Interesting that Another Mike mentions vowels. Since my pitch perception is lower than what I recall as normal, I have more trouble with men's voices in general. I think it is due to the deeper vowels. They tend to get "lost" in noise easier, or mush together. But I'm still at the early stages (activated less than 2 months) and this could all change. One more thing: I am not implying that an sort of error was made during the surgery. As far as I know, there is currently no reliable way for the surgeon to precisely place the electrode array in relation to pitch perception. I suppose they could wake us up in the middle of surgery and ask if a particular tone sounds like an A-440, jiggling it in or out until it did — but I’d rather not go through that :)

If the brain can’t quite fix it, software is the answer. My dream array would have electrodes from base to apex, and then the software would be capable of re-targeting the pitches as necessary.

Interesting that Another Mike mentions vowels. Since my pitch perception is lower than what I recall as normal, I have more trouble with men’s voices in general. I think it is due to the deeper vowels. They tend to get “lost” in noise easier, or mush together. But I’m still at the early stages (activated less than 2 months) and this could all change.

]]> By: Another Mike http://www.michaelchorost.com/blog/2008/01/26/shopping-around-for-vowels/#comment-75 Another Mike Sun, 27 Jan 2008 18:28:21 +0000 http://www.michaelchorost.com/blog/2008/01/26/shopping-around-for-vowels/#comment-75 You definitely do have an electrode mismatch. Your new electrode is precurved & was not available when you first got implanted. Plus there are insertion depth issues also. This will give you the pitch mismatch Jeff described and will cause vowels to sound different. "Somehow" the brain will learn to deal with it. You definitely do have an electrode mismatch. Your new electrode is precurved & was not available when you first got implanted. Plus there are insertion depth issues also.

This will give you the pitch mismatch Jeff described and will cause vowels to sound different.

“Somehow” the brain will learn to deal with it.

]]> By: Michael Chorost http://www.michaelchorost.com/blog/2008/01/26/shopping-around-for-vowels/#comment-74 Michael Chorost Sun, 27 Jan 2008 17:52:29 +0000 http://www.michaelchorost.com/blog/2008/01/26/shopping-around-for-vowels/#comment-74 Steve, that's a very interesting question, and Jeff's thoughts on it are to the point. I wouldn't be surprised if the brain could adjust - my own voice went from sounding scratchy to sounding deep within a day after my first activation in 2001. I never thought about the possibility of a mismatch. But since there's nothing I can do about the electrode placement, I'm marching on. :-) Steve, that’s a very interesting question, and Jeff’s thoughts on it are to the point. I wouldn’t be surprised if the brain could adjust - my own voice went from sounding scratchy to sounding deep within a day after my first activation in 2001.

I never thought about the possibility of a mismatch. But since there’s nothing I can do about the electrode placement, I’m marching on. :-)

]]> By: Jeff http://www.michaelchorost.com/blog/2008/01/26/shopping-around-for-vowels/#comment-73 Jeff Sun, 27 Jan 2008 17:22:27 +0000 http://www.michaelchorost.com/blog/2008/01/26/shopping-around-for-vowels/#comment-73 Steve: Insertion depth in relation to pitch perception is something I am very interested in -- hence my question for Mike. I discussed some of the issues in a recent entry in my blog. Current CI programming software does not have the capability to adjust the center frequencies of the electrodes to correct pitch perception. I am investigating why not, but I believe one reason is that there is some evidence that the brain can adjust on its own. But if it doesn't, there is no reason why a feature to adjust it in software could not be added in the future. There are already frequency compression hearing aids that transpose pitches. Even though I am not bilateral, I strongly suspect this issue could be of importance to those that are. Steve: Insertion depth in relation to pitch perception is something I am very interested in — hence my question for Mike. I discussed some of the issues in a recent entry in my blog. Current CI programming software does not have the capability to adjust the center frequencies of the electrodes to correct pitch perception. I am investigating why not, but I believe one reason is that there is some evidence that the brain can adjust on its own. But if it doesn’t, there is no reason why a feature to adjust it in software could not be added in the future. There are already frequency compression hearing aids that transpose pitches. Even though I am not bilateral, I strongly suspect this issue could be of importance to those that are.

]]> By: Steve http://www.michaelchorost.com/blog/2008/01/26/shopping-around-for-vowels/#comment-65 Steve Sun, 27 Jan 2008 07:04:11 +0000 http://www.michaelchorost.com/blog/2008/01/26/shopping-around-for-vowels/#comment-65 I just started wondering something else. Since 2001, your brain has been accustomed to the electrode's insertion in the left at a specific depth (knowing that deeper or shallower even a single millimeter can have a significant effect on the perception of sound). If, therefore, the electrode in the <i>right</i> has been inserted at a slightly different depth as compared to the left, then perhaps that makes it a whole new ballgame for your brain to deal with. I just started wondering something else. Since 2001, your brain has been accustomed to the electrode’s insertion in the left at a specific depth (knowing that deeper or shallower even a single millimeter can have a significant effect on the perception of sound). If, therefore, the electrode in the right has been inserted at a slightly different depth as compared to the left, then perhaps that makes it a whole new ballgame for your brain to deal with.

]]> By: Zahra http://www.michaelchorost.com/blog/2008/01/26/shopping-around-for-vowels/#comment-64 Zahra Sun, 27 Jan 2008 06:10:10 +0000 http://www.michaelchorost.com/blog/2008/01/26/shopping-around-for-vowels/#comment-64 Michael, Wow! How can you write this blog with ease in elaborating and describing what you are hearing and feeling? I'm a writer as well, but it boggles my mind– creative blockage as they say. Regardless, I'm going bilateral on Feb 5th, my activation day. (Yep, I got my second ear implanted on Jan 10th) Well then, keep in touch! I was this wheatish-complexion young lady you met at Gallaudet, and we spoke of our deafness to starting a book. Hope you remember me! Zahra Michael,

Wow! How can you write this blog with ease in elaborating and describing what you are hearing and feeling? I’m a writer as well, but it boggles my mind– creative blockage as they say. Regardless, I’m going bilateral on Feb 5th, my activation day. (Yep, I got my second ear implanted on Jan 10th)

Well then, keep in touch! I was this wheatish-complexion young lady you met at Gallaudet, and we spoke of our deafness to starting a book. Hope you remember me!

Zahra

]]> By: Heidi http://www.michaelchorost.com/blog/2008/01/26/shopping-around-for-vowels/#comment-63 Heidi Sun, 27 Jan 2008 00:05:44 +0000 http://www.michaelchorost.com/blog/2008/01/26/shopping-around-for-vowels/#comment-63 Wow, Mike, you have been busy writing about your experiences going bilateral. I sure enjoyed reading it all and of your speculations why your new ear isn't up to par yet even though all of your electrodes are firing. You have a way of putting things into words that I haven't been able to articulate. By the way, great choice to read a selection from Winnie-the-Pooh! :-) Wow, Mike, you have been busy writing about your experiences going bilateral. I sure enjoyed reading it all and of your speculations why your new ear isn’t up to par yet even though all of your electrodes are firing. You have a way of putting things into words that I haven’t been able to articulate. By the way, great choice to read a selection from Winnie-the-Pooh! :-)

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