Tinnitus from the Rev2?

[synthetic]

I got the Rev2-8 module 2 weeks ago and have been playing it frequently on headphones at 40% volume.

In the past couple of days, my right ear has become very sensitive to sound and is experiencing constant tinnitus (like the light hiss of a vinyl player). I've experienced tinnitus after gigs before, but never anything this sensitive and easily triggered. I'm concerned that the Rev2's range (especially the inaudible frequencies) is doing damage.

Is there something about the Rev2 that makes its sound more damaging to the ear than other instruments? Does it have a higher frequency range? I've noticed it being called harsh and bright by other players.

I've been playing synthesizers for over 3 years (Sub37, SH01A, Lyra8) and other instruments (guitar / piano) for 20 years, so I'm not new to audio control.

Any feedback would be much appreciated.

[jok3r]

I got the Rev2-8 module 2 weeks ago and have been playing it frequently on headphones at 40% volume.

In the past couple of days, my right ear has become very sensitive to sound and is experiencing constant tinnitus (like the light hiss of a vinyl player). I've experienced tinnitus after gigs before, but never anything this sensitive and easily triggered. I'm concerned that the Rev2's range (especially the inaudible frequencies) is doing damage.

Is there something about the Rev2 that makes its sound more damaging to the ear than other instruments? Does it have a higher frequency range? I've noticed it being called harsh and bright by other players.

I've been playing synthesizers for over 3 years (Sub37, SH01A, Lyra8) and other instruments (guitar / piano) for 20 years, so I'm not new to audio control.

Any feedback would be much appreciated.

I don't think that has something to do with the Rev2. Sometimes I play it on headphones for hours (when my wife is asleep) and most of the time the master volume is higher than 40%. But master volume levels don't say much, because different headphones will result in different loudness.

I played a lot of gigs the last 10 years myself and yes, before using in-ear monitoring, I had problems with tinnitus after shows, too, so I know what tinnitus sounds and feels like. I never had such problems when using my Rev2 on headphones.

Perhaps your ear canal is inflamed. That can result in higher sensitivity when listening over headphones... an experience I also made myself 

[synthetic]

Thanks for your reply. Yeah I think it could be the prolonged exposure to the synth. I was playing most evenings with AKG 271 closed cup headphones. All those bright voices vs what I'm used (a growling sub37) 

I remember reading somewhere that the Rev2's frequency range and bit rate is higher than other synths (reddit I think) but I can't verify it anywhere.

[skipgilles]

I had the same in the first weeks I owned it, but the same happened with another synth in the first weeks I owned it. I do not need to tell you that the range of sounds is so large with such a versatile synthesizer, that you can produce sounds that do not seem to sound loud, although they actually are. Just be very careful; good that you notice it.

Headphones are really a bit dangerous. I try to play over speakers as much as I can. Sometimes I do a test when taking a break to the bathroom or so: I turn on some sequence or arpeggiator before the break at a level that I find acceptable. When I return to the instrument, I listen how loud it now seems. Sometimes, this really shocks me.

The chances you really messed up your ears in such a short period of time is not that large. In my case, the tinnitus  went away in a couple of weeks (!). You probably also know that tinnitus has many causes, including psychological ones. I have also experienced in times where I did a lot of patch tweaking, the sounds just pop up "singing" in my head, as if I hear them.

[Sacred Synthesis]

Combining the frequency range of synthesizers and head phones for long periods of time is asking for trouble.  But after a mere two weeks, it does seem unlikely you've done serious or permanent damage to your ears.

Not to be flippant, but don't discount the possibility of sinus problems.  They can cause anything from temporary dullness of hearing to tooth aches.

[maxter]

Pure speculation and my subjective experiences:

IF the Rev2 indeed has a particularly high frequency range, then your headphones could be "adding" to it (ie not subtracting, that is). AKG K271 range up to 28khz, which is quite high. I use AKG K702 from time to time, which range up to around 40khz, and my ears definitely get more fatigued in a short period of time, compared to other headphones. It's like the sound is more "crystal clear" with all the added overtones, but not something our ears are used to for longer periods. And when coming from a synthesizer such as the Rev2, I suspect the energy in that top-end may be a lot higher, and a more persistant/steady load (both frequency- and energywise) to the ears, than various natural sounds we would encounter in a natural everyday life (like birds etc).

It is, after all, "synthetic".

I have a very minor tinnitus mostly, but it varies a lot, and things can trigger it. Like when recycling glass bottles, that breaking glass-on-glass sound has really high frequencies and power too. It kind of "hurts" if I don't use protection, and can trigger my tinnitus.

I'm glad to hear that you take this issue seriously, in good time. I don't think you've damaged anything permanently either, I think/hope it's more a kind of "straining" of the ears due to the high frequencies exposure. Play it safe! Perhaps try to vary between a different pair of headphones if you can, and if they don't range above 20khz then any frequencies the Rev2 produces above that should be cut, more or less.

[AlainHubert]

Trying to put the blame on a particular synth for your tinnitus is rather silly. Any loud sound can cause this, not only synths. Ask any drummer, or guitarist. Even singers can cause themselves hearing damage, just ask Brian Johnson of AC/DC.

I've been playing drums for decades, but always with hearing protection because I know how sneaky hearing loss, and hearing problems, in general, can be. You don't notice it, and gradually you raise the audio level in your headphones a little more each day, until it's too late.

Best advice I can give you would be to go see an ENT specialist as soon as possible to identify the problem before it gets worse.
In the meantime, I would suggest avoiding loud sounds, and lowering the audio level in headphones.

[synthetic]

I had the same in the first weeks I owned it, but the same happened with another synth in the first weeks I owned it. I do not need to tell you that the range of sounds is so large with such a versatile synthesizer, that you can produce sounds that do not seem to sound loud, although they actually are. Just be very careful; good that you notice it.

Headphones are really a bit dangerous. I try to play over speakers as much as I can. Sometimes I do a test when taking a break to the bathroom or so: I turn on some sequence or arpeggiator before the break at a level that I find acceptable. When I return to the instrument, I listen how loud it now seems. Sometimes, this really shocks me.

The chances you really messed up your ears in such a short period of time is not that large. In my case, the tinnitus  went away in a couple of weeks (!). You probably also know that tinnitus has many causes, including psychological ones. I have also experienced in times where I did a lot of patch tweaking, the sounds just pop up "singing" in my head, as if I hear them.

Thanks, appreciate your feedback. Not realising the loudness after playing for some time makes a lot of sense to me.

[synthetic]

Combining the frequency range of synthesizers and head phones for long periods of time is asking for trouble.  But after a mere two weeks, it does seem unlikely you've done serious or permanent damage to your ears.

Not to be flippant, but don't discount the possibility of sinus problems.  They can cause anything from temporary dullness of hearing to tooth aches.

Appreciate your contribution. I'll be using headphones just for reference only from now on it seems!

[synthetic]

Pure speculation and my subjective experiences:

IF the Rev2 indeed has a particularly high frequency range, then your headphones could be "adding" to it (ie not subtracting, that is). AKG K271 range up to 28khz, which is quite high. I use AKG K702 from time to time, which range up to around 40khz, and my ears definitely get more fatigued in a short period of time, compared to other headphones. It's like the sound is more "crystal clear" with all the added overtones, but not something our ears are used to for longer periods. And when coming from a synthesizer such as the Rev2, I suspect the energy in that top-end may be a lot higher, and a more persistant/steady load (both frequency- and energywise) to the ears, than various natural sounds we would encounter in a natural everyday life (like birds etc).

It is, after all, "synthetic".

I have a very minor tinnitus mostly, but it varies a lot, and things can trigger it. Like when recycling glass bottles, that breaking glass-on-glass sound has really high frequencies and power too. It kind of "hurts" if I don't use protection, and can trigger my tinnitus.

I'm glad to hear that you take this issue seriously, in good time. I don't think you've damaged anything permanently either, I think/hope it's more a kind of "straining" of the ears due to the high frequencies exposure. Play it safe! Perhaps try to vary between a different pair of headphones if you can, and if they don't range above 20khz then any frequencies the Rev2 produces above that should be cut, more or less.

Thanks Maxter, this is really useful info, especially on the headphones. 'Strain' is also my hope but going to check with a medical pro to be safe. I'll definitely be using headphones more sporadically / wearing some ear plugs. It's likely that I've been hurting my ears for weeks with the constant high frequencies / headphone but only started feeling the effects recently.

[synthetic]

Trying to put the blame on a particular synth for your tinnitus is rather silly. Any loud sound can cause this, not only synths. Ask any drummer, or guitarist. Even singers can cause themselves hearing damage, just ask Brian Johnson of AC/DC.

I've been playing drums for decades, but always with hearing protection because I know how sneaky hearing loss, and hearing problems, in general, can be. You don't notice it, and gradually you raise the audio level in your headphones a little more each day, until it's too late.

Best advice I can give you would be to go see an ENT specialist as soon as possible to identify the problem before it gets worse.
In the meantime, I would suggest avoiding loud sounds, and lowering the audio level in headphones.

I agree with you in general. I suppose I want to rule out all potential factors. Like you, I've been playing in loud environments for years (guitarist / singer in a rock band), mostly with ear protection, and seemed to have avoided any lasting issues to date.

I did think I was playing synths at very reasonable volumes. But I think a combo of playing regularly, with high-range headphones, and getting used to the Rev-2's filters has exposed me to potentially damaging sounds. I don't think there is a problem with the Rev-2 in itself, but in comparison to my other synths, it's definitely much brighter and seems to have a higher frequency range with the filter open, than say, the Sub37.

What I'm saying is I've been doing something wrong. I thinker's just that the Rev-2 ultimately caused me to notice it because of its dynamics (8 voices, two sounds at once in split mode, 8 simultaneous voices in stacked mode, playing into headphones for long, regular periods).

[LPF83]

Trying to put the blame on a particular synth for your tinnitus is rather silly. Any loud sound can cause this, not only synths. Ask any drummer, or guitarist. Even singers can cause themselves hearing damage, just ask Brian Johnson of AC/DC.

I've been playing drums for decades, but always with hearing protection because I know how sneaky hearing loss, and hearing problems, in general, can be. You don't notice it, and gradually you raise the audio level in your headphones a little more each day, until it's too late.

Best advice I can give you would be to go see an ENT specialist as soon as possible to identify the problem before it gets worse.
In the meantime, I would suggest avoiding loud sounds, and lowering the audio level in headphones.

I agree with you in general. I suppose I want to rule out all potential factors. Like you, I've been playing in loud environments for years (guitarist / singer in a rock band), mostly with ear protection, and seemed to have avoided any lasting issues to date.

I did think I was playing synths at very reasonable volumes. But I think a combo of playing regularly, with high-range headphones, and getting used to the Rev-2's filters has exposed me to potentially damaging sounds. I don't think there is a problem with the Rev-2 in itself, but in comparison to my other synths, it's definitely much brighter and seems to have a higher frequency range with the filter open, than say, the Sub37.

What I'm saying is I've been doing something wrong. I thinker's just that the Rev-2 ultimately caused me to notice it because of its dynamics (8 voices, two sounds at once in split mode, 8 simultaneous voices in stacked mode, playing into headphones for long, regular periods).

I think its not something to be ignored.  I think the human body (ears in this case) have a way of telling us when enough is too much, and we should not ignore what our body is telling us.  It sounds like your ears are telling you to scale back, either on volume or frequency.  The overall "listen to your body" spiel comes from somewhat of a fitness nut (who has learned this lesson the hardware on other body areas), and has learned to live by the rule "everything in moderation, including moderation itself".

I grew up in a family of professional musicians with ear-damaging sources all around me, including being woken up so my (singer) mom could drive to pick up my dad at the club he had been gigging (lead guitarist, never a keyboard guy), and sitting in the club until he got off work..  This was in the 70's but I can remember sitting not all that far from the stage near closing time, maybe at age 4, at 1am thinking if my mom knew what the noise was doing to my hearing (not to mention the second hand smoke giving me ear infections), she would be shedding a tear.  Great mom but people didn't get it then.. I don't want to paint a bad pic of my parents (they were awesome, they were just both entertainers and this was how things were in that day).

I realized my hearing sucked when I was maybe 12.  It wasn't until I was old enough to escape the smoky household and go to college that the chronic ear infections really subsided.  I was already about 2 years into synthesis and way longer than that into inordinately loud music.

In other words, I couldn't hear like a 15 year old when I was 15.   Oddly, and despite many decades of loud music -- not only from synthesizers but because I enjoy running/working out and listening to all sorts of loud music with earbuds when I do.... I can say in my early 50s I can hear about the same as I did when I was 12.  Maybe a little better, because I really learned to take care of my health as I got older and on my own, which I think has resulted in a number of health improvements.

This thread freaked me out a little, because I use headphones all the time when I'm in the home studio... my girlfriend lives with me and I don't want to hear her complain, so I only use the monitors when really refining a mix.  I downloaded an iPhone app to measure the dbs coming through my headphones.  Looks like in the 70-75db range. 

Maybe that's damaging "long term", but jeez, what is the definition of long-term?  Or, has old age just forced me to believe that volume as being loud as hell when its really quiet to others?

Back to the Rev2 for a moment -- I think it does tend to have a big dynamic range for some reason, some of the patches (both factory and aftermarket) sometimes seem to clip at times they shouldn't... or maybe they should and it's just the matter of adjustments I need to do and not enough care to each patch by the designer? 

I dunno.  But I would say listen to your body, above all.  It matters way more than Internet advice (if you can pardon the irony).

[Jason]

I've been able to play a lot more music over the last seven months, which has been wonderful... except that my tinnitus has gotten noticeably worse. I had pretty normal hearing at 40, but now at 51, I'm definitely losing some, especially in one ear. While the tests aren't conclusive, I probably have something called otosclerosis in that ear, and it will probably get worse. It can be helped with hearing aids and especially with surgery, but 1-3% of the people who have the surgery lose their hearing in that ear... which is terrifying. (No more stereo.) My hearing isn't bad enough to get hearing aids, but the tinnitus is increasingly bothersome. When it gets bad, it can be quite stressful... which then makes the tinnitus worse. There is definitely a coloration with stress. My hearing troubles started when I was going through an especially stressful time during my divorce. (On the other hand, I was in my 40's, which is when tinnitus tends to start.) Your post has me thinking about my headphone use. Music sounds so much better when it is turned up a bit, and it's very easy for things to get too loud through the headphones. I think practicing is something to be done in private, but I should probably use the speakers more. That way, when it gets too loud, my wife will tell me.

[synthetic]

Trying to put the blame on a particular synth for your tinnitus is rather silly. Any loud sound can cause this, not only synths. Ask any drummer, or guitarist. Even singers can cause themselves hearing damage, just ask Brian Johnson of AC/DC.

I've been playing drums for decades, but always with hearing protection because I know how sneaky hearing loss, and hearing problems, in general, can be. You don't notice it, and gradually you raise the audio level in your headphones a little more each day, until it's too late.

Best advice I can give you would be to go see an ENT specialist as soon as possible to identify the problem before it gets worse.
In the meantime, I would suggest avoiding loud sounds, and lowering the audio level in headphones.

I agree with you in general. I suppose I want to rule out all potential factors. Like you, I've been playing in loud environments for years (guitarist / singer in a rock band), mostly with ear protection, and seemed to have avoided any lasting issues to date.

I did think I was playing synths at very reasonable volumes. But I think a combo of playing regularly, with high-range headphones, and getting used to the Rev-2's filters has exposed me to potentially damaging sounds. I don't think there is a problem with the Rev-2 in itself, but in comparison to my other synths, it's definitely much brighter and seems to have a higher frequency range with the filter open, than say, the Sub37.

What I'm saying is I've been doing something wrong. I thinker's just that the Rev-2 ultimately caused me to notice it because of its dynamics (8 voices, two sounds at once in split mode, 8 simultaneous voices in stacked mode, playing into headphones for long, regular periods).

I think its not something to be ignored.  I think the human body (ears in this case) have a way of telling us when enough is too much, and we should not ignore what our body is telling us.  It sounds like your ears are telling you to scale back, either on volume or frequency.  The overall "listen to your body" spiel comes from somewhat of a fitness nut (who has learned this lesson the hardware on other body areas), and has learned to live by the rule "everything in moderation, including moderation itself".

I grew up in a family of professional musicians with ear-damaging sources all around me, including being woken up so my (singer) mom could drive to pick up my dad at the club he had been gigging (lead guitarist, never a keyboard guy), and sitting in the club until he got off work..  This was in the 70's but I can remember sitting not all that far from the stage near closing time, maybe at age 4, at 1am thinking if my mom knew what the noise was doing to my hearing (not to mention the second hand smoke giving me ear infections), she would be shedding a tear.  Great mom but people didn't get it then.. I don't want to paint a bad pic of my parents (they were awesome, they were just both entertainers and this was how things were in that day).

I realized my hearing sucked when I was maybe 12.  It wasn't until I was old enough to escape the smoky household and go to college that the chronic ear infections really subsided.  I was already about 2 years into synthesis and way longer than that into inordinately loud music.

In other words, I couldn't hear like a 15 year old when I was 15.   Oddly, and despite many decades of loud music -- not only from synthesizers but because I enjoy running/working out and listening to all sorts of loud music with earbuds when I do.... I can say in my early 50s I can hear about the same as I did when I was 12.  Maybe a little better, because I really learned to take care of my health as I got older and on my own, which I think has resulted in a number of health improvements.

This thread freaked me out a little, because I use headphones all the time when I'm in the home studio... my girlfriend lives with me and I don't want to hear her complain, so I only use the monitors when really refining a mix.  I downloaded an iPhone app to measure the dbs coming through my headphones.  Looks like in the 70-75db range. 

Maybe that's damaging "long term", but jeez, what is the definition of long-term?  Or, has old age just forced me to believe that volume as being loud as hell when its really quiet to others?

Back to the Rev2 for a moment -- I think it does tend to have a big dynamic range for some reason, some of the patches (both factory and aftermarket) sometimes seem to clip at times they shouldn't... or maybe they should and it's just the matter of adjustments I need to do and not enough care to each patch by the designer? 

I dunno.  But I would say listen to your body, above all.  It matters way more than Internet advice (if you can pardon the irony).

Appreciate you sharing your story. I'm glad you were able to retain good hearing despite the early exposure.

Will definitely be listening to my body. The problem with ears is that unlike muscles they don't immediately tell you when you're hurting them! I just need to build more precautions into my playing / listening. My wife is not a fan of my "sound design process" but I'll be relying more on my monitors at low volumes from now on. Probably won't play intensively for longer than 30 mins at a time either... I love getting lost in an instrument, but it has been to my detriment with headphones.

[synthetic]

I've been able to play a lot more music over the last seven months, which has been wonderful... except that my tinnitus has gotten noticeably worse. I had pretty normal hearing at 40, but now at 51, I'm definitely losing some, especially in one ear. While the tests aren't conclusive, I probably have something called otosclerosis in that ear, and it will probably get worse. It can be helped with hearing aids and especially with surgery, but 1-3% of the people who have the surgery lose their hearing in that ear... which is terrifying. (No more stereo.) My hearing isn't bad enough to get hearing aids, but the tinnitus is increasingly bothersome. When it gets bad, it can be quite stressful... which then makes the tinnitus worse. There is definitely a coloration with stress. My hearing troubles started when I was going through an especially stressful time during my divorce. (On the other hand, I was in my 40's, which is when tinnitus tends to start.) Your post has me thinking about my headphone use. Music sounds so much better when it is turned up a bit, and it's very easy for things to get too loud through the headphones. I think practicing is something to be done in private, but I should probably use the speakers more. That way, when it gets too loud, my wife will tell me.

Thanks for sharing! I know someone who has had success with the modern hearing aid tech. They're pretty discreet now, and do compensate well it seems. A good option if surgery is your last resort.

I think my closed cup headphones are a factor for sure. All those frequencies with little leakage from the cup. Basically beating up my ear drum!

Got a hearing test. My ear drum looks a little dull, and there has been some low frequency loss, but don't know yet if it's temporary or a recent issue. All I know is my right ear has been ringing for 2 weeks now, but I've given music a rest and have felt gradual improvements. So hard not to go back to them!

The "spousal synth tolerance" in my house is very low, so I may to have sound proof the door to my room to get away with playing at all 😅

[Sacred Synthesis]

During my twenties, I played in a three-piece progressive rock band that practiced in our basement.  The drummer, who had an immense set, was stationed immediately to my right.  For several years, my right ear was subjected to crashing cymbals for hours at a time, as well as to the other music coming out of our PA.  After band practices, my hearing would be dull even into the next day.  I eventually suffered from excrutiating ear aches that were especially triggered by certain electronic tones.  Specific frequencies - and especially the Hammond Organ! - could trigger such an ear ache in a minute.  They could get so bad that I literally wouldn't be able to turn my head, and the right side of my neck would be unusually warm to the touch.  This persisted for about twenty years.  But changing from rock musician to church organist had a saving long-term effect; it preserved my hearing, thank God!  Now I'm fine.  No more ear aches, not even from synthesizers.  But I don't play very loud, nor do I use head phones.  When I do have to use head phones for other purposes, I use a very small and cheap set that has never caused me ear pain because the small cushions don't touch the nerves around the ear.  I'll leave a link to it below.

I would say, radically change your behavior now and you might be able to nip the problem in the bud.  Ignore it, and you might be preparing a very quiet future for yourself.

Head phones:

https://www.amazon.com/Koss-KTXPRO1-Titanium-Portable-Headphones/dp/B00007056H/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=titanium+headphones&qid=1604185938&sr=8-4

[synthetic]

During my twenties, I played in a three-piece progressive rock band that practiced in our basement.  The drummer, who had an immense set, was stationed immediately to my right.  For several years, my right ear was subjected to crashing cymbals for hours at a time, as well as to the other music coming out of our PA.  After band practices, my hearing would be dull even into the next day.  I eventually suffered from excrutiating ear aches that were especially triggered by certain electronic tones.  Specific frequencies - and especially the Hammond Organ! - could trigger such an ear ache in a minute.  They could get so bad that I literally wouldn't be able to turn my head, and the right side of my neck would be unusually warm to the touch.  This persisted for about twenty years.  But changing from rock musician to church organist had a saving long-term effect; it preserved my hearing, thank God.  Now I'm fine.  No more ear aches, not even from synthesizers.  But I don't play very loud, nor do I use head phones.  When I do have to use head phones for other purposes, I use a very small and cheap set that has never caused me ear pain because the cushion does,'t touch the nerves around the ear.  I'll leave a link to it below.

I would say, radically change your behavior now and you might be able to nip the problem in the bud.  Ignore it, and you might be preparing a very quiet future for yourself.

Head phones:

https://www.amazon.com/Koss-KTXPRO1-Titanium-Portable-Headphones/dp/B00007056H/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=titanium+headphones&qid=1604185938&sr=8-4

Thank you! Appreciate the recommendation. I'll definitely be using headphones less and at lower volumes from now on.

[Tugdual]

I used to play for years on speakers and never had any issue. Now I moved and have a crazy neighbor that bangs the door, jump on floor and shout as soon as there is the slightest sound. Hence I'm forced to play with headset and now also have tinnitus.
Sadly I'm now reducing the use of my Rev2 (and other things).
Totally a headphone thing if you want my opinion.

[OakBloodThree]

I think my day job saved my hearing:

I played in loud rock and punk bands as a university student.  My first job after graduation put me into chemical plants and oil refineries regularly, where I was often in the presence of very large rotating machinery.  My boss insisted his employees use hearing protection and the plants always had a place to grab disposable earplugs for free.  Within a year I joined a band playing bass. (The lead singer/main songwriter/guitarist of that band is now my wife of 22 years.)  I was in the habit of using earplugs from work, so I brought them with me to rehearsals and gigs.  More recently, instead of the industrial hearing protection, I have been using Etymotic High-Fidelity earplugs when playing in a loud band setting. I also use them when we go out  to hear live music that's likely to be loud.

Back to the Rev2:

I generally don't monitor really loud with headphones, but on occasion I have caught my volume drifting louder and louder when I'm editing patches-- I can get caught up in listening to details of the patch.

When I'm monitoring the Rev2 while recording, I listen through the audio interface's headphone amp, which is of a better quality than the built-in amp on the Rev2 itself.  Amplifier distortion can definitely introduce damaging frequencies.  I do notice that I like the way the Rev2 sounds recorded than through its own headphone output.

Analog synths in general are probably not so bad, since a low-pass filter is a key part of the signal path, but I do wonder about some of the the digital effects on the Rev2, especially distortion.  Since FX are applied after the LPF, they can re-introduce high frequencies that were reduced by the LPF.

[Sacred Synthesis]

Perhaps this is a comment for the "Purist" thread, but my ears have always tolerated analog tones much better than digital ones.  The digital wave shapes tend to have much more complex frequency combinations, including high non-octave partials.  This is true also for drawbar organs.  The two sound sources - digital wave shapes and drawbar combinations - have always bothered my ears much more than analog wave forms and patches.