This Is Me
Quick Version
I’m Steve. I’ve had tinnitus since 2003, starting quiet in one ear then across the years becoming loud in both. I make music and sounds to help interrupt tinnitus, based on scienctific theories.
I trained in music performance and production, took a year away from music that became a career, then post-pandemic went back into music.
I’ve co-developed a tinnitus app, co-founded 4 companies in consulting, construction and music technology, along with the non-profit Tinnitus Hub. I’m working on founding another 2 companies at the moment, along with being a founder member of the Tinnitus Quest Patient Board.
I’m an expert patient, advocate, supporter, peer reviewed co-author, and someone driven to do things to actually make a difference for people with tinnitus.
Scroll for the detailed version.
And The Detailed Version is..
Audio and Advocacy
I’ve been experimenting with sounds to help tinnitus since 2010. Started off by an accidental looping of a bird recording that ended up becoming amplitude modulation. My audio journey began with a performance course then a music production course at Newcastle college, learning song structure, sound synthesis, electronic production and more.
Since 2012 I’ve been active in the tinnitus community, helping people with tinnitus, pushing for more high quality research and experimenting with audio. I also co-developed the app ‘Tinnitus Play’, providing the audio.
I previously moderated at the forum Tinnitus Talk, cofounded the non-profit Tinnitus Hub (building from nothing to being a regular part of research conversations), have presented at international research conferences, co-authored research papers, represented patients in parliamentary discussion, released 11 albums, supported people with tinnitus and am a founder member of the patient board of Tinnitus Quest.
I co-authored the 2 largest current tinnitus surveys, on symptoms and physical connections, contributing new intelligence to the research community and putting patients at the centre of research.
I create sounds and music to help tinnitus, mostly experimental based on techniques that have featured in scientific papers, but I also make them based on experimenting on myself when I find sounds that help.
Some sounds may work better than others, some may not work for you at all. There are no rules, you have to experiment to find what works for you.
My Tinnitus
I’ve had tinnitus since around 2003. It started off as a quiet sound in one ear, then I got a tone in the other ear, then developed an intermittent low rumble. These days it’s quite loud and I have many tones.
I’ve had 2 separate bouts of hyperacusis. the first was from over-protection of my ears in the early more paranoid phase of just getting tinnitus, the second probably from an ear infection and much more severe, lasting several months.
I have 3 main causes for my tinnitus, which took me far too many years to figure out:
Firstly I had an accident at work, where I was struck in the jaw by a steel girder, giving me some TMJ issues (and exacerbating what was light bruxism).
Secondly I had some noise induced hearing loss. I didn’t protect my ears properly on demolition and construction sites (proper enforcement happened too late for me) and I was a weekender clubbing. Between those two things my ears didn’t get a chance to heal from sound exposure.
Thirdly I developed a heavy cold that knocked out most of my hearing. I was running a site at the time and there was no cover so I dosed up on day and night medication to keep going. I really shouldn’t have..
I’ve habituated to tinnitus mostly but that doesn’t mean it’s easy,
Other Work
Outside of tinnitus I make ambient / electronic / experimental music, I like to sample the world around me and incorporate organic elements but I also love working in the box with digital tools.
I train musicians in entrepreneurial skills, I wrote a hybrid course for it that’s been delivered a few times now. I’ve given hundreds of hours of consultations, helped people with branding, storytelling, world building and differentiation as an artist.
I develop strategies for creative unblocking with another awesome musician, under our site glimmeraudio and generally enjoy sound and guiding inspiration. I’ve run a YouTube channel for tinnitus and one for music using Ableton Live.
I’ve co-founded 4 companies to date, managed key clients, developed revenue and created the legal, compliance and management processes. I’m a specialist in contaminated land, downstream petroleum, business growth, tech development, operational legals and finance planning.
Most recently I spent several years as the CEO of a music technology company, growing operations and customer base in preparation for investment.
Publications
Collaboration
I’m open to collaborations around tinnitus, though I don’t have a huge resource of time.
Things that interest me are audio and tech, wrapped up into projects that can make a significant difference for people with tinnitus.