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davidjvincent

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Want to use PC to generate sine wave sound,and then produce phase shifted sound to counter this

This is to do with Tinnitus, sounds in the head that are generated in the brain.
Using the PC, I want to be able to generate a sound to match the sound that is heard in the head, ( a simple very high pitched tone) then using the PC, phase shift the sound, to cancel out the Tinnitus induced sound.
I am not practically expert in computers and applications of sciences, (OK on theories sometimes) so please make all suggestions in the simplest of terms please. Assume I am Mr Thicko with an IQ of <50, and that should work well.
Thanks
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gbentley

>>I think the main problem is that the tinnitus sound isn't audible.

I'm not sure that's true. I recall reading that in many cases, other people can hear the sound if they listen closely to the sufferers ears. Perhaps there are different types?
A couple of notes:

Tone matching is bound to fail, in fact make things worse.

First of all, you can't match tones that closely in frequency.  If you're even 1 Hertz off, there's going to be a 360-degree phase wander every second.  You'll hear this as a wow-wow-wow-wow variation every second.  In most cases much more noticeable than the original problem.

Secondly, it's too late in the signal chain.  The tinnitus has already been converted to pulses.  There's no way to "cancel out" the signal, as it's  neverr been a bi-polar analog signal.  It's already unipolar, and a train of complex and seemingly random pulses in the auditory nerves.  All another tone is going to do is generate MORE complex and random pulses.

There are several types of Tinnitus, including ones where the tone is audible in the ear.  It knocked the scientists for a loop when this was discovered, circa 1977.



I've heard that listening to white noise can mask the sound of tinnitus and reduce the distraction.