Audio Relief for Tinnitus

TODO: collapasable, copyable, download, etc

I've heard that an audio file can help me with my tinnitus. Please write a python script to generate frequency sweeps (to identify the frequency of his ringing) and notched audio. Here’s a Python script using the numpy and scipy libraries to generate frequency sweeps and notched audio for tinnitus relief. This script will create two types of audio files: a frequency sweep to help identify the frequency of the ringing and a notched audio file to help alleviate the symptoms.

First, you need to install the required libraries if you haven't already:

pip install numpy scipy soundfile

Then, you can use the following script:

import numpy as np
import soundfile as sf
from scipy.signal import butter, lfilter

# Function to generate a frequency sweep
def generate_frequency_sweep(start_freq, end_freq, duration, sample_rate=44100):
    t = np.linspace(0, duration, int(sample_rate * duration))
    sweep = np.sin(2 * np.pi * np.logspace(np.log10(start_freq), np.log10(end_freq), t.size) * t)
    return sweep

# Function to create a notch filter
def notch_filter(freq, sample_rate, bandwidth=1):
    nyquist = 0.5 * sample_rate
    low = (freq - bandwidth / 2) / nyquist
    high = (freq + bandwidth / 2) / nyquist
    b, a = butter(2, [low, high], btype='bandstop')
    return b, a

# Function to apply the notch filter to an audio signal
def apply_notch_filter(audio, freq, sample_rate, bandwidth=1):
    b, a = notch_filter(freq, sample_rate, bandwidth)
    y = lfilter(b, a, audio)
    return y

# Parameters for frequency sweep
start_freq = 20  # Hz
end_freq = 20000  # Hz
sweep_duration = 30  # seconds
sample_rate = 44100  # Hz

# Generate and save frequency sweep
sweep = generate_frequency_sweep(start_freq, end_freq, sweep_duration, sample_rate)
sf.write('frequency_sweep.wav', sweep, sample_rate)

# Parameters for notched audio
tone_freq = 8000  # Hz (frequency of the tinnitus, adjust as needed)
audio_duration = 30  # seconds

# Generate white noise for notched audio
white_noise = np.random.normal(0, 1, int(sample_rate * audio_duration))

# Apply notch filter to the white noise
notched_audio = apply_notch_filter(white_noise, tone_freq, sample_rate)

# Save notched audio
sf.write('notched_audio.wav', notched_audio, sample_rate)

print("Audio files generated: 'frequency_sweep.wav' and 'notched_audio.wav'")

This script does the following:

1. Generates a frequency sweep from start_freq to end_freq over sweep_duration seconds and saves it as frequency_sweep.wav.
2. Generates white noise and applies a notch filter centered at tone_freq to create a notched audio file, which is saved as notched_audio.wav.

Adjust the tone_freq parameter to the frequency of your tinnitus. You can use the frequency sweep to help identify this frequency. Once you know your tinnitus frequency, you can create the notched audio to help alleviate the symptoms.When I playback the audio clip, the audio matches at about 19 seconds. How do I tell what the frequency is?To determine the frequency at the 19-second mark of the frequency sweep, you need to calculate the frequency corresponding to that time. The frequency sweep we generated is logarithmic, so we need to find the exact frequency at a specific point in time.

Here’s an updated script with a function to calculate the frequency at a given time during the sweep:

import numpy as np
import soundfile as sf
from scipy.signal import butter, lfilter

# Function to generate a frequency sweep
def generate_frequency_sweep(start_freq, end_freq, duration, sample_rate=44100):
    t = np.linspace(0, duration, int(sample_rate * duration))
    sweep = np.sin(2 * np.pi * np.logspace(np.log10(start_freq), np.log10(end_freq), t.size) * t)
    return sweep

# Function to create a notch filter
def notch_filter(freq, sample_rate, bandwidth=1):
    nyquist = 0.5 * sample_rate
    low = (freq - bandwidth / 2) / nyquist
    high = (freq + bandwidth / 2) / nyquist
    b, a = butter(2, [low, high], btype='bandstop')
    return b, a

# Function to apply the notch filter to an audio signal
def apply_notch_filter(audio, freq, sample_rate, bandwidth=1):
    b, a = notch_filter(freq, sample_rate, bandwidth)
    y = lfilter(b, a, audio)
    return y

# Function to calculate the frequency at a given time in the sweep
def calculate_frequency_at_time(start_freq, end_freq, duration, time):
    log_start_freq = np.log10(start_freq)
    log_end_freq = np.log10(end_freq)
    log_freq = log_start_freq + (log_end_freq - log_start_freq) * (time / duration)
    freq = 10**log_freq
    return freq

# Parameters for frequency sweep
start_freq = 20  # Hz
end_freq = 20000  # Hz
sweep_duration = 30  # seconds
sample_rate = 44100  # Hz

# Generate and save frequency sweep
sweep = generate_frequency_sweep(start_freq, end_freq, sweep_duration, sample_rate)
sf.write('frequency_sweep.wav', sweep, sample_rate)

# Parameters for notched audio
tone_freq = 8000  # Hz (frequency of the tinnitus, adjust as needed)
audio_duration = 30  # seconds

# Generate white noise for notched audio
white_noise = np.random.normal(0, 1, int(sample_rate * audio_duration))

# Apply notch filter to the white noise
notched_audio = apply_notch_filter(white_noise, tone_freq, sample_rate)

# Save notched audio
sf.write('notched_audio.wav', notched_audio, sample_rate)

# Calculate frequency at the 19-second mark
time_in_sweep = 19  # seconds
frequency_at_time = calculate_frequency_at_time(start_freq, end_freq, sweep_duration, time_in_sweep)
print(f"Frequency at {time_in_sweep} seconds is {frequency_at_time:.2f} Hz")

print("Audio files generated: 'frequency_sweep.wav' and 'notched_audio.wav'")

This script includes a new function calculate_frequency_at_time that calculates the frequency at a given time during the sweep. It uses the logarithmic relationship to find the frequency. At the end of the script, it calculates and prints the frequency at the 19-second mark of the sweep.

Now, you can run the script and find out the frequency at 19 seconds, which will be printed in the output. Adjust the time_in_sweep variable if you need to check for different time marks.What is notched audio?Notched audio is a type of sound therapy used to help alleviate the symptoms of tinnitus. Tinnitus is often experienced as a persistent ringing or buzzing in the ears, which can be very distressing for sufferers. The idea behind notched audio therapy is to use audio that has a "notch" or a narrow band of frequencies removed, centered around the frequency of the tinnitus sound. Here’s a more detailed explanation:

How Notched Audio Works:

1. Identification of Tinnitus Frequency: The first step is to identify the specific frequency of the tinnitus sound. This is usually done by the patient matching the pitch of their tinnitus to a sound generated by an audiologist or a specialized tool.

2. Creating Notched Audio: Once the tinnitus frequency is identified, an audio file (often white noise, music, or other sounds) is processed to remove (notch out) the frequencies around the identified tinnitus frequency. This creates a notch in the audio spectrum centered around the tinnitus frequency.

3. Listening to Notched Audio: The patient listens to the notched audio regularly. The idea is that by listening to sounds with the tinnitus frequency removed, the brain can be trained to reduce the perception of the tinnitus sound over time.

Theoretical Basis:

The theoretical basis for notched audio therapy is rooted in the concept of neuroplasticity, which is the brain's ability to adapt and reorganize itself. By regularly exposing the brain to audio that lacks the tinnitus frequency, the neural activity associated with that frequency may decrease, leading to a reduction in the perception of tinnitus.

Example of Creating Notched Audio:

In the script provided earlier, the notch_filter function is used to create a band-stop filter, which effectively removes a narrow band of frequencies around the tinnitus frequency from an audio signal. This results in the desired notched audio.

Here’s a summary of the process in the context of the provided script:

1. Generate White Noise: Create a white noise audio signal, which contains a wide range of frequencies.

2. Apply Notch Filter: Use the notch filter function to remove the narrow band of frequencies around the tinnitus frequency from the white noise.

3. Save and Listen: Save the processed audio and listen to it regularly as part of the therapy.

By following this process, individuals with tinnitus can use notched audio as a non-invasive therapy to potentially reduce their symptoms over time.

Audio Relief for Tinnitus created at Tue Jan 20 1970 21:08:33 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)