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Overall Gain Slider/ Volume Control

The HearSource hearing aid programming software features a Overall Gain Slider or Volume Control.  This slider adjusts the volume of the selected hearing aid higher (louder) or lower (softer). The number displayed to the left of the slider shows the set volume in a negative number.  This means that the negative number is the decibels lower from full on gain which is O .  The -25  is 25dB softer from full on gain.   Adjust this slider up for louder or down for softer.  When turning sounds softer or louder your applying the changes to all the frequencies equally.  If fine tuning of a specific frequency is needed then adjust the individual frequency in the 12 band equalizer.

hearing aid input selection

The HearSource hearing aid programming software is used with various hearing aid designs.  Through the Input Selection control it allows you to program the hearing to be used in omni microphone, directional microphone, telecoil, or direct audio input modes.   Your HearSource personal programmable hearing aids may come with one or a few of these modes.   It depends on your hearing aid style choice and options.   An example of this is a Completely-in-the-canal hearing aid style only has enough room in its casing  for one microphone called the omni microphone.   Another microphone would allow for directional processing but because of the space limitation in a CIC its not possible.

The diffrent modes are;

Omni Microphone is utilizing one microphone to take in the sound signal 360 degrees equally.  Omni microphones are very common and give very good results in the widest variety of environments.  Since its pick up polarity is 360 degrees focusing sound into the hearing aid is tough to achieve.

Directional microphone uses a second microphone to help sample and stage  the sound signal in a way that shifts the polarity of the incoming signal.  This allows a person using a directional microphone system to focus sound coming towards them at about a 45 degree angle.  Sounds outside of the 45 degrees will not be picked up by the microphone as easily.  The directional microphone system is often for increased understanding in more complex environments like restaurants, shopping marts, or church where you would look at a person whom your trying to communicate with.

The Telecoil is designed to be used as a telephone pick up.  A common problem while trying to use a hearing aid with a telephone is the hearing aid can feedback or whistle.  Switching on a telecoil allows the user to shut down the microphone  eliminating feedback and using the telecoil take in the signal from the telephone.  This is achieved by the telecoil acting like a antenna intercepting the EMF signals radiating from the telephones receiver.

Direct Audio inputs are usually associated with another coupling device that connects to the hearing aid.  Such devices would enable the hearing aid to pick up FM signals, or signals from a wired external auditory source.