Programming Help

[Heather W]

Hello everyone,

I’m still working with my Audi on mapping to maximize my hearing performance. Lately, we’ve employed having 2 “every day” programs for me to try out in various settings and then a speech in noise program and a reduced AI program (not quite full Omni) based on one of the everyday programs. 

My 2 everyday programs have been in P1 and P4. 
 

After my two most recent mapping sessions, I told my Audi that I preferred the everyday P4 program. So she switches that P4 program to the P1 slot and makes P2 and P3 my reduced AI and speech in noise program. Each time she moved my preferred everyday program from P4 to P1 everything got louder. 
 

My question is…Are there certain features built into each programming slot? Why would it sound different based on simply moving it’s position but not changing the programming at all?

Thanks for any insight that you all can provide. 
Heather 

[Mary Beth]

@Heather W

a specific program should sound exactly the same in each program slot unless the volume setting is changed.  If you have a second processor it would be interesting to see if the same thing happens with that one.

[Lauren]

@Heather W

If you use the AudioKey2 app as your remote and get maps moved around like that (and/or add new ones to open slots) make sure to go into your profile and click “refresh audio processor data” as the app will not automatically update the program slots. Found out the hard way myself and every time my programs move around I always go in and do that. 

if you have two different processors like me you’ll have to do it twice with each connected. Just mentioning in case you use the app and don’t already know that.

If you use the physical remote (FineTuner Echo) there’s no extra steps needed.

[Heather W]

Thanks @Lauren. I’ve never been told that about the app. I just figured out how to do that and the program still sounds different. 
 

I’m frustrated. I get comfortable in a program and then go for mapping and things get all messed up. 
 

I can actively switch between P1 and P4 while riding in the car and hear a drastic difference. The P1 is louder than P4 and in reality the P4 program is supposed to be the louder program. It’s happened twice now, so I know it’s not just in my head. It’s like the P4 slot has some type of softening or suppression on it. 

[Lauren]

@Heather W

It’s not in any of the instructions from Med-El. I found out by happenstance. I’d gotten a second program added for the first time in 2021 and it never showed up in my app. Couldn’t figure it out so emailed Med-El from within the app (via feedback) and tech support walked me through it. Since then any time I get programs moved around or worked on I just quickly do the refresh. 

 

[Lauren]

@Heather W

13 minutes ago, Heather W said:

Thanks @Lauren. I’ve never been told that about the app. I just figured out how to do that and the program still sounds different. 
 

I’m frustrated. I get comfortable in a program and then go for mapping and things get all messed up. 
 

I can actively switch between P1 and P4 while riding in the car and hear a drastic difference. The P1 is louder than P4 and in reality the P4 program is supposed to be the louder program. It’s happened twice now, so I know it’s not just in my head. It’s like the P4 slot has some type of softening or suppression on it. 

As for the programming, you should ask your audiologist for a printout or to tell you what each program has. Ask for microphone directionality and any program that is set to off, Mild, or Strong. I had to do the same as I wanted to better track my programming and progress outside of my appointments.

Not every setting works for everyone. I tried Always Adaptive mic settings and Adaptive Intelligence Strong and hated them however others like Adaptive settings and do benefit from them. No way to know unless you try them. 

[Tim]

I find it to be so busy during the Audiologist meeting that it is hard to take notes.  I come in with a printout of a spreadsheet of what I have for programs and what I think I might try, subject to suggestions.  I can then just note what is changing.

Here's an example of my notes for the Rondo 3 and Sonnet 2. 

I try to keep the programs similar on my Rondo and Sonnet. 

Here are my use cases:

1. I find I generally use Program 1 or "Everyday" (AI Mild) for my general use. 
2. I switch to Program 2 when I'm in loud and chaotic situations. 
3. I've tried Program 3 since lots of people seem to prefer Omni.  I haven't found it works better for me and I just stick with Program 1 for normal use.  I do use Program 3 on my Sonnet 2 underneath headphones when I'm BT streaming to my headphones.
4. I reserve program 4 for my experimenting.  Not really finding use cases just yet. I would like to get my Sonnet 2 to be able to turn off the microphone entirely for program 4 on my Sonnet 2. I know default sensitivity doesn't really do that.  She was going to ask her Med-El rep if that were possible. 

Anyone that wants to access a version of my program notes and other information can access it from a shared google sheet.  You can save your own copy to google drive to modify or copy the cells to Excel. 

My audiologist emails me a PDF of the program after our appointment.

I use the Audiokey2 app on my phone to switch between program slots.  As for where to get the Audiokey2 app, you can get the app from the Apple App store or the Android app store, just search for Audiokey2.  Never use the FineTuner.   

[Heather W]

Ok, wow! I clearly am not very well versed in all the programming. As for the AudioKey App, that’s all I have ever used. I don’t even know what most of those things mean in your spreadsheet. Where/How did you learn all that computer programming stuff?@Tim

I can get some programming notes from MyChart and I read it all last time this happened so n Oct. 

Going into today’s appt, I liked what was in P4 but none of my speech in noise or reduced AI programs were based on P4. All my Audi did was move P4 to the P1 slot and then based my other two adjusted programs on that. The new P4 was just one click louder on e6-e10. But that’s not how it sounds at all. Pretty sure my Audi thinks I’m crazy. 
 

My Rondo never sounds the same as my Sonnet. So at this appointment I had her match all programs with the Sonnet but all one click higher on volume. 
 

I’m definitely frustrated and need to take more time during my appointments and learn to ask better questions about programming. 

[Mary Beth]

@Heather W

consider asking your audiologist to send you a copy of Med-El’s programming report of your present programs.  Then if you wish, we can help explain which settings are set for each program slot.

[Anthony Canada]

@Heather W does the volume still sound different if you use the 'restore defaults' in AudioKey after refreshing the ap the way Lauren described? Restoring the defaults is program specific so you'd have to do it to P1 and P4 both. My last session I told my audiologist not to move programs I like around. If I'm happy with P3 then I want it to stay as P3. 

[Lauren]

@Heather W

I find my Rondo 3s and Sonnet 2s sound different as well. My programs are all the same but I just do better with Sonnet 2. For me the likely reason is where my Rondo’s are sitting on my head however who knows why. They’re just above my ears and only slightly back so maybe that’s enough to make all the difference in terms of where the microphones are. If I had to guess, and I’m bad at guessing, the mics have less than an inch difference between the two different processors. 

As for Tim’s spreadsheet that’s what I use since it was so well put together. I worked with my audiologist to fill it out and finally know what all my settings are.

[Lauren]

@Anthony Canada it’s actually refreshing audio processor data. What that does is update settings in the AudioKey2 app when there’s changes to the order of programs or new programs are added so users can toggle to them. 

This is different to Restore Defaults. 

[Mary Beth]

@Tim

To have a program where you hear nothing at all… like the processor is muted

1) FineTuner Echo has a monitoring mode which does that

2) Some have their audiologists create a program which is too quiet for them to hear anything for that use 

[Anthony Canada]

32 minutes ago, Lauren said:

@Anthony Canada it’s actually refreshing audio processor data. What that does is update settings in the AudioKey2 app when there’s changes to the order of programs or new programs are added so users can toggle to them. 

This is different to Restore Defaults. 

Yes, I realize it is different which is why I suggested doing both. 

[Lauren]

sorry I totally misread it 🤦‍♀️ 

[Tim]

As an engineer, I may be guilty of "geeking out" a little on the technical details.

The spreadsheet that I shared also has explanations for a lot of stuff. 

@Mary Beth Thanks. I'll have a conversation with my audiologist.  I have an appointment in January.  Hoping that new software might enable better options in the new year. 

[Heather W]

Quick update:

I am not crazy! 😉 There WAS a difference when she moved the program into a different slot! It took 2 Audi’s pouring over my map programs to find it. It was apparently one of the newer features that suppresses ambient noise. It was “on” in my preferred program but when she moved it to another slot, it was off. She actually said that most people would probably not have noticed it and that I was in the small percentage of people who do. 🫣 Shocking really, since the sound difference seemed drastic to me! Got it fixed on Thurs, my brain is happy. In the meantime, I will be working to complete my own spreadsheet and have asked my Audi to send me the current PDFs of my current programs. It’s a marathon and not a sprint for sure! 
 

Thanks for everyone’s feedback and suggestions!

Heather

[Mary Beth]

Excellent @Heather W!

I find there is a significant sound difference with those features turned on or off.  

[Mary Beth]

And now Med-El software keeps the same MAP number and has audiologists turn those features on and off .  So we can no longer just know that we have program 17.  Because program 17 will still be called MAP 17 with various features turned on and off.  This was not the case before so it is something audiologists have had to get used to.

Knowing the program number

and

mic setting 

adaptive intelligence setting

windblock setting

ambient noise reduction setting

transient noise reduction setting

will let us know exactly what feature settings are in use.

[Heather W]

Good to know. My Audi kept saying it was the same map # so it shouldn’t be different. I KNEW something was different, but was starting to feel a bit cuckoo! 
 

If I ask for the MEDEl PDF of each map for each processor, will it have the settings for all those features? Also wondering if there is a Med-El article that explains this functions? @Mary Beth

[Mary Beth]

@Heather W

yes ask for the Med-El programming report for the programs loaded on your processor and I will be happy to help you with any questions.

mic settings and adaptive intelligence mild and strong etc are in the forum.  If a search doesn’t bring up what you need, just ask questions.  I find search works best if you then select “in topic title”

[Tim]

 

I wish that Med-El's programming software made it possible for us to see it ourselves or at least for our Audiologist to email out a report.  It is a bit of a hassle for her. 

Here is a topic thread where I posted screen captures from the report and @Mary Beth  helped interpret it.  (As always, thanks again!)

The title of the topic thread started more about FS4 vs. FS4-p but drifted a little. 

@Heather W If you want, I can private message you my emailed report for my Rondo 3 programs later today if that helps as an example. 

[Mary Beth]

@Tim

I am not sure about emailing from the Med-El software but my audiologist quickly prints out a copy if I want one.

[Dianna]

I recently had a 24 mo mapping. I have found that volume is increased all around by 6%, usually, but this recent mapping is not in my patient file yet.

During the "tuning" my audi's goal was to have all active arrays at the same level. This time i requested reduction of two high and slight increase in the lowest. I am not liking at all, just waiting for enough time to elapse to get back there to have them reversed. First time i have requested my own adjustments and boy my word recognition really went down.

Just wanted to mention about the basic volume increase that my audi did at every mapping, 6 total.

[Mary Beth]

After achieving a stable MAP, my audiologist does not perform routine increases.  We adjust each electrode individually as needed.