Hearing Health: It’s In Your Head, Part 2

Check out part one first, if you haven't read it.

Audio engineers need to protect their ears before it’s too late. To gain some insight, I talked to Michael Santucci and Benjamin Kanters, experts who come from different perspectives with a common goal of raising awareness about hearing conservation.

Avoiding Crutches

There’s sometimes a misconception in live sound that P.A. systems offering low distortion are somehow safe. Cleaner sound might seem more pleasing and theoretically could possibly lead to a sense of perceived loudness at lower levels, but ultimately, loud is loud. “You're going to tell me,” Santucci asks, “that if I give you a 1,000Hz tone without any distortion at 150 dB in your ear, that as long as it's clean, you're doing okay? No.”

“Although advancements in FOH technology have improved fidelity and lowered distortion, they have also opened the door for louder shows without compromises to those advancements,” he continues. “That's probably more dangerous.”

New advancements in in-ear technology provide greater comfort and better isolation; models are even available with built-in mics for easier communication. All of these improvements add up to improved sound and a better experience, hopefully leading to prolonged wear. But no in-ear monitor is inherently safe; after all, it’s your hand on the volume control. “You turn them up, you're gonna hurt yourself,” says Kanters. “120 dB from a wedge at your feet, and 120 from an in-ear monitor that's two centimeters away from your eardrum: Same thing. Neither is more safe or dangerous than the other. 120 at the eardrum is 120, period.”

“All the research that we've done, and independent research, shows that 95 percent of musicians turn their ear monitors up to the same loudness as their floor monitors,” adds Santucci. “Where's the safety?”

Other crutches might take the form of “lifestyle solutions,” with engineers turning to meditation, mindfulness, even muscle training in an effort to protect their hearing. These healthy practices may alleviate stress caused by hearing disorders, but they won’t save your ears; remember that hearing damage is a response to physical trauma. “You can't meditate your way out of burning yourself when you touch a hotplate,” says Kanters. “You can walk over hot coals, maybe, but that doesn't stop your skin from burning.”

A Miracle Pill?

There’s a new glimmer of hope for engineers seeking more tools to protect their hearing. Santucci is optimistic about Soundbites, an antioxidant vitamin formula for recording engineers, developed by researchers at the University of Michigan. “What happens at the cellular level is excessive free radicals form, create oxidative stress and shut down the blood supply to the inner ear after the loud sound injury,” Santucci explains. “Hearing cells do not reproduce. This can eventually lead to oxidative death of a cell after long-term exposure.” The formula, a patented combination of vitamin A, C, and magnesium, cut the risk of hearing injury by 50 percent in laboratory animals. Santucci says his patients are enthusiastic to try the pill, which was released this month. “Do they work on humans? I don't know because I'm a scientist; I have to get proof,” he says. “Do I think they're going to work on humans? I’m optimistic. There's not a lot of risk, and there surely could be benefit.”

A Cultural Shift

Noise-induced hearing loss is reaching epidemic proportions: The World Health Organization estimates that 1.1 billion young people are at risk of hearing loss due to exposure in recreational settings. The crisis is mobilizing stakeholders across industry sectors. “I'm going on my fifth [WHO summit] this September in Geneva,” says Santucci. “Who's there at every meeting? Apple, and Samsung, and Sony, and Bose; everybody's there.”

As noise exposure grows, sound conservation is gaining traction, and behaviors are slowly changing. “When I started this back in 1985, I did my first trade show in ’88 with musician ear plugs, and people laughed at the idea,” says Santucci. “Now we work with MusiCares at Lollapalooza; they’re giving away 40 pairs a day and people are lined up.”

Industry associations are working hard to educate and protect audio pros: The Audio Engineering Society launched a taskforce for music-induced hearing disorders; the Recording Academy Producers and Engineers Wing offers hearing health education for sound professionals, and MusiCares helps music makers protect their ears by offering free hearing clinics around the country.

In the end, hearing conservation is about taking responsibility for yourself. “It's possible to protect your hearing, even in the worst of circumstances, as an engineer,” says Kanters. “It's all a matter of deciding that you're gonna do something about it, and then just slowly start doing something about it. “You can't just all of a sudden flip a switch and say, ‘Okay, I'm safe now.’ You really have to change your behavior patterns and the way you handle things. The bottom line is, do you want to do this for the rest of your life? Well, don't blow your ears out!”

Sarah Jones is a writer, editor, and content producer with more than 20 years' experience in pro audio, including as editor-in-chief of three leading audio magazines: MixEQ, and Electronic Musician. She is a lifelong musician and committed to arts advocacy and learning, including acting as education chair of the San Francisco chapter of the Recording Academy, where she helps develop event programming that cultivates the careers of Bay Area music makers.