I've should have taken better care of my ears. Right now, I suffer from tinnitus (ringing) in my right ear 24/7. All of those years of spinning, going to clubs, concerts, living in NYC, yada yada yada, has definitely taken a toll. Here is an article from DJ Times; Protect your investment.What’s More Important to Your
Business Than Gear, Music
Programming & Customer
Service? It’s All in the Ears.
By Jeff Stiles
Erin Crowley is 40-years old, and after 23 years of entertaining, this Waunakee,
Wis.-based Musical Memories Mobile DJ claims he’s been suffering hearing
loss for quite some time—though, in this case, he admits it’s probably mostly
from earwax chunks clogging his ears.
Not so for Mike Stevens of Daddy & Daughter DJs in Carlstadt, N.J., who says
he proactively had his hearing tested a few years back and soon afterward had
custom molds created for his audio protection.
“These plugs help tremendously when doing school dances, and we love
them at rock concerts, too,” reports Stevens. “They make things sound so much
better, and for $400—between the molds and the hearing test—they’re well
worth it to protect my ears.”
Are you a club or mobile jock who has recognized a loss of hearing over the
years? If so, what are you doing to prevent further hearing loss? And if not, what
are you doing to prevent suffering permanent hearing damage?
Maintaining healthy hearing should be among the most important considerations
for anyone who appreciates music—and especially for those who pride
themselves in helping bring musical entertainment to their clients. It’s not a
topic that is discussed enough in our industry. Yet according to Jeff Tauzeau of
New York-based Hummingbird Media, it’s a topic that’s more relevant today
than ever before, due to the ever-increasing number of audio professionals,
musicians and fans.
“The House Ear Institute’s Sound Partners program,” says Tauzeau, “strives to
heighten hearing health awareness among musicians and audio professionals.”
We contacted Dr. Andrew Vermiglio, a full-time assistant professor at California
State University, who works as a consultant with The House Ear Institute
and who also happens to be a freelance musician (drummer) in the Los Angeles
area.
According to Vermiglio, our ears are our “most valuable piece of equipment”—
after our gear, of course.
“A normal set of healthy ears will work just fine without headphones or
monitors, yet the best headphones or monitors are totally useless without a
good set of ears,” says Vermiglio. “Also, equipment can always be replaced, while
a healthy set of ears are irreplaceable. And hearing aids generally cannot restore
normal auditory function.”
Vermiglio says DJs should be aware of a number of issues related to audioinduced
hearing loss.
“Long-term exposure to high-level sounds may result in an inability to hear
high-frequency sounds,” he says. “Because of this, a DJ may end up using their
sound system to compensate for this hearing loss. Audience members with normal
hearing may find themselves listening to a sound production with inflated
high-frequency content, which may sound harsh or unbalanced.”
A high-frequency loss, Vermiglio says, can give the perception that music and
speech sounds muffled or muddy.
“Some individuals with a history of exposure to high-level sounds,” he says,
“will report a ringing in their ears also known as ‘tinnitus.’ In some cases, the
ringing is relatively soft, while in extreme cases the ringing can be loud enough
to reduce one’s ability to sleep.
“Hearing loss due to exposure to high-level sounds may also result in a decreased
ability to understand speech in background noise.”
Vermiglio says some of his own patients have recounted going into a noisy
restaurant or club and having to struggle to understand a conversation, and
actually reported that this type of disorder has had a negative impact on their
social life.
“Anytime a person is in situation where they must raise their voice to be
heard,” he says, “they are in a potentially hazardous environment for their hearing
ability. Even when their perception is, ‘Oh, it’s not that loud!’ they still may be
Hearing experiencing damage to their auditory system, and that’s true whether they are
listening through speakers, headphones or even in-the-ear monitors.”
What are some of the warning signs that indicate to DJs that they’re in
danger of hearing loss?
“Whenever you’re in a sound environment where you need to raise your
voice to be heard, you’re in a potentially hazardous environment for your hearing,”
Vermiglio says. “The presence of tinnitus may be an indication of damage
to the structures of the inner ear, and when speech and music sound muffled
or unclear this may indicate damage to the high-frequency portions of the inner
ear.
“Difficulty understanding speech in a noisy environment may also indicate
damage to the auditory system.”
Since DJs rely on headphones for their jobs, what would Vermiglio say are the
best ways we can mitigate the risk of prolonged listening to loud volumes?
“In order to reduce the risk of a hearing loss due to exposure to high-level
sounds, you must reduce your exposure time and the overall sound levels,” he
says. “If you need to cue up a track in a loud environment, use in-the-ear monitors
or earphones that can reduce the interference of the ambient noise levels.
This way you won’t be tempted to play the cued tracks at a high level in order
to compete with the ambient sound levels.
“And when you’re just listening to sound through loudspeakers, use a highfidelity
earplug with a flat attenuation across frequencies.”
Additionally, DJs are advised to limit their exposure to high-level sounds
before and after a DJ gig.
“Give your ears a rest before and after a job,” says Vermiglio. “This will
decrease the total amount of time you’re in potentially hazardous environments.”
Mobile and club DJs are advised to have their hearing evaluated at least once
a year—and more often if we notice a change in our hearing ability.
Says Vermiglio: “We recommend three types of auditory function tests: A
measure of pure-tone thresholds [the standard hearing test], a hearing in noise
test [HINT], which measures the ability to understand speech in background
noise, and an evaluation of your otoacoustic emissions, which evaluates the
integrity of the structures in the inner ear.
“Keep a record of all your hearing tests and review the present and past
hearing tests with your audiologist. If the results show a decrease in the functionality
of your auditory system as a result of exposure to high-level sounds,
you’ll need to become more aggressive in reducing your exposure to high-level
sounds.”
Practically speaking, Jeff Greene of Party Time DJs in South Florida says a
proper knowledge of equipment placement can be the easiest way to ensure
the least exposure to the higher volumes that can damage our hearing ability.
“As an event entertainer, volume is typically less extreme than in clubs,
so hearing loss has not typically been an issue for my staff and me,” reports
Greene. “The one exception is our DJ who did club gigs before working for us.
His hearing loss became obvious to us from his first gig, when he kept cranking
up the volume and I had to keep turning it down.
“Ten years later, this DJ still has an issue with volume control and still has
to be told to turn it down by the MCs, though he’s still the best damn DJ out
there. Simply remember to keep the speakers slightly ahead of your system, and
that will solve 99-percent of the potential problems.”
But for those of us who suspect damage might have already been done to
our permanent hearing?
“If you notice a change in your hearing ability you should see an audiologist
for a full audiological evaluation,” Vermiglio advises. “And know this… that not
all decreases in hearing ability are due to exposure to high-level sounds. Some
types of hearing disorders may be resolved with medical intervention, though
some hearing disorders may be a sign of a potentially life-threatening medical
condition.
“Generally, eight hours to three days later any temporary hearing loss will be
resolved. However, if the loss is due to structural damage in the inner ear, the
hearing loss may be permanent.”
Then again, Paul Evans of Malvern, Pa.-based Silver Sound Entertainment
claims the key to perfect hearing is simply to avoid distortion—always keeping
the sound clean and balanced.
“Thirty-four years later,” says Evans with a grin, “I can hear a pin drop!”
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