Our ability to hear is a crucial part of our lives and careers, but we all have difficulty hearing in some situations. Unfortunately, exposure to loud sounds (including music) can degrade our ability to hear and make those challenging situations even more so.With its Make Listening Safe initiative, the World Health Organization is trying to bring attention to the issue of music-induced hearing loss. In the US, a new category of FDA-regulated over-the-counter hearing aids is expected to create new challenges and opportunities. With increased interest in topics ranging from hidden hearing loss to new methods for monitoring and controlling exposure, there are certainly many opportunities to learn from each other.This month AES is holding its third Music Induced Hearing Disorders conference in Chicago.
It will bring international focus on technological options for safer music exposure, such as hearing protection strategies and technology, conditions for populations at risk and risk behaviors, methods for sound exposure monitoring and assessment of hearing, among others.Below are some seminal papers, videos on best practices, and a few relevant standards in the field to bring the reader up to speed on this important topic.
Audio Topic
Hearing and Hearing Loss Prevention
Papers
- How the Ear Works and Why Loud Sounds Cause Hearing Loss
- Effects of Sound-Induced Hearing Loss and Hearing Aids on the Perception of Music Conventions
- Hearing Loss, Earplug Use, and Attitudes to Hearing Protection Among Non-Orchestral Ensemble Musicians
- Listeners Who Have Low Hearing Thresholds Do Not Perform Better in Difficult Listening Tasks
- Do In-Ear Monitors Protect Musicians��� Hearing?
- Workplace Noise Regulations in the Music Industry: A Square Peg and a Round Hole
- Daily Noise-Level Exposures of Professional Music Recording Engineers
- Why Do My Ears Hurt after a Show (And What Can I Do to Prevent It)
Conference Proceedings
- 58th AES International Conference on Music Induced Hearing Disorders (2015)
- 47th AES International Conference on Music Induced Hearing Disorders (2012
Feature Articles
Standards
- ANSI/CTA-2051 ���Personal Sound Amplification Performance Criteria.” 2017.
- IEC 60065:2014 ���Audio, video and similar electronic apparatus – Safety requirements��� (specifies default output limits for personal music players)
- ISO 1999:2013 ���Acoustics — Estimation of noise-induced hearing loss��� (also see ANSI S3.44)
- European Union Directive 2003/10/EC on the minimum health and safety requirements regarding the exposure of workers to the risks arising from physical agents (noise)
- OSHA publication no. 29 CFR 1910.95 ���Occupational noise exposure���
Websites
Curator
Jon Boley
Jon is a papers chair for the 2018 AES International Conference on Music Induced Hearing Disorders, along with Dorte Hammersh��i. He was a DSP engineer at Motorola & Shure and now focuses on psychoacoustics at GN Advanced Science. As a research scientist, he designs experiments to push the limits of tiny audio systems. His work combines neurophysiology, audiology, electroacoustics, signal processing, and perceptual modeling.
AES Technical Committee Hearing and Hearing Loss Prevention
- Chair: Michael Santucci
Mission Statement
1. Raising AES member awareness of the normal and abnormal functions of the hearing process.
2. Raising AES member awareness of the risk and consequences of hearing loss resulting from excessive sound exposure.
3. Coordinating and providing technical guidance for the AES supported hearing testing and consultation programs at US and European Conventions.
4. Facilitating the maintenance and refinement of a database of audiometric test results and exposure information on AES members.
5. Forging a cooperative union between AES members, audio equipment manufacturers and the hearing the hearing conservation communities for purposes of developing strategies, technologies, and tools to reduce and prevent hearing loss.