Audio Engineering With Some Damage
Within the hearing process, the human brain consumes significant energy to convert and process audio vibrations. An impaired hearing will affect the audio engineer decision-making process.
Despite some hearing loss, audio engineers may still be able to function, adapting to any physical changes as if navigating in a new city or location, relying on other navigation techniques and signposts. A sound engineer may still have abilities that make sense of sound better than people with less damage. An experienced engineer can also retain valuable motor, problem-solving and interpersonal skills that are more advanced than the novice, even when some frequency discrimination is compromised.
An impaired audio engineer may be assisted by:
- a spectrum analyser (e.g. Smaart) which can provide visual cues on frequency content that has been masked or is missing,
- a trusted colleague with fresh, undamaged hearing acting as 'second ears', and
- critical listening to high-quality and related-to-the-performance audio material, where the engineer can establish a reference point for their 'mix'.
Apart From SPL, Can the 'Mix' Affect Hearing Longevity
The effects of noise and music on hearing and any potential damage is different, perhaps because music provides less stress than industrial noise. At similar levels, unpleasant sounds are more likely than pleasant sounds to cause temporary threshold shifts (TTS) and have a negative impact on health.
These findings put greater onus on the ability of the audio engineer to make the mix ‘pleasant’ to maximise the listener’s health and their ‘experience’.
Conversely, the potentially most dangerous stimuli are perhaps the least bothersome as we allow ourselves to be exposed to higher levels of music for more extended amounts of time because we find it less disturbing than noise.
These findings put greater onus on the ability of the audio engineer to make the mix ‘pleasant’ to maximise the listener’s health and their ‘experience’.
Conversely, the potentially most dangerous stimuli are perhaps the least bothersome as we allow ourselves to be exposed to higher levels of music for more extended amounts of time because we find it less disturbing than noise.
SC - Audio Tech - Slash Christchurch
A talented sound engineer can get a better-than-average sound from an average sound system, while a less talented sound engineer can achieve a lesser-than-average result from a superb sound system
Tony Edwards, Director, Sound Choice Pro