Breaking the Cone of Silence
Ear health and the psychology of asymmetry: audio professional, Chris Brownbill, opens up about his own experience of (temporary) hearing loss.
11 November 2024
Story: Chris Brownbill
This is a personal account of a recent ear health experience and hopefully it might go some way to dispelling the secrecy around hearing loss and tinnitus that plagues this industry. And no, this isn’t going to be a long nag about ear protection. In the world of audio professionals the first rule of ear health is, you guessed it, don’t talk about ear health – it’s rare to hear someone open up about their experiences publicly. And I get it, no one wants to be forever branded with a health stigma, especially around hearing, which is an audio professional’s most important and most precious tool.
My experience started earlier this year when I spontaneously developed otitis media, which is kind of a blanket term for a variety of middle ear infections – common for some and for others almost never acquired. For me it was the first ear issue I’d experienced, and it was a real concern. I was advised it was unrelated to my line of work or indeed wouldn’t have any lasting impact, but it was enough to send me reeling – losing some hearing, albeit temporarily, was, frankly, a hammer blow for me, and being work obsessed, this pothole in the road was not doing my mental health any good at all.
After the infection subsided I had my first tympanogram and hearing test. On the whole, the results were fine. The infection had no lasting impact on my hearing – I was back to baseline. But. The baseline had a blip; a 500Hz dip in my left ear, to be precise. I imagine most people, even most audio people, might be able to shake this off and get back to work. But that’s not my temperament. The news rocked me and gave me pause for much thought.
ENGINEER MENTALITY
Engineers are generally of a fastidious type and for better (or in my case) worse, I’m no exception. My life’s work has been measuring instruments, equipment, monitors and rooms, and it has been an incremental pilgrimage towards an unattainable, esoteric perfection. To have my own internal engine seemingly off kilter was very hard to stomach. Since I was a teenager all I wanted was to be a recordist and so since then (I’m 34 now) I’ve been wearing moulded ear plugs not only at shows but anywhere that exhibits the potential for high SPL. Highways, shopping centres, planes, certain movie theatres, markets or train stations… To some, this will sound like an overabundance of caution, even for our world, but it has been my biggest fear to have any hearing loss.
These habits most definitely escalated my unease at the ‘problem’ of asymmetry and I was forced to start analysing the data. Do my mixes translate? Does my brain actually notice the asymmetry or am I now looking for it? Have I developed hyperacusis due to my obsessive precautions?
LIVING WITH ANOMALIES
Andrew Scheps once said to me he has a huge 30dB dip at 6kHz in his right ear and considerable tinnitus, but that’s something he doesn’t hide as it has “absolutely zero effect on anyone’s ability to work on music”. The same goes for Gregory Scott from Kush Audio who has been particularly vocal about it. Sir George Martin was profoundly deaf in his later years as was Chris Thomas who continued to work on great-sounding records (Sex Pistols, The Pretenders, et al). Adrian Sherwood, who made (and still makes) incredible dub/reggae/trance records has used a hearing aid outside the studio for years. He is obviously an extreme example, but an indicator that most people can hear past their ‘handicaps’ quite easily.
After the hearing test I tore through various sets of headphones and studio spaces, testing myself with various low-mid tones, searching for issues. I discovered that I couldn’t notice a difference between my ears but my brain was trying to create an imbalance, planting seeds of doubt and searching for lopsidedness. This is where recalling years of meditation and mindfulness practices helped tremendously in quieting the analytical and problem solving parts of my brain and allowing the passive perception of sound to take over.
All this is to say that when I really listen to music I simply can’t tell. I don’t distrust the hearing test and I’m sure there is some minor bone deformation that does slightly reduce 500Hz in one ear, but the brain really has a way of hearing past an imbalance and makes up the difference in our neuro circuitry.
PHANTOM CENTRE
A more common yet extreme example of this is how many mastering engineers are older folks with nothing above 12kHz and still produce great results. This is where it gets kind of metaphysical. These engineers are able to detect frequencies outside of their perception by how those frequencies affect others, either through the phase relationship or harmonic timbre. They can ‘hear’ certain frequencies in music without the inner ear actually hearing it by neighbouring sounds giving their brain cues. It really does seem like a miracle, but the entire relationship between the ear and the brain is all a miracle; tiny bones that channel sound waves into the inner ear; those hair cells transforming waves into electrical signals and creating a sensory experience.
Once when I asked Steve Albini about his early life of scant hearing protection in punk bands, he explained that there was probably damage but being able to hear the relationships between sounds is infinitely more important than being able to hear in an academically linear way. In the same way that our vision is more acute at the centre of our eyesight, if we concentrate on specific details rather than listen passively, we can still make the critical distinctions that are at the core of our profession.
This is where it gets kind of metaphysical. These engineers are able to detect frequencies outside of their perception by how those frequencies affect others, either through the phase relationship or harmonic timbre
FOUND IN TRANSLATION
If your mixes are translating and you aren’t having any balance issues or trouble hearing, personally, I wouldn’t even recommend taking a hearing test. The data might not be helpful to you and there are only so many future worries we can hold on to. After all, hearing loss and tinnitus can be something we’re born with. It can also occur sporadically or consequentially from bone deformations, tumours, allergies, exposure to loud noise, ear infections, pharmaceutical drugs, psychedelic drugs, car accidents, contact sports, spinal issues, TMJ (temporomandibular joint dysfunction), general stress or trauma and a million other unquantifiable and unknown illnesses.
We should treat our ears like they are capable of any potential malady in life but not get bogged down and obsessive about it. It’s likely that most of us have imbalances or holes in our hearing, for example anyone that plays drums will almost certainly have asymmetrical hearing. If this is you, I’m sure you’ve never actually noticed it. I’m hoping this industry can eventually eradicate the stigma and we can drop the shame and secrecy around hearing issues and tinnitus.
In the meantime do your absolute best to look after your hearing. Wear ear plugs, eat well, and sleep as much as possible. Take care of your head, physically and mentally.
Chris Brownbill is an audio professional based in Brisbane, Australia. He can be reached at [email protected]
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