This is perhaps the best piece of advice I can give to younger people starting out in the profession of a sound engineer, producer, live technician, or musician: take care of your ears. They are the most important thing you have.
There’s something I understood very early on, almost at the beginning of my career: hearing damage is irreversible. The idea that what I love most in life—listening to and working with music—could turn into a nightmare was unbearable. It was then that I discovered a word that changed me forever: tinnitus. I researched the condition and knew I had to do everything possible to avoid it, and to help others do the same.
From Concern to Action
During the 10 years I was managing the “312 Estudio”, I personally took charge of organizing the “Auditory Care Week,” where we gave away earplugs to all the bands that came to rehearse.
As a musician, protection was my inseparable companion in every rehearsal. Back then, my favorites were the famous silicone earplugs. They had great advantages: they aren’t invasive (they don’t go inside the ear canal) but rather create an external barrier, and they are incredibly effective, reducing the sound by more than 20 decibels.
Let’s think about a standard rehearsal room, a four-by-four meter space. The distance to the drummer is minimal. The sound pressure we are exposed to is brutal. Playing without protection in that environment is, simply put, insane.
As I write these words, I realize I’m wearing my protectors, the ones I use almost daily for the commute from home to the studio. I’m glad to have incorporated this habit that no one taught me, not in elementary school or high school. Nowhere are we told that we have to protect and care for our ears, and that’s why, with so much misinformation out there, it’s essential to talk about it.
The Danger Is No Longer Just on Stage
Today, the risk has multiplied. Those of us who live in big cities cannot escape noise pollution: the subway that brakes and screeches, noisy buses, sirens, construction sites… Our ears are under constant attack.
But there is a modern habit that is especially dangerous: listening to music on headphones at excessive volumes. I always give my friends this simple test: if you’re walking down the street with your headphones on and a car or a bus passes by and you don’t hear it, you’re damaging your ears. It’s that simple.
A Call to Awareness: It’s Time to Act
Perhaps it’s out of a lack of knowledge. Perhaps it’s from thinking “it’s not that big of a deal” or that earplugs “ruin the experience.” Nothing could be further from the truth. Today, there are high-fidelity earplugs designed specifically for musicians and music lovers that reduce the volume evenly without “coloring” the sound. They simply lower the overall volume so you can enjoy music safely for longer.
Investing in good protectors is as important as investing in a good guitar or a microphone.
Where to Start? Practical Tips for Today
- Get a baseline audiogram: Go to a specialist and check your starting point. This will help you monitor your hearing health over the years.
- Invest in quality protectors: From foam or silicone (affordable and effective) to high-fidelity or even custom-molded ones. There are options for every budget.
- Apply the 60/60 rule with headphones: Don’t listen at more than 60% of the maximum volume for more than 60 minutes at a time. Afterward, give your ears a rest.
- Rest: During long rehearsals, mixing sessions, or concerts, take 15-minute breaks in a quiet place every so often. Your ears will thank you.
- Become an ambassador: Talk about this with your colleagues, your band, your friends. Let’s normalize auditory care. Taking care of ourselves is professional.
Don’t wait for the ringing to start. Don’t wait until it’s too late. The best time to start taking care of yourself is now. So that music, our great passion, can continue to be a source of joy throughout your life, and not an echo of what it once was.