Tinnitus (Ringing in the Ears): A Hidden Danger Every DJ Should Know About

Tinnitus is very common, and if you're pursuing a passion for DJing – like so many others – you need to be careful. Just imagine: you're a top DJ, you're getting more and more gigs and your name keeps growing, and then hearing loss threatens to wreck everything and end your promising career for good.

Here's what you need to know about tinnitus and how to prevent it!

What is tinnitus?

Tinnitus is when you hear phantom noises or a ringing or buzzing in your ears or head. The noise can be soft or loud, high- or low-pitched, and you may hear it in one ear or both. Tinnitus is usually caused by a problem in the auditory system. It is a symptom, not a disease, but it can still affect your daily activities and your quality of life.

So how can you prevent tinnitus?

1. Turn the monitors down between mixes:

Tinnitus is caused by prolonged exposure. Keeping the same volume for an entire set tires your ears, and tired ears ask for more volume to hear clearly – so the volume just keeps creeping up. To break the cycle, simply switch off the monitors near the DJ whenever you can.
This helps in another way too: it lets the DJ hear the main sound system clearly and know when something needs adjusting.

2. Don't book gigs too close together:

After a long show your ears are exhausted, and that's when they're most vulnerable. They need time to recover, so back-to-back bookings only pile on the risk and leave your ears no time to get their strength back.

3. Limit the length of your sets:

I noticed my ears suffered most after playing back-to-back sets of 3–6 hours. Just one year of that and my hearing had already weakened a lot. Personally, I find that a one-hour set does no harm, whether on in-ear monitors or speakers – but after two hours the effects start to show. Most DJs don't get to decide how long their sets are, but for anyone already dealing with tinnitus, a little compromise might save their whole career.
Most of us will still have to play more than an hour per set at the club, which brings us to tip number 4.

4. Use noise-reducing earplugs

What if you could hear the music accurately but at a moderate volume? Wouldn't that be perfect for a DJ? Well, the technology exists (though it isn't quite perfect). Plenty of companies make custom noise-reducing earplugs. They come with interchangeable filters to set the amount of reduction – usually 5, 10, 15 or 20 dB.
In theory, these earplugs lower the whole sound spectrum evenly, giving a flat response without distorting what you hear. They are essential if you're the one responsible for tuning the frequency response of a room.

In practice, I find the sound through them doesn't feel truly natural, and it takes “a lot” of getting used to when mixing live. Personally, I could never quite trust my ears with them in, and my mixes suffered. Plenty of DJs have no problem at all and mix as if they weren't wearing anything. Everyone agrees they're ideal when you're out dancing in a club rather than mixing. Partying at clubs is exactly when your ears take a beating, so even if you're just a guest, it's worth investing in a pair. There are two types:
Type 1: off the shelf ($10–30) – the V-Moda set sells very well on the DJTT website.
Type 2: custom-moulded “musician” earplugs (the pair in the photo costs about $100) – for these you need to see an audiologist to take a mould of your ears and test your hearing.

We recommend grabbing a pair of off-the-shelf earplugs right away if you don't have one yet. Open the box, put them in, and feel the difference when you get home from the club without that ringing in your ears.
Custom-moulded earplugs are a pricey investment, but many people in the industry consider them the best way to protect your hearing. You'll see plenty of artists wearing them – some reduce noise by as much as 30–50 dB.

5. Use in-ear monitors

This is the solution I chose, and so have many modern artists. In-ear monitors seal you off completely from the outside world, creating a moderate-volume environment where every detail of the mix comes through with remarkable subtlety and precision.
But hang on – if they're so perfect, why don't we see more DJs wearing in-ears? Well, here are a few drawbacks:

– In-ear monitors can't reflect the sound in the room, so what you hear might sound great while what everyone else hears is a mess.
– To work properly, in-ears have to be worn in both ears, which gets in the way of cueing on headphones – something most DJs like to do when mixing live.
– In-ears break the familiar image of a DJ with big headphones around the neck and make it look like you're listening to an iPod, which many DJs feel makes them look less “professional”.
– Some DJs, me included, feel that in-ears cut us off from the crowd and kill all the thrill of a big sound system, the kind that stimulates your whole brain. In short, you'll feel less of a ‘buzz’ without that deafening sound you're creating with your own hands.
– For DJs who use a lot of effects, in-ears can mislead them: some things sound spot-on in the in-ears but are far too loud, harsh and unpleasant once they go through the amplified speakers. Personally, I find this a serious problem, so for now, use headphones when mixing live.

The good news: it's not too late

After a few years away from music, I've started taking gigs again (just a few a month), wearing in-ear monitors, playing exactly one hour per set and carefully adjusting the monitors placed near me. All thanks to a disciplined routine and a few years of rest.

Source: Vietnam Goes Clubbing / DJ Tech Tools