Within live and studio sound engineering, the use of compression, normalization and parametric EQ is employed to perfect the sound of musicians we work with. These effects can impact the tone and timbre of an audio sample or even eliminate unwanted noise. Even the resistance of the electrical equipment used to aid us in our work as audio engineers has an impact on the quality of our end product. Many audio engineers and audio companies have used our understanding of the technology within our industry and applied it to the use of hearing mechanisms such as in-ear monitors or ear plugs.
Around 3-9% of adults struggle with some form of hearing disability or hearing loss. While the science and studies of audiology have helped us find ways to assist those disabled in this way, hearing disabilities tend to be comorbid with neurological or psychological disorders that are harder to manage when combined. PTSD, dementia, autism, as well as several other disorders severely impact the way our brains interact with auditory and kinesthetic stimuli that make current hearing aid technology more of a discomfort than a help to patients with these comorbidities.
After multiple observations of audio engineering techniques and the equipment we use, peer reviewed studying of clientele with these comorbidities, and applications of techniques to hearing sciences, we wish to display some of those applications and report our findings so as to make the world more accessible to those with hearing disabilities, neurological/psychological disorders, and those with both.
