The Loudness Wars

By Stella Huggins

Music is an enormous part of human cultural patterns. The advent of records in the 1950s increased the ubiquity of music worldwide and consolidated human habits surrounding it. Literature and anecdotal evidence suggests that, in general, individuals enjoy music to be louder, especially in social contexts [1]. Record companies in the early 1950s decided to capitalise on this fact, commencing what has become known as the ‘Loudness Wars’ [2].

Photo by Tatonomusic on Unsplash.

Sound engineering techniques such as compression and equalisation have been accosted to ensure the loudest possible auditory experience for the listener [3]. The intention is to make the record stand out in relation to others on offer. However the brilliant idea was snatched up by multiple producers, thus the term “war” — it indeed became a battle to make your record the loudest, and most noticeable. Metallica’s 2008 album ‘Death Magnetic’ is notorious for its employment of the tactic [4], and signified a cultural pushback against the idea that louder is better. Music critics and fans condemned the record, claiming the loudness degraded the sound quality, and made the experience unenjoyable. While that’s a fitting controversy for a death metal band, and may bode well for record sales initially, the knock-on effects for the population’s hearing quality have been fairly disastrous.

Hearing is a sense that is overwhelmingly taken for granted. The devastating thing about it, is that once it is Photo by Tatonomusic on Unsplash. lost it is irreversibly so [5]. The only cure for hearing loss is prevention, and many individuals who experience hearing loss report distraction, anxiety and distress, especially in the instance of tinnitus [6].

Music and sound are some of the most enjoyable human experiences possible. Music as a therapy is effective for a number of conditions [7]. Music therapy has been shown to be one of the only treatments for dementia patients when other capabilities for language are degraded [8]. Music can aid mental health, and develop intelligence. Sound therapy in general can provide a myriad of benefits [9]. Sound is a valuable and finite sense, that we can only appreciate fully while we still have it. Integration of our five senses builds the world that we perceive. When one sense is depleted, our experience of the world becomes degraded in the short term while we adjust. Neuroplasticity aids this adjustment process, however it takes some individuals longer when their hearing is damaged to build a new perceived world.

The hearing system is incredibly complex. The process begins with the external structure called the pinna; what most people think of when we talk about the ear. The pinna’s shape is designed to funnel sound and localise it to reach internal structures which perceive and subsequently code it into sensory information. These sound wave vibrations reach the eardrum, which vibrates against a set of tiny bones in the middle ear called the malleus, stapes and incus. These bones amplify the sound and travel to the cochlea, a curled up or ‘snail-shaped’ organ in the ear. The cochlea is filled with fluid, and tiny hair cells sit along the spiral shaped organ, moving with the fluid’s movement [10].

These hair cells are often the targeted structure when talking about noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), but there are a number of postulated mechanisms of damage to inner ear structures. Mechanical damage to the organ of corti (an inner ear structure), excitotoxic damage to the auditory nerve or synapses (brain cells) involved in the perception of sound, loss of cochlear sensory hearing cells and loss of auditory nerve fibre are all possible causes of NIHL [11].

Damage to the inner ear structures that help us perceive sound is often done by excessive and prolonged exposure to noise [12]. In a world that is only getting noisier, The Loudness Wars themselves are easing, but their cultural and material remnants remain. Each subsequent generation faces a new hearing challenge. Baby Boomers and Generation X are dealing with the flow-on effects of The Loudness Wars and will most likely not rectify their behaviour in accordance with the new-found knowledge of its dangers. While record companies themselves employ the tactic less often (as a louder record actually degrades sound quality and often drowns out nuances in the track that enhance the song), personal listening devices such as headphones and speakers have increased the amount of time we’re exposed to sound. This poses a further challenge for Generation Z — and while new tools such as exposure measurements on iPhones are aiding awareness, the culture remains.

The Loudness Wars revolutionised our attitudes to acceptable music volumes, and have caused us as a collective to become less in touch with the warning signs our body sends us. Often people mistake natural bodily adaptations after noise exposure such as gigs as indications of recovery. For example, the day after a concert you may experience temporary hearing loss which then recovers, usually. Some people experience tinnitus, a perceived ringing/roaring/buzzing in the ears that does not have a source in the external world.

There are a number of tinnitus types, varying from acute, chronic, and more rarely, objective [13]. It can be a constant or intermittent experience, but either way it can be distressing for the patient. It is associated with hearing loss, and an underlying cause is postulated to be activation of brain pathways (within the auditory system) being activated at inappropriate times. Essentially; hyperactivity of pathways when there is no external stimulation present, leading to a ‘phantom’ noise (ringing).

Hearing loss is not recoverable without hearing aids. Photo by Severin Candrian on Unsplash.

When people intermittently experience tinnitus after periods of excessive noise exposure, or when things become quieter for them then return to normal, they may perceive this as a recovery from noise exposure. This is not the case. Hearing loss cannot be recovered [14]. What people are experiencing here is a result of the body’s incredible ability to adapt to external noise conditions. The inner ear structures will adjust to the external environment.

The most commonly recognised type of tinnitus is noise-induced. The theory underlying this subjective type is that excessive and prolonged exposure to sound bends the stereocilia (hair cells) within the cochlea that receive sound so that they are flattened or bent (when they should be uniform and relatively straight). These hair cells operate by making small movements, which triggers neurotransmitter release, subsequently activating auditory neurons (in CN VIII); in short, the perception of sound. After damage, the structure and layout of the cochlea becomes maladaptive, as high-frequency sounds are perceived by the base of the cochlea. These hair cells are the first to be damaged by loud noise, as a result. Therefore the hypothesised cause of tinnitus is that these damaged hair cells are responding in a hyperactive manner, causing the high-frequency buzzing or ringing that so many patients describe [15].

Consider briefly how much you rely on noise to be in touch with your external world. Crossing roads, hearing nuances in conversation, picking up subtleties in music- the vibrations that travel through the air and into our ears, are so often taken for granted. Sound is so imperative to an already — hearing person, used to operating in a hearing world and presumably reliant on hearing to navigate their world. For this reason, we have got to get better at preserving, or at least mitigating the effects of hearing loss.

A number of initiatives such as the Dangerous Decibels programme have been employed, but all show the most promise in younger individuals [16]. Whether this speaks to the resistance of adults to change or the optimism of children in adopting new habits and behaviours in the interest of their health, the outcome is the same: adults are losing their hearing from acquired hearing loss at rapid rates [17]. Societal attitudes always trudge in a slow, reluctant fashion after developing technologies and scientific findings. The knowledge that hearing loss is irreversible tends to create brief moments of panic for individuals, and then a steady continuation of behaviour that degrades the sense. And thus, attitudes must change rapidly if we are to avoid a crisis of sensory depletion.

References

[1] Welch, D., & Fremaux, G. (2017). Why Do People Like Loud Sound? A Qualitative Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14(8), 908. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14080908

[2] Clark, B. (2019, October 29). The Loudness War Explained. Musician Wave. https://www.musicianwave.com/the-loudness-war/.

[3] De Man, B., & Reiss, J. D. (2013). A Semantic Approach To Autonomous Mixing . Journal on the Art of Record Production, (8). ISSN: 1754-9892

[4] Buskirk, E. V. (2008, September 16). Analysis: Metallica’s Death Magnetic Sounds Better in Guitar Hero. Wired. https://www.wired.com/2008/09/does-metallicas/.

[5] Hong, O. S., Kerr, M. J., Poling, G. L., & Dhar, S. (2013). Understanding and preventing noise-induced hearing loss. Disease-a-Month, 59(4), 110–118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.disamonth.2013.01.002

[6] Wilson, P. H., Henry, J., Bowen, M., & Haralambous, G. (1991). Tinnitus Reaction Questionnaire. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 34(1), 197–201. https://doi.org/10.1044/jshr.3401.197

[7] Davis, W. B., Gfeller, K. E., & Thaut, M. (2008). An introduction to music therapy theory and practice. American Music Therapy Assoc.

[8] Brotons, M., & Koger, S. M. (2000). The Impact of Music Therapy on Language Functioning in Dementia. Journal of Music Therapy, 37(3), 183–195. https://doi.org/10.1093/jmt/37.3.183

[9] Hobson, J., Chisholm, E., & El Refaie, A. (2010). Sound therapy (masking) in the management of tinnitus in adults. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.cd006371.pub2

[10] U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). How Do We Hear? National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. https://www.nidcd. nih.gov/health/how-do-we-hear.

[11] Le Prell, C. G., Yamashita, D., Minami, S. B., Yamasoba, T., & Miller, J. M. (2007). Mechanisms of noise-induced hearing loss indicate multiple methods of prevention. Hearing Research, 226(1-2), 22–43. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.heares.2006.10.006

[12] Nelson, D. I., Nelson, R. Y., Concha-Barrientos, M., & Fingerhut, M. (2005). The global burden of occupational noise-induced hearing loss. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 48(6), 446–458. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajim.20223

[13] Esmaili, A. A., & Renton, J. (2018). A review of tinnitus. Australian Journal of General Practice, 47(4), 205–208. https://doi.org/10.31128/ajgp-12-17-4420

[14] Cheesman, M., & Steinberg, P. (2010). Health surveillance for noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). Occupational Medicine, 60(7), 576–577. https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqq125

[15] Kraus, K. S., & Canlon, B. (2012). Neuronal connectivity and interactions between the auditory and limbic systems. Effects of noise and tinnitus. Hearing Research, 288(1-2), 34–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heares.2012.02.009

[16] Griest, S. E., Folmer, R. L., & Martin, W. H. (2007). Effectiveness of “Dangerous Decibels,” a School-Based Hearing Loss Prevention Program. American Journal of Audiology, 16(2). https://doi.org/10.1044/1059-0889(2007/021)

[17] World Health Organization. (n.d.). Deafness and hearing loss. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/deafness-and-hearingloss.