Sonical will spotlight its mission to transform tinnitus support at CRE8 this month, connecting hearing health innovation with the music production and DJ community.
The appearance follows Sonical’s recently announced research partnership with Newcastle University, focused on accelerating the development and deployment of new audio-based approaches to tinnitus support through its Remora hearing computer platform.
While the CRE8 event centres on music creation and DJ culture, Sonical’s presence underscores a broader ambition: embedding hearing health directly into the technology ecosystems used by artists, producers and performers.
Through its collaboration with Newcastle University, Sonical is working to bring cutting-edge tinnitus research out of the lab and into practical, scalable deployment.
Led by Professor Will Sedley, Newcastle University’s work in auditory neuroscience is helping shape new ways of understanding and addressing tinnitus. Sonical’s Remora platform provides the infrastructure to test and deliver emerging audio therapies more rapidly and at larger scale than traditional research pathways allow.
CRE8 marks the first major music-industry moment since the partnership announcement – an opportunity to connect this research-driven innovation with the creative communities most affected by hearing risk.
An important contributor to the wider collaboration is Steve Harrison - music technologist, entrepreneur and long-standing tinnitus advocate.
Having developed tinnitus in his 20s following injury and noise exposure, Harrison has spent over a decade exploring sound-based approaches to managing the condition. His work spans music production, audio therapy experimentation, patient-led research initiatives and community advocacy.
He has released multiple tinnitus-focused audio tracks, contributed to peer-reviewed research and helped shape large-scale patient surveys across Europe. More recently, he has worked alongside Newcastle University on novel audio therapy concepts and systems designed to make therapeutic testing more accessible and scalable.
Harrison comments: “When I first developed tinnitus, I was told there was nothing that could be done. That experience drives everything I do today. We know tinnitus is complex and deeply individual, but that shouldn’t stop us from moving faster.
"By combining rigorous research with platforms that can reach people at scale, we can start testing ideas in the real world, not just in small trials, but with the people who actually live with this condition. For musicians and producers especially, hearing health needs to be part of the conversation, not something we only think about once the damage is done.”
His lived experience and long-standing engagement with tinnitus communities inform the direction of Sonical’s platform development.
Harrison is a co-founder of Tinnitus Hub, has contributed to major European patient surveys, and is a founding member of the patient board of Tinnitus Quest - an international initiative supporting research funding and patient-led collaboration. Through these roles, his work connects academic research, advocacy groups and global tinnitus communities, extending the reach and real-world relevance of Sonical’s efforts.
Tinnitus affects an estimated one in eight to one in 10 people globally. Among musicians, DJs and producers, incidence is significantly higher due to prolonged sound exposure. Yet hearing health is rarely built directly into the tools creatives rely on.