Exploring level- and spectrum-based music mixing transforms for hearing-impaired listeners

Multitrack mixing is an essential practice in modern music production. Research on automatic-mixing paradigms, however, has mostly tested samples of trained, normal hearing (NH) participants. The goal of the present study was to explore mixing paradigms for hearing-impaired (HI) listeners. In two experiments, the mixing preferences of NH and HI listeners with respect to the parameters of lead-to-accompaniment level ratio (LAR) and the low to high frequency spectral energy balance were investigated. Furthermore, preferences of transformed equalization (EQ-transform) were assessed, achieved by linearly extrapolating between the power spectrum of individual tracks and a reference spectrum. Multitrack excerpts of popular music were used as stimuli. Results from experiment 1 indicate that HI participants preferred an elevated LAR compared to NH participants but did not suggest distinct preferences regarding spectral balancing or EQ-transform. Results from experiment 2 showed that bilateral hearing aid (HA) disuse among the HI participants yielded higher LAR values, stronger weighting of higher frequencies, as well as sparser EQ-transform settings compared to a condition with HA use. Overall, these results suggest that adjusting multitrack mixes may be a valuable way for making music more accessible for HI listeners.