Listening experiences among people using assistive hearing technologies, such as hearing aids and/or Cochlear Implants (CIs), are diverse and impacted by various physiological and social factors. Given individual diferences in such factors and in subjective preferences related to music enjoyment, there is a need for personalized, customizable solutions to improve music listening experiences for CI users. In this vision paper, we present methods and initial results of an exploratory study designed to gain insights into the empathetic processes involved in audio mixing and listening. Ten expert listeners (ELs) (each of whom has used a CI for over one year), and ten professional audio engineers (AEs) were recruited. AEs were then asked to mix and process audio under various conditions including using a CI-simulator as well as with written feedback from an EL or peer AE. All participants completed multiple interviews and surveys to better understand the nuances of this customization and listening process. Findings from this initial study will inform the creation of a web-based tool to empower CI users to customize their music listening experience.
lored to CI users [4]. While there are certainly merits to from various genres (folk, hip-hop, electronic dance muthese approaches, they neither fully enable CI listeners to sic, soft pop, and funk) and a speech-in-noise excerpt customize their experiences nor account for the diversity were given to the AEs to mix in four stages: (1) A baseof listening experiences, strategies, and goals.
line mix, as if mixing for commercial release, (2) Re-mix
A potential site of exploration to develop a tool for “Mix 1” through a CI simulation plug-in 2, (3) Re-mix CI users to customize their experience is the manipu- “Mix 2” after receiving written feedback from an EL with Joint Proceedings of the ACM IUI Workshops 2023, March 2023, Sydney, a peer AE who is aware of all the details of the study. Australia ∗Corresponding author. nEvelop-O 1Stem or multi-track representations refer to a piece of recorded music where each audio element, instrument, or group of instruments is available on their own track that can be individually manipulated before being summed into the final piece. 2While there is mixed evidence supporting the eficacy of disability simulation in empathy generation among non-disabled people, the efect of context and contact with people with disabilities has led to increased empathy generation [5].