**5.3 Could binaural headphone monitoring systems increase the click-to-music ratio compared to stereo headphones?**

With the ABH and BMR, we observed that performers required fewer synchronization cues in their headphone mix compared to the stereo conditions, due to enhanced binaural intelligibility and less sound masking effects [17]. The less dynamic nature of the stereo headphones brings musician to monitor a louder headphone mix overall, which is likely to damage their aural health over time [13]. Indeed, in addition to perceiving a more realistic spatial image, the extreme dynamic range differences between the click track and the music signal are enhanced by the binaural rendering, leading musicians to set their monitor level at a comfortable volume to enjoy the dips and valleys of the musical scenario. In this view, the drummer who used the ABH system got concerned about losing his hearing when he realized how loud his click track was in stereo. He mentioned to Menon that he would consider purchasing a wearable metronome to avoid using audible click tracks at such high volumes in the future. Similar findings appeared with the BMR system, as the jazz musicians and free improvisers could hear the music cues more distinctly without forcing in binaural compared to stereo. In particular, the jazz drummer and guitarist asked Bauer to increase the bass level in their monitoring mix when switching from binaural to stereo, as they explained that the bass was masked by other music elements in stereo. Also, whereas the world music performer removed one earcup in stereo while overdubbing, as the headphone mix content gradually got denser, he kept both earcups on throughout the recording process with the binaural condition. These findings also illustrate the challenge of controlling the balance of headphone mixes in stereo.

One of Soudoplatoff's motivations in developing a binaural monitoring solution was that a conductor from his professional network suffered from hyperacusis and tinnitus due to working with loud in-ear monitors when she toured with a symphonic orchestra mixed with electronic music in a dozen representations over a two-week period. The results of our seven comparison tests with three binaural monitoring setups encourage us to pursue this research to improve music performers' working conditions. One next step would be to focus on better integration of the click track in

*Binaural Headphone Monitoring to Enhance Musicians' Immersion in Performance DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.104845*

the monitoring mix by spatializing it to allow for its externalization with an appropriate localization distance. We believe that this advancement would enable musicians to monitor even less click track than with our BHT, BMR, ABH, and Copper and Martin [2]'s ATH, and thus to feel even more immersed in the performance. This should allow to reduce the cultural implications of the click track [14, 15]. Such an approach would thus treat the click track as AAR instead of AMR and would take full advantage of binaural unmasking capabilities.
