*4.2.4 Click-to-music loudness ratios*

The Click-to-music-ratio (CMR)16 analyses were measured in relative Loudness Units (LU). These analyses across tests showed that the CMR was 4.2 LU to 17.4 LU lower when using the ABH compared to the stereo systems [9]. **Figure 4** displays the CMR in LU at key performance moments of the pop-rock duo for the drummer's monitoring mix with a click track (A), and at key performance timings of the electroacoustic piece for the pianist's monitoring mix with a soundtrack that included

<sup>16</sup> Examples of the binaural versus stereo monitoring mixes that the musicians heard are available under this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8c8lBCzJR-M

#### *Advances in Fundamental and Applied Research on Spatial Audio*

#### **Figure 4.**

*Click-to-music loudness ratios (A) in the drummer's monitoring mix at key sections of the guitar and drums pop-rock duo, and (B) in the pianist's monitoring mix at key timings of Nicole Lizée's Hitchcock Études.*

a click track on the left channel (B). We observe that for the chorus of the pop-rock duo, the drummer monitored the click track at 17.7 LU lower than the music with the ABH, versus at nearly the same loudness as the music at 0.3 LU with the stereo headphones. While the CMR decrease was less noticeable for the pianist's mix, we could observe that the ABH enabled a more dynamic headphone mix, and so a more expressive balance between the piano and soundtrack than the stereo headphones.

### **5. Discussion**

## **5.1 What are the main challenges of using a monitoring wearable device while performing music?**

Results from the questionnaires expand previous findings regarding the challenges that musicians face when performing with wearable monitoring devices [1]. In addition to being very sensitive to the sound quality of the headphone mix, performers also strongly value the technical quality and physical properties of the monitoring system. Moreover, results confirm that they develop strategies to cope with their discomfort. Indeed, only one out of the 21 respondents who answered the fourth question reported wearing headphones on both ears while performing. It should be noted that wearing only one earcup or half of both earcups is tiring for performers due to the asymmetry or layer of the auditory feedback. These findings thus reinforce the need to find monitoring solutions that overcome the challenges of traditional stereo headphones.

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

A large number of phrasings about negative musical consequences show that musicians are aware of the impact of poor monitoring setups on their performance. In this view, instrumentalists' comments during the case performance studies confirm that many do not expect to get a comfortable headphone mix in the studio [1] and that some of them come to the studio mentally prepared to face monitoring challenges. For instance, the drummer of the jazz trio explained that he usually expects to experience latency issues. However, while we know that monitoring mixes lead to different ways of performing, be the impact positive or negative [3], survey respondents surprisingly did not mention any positive musical consequences. Similarly, we noticed a reluctance from the participants who tested the BMR to detail the positive effects of their preferred monitoring condition on their musicality. These findings indicate that musicians and sound engineers should communicate more about monitoring systems to transcend the status quo. Also, results show that improvisers conceptualize their ideal monitoring system differently than orchestra conductors do, which corroborates with the need for engineers to adapt the design of monitoring systems as well as recording and live engineering sound choices [27] to the esthetic and culture of the performance context.
