Influence of harmonic loudness on piano timbre preference

Abstract

Digital music is more and more popular in nowadays. However, more sophisticated music production has received little scholarly attention. This study examined piano timbre preference between melodies of non-processing sound source of software and two kinds of adjustment by equalizer - a basic tool for recording engineering and for audio materials production in this study. Using the dual comparison method, 98 respondents were surveyed. The survey results show that, in the bass range of the piano sound, the audio material produced by equalizer with reducing the loudness of the 7th and 9th harmonics by 15dB, while enhancing the loudness of the 8th harmonics by 15dB, is the most favorite. Such result implies an application prospect in recording engineering and AI music production.