Haptic Interfaces for Accessible Audio Mixing.

Abstract

Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs) form the basis of contemporary music, audio production, and sound-based artistic practice, yet their increasingly visual interfaces present significant accessibility barriers for blind and partially sighted (BPS) sound creators. While screen reader technologies provide partial access, they are poorly suited to the real-time, embodied demands of mixing, spatial manipulation, and continuous parameter control, where serial speech feedback can interfere with listening and constrain creative flow. This paper examines how vibrotactile interaction can support accessible, non-visual engagement with DAWs by providing real-time, embodied feedback at the point of control. Working with nine BPS sound creators using non-visual participatory design methods, we developed two haptic prototype interfaces: the Haptic Audio Parameter Control Interface (HAPCI) and the Haptic Fader Audio Meter (HFAM). The interfaces were evaluated for their capacity to convey audio peak-level metering, spatial positioning, and continuous parameter changes through vibrotactile tactons and textures. Reflexive thematic analysis revealed that vibrotactile feedback enabled forms of real-time spatial and parametric awareness that are difficult to achieve using speech-based accessibility tools alone, distributed attentional demand across modalities to avoid over-burdening the auditory channel, and supported more fluid creative workflows. Participants developed personalized interaction strategies and expressed strong preferences for haptic feedback integrated into familiar hardware. The findings suggest an initial design framework for mapping DAW control data to vibrotactile feedback, organized around parameter type, with implications for supporting accessible, non-visual, and embodied engagement with professional audio production for this research population.