Novel Web-Based Music Re-Engineering Software for Enhancement of Music Enjoyment Among Cochlear Implantees

Objectives: Cochlear implant (CI) listeners experience diminished music perception and enjoyment from a variety of patient-related and implant-related factors. We investigate the hypothesis that patient-directed music re-engineering may enhance music enjoyment with CI. Study Design: Prospective cohort study. Setting: Academic cochlear implant center. Subjects and Methods: A multidisciplinary team of neurotologists, audiologists, and a sound/audio engineer collaborated with a web developer to create a music re-engineering application. Experienced adult CI listeners rated original excerpts from five major genres of music on enjoyment using a visual analog scale (VAS). Subjects were then allowed to re-engineer the original by adjusting treble frequencies, bass frequencies, percussion emphasis, and reverberation and again rated on enjoyment. Results: Total of 46 subjects, with a mean age of 57.6 years (SD = 16; range, 18–90) participated in the study. User-mixed audio was rated higher across all measures of enjoyment than original recordings (mean difference +0.92; p 
Source: Otology and Neurotology - Category: ENT & OMF Tags: COCHLEAR IMPLANTS Source Type: research