EXPRESS: The effect of low frequency equalisation on preference and sensorimotor synchronisation in music

Equalisation, a signal processing technique commonly used to shape the sound of music, is defined as the adjustment of the energy in specific frequency components of a signal. In this work we investigate the effects of equalisation on preference and sensorimotor synchronisation in music. Twenty-one participants engaged in a goal-directed upper body movement in synchrony with stimuli equalised in three low-frequency sub-bands (0 - 50 Hz, 50 - 100 Hz, 100 - 200 Hz). To quantify the effect of equalisation, music features including spectral flux, pulse clarity, and beat confidence were extracted from seven differently equalised versions of music tracks - one original and six manipulated versions for each music track. These music tracks were then used in a movement synchronisation task. Bayesian mixed effects models revealed different synchronisation behaviours in response to the three sub-bands considered. Boosting energy in the 100 - 200 Hz sub-band reduced synchronisation performance irrespective of the sub-band energy of the original version. An energy boost in the 0 - 50 Hz band resulted in increased synchronisation performance only when the sub-band energy of the original version was high. An energy boost in the 50 - 100 Hz band increased synchronisation performance only when the sub-band energy of the original version was low. Boosting the energy in any of the three subbands increased preference regardless of the energy of the original version. Our results provide empirical support for the importance of low-frequency information for sensorimotor synchronisation and suggest that the effect of equalisation on preference and synchronisation are largely independent of one another.