Research project
Enhance Music
- Start date: 1 June 2022
- End date: 30 November 2026
- Funder: Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
- Primary investigator: Professor Alinka Greasley
- External co-investigators: Professor Trevor Cox (PI), Professor Jon Barker (Co-I), Professor Michael Akeroyd (Co-I), Dr Bruno Fazenda (Co-I), Dr William Whitmer (Co-I)
Value
£452,144
Partners and collaborators
University of Salford, University of Sheffield, University of Nottingham, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Royan National Institue of the Deaf (RNID), BBC R&D, Sonova AG, Google, Logitech UK Ltd
Description
Combining expertise in signal processing, music psychology, and hearing sciences, the Enhance Music (Cadenza) project will develop transformative approaches to music processing by hearing aids through the organisation of a series of machine learning challenges.
In these challenges, algorithms to enhance music listening experiences for those with hearing loss will be evaluated by and according to criteria set by panels of participants with hearing loss. Drawing on her expertise from the HAfM project, Dr Greasley will lead on the development of audio quality measures for music that will be used for machine learning optimisation, forming sensory and listener panels of individuals with varying hearing abilities and mapping perceptual dimensions affecting their listening experience.
The project is running across the Universities of Salford, Sheffield, Leeds and Nottingham.
Impact
Central to EnhanceMusic (Cadenza) is engagement across disciplines such as hearing, music signal processing and machine learning.
Benefits to national and international researchers are lowering barriers currently preventing researchers from applying their expertise to music signal processing for listeners with a hearing loss; providing understanding of what people with a hearing loss want from music and how best to characterise their hearing (going beyond the audiogram), informing future research and standards for audio quality testing; bringing people together to work in new, interdisciplinary research teams.
The project will increase the number of researchers considering personalised music listening for people with hearing loss, driving new technological solutions and subsequently improving access to music, with the proven health and wellbeing benefits that brings.
Publications and outputs
The project will produce:
- open access resources, databases, and software, with support so that these are easy to use;
- an on-line forum, workshops and journal special issues that allow researchers to share and co-create knowledge and expertise;
- challenges that ensure research is relevant to the needs of people with a hearing loss and has potential for implementation in hearing aids and/or consumer devices;
- a publicity campaign for challenge engagement and visibility across different disciplines;
- publications and presentations in journals and at conferences across relevant disciplines.