Designing a Spatial Vibrotactile Interface for Accessible Spatial Audio Mixing by Blind and Visually Impaired Music Producers.

Christina Karpodini, Tychonas Michailidis, and Richard Davies

Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression

Abstract

Spatial audio mixing is primarily achieved through a visually oriented interface in Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs). Accessibility tools, such as screen readers, have improved access to DAWs for blind and visually impaired (BVI) music producers; however, features such as spatial audio mixing remain difficult to use. Existing methods lead BVI users to adopt cognitively demanding workflows, often discouraging them from engaging with spatial mixing altogether. This study proposes using vibrotactile feedback via the bHaptics TactSuit (a wearable vest) to convey sound location and support intuitive interaction. Evaluation with 5 professional music producers (blind and sighted) provided initial feedback through semi-structured interviews on the tool's practicality and usability. The identified themes indicated that vibrotactile feedback enhances confidence and may improve the accuracy of sound localisation in space. Participants would use this tool in their workflow and suggested methods for improving the prototype, including greater precision and higher resolution. The overall feedback indicated the potential benefits of using spatial vibroatactile feedback for inclusive spatial audio mixing.

Citation

Christina Karpodini, Tychonas Michailidis, and Richard Davies. 2026. Designing a Spatial Vibrotactile Interface for Accessible Spatial Audio Mixing by Blind and Visually Impaired Music Producers.. Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.20784194 [PDF]

BibTeX Entry

@inproceedings{nime2026_61,
 abstract = {Spatial audio mixing is primarily achieved through a visually oriented interface in Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs). Accessibility tools, such as screen readers, have improved access to DAWs for blind and visually impaired (BVI) music producers; however, features such as spatial audio mixing remain difficult to use. Existing methods lead BVI users to adopt cognitively demanding workflows, often discouraging them from engaging with spatial mixing altogether. This study proposes using vibrotactile feedback via the bHaptics TactSuit (a wearable vest) to convey sound location and support intuitive interaction. Evaluation with 5 professional music producers (blind and sighted) provided initial feedback through semi-structured interviews on the tool's practicality and usability. The identified themes indicated that vibrotactile feedback enhances confidence and may improve the accuracy of sound localisation in space. Participants would use this tool in their workflow and suggested methods for improving the prototype, including greater precision and higher resolution. The overall feedback indicated the potential benefits of using spatial vibroatactile feedback for inclusive spatial audio mixing. },
 address = {London, United Kingdom},
 articleno = {61},
 author = {Christina Karpodini and Tychonas Michailidis and Richard Davies},
 booktitle = {Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression},
 doi = {10.5281/zenodo.20784194},
 editor = {Benedict Gaster and João Tragtenberg and Anna Xambó and Tom Mitchell},
 issn = {2220-4806},
 month = {June},
 note = {},
 numpages = {7},
 pages = {518--524},
 title = {Designing a Spatial Vibrotactile Interface for Accessible Spatial Audio Mixing by Blind and Visually Impaired Music Producers.},
 track = {Paper},
 url = {http://nime.org/proceedings/2026/nime2026_61.pdf},
 year = {2026}
}