Standard Hardness

Jens Bogren

Section 1

Intensive, texturally dense section

Fast, high-intensity passage with blast beats and tremolo-picked guitars; high textural density; limited space for low-frequency weight.

Fast tempo Blast beats Tremolo picking High density

Study Stimulus (Section 1)

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🔊 Acoustic Hardness

5.44 Very High

Key Predictors

Spectral Complexity 32.53
Spectral Contrast (1.6–3.2 kHz) 14.23 dB
Dissonance 0.486
HPCP Entropy 2.53

Very high spectral complexity and textural density indicate a maximally saturated "wall-of-sound" profile. This spectral-textural hardness is the primary psychoacoustic driver of perceived heaviness in our studies.

💥 Temporal Punch

-22.58 dB High
PM95 (Peak-to-Loudness) -22.58 dB
PLR (Dynamic Range) 10.77 dB Moderate

This mix has relatively high PM95, indicating preserved transient headroom. However, in our dense metal production data, PM95 did not add unique explanatory power for heaviness beyond hardness (β ≈ .22, non-significant).

Key Finding: While listeners perceive punch as salient, acoustic PM95 fails to track subjective punch in dense mixes. The production trade-off favors spectral saturation (hardness) over transient preservation (punch).

🎧 Perceptual Ratings

0.10 Perceptual Heaviness
Perceptual Heaviness 0.10
-1 (Low) 0 +1 (High)
Subjective Punch 0.10
Brightness 0.05
Roughness -0.01
Clarity 0.19

Key Insight: Perceived heaviness and subjective punch show strong correlation (listeners associate them), but acoustic PM95 fails to track subjective punch in dense mixes. This disconnect reveals that heaviness perception in metal is driven primarily by spectral-textural hardness rather than transient impact.

Producer Profile

Standard Hardness cluster; balanced approach with moderate spectral complexity and good transient preservation.

Aesthetic: Modern metal clarity with controlled density