Standard Hardness

Fredrik Nordström

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

5.00 High

Key Predictors

Spectral Complexity 31.91
Spectral Contrast (1.6–3.2 kHz) 15.56 dB
Dissonance 0.487
HPCP Entropy 2.61

High spectral complexity combined with dense upper-midrange content creates a textural hardness strongly associated with heaviness perception.

💥 Temporal Punch

-24.88 dB Moderate
PM95 (Peak-to-Loudness) -24.88 dB
PLR (Dynamic Range) 11.10 dB Moderate

Moderate PM95 values suggest some transient clarity, but in spectrally saturated mixes, hardness (β ≈ .688) remains the dominant predictor of heaviness.

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

0.04 Perceptual Heaviness
Perceptual Heaviness 0.04
-1 (Low) 0 +1 (High)
Subjective Punch -0.15
Brightness -0.08
Roughness 0.14
Clarity -0.05

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; traditional Swedish death metal approach with moderate spectral density.

Aesthetic: Classic Swedish metal production