A New Technical Ear Training Game and Its Effect on Critical Listening Skills

Abstract

Technical ear training has proven to be an effective tool for developing the skills of junior audio engineers and enhancing their proficiency in audio and music production. To provide a comprehensive auditory training experience, the authors have created a gamified training program that encompasses four modules: spectral identification, auditory localization, consistent judgment, and memory of a mix balance. Each module is designed to give trainees closed-loop audiomotor training, allowing them to instantly assess their performance and identify areas where they need to improve. This new ear-training game helped players to be more engaged and resulted in the improvement of trained audio engineering skills. Moreover, the game also benefited a non-trained auditory skill, speech understanding in noise.