The impact of different mixes of the same song on listener experience: An examination from the perspective of sound engineering

Music is not only an artistic means of expression but also a powerful form of communication that shapes the listener's perception and emotional engagement with the sound. One of the critical stages in delivering a musical work to the listener is the mixing process. Throughout history, with the development of technology, sound engineering has gained different methods, and analog and digital techniques have come to be used together. In this context, the fact that different sound engineers mix the same song in different ways constitutes an important research topic in terms of the perceptual differences it creates for listeners, especially when considering how subjective interpretation, tonal balance and spatial perception vary from one engineer to another. The aim of this study is to examine the effects of three different mixes of the same song, prepared by three different sound engineers, on the listener experience. It is considered that addressing not only the technical aspects of sound engineering practices but also their aesthetic and perceptual dimensions is important in terms of contributing both to the academic literature and to the music industry. A mixed-method approach was used in the research. First, the three mixes prepared by the sound engineers were analyzed technically and the findings were tabulated. Then, the prepared mixes were presented to three different groups of listeners (individuals with music technology education, individuals with music education, and listeners without any academic music education), and the necessary data were collected using a semi-structured interview form. This method allowed for the evaluation of both quantitative and qualitative data together. The findings show that the way listeners perceive mixes differs according to their level of music education. Participants with music technology training paid more attention to technical details, while those with music education focused on musical integrity and balance. Listeners without music education, on the other hand, evaluated the mixes mainly based on emotional impact and subjective preference. The technical analysis also revealed significant differences among the mixes. These differences were particularly evident in the use of frequency distribution and dynamic contrast. The results obtained allowed us to observe both the different technical preferences of the engineers and the diversity of listening preferences of the participants. In conclusion, it can be said that the approaches of different sound engineers significantly affect how the same song is experienced by listeners. This demonstrates that the mixing process is not merely a technical operation but also carries artistic and perceptual dimensions. It is thought that the study is important in terms of contributing to the fields of sound engineering and music technologies, offering a foundation for future research that explores how creative mixing decisions influence listener perception in different musical genres and listener groups. Keywords: Sound engineering, Mixing, Listener experience