All about that bass: Audio filters on basslines determine groove and liking in electronic dance music
Groove is defined as wanting to move the body to music. Most empirical groove research has focused on rhythmic features like microtiming and syncopation, while research on musical liking has focused on pitch, form, and repetition. Here, we examine the effect of timbre on groove and liking ratings by applying audio filters to basslines in an electronic dance music (EDM) style. We also investigate via questionnaire the role of music and dance experience, preferred genre, and gender on groove and liking. Four brief EDM loops were created, each consisting of drum samples and a synthesized bassline. Each loop had four audio filter conditions (high-pass, band-pass, low-pass, no filter) applied to its bassline. The 102 participants heard all stimuli three times, rating them for groove and liking, and then completed the questionnaire. For both groove and liking, participants gave higher ratings to the filter conditions preserving low-frequency energy (low-pass and no filter). The relation of the questionnaire data to groove and liking was limited, meriting further investigation. Overall, the results suggest that people find groovier, and like more, basslines preserving low-frequency energy. The lack of loop-filter interaction suggests that timbre can determine groove and liking across different melodic and rhythmic contexts.