Beyond Faders: Understanding 6DoF Gesture Ecologies in Music Mixing

TL;DR

This paper explores how 6DoF gestures in XR can enhance music mixing by aligning with real-world practices, supporting immersive experiences, and maintaining manageable cognitive load.

Contribution

It introduces a set of 6DoF gestures for core mixing tasks, validated through user studies, advancing XR interface design for music production.

Findings

Participants found 6DoF gestures intuitive and immersive.

Cognitive load was generally low across gestures.

Preferences varied based on workflow familiarity.

Abstract

Extended reality (XR) enables new music-mixing workflows by moving beyond 2D faders toward embodied, spatial interaction. However, it remains unclear which six-degree-of-freedom (6DoF) gestures align with real-world mixing practices and whether such interactions support manageable cognitive load and positive user experience. We conducted a design workshop with experienced mixers to elicit gesture concepts for core audio tasks gain, compression, equalization, and automation, and implemented these in an XR prototype. A user study (n=12) evaluated the ecological validity of the gestures using cognitive load measures, user-experience ratings, and interviews. Participants generally found 6DoF gestures intuitive and well-mapped to mixing tasks, reporting strong immersion and a sense of connection with the audio environment. Cognitive load differences across gestures were minimal, though participants expressed preferences shaped by workflow familiarity and perceived control. We discuss implications for designing XR mixing tools that balance expressiveness, precision, and ecological validity.