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The rise of fake engine noise

washingtonpost.com

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Re: The rise of fake engine noise

#111

Post by joshu »

declan wrote: post #84
MRSallee wrote: post #67

As a motor vehicle enthusiast, I think it's important to distinguish "real noises intentionally amplified by physical audio routing" and "electronic recordings or audio processing played through speakers." I don't object to routing engine noises to the cabin to allow for a loud-feeling vehicle (without necessarily being loud to people outside the car). To me, this isn't fake. The driver experiences real engine noise,…

As a fellow driving enthusiast, I agree. When shopping for my last car, the manufacturer's outgoing model had a sport exhaust setting but did not pipe exhaust noise into the cabin. The incoming model did. (Note this is an actual mechanical opening or tube, not BMW-style synthesized noise.) I ended up with the special-edition outgoing model for other reasons, including greater horsepower, but wouldn't necessarily obje…

Say goodbye to that note; the newer cars will be turboed which muffles the noise significantly.

Re: The rise of fake engine noise

#112

Post by throwaway800 »

baldeagle wrote: post #86
atonse wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This seems like the perfect use for something like a mini LIDAR you can mount on a bike that detects a car behind you and just lights up a couple of LEDs on the handlebars.

Forget the bike, I've always wanted a kit that would detect cars around my car and display them like a mini map. Maybe with high speed delta from my own highlighted.

I mostly bike around cities, and when I drive I have taken to cracking open a window because not being able to hear cars around me feels deeply disconcerting.

Re: The rise of fake engine noise

#113

Post by jvanloov »

ars wrote: post #48

Am I the only one that associates loud noise with a weak engine? To me a powerful car just has an acceleration whine, and that's all. It's like a rocket exhaust: the "wilder" it is the weaker it is. A powerful, well tuned, rocket has a very sharp, and clean (i.e. not noisy) flame. Same with a car - if it's making a lot of noise, it's poorly tuned or designed.

A muffler restricts the exhaust and will lead to decreased power from the engine, even for properly tuned engines. Removing the muffler will remove the restriction in the exhaust and undo the power decrease, and also increase the noise.

Re: The rise of fake engine noise

#114

Post by ferrari8608 »

Svip wrote: post #97
ferrari8608 wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just wonder, why does it have to be engine noise in particular? If I saw a Tesla, Leaf, Volt, etc. I wouldn't expect any engine or exhaust noise. Beeping, maybe.

Beeping? Like a lorry backing up? Even a low pitch beeping would become annoying pretty quickly. It should just be a sort of hum.

A hum would work just as well. I was just trying to think of a noise I would expect from an electric device, and beeping was the first thing that came to mind. It's better than coil whine at least.

Re: The rise of fake engine noise

#115

Post by davegardner »

ferrari8608 wrote: post #94
aidenn0 wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The article makes it sound like that is going to have to go away, if laws are passed to make electrics play fake engine noise.

I just wonder, why does it have to be engine noise in particular? If I saw a Tesla, Leaf, Volt, etc. I wouldn't expect any engine or exhaust noise. Beeping, maybe.

I expect there'll be a new set of businesses built up around custom engine noises. If the manufactures don't make it easy to load your own MP3, then you'll probably be able to take it to a car mod specialist.

Re: The rise of fake engine noise

#116

Post by gambiting »

jacquesm wrote: post #64
bri3d wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most of this noise is pumped into the car (to make the consumer happy), not out of the car. The two most common systems in use today are the car stereo (either amplifying the real engine's sound or by simply synchronizing a synthesis mechanism to the engine's load conditions) or a "sound pipe" which runs from the engine's air intake into the cabin ventilation system. This article strangely managed to conflate the two…

If my car would make less noise I'd be happy. It totally baffles me why someone would want more useless noise in their lives rather than less if that's an option. Music is beautiful, artificial engine noise is just that: noise.

>>Music is beautiful, artificial engine noise is just that: noise.

That's just your opinion man. I frequently turn off the stereo in my car to listen to the engine sound instead. Not everyone has to like the same thing.

Re: The rise of fake engine noise

#117

Post by gambiting »

Animats wrote: post #72

This may be a transient problem as people get used to new technology. It's like using Filmlook to put scratches and grain on HD video. The 2013 Lotus Evora, a series hybrid vehicle with an electric motor and a fixed gearbox, took this to the point of silliness. Not only did they provide fake engine sounds, they provided shift paddles and required the driver to shift software-simulated gears . They even provided a mom…

As long as there is an option to turn all of it off, I don't have a single problem with it. It actually sounds quite cool.

Re: The rise of fake engine noise

#118

Post by mootothemax »

na85 wrote: post #106
ars wrote: post #48

Am I the only one that associates loud noise with a weak engine? To me a powerful car just has an acceleration whine, and that's all. It's like a rocket exhaust: the "wilder" it is the weaker it is. A powerful, well tuned, rocket has a very sharp, and clean (i.e. not noisy) flame. Same with a car - if it's making a lot of noise, it's poorly tuned or designed.

>Same with a car - if it's making a lot of noise, it's poorly tuned or designed. Easily disproved. F1 cars produce about 600 horsepower, are extremely performant, and are loud as fuck.

F1 cars... are loud as fuck.

Formula one's new V6 engines are so quiet that they caused a lot of controversy when first introduced:

http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2014/06/17/f1-spectators-say-new-...

Re: The rise of fake engine noise

#119

Post by pcthrowaway »

na85 wrote: post #101
yaeger wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't you see any problem with the silence in terms of safety? There is a reason bicycles need to have a bell. Because these you also cannot hear when they approach you. Although, it would be funny seeing a Tesla with a nice little bell and the tacked on law that you have to use it to alarm others in front of you that you are approaching. That'll be a sight to behold.

Cars come equipped with horns for that exact purpose (alerting pedestrians, etc.), though they are often used as displeasure-signalling devices.

As a cyclist it's often helpful to be able to hear the sound made by cars moving across a street, for example, when approaching an intersection where perpendicular traffic should stop, but may not.

Re: The rise of fake engine noise

#120

Post by liotier »

throwaway800 wrote: post #112
baldeagle wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Forget the bike, I've always wanted a kit that would detect cars around my car and display them like a mini map. Maybe with high speed delta from my own highlighted.

I mostly bike around cities, and when I drive I have taken to cracking open a window because not being able to hear cars around me feels deeply disconcerting.

Wow - I thought it was just me !
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