From the earliest sputtering combustion engine of the Ford Model T, or the clackity-clack of a Mickey Mantle card in your bicycle spokes, to the modern stealthy sounds of the Tesla, the symphony of transportation continues to evolve. Knight Rider’s Kitt sold us on the dream of a car with the ability to carry on a conversation, although we’re not there yet. Car enthusiasts modify their exhausts to make them louder, and researchers are designing tires to make them quieter. As vehicle sound systems become more complex, what will this mean for our interactions with them? How will the sonic experience of vehicles impact the emotional relationships that users or bystanders have with them. What risks and opportunities does the vehicle give us that’s different from other platforms?
One thought on “Vehicle Audio: Where do we go next?”
Given the amount of time and effort invested by Audi and Harley Davidson in creating the sound of the e-tron and e-harley, how long is it before e-vehicle ‘sounds’ become trademarked? I’m thinking of the 99% show on the Chili’s sizzle trademark in particular (http://99percentinvisible.org/episode/the-sizzle/ for bbq-ers too lazy, too new, or too email disciplined to dig up the reflector email).
What would a patchwork of trademark and copyright sounds do for aftermarket vehicle sounds?
FYI I really want a Honda Odyssey that sounds like a Lambo Aventador, because why not!? Or maybe it sounds like popcorn popping when the ‘engine’ ‘revs’. Or maybe horse hoof beats.
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