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posted by LaminatorX on Friday January 23 2015, @04:08PM   Printer-friendly
from the all-sizzle-no-steak dept.

Stomp on the gas in a new Ford Mustang or F-150 and you’ll hear a meaty, throaty rumble—the same style of roar that Americans have associated with auto power and performance for decades. Now Drew Harwell reports at the Washington Post that the auto industry’s dirty little secret is that the engine growl in some of America’s best-selling cars and trucks is actually a finely tuned bit of lip-syncing, boosted through special pipes or digitally faked altogether. "Fake engine noise has become one of the auto industry’s dirty little secrets, with automakers from BMW to Volkswagen turning to a sound-boosting bag of tricks," writes Harwell. "Without them, today’s more fuel-efficient engines would sound far quieter and, automakers worry, seemingly less powerful, potentially pushing buyers away." For example Ford sound engineers and developers worked on an “Active Noise Control” system on the 2015 Mustang EcoBoost that amplifies the engine’s purr through the car speakers. Afterwards, the automaker surveyed members of Mustang fan clubs on which processed “sound concepts” they most enjoyed.

Among purists, the trickery has inspired an identity crisis and cut to the heart of American auto legend. The “aural experience” of a car, they argue, is an intangible that’s just as priceless as what’s revving under the hood. “For a car guy, it’s literally music to hear that thing rumble,” says Mike Rhynard, “It’s a mind-trick. It’s something it’s not. And no one wants to be deceived.” Other drivers ask if it really matters if the sound is fake? A driver who didn’t know the difference might enjoy the thrum and thunder of it nonetheless. Is taking the best part of an eight-cylinder rev and cloaking a better engine with it really, for car makers, so wrong? "It may be a necessary evil in the eyes of Ford," says Andrew Hard, "but it’s sad to think that an iconic muscle car like the Mustang, a car famous for its bellowing, guttural soundtrack, has to fake its engine noise in 2015. Welcome to the future."

 
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  • (Score: 2) by mechanicjay on Friday January 23 2015, @04:33PM

    This all such BS. I'm only speculating here, but I suspect automakers are doing this because its cheap. What's a couple extra lines of code in the ECU -> Infotainment interface to simulate "Engine Noise"? Actually tuning the hardware (Exhaust System) to produce the desired effect, well that takes someone who knows what they're doing and hence, costs money. I'm sure there is something to be said about the downfall of society here, but I can't quite put my finger on it.

    OTOH, if you're going to make fake engine noise, at least make it sound cool, like a TIE Fighter or the Millennium Falcon. If I ever find myself owning a Battery Car, I will hack that MoFo to scream like a TIE Fighter.

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  • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 23 2015, @05:00PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 23 2015, @05:00PM (#137313)

    What it costs is fuel efficiency.

    American vacuum cleaners and leaf blowers, where energy efficiency is not a concern of the manufacturer, are deliberately engineered to be louder because quiet models of equal power don't sell as well.

    • (Score: 2) by bob_super on Friday January 23 2015, @05:14PM

      by bob_super (1357) on Friday January 23 2015, @05:14PM (#137319)

      I don't know anyone who's listened to their leaf blower before picking it off the shelf, but I'll take your word for it.

      Europe considers Noise as a pollution, and noise-level enforcement rules are getting stricter. Obviously, the US has some ways to go before getting to that point (outside of some OSHA rules).

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 23 2015, @05:53PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 23 2015, @05:53PM (#137341)

        I don't know anyone who uses a leaf blower before picking it off the shelf either.

        What actually happens is that people talk to their neighbours, borrow their equipment and get a "feel" and part of that feel is the sound.

        • (Score: 2) by bob_super on Friday January 23 2015, @06:02PM

          by bob_super (1357) on Friday January 23 2015, @06:02PM (#137345)

          That requires the person to talk to their neighbors, be allowed to borrow the equipment, and actually finding the same one in their target price range.
          The proportion of people who can pull that off is shrinking rapidly.

          • (Score: 2) by tibman on Friday January 23 2015, @06:19PM

            by tibman (134) Subscriber Badge on Friday January 23 2015, @06:19PM (#137355)

            Good thing i wasn't drinking coffee : ) I completely agree. You can choose the house but you can't choose the neighbors. I'd be happy with some that waved back instead of looking away or scowling.

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          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 23 2015, @06:47PM

            by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 23 2015, @06:47PM (#137370)

            WTF is it with you literalist idiots?

            Have you never bought anything yourself?

            First off, you don't have to actually borrow it to get your friend's opinions, just talking to them gets you halfway there.
            Second, people frequently settle for a different model from the same manufacturer when the identical model is not easily available, that is the entire reason companies invest so much in building a brand. Much of the time they don't even know an exact model to begin with.

            I swear you sheldon cooper wannabes have no clue how actual people live their lives. Most people are not binary robots like, you apparently believe yourself to be.

            • (Score: 2) by bob_super on Friday January 23 2015, @06:53PM

              by bob_super (1357) on Friday January 23 2015, @06:53PM (#137374)

              > people frequently settle for a different model from the same manufacturer when the identical model is not easily available
              > (...)
              > Much of the time they don't even know an exact model to begin with.

              The sub-topic is the affirmation that "the louder models sell better".

              • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 23 2015, @06:59PM

                by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 23 2015, @06:59PM (#137378)

                Holy hell sheldon cooper.

                What kind of myopic idiocy does it take for you to think that brand is completely distinct from model?

                • (Score: 2) by bob_super on Friday January 23 2015, @07:07PM

                  by bob_super (1357) on Friday January 23 2015, @07:07PM (#137383)

                  > What actually happens is that people talk to their neighbours, borrow their equipment and get a "feel" and part of that feel is the sound.

                  > First off, you don't have to actually borrow it to get your friend's opinions, just talking to them gets you halfway there.

                  Now tell me again how many of your friends will tell you that theirs is better (subtracting confirmation bias), and how many have HEARD multiple models from different brands and, all other things being equal, decided on the louder one.

                  The original AC stated "deliberately engineered to be louder because quiet models of equal power don't sell as well". You are allowed not to believe my objections. Why do you prefer to believe the original AC, and if it's you, can you substantiate your claim?

                  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 23 2015, @07:19PM

                    by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 23 2015, @07:19PM (#137386)

                    Now tell me again how many of your friends will tell you that theirs is better (subtracting confirmation bias), and how many have HEARD multiple models from different brands and, all other things being equal, decided on the louder one.

                    The only response to that is you couldn't have done a better job of confirming that accusation of being a literalist in the mold of sheldon cooper if you had tried.

                    • (Score: 2) by bob_super on Friday January 23 2015, @07:21PM

                      by bob_super (1357) on Friday January 23 2015, @07:21PM (#137388)

                      I just read a cop-out on the original bullshit claim.

                      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 23 2015, @08:49PM

                        by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 23 2015, @08:49PM (#137412)

                        Sure, that's exactly what sheldon cooper would read.

                        What actually happened is leonard just gave up arguing because it is too difficult to get a man to understand something when his sense of superiority depends on his not understanding it.

                        • (Score: 2) by bob_super on Friday January 23 2015, @09:28PM

                          by bob_super (1357) on Friday January 23 2015, @09:28PM (#137431)

                          Let's reply this:
                          AC: The loudest ones sell better
                          Me (not AC): I don't see how, because [silly reasons]. Can you explain?
                          AC: You're just a Sheldon!

                          Does Leonard usually defend random unproven statements? I thought he was usually on the side of common sense...

                          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 26 2015, @04:58PM

                            by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 26 2015, @04:58PM (#138219)
                            Thank you both for reminding me why I hate that show.
      • (Score: 2) by frojack on Friday January 23 2015, @09:52PM

        by frojack (1554) on Friday January 23 2015, @09:52PM (#137438) Journal

        Europe considers Noise as a pollution

        Bob-who-speaks-for-all-of-Europe fails to notice virtually everywhere in north america there are noise pollution laws [noisefree.org], and you can be pulled over for nothing more than driving a car that is too loud, or you can get a visit from police for your dog barking too much.

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        • (Score: 2) by bob_super on Friday January 23 2015, @10:54PM

          by bob_super (1357) on Friday January 23 2015, @10:54PM (#137458)

          I've spent enough time in enough US states to know that enforcement of noise laws isn't exactly a priority of the cops, unless called or in need of an excuse.

          Said cops are a major noise contributor inside cities, where vehicle-mounted sirens (cops, fire, ambulance) are set at absurd and actually painful levels, tens of dB higher than anything I've ever experienced in other countries.

          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 24 2015, @12:25AM

            by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 24 2015, @12:25AM (#137487)

            cops in America prefer to shoot first and ask questions later

  • (Score: 2) by keplr on Friday January 23 2015, @05:31PM

    by keplr (2104) on Friday January 23 2015, @05:31PM (#137333) Journal

    Agreed. Engine noise is an epiphenomenon related to actual performance and power of (certain kinds of) engines. We can now produce the same power now with less noise--which means less energy wasted being converted to useless sound pollution. There's only one crass automotive affectation that I find more offensive to good taste and basic decency. I can't fathom what it feels like to be this much of an insufferable, spiteful, moronic, douchebag. [wikipedia.org]

    --
    I don't respond to ACs.
  • (Score: 1) by Gaaark_1000 on Friday January 23 2015, @05:48PM

    by Gaaark_1000 (1000) on Friday January 23 2015, @05:48PM (#137339)

    I want the 'clip clop' noise, and make is sound like there is a guy beside my car clip-clopping 2 coconut halves together.

    The sound speeds up and slows down as I do (and when i stop, i want the 'whoa.... (and horse exhale sound as well)).

    And if i hit someone with it, i want it to say 'merely a flesh wound... come back you coward!'

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 23 2015, @06:26PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 23 2015, @06:26PM (#137361)

      Someone on the other site mentioned the sound of turning on the light wands from ghostbusters.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzLobQxY6gg&t=15 [youtube.com]

      That would be amusing :)

      Or a tardis that would be cool too.

      • (Score: 1) by Gaaark_1000 on Saturday January 24 2015, @06:36PM

        by Gaaark_1000 (1000) on Saturday January 24 2015, @06:36PM (#137656)

        Ah Tardis!... oh man, would Tom Baker be driving?

        Please!

        --'This is my chauffeur, the Doctor!'
        --'Would you like a jelly baby?'

        Sweet!

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 23 2015, @06:54PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 23 2015, @06:54PM (#137375)

      I've been predicting "ringtones for electric cards" for a few years now.
      As of now the manufacturers are just doing boring sounds that play at low speeds. [businessweek.com]

  • (Score: 2) by emg on Friday January 23 2015, @06:10PM

    by emg (3464) on Friday January 23 2015, @06:10PM (#137349)

    It's not necessarily done electronically. A couple of the cars we looked at buying last year had tubes designed to take noise from certain parts of the engine and feed it into the passenger compartment.

    Seemed bizarre to me, in a world where reviews complain about engines being noisy, but some people do seem attached to their engine noise. Look at all the complaints about CVTs 'droning' because they keep the engine at peak performance when you floor the gas, leading to manufacturers putting fake shifts into the CVT computer which means they sound like a traditional automatic, but accelerate slower than a real CVT.

  • (Score: 2) by caseih on Saturday January 24 2015, @10:42PM

    by caseih (2744) on Saturday January 24 2015, @10:42PM (#137709)

    Wrong. They do it because that's what customers are demanding. This was mentioned on slashdot by a guy who worked for an auto company for many years. Consumers have a complete list of contradictory things they want in a car, and they want them all. So auto makers have been faking things for years and consumers are lapping it up. Everything from engine noise augmentation to inserting fake shift points into a transmission program to make people think their car is accelerating very fast. I think it's BMW that worked out a system for piping exhaust partly right next to the passenger compartment to provide them with a certain sound. They worked out a fancy valve to control it (a type of waste gate setup I suppose). When CVTs became mainstream, consumers complained that the acceleration was poor (it wasn't) because it was smooth acceleration, so companies have added fake shift points to the computer. Fortunately things are changing slowly, with the acceptance of cars like the Tesla electric cars. But in general people are pretty rigid when it comes to what they want in a car. You almost have to wait for a generation to die off for each new change to become mainstream.

  • (Score: 1) by treeves on Wednesday January 28 2015, @08:33PM

    by treeves (1536) on Wednesday January 28 2015, @08:33PM (#139004)

    I'm not sure it's lazy to do this instead of tuning the engine and exhaust to make the desired sound...it may very well be that fuel efficiency does not come from the drivetrain that *sounds the best*, and fuel efficiency is, thankfully, improving.