Toyota filed patents in 2022 for an electric vehicle with a manual transmission, and recent news articles suggest that Toyota has developed electric vehicles (EVs) that emit fake gear shifting and engine noises.
Sound design of a BMW car door closing
Find out how the sound of the door closing of a BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe was designed on the BMWBLOG.
Sonic seasoning of food
Prof. Charles Spence, an experimental psychologist at the University of Oxford, was interviewed on radio NPR who has been conducting research on how sounds can alter our taste of food. It was found that higher-pitched music enhances sweetness, and lower-pitched and brassy sounds taste bitter. The sounds in your dining environment can also influence taste perception, such as eating fish while by the seaside.
Read the article on The Guardian web site.
Stock Screams For The Movies
The Smithsonian Magazine reported on the use of screams in movies. Two commonly used stock scream sounds are the Wilhelm or the Howie. The Wilhelm scream was first played in in the movie ‘Distant Drums’, from 1951. The Howie scream was most likely first played in the film ‘The Ninth Configuration’, from 1980. These stock screams are used in numerous movies and video games.
Source: Smithsonian Magazine
The Most Annoying Sounds
The Journal of Neuroscience published a paper describing the top 10 most annoying sounds, according to a group of 16 people undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging scanning of their brains when exposed to 74 different sounds. The results were:
1. Knife on a bottle
2. Fork on a glass
3. Chalk on a blackboard
4. Ruler on a bottle
5. Nails on a blackboard
6. Female scream
7. Anglegrinder (a power tool)
8. Squealing brakes on a bicycle
9. Baby crying
10. Electric drill
Source: Smithsonian Magazine
Tailored Engine Noise in Ford Focus
Ford Europe has developed a tailored engine noise for the new Ford Focus powered by a 1.6-L EcoBoost engine. The system is called the Sound Symposer, which is a box with four chambers, two in the engine bay and two outside. The chambers are separated by a movable flap that opens when the engine is under high load, so that sound is transmitted to the outlet chambers. The system boosts engine volumes into passenger compartment in 200-to-450-Hz frequency range.
Watch the youtube videos to hear it work.
And you watch an advert for the Focus.
See also stories on Ford Media Release, SAE.