Monday, September 01, 2014

BMW has lost its mind

“Is the engine noise coming from the speakers?” Agonizingly, yes. The M3/M4’s interior sound comes courtesy of special effects.
When pressed, BMW engineers reluctantly explain that the sound doesn’t come from a pre-recorded soundtrack or an engine-mounted microphone. Instead, a sensor analyzes what the engine should sound like according to rpm and load. Then, it uses a “synthesizer” to replicate that sound and pipes it through the speakers.
Like the digitally rendered humans in the movie The Polar Express, you immediately know something is off—and that particular something is creepy. Also off-putting is the character of the synthesized engine noise, which sounds like a bass-heavy V-8 rather than the sharp rasp of an inline six. Onlookers outside the car are treated to blats of real, raucous inline-six sound as the exhaust flaps kick rudely open. Turns out they’re the lucky ones.

Found on http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews/driven/1405-2015-bmw-m3-m4-review/ from the Sept 2014 issue of Automobile magazine

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