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Renzo Vitale: What should electric cars sound like?
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Electric cars are extremely quiet, offering some welcome silence in our cities. But they also bring new dangers, since they can easily sneak up on unsuspecting pedestrians. What kind of sounds should they make to keep people safe? Get a preview of what the future may sound like as acoustic engineer and musician Renzo Vitale shows how he's composing a voice for electric cars.
Renzo Vitale - Sound geneticist, musician, acoustic engineer
Renzo Vitale explores the narrative between music, science and human perception -- envisioning sonic spaces for music to evolve, for cities to sing, for people to transcend. Full bio
Renzo Vitale explores the narrative between music, science and human perception -- envisioning sonic spaces for music to evolve, for cities to sing, for people to transcend. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:13
Let's start with silence.
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Silence is one of the most
precious conditions for humans,
precious conditions for humans,
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because it allows us to feel
the depth of our presence.
the depth of our presence.
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This is one of the reasons
why the advent of electric cars
why the advent of electric cars
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has generated lots
of enthusiasm among people.
of enthusiasm among people.
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For the first time, we could associate
the concept of cars
the concept of cars
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with the experience of silence.
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Cars can finally be quiet:
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peace in the streets,
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a silent revolution in the cities.
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(Hum)
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But silence can also be a problem.
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The absence of sound, in fact,
when it comes to cars,
when it comes to cars,
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it can be quite dangerous.
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Think of blind people,
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who can't see a car which is approaching.
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And now, if it's electric,
they can't even hear it.
they can't even hear it.
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Or think of every one of us
as we are walking around the city,
as we are walking around the city,
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we are absorbed in our thoughts,
and we detach from the surroundings.
and we detach from the surroundings.
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In these situations, sound can become
our precious companion.
our precious companion.
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Sound is one of the most
wonderful gifts of our universe.
wonderful gifts of our universe.
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Sound is emotion
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and sound is sublime,
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and when it comes to cars,
sound is also information.
sound is also information.
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In order to protect pedestrians
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and to give acoustic
feedback to the drivers,
feedback to the drivers,
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governments around the world
have introduced several regulations
have introduced several regulations
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which prescribe the presence of a sound
for electric vehicles.
for electric vehicles.
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In particular, they require
minimum sound levels
minimum sound levels
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at specific frequency bands
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up to the speed of 30 kilometers per hour.
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Besides this speed,
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the natural noise of the car
is considered as sufficient.
is considered as sufficient.
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These regulations
have generated different reactions
have generated different reactions
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among those who favor sounds
and those who fear the presence
and those who fear the presence
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of too much noise in the city.
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However, I don't see it
as the noise of the car.
as the noise of the car.
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I rather see it as the voice of the car.
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And this is one of my biggest challenges,
and privileges, at the same time.
and privileges, at the same time.
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I design the voice of electric cars.
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We all know how a combustion
engine sounds like,
engine sounds like,
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and we do actually also know
how an electric engine sounds like.
how an electric engine sounds like.
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Think of the electric tramway.
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As soon as it moves,
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it creates this ascending
high-frequency pitch sound,
high-frequency pitch sound,
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which we called "whistling" sound.
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However, if we would
just amplify this sound,
just amplify this sound,
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we would still not be able to fulfill
the legal requirements.
the legal requirements.
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That's also why we need
to compose new sound.
to compose new sound.
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So how do we go after it?
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In many cities, the traffic
is already very chaotic,
is already very chaotic,
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and we don't need more chaos.
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But the streets of the 21st century
are a great case study
are a great case study
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teeming with transience,
cross purposes and disarray.
cross purposes and disarray.
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And this landscape
offers a great opportunity
offers a great opportunity
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for developing new solutions
on how to reduce this chaos.
on how to reduce this chaos.
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I have conceived a new approach
that tries to reduce the chaos
that tries to reduce the chaos
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by introducing harmony.
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Since many people don't know
how an electric car could sound like,
how an electric car could sound like,
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I have to define, first of all,
a new sound world,
a new sound world,
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something that doesn't belong
to our previous experience
to our previous experience
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but creates a reference for the future.
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Together with a small team,
we create lots of sonic textures
we create lots of sonic textures
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that are able to transmit emotion.
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Just like a painter with colors,
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we are able to connect
feelings and frequencies
feelings and frequencies
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so that whenever one is approaching a car,
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we can feel an emotion
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which, besides fulfilling
the legal requirements,
the legal requirements,
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speaks also about the character
and the identity of the car.
and the identity of the car.
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I call this paradigm "sound genetics."
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With sound genetics, I define,
first of all, an aesthetic space of sound,
first of all, an aesthetic space of sound,
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and at the same time,
I search for new, innovative methods
I search for new, innovative methods
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for generating soundscapes
that we don't know,
that we don't know,
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soundscapes that allow us
to envision abstract worlds,
to envision abstract worlds,
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to make them tangible and audible.
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Sound genetics is based on three steps.
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The first one is the definition
of a sonic organism,
of a sonic organism,
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the second one is a description
of sonic variations,
of sonic variations,
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and the third one
is the composition of sound genes.
is the composition of sound genes.
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The description of a sonic organism
is based on a cluster of properties
is based on a cluster of properties
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that every sound
that I compose should have.
that I compose should have.
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[Sound is moving.]
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I transfer to a small sound entity,
such as the sound of a car,
such as the sound of a car,
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the power of the motion of music,
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so that sound can move so.
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[Sound is acting.]
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And just like a dancer on a stage,
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sound will project trajectories
of sound in the air.
of sound in the air.
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[Sound is memory.]
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And it's not just about
the sound of a car.
the sound of a car.
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It's the memory of my father
coming back home.
coming back home.
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[Sound is hypnotizing.]
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And sound has the power to create
an unexpected sense of wonder,
an unexpected sense of wonder,
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which hypnotizes.
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And ultimately,
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[Sound is superhuman.]
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sound goes beyond the human condition,
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because it allows us to transcend.
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As a second step,
we define the sonic variations.
we define the sonic variations.
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[Identity prism]
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Just like humans, where different bodies
generate different voices,
generate different voices,
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also different car shapes
have a different acoustic behavior
have a different acoustic behavior
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which depends on
the geometry and the materials.
the geometry and the materials.
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So we have to know, first of all,
how this car propagates the sound outside
how this car propagates the sound outside
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by means of acoustic measurements.
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And just like a single voice is able
to produce different tones and timbres,
to produce different tones and timbres,
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at the same time, we produce
different sonic variations
different sonic variations
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within a space
of eight words that I defined.
of eight words that I defined.
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And some of them are,
to me, really important,
to me, really important,
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such as the concept of "visionary,"
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of "elegance,"
of "dynamic," of "embracing."
of "dynamic," of "embracing."
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And once we have defined
these two aspects,
these two aspects,
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we have what I call the identity prism,
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which is something like
the sonic identity card of a car.
the sonic identity card of a car.
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And as a third step,
we enter the world of the sound design,
we enter the world of the sound design,
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where the sound genes are composed
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and a new archetype is conceived.
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Now let me show you another example
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of how I transform
a sound field into a melody.
a sound field into a melody.
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Think that I am a violin player on stage.
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If I would start to play the violin,
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I would generate a sound field
which would propagate in this hall,
which would propagate in this hall,
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and at some point, the sound field
would hit the side walls
would hit the side walls
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and would be scattered all over the place.
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And this is how it looked like.
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Some time ago, I captured
several ways of sound to hit side walls.
several ways of sound to hit side walls.
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And last year, I was asked
by the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
by the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
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to compose ringtones
that they were going to play.
that they were going to play.
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So one of them, I had the idea
to start from this sound field.
to start from this sound field.
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I took a section,
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I superimposed the section
over the distribution
over the distribution
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of the musicians onstage,
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and then I followed
the blooming of the sound field
the blooming of the sound field
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by means of three parameters:
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time, intensity and frequency.
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Then I wrote down all the gradients
for each instrument,
for each instrument,
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and as you can see, for instance,
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the piece will start with
the string section playing very softly,
the string section playing very softly,
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and then it's going to have a crescendo
as the brasses, the woods will jump in,
as the brasses, the woods will jump in,
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and the melody will end
with a harp and a piano
with a harp and a piano
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playing on the highest range.
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Let's listen how it sounded like.
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(Ethereal music)
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(Music ends)
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So this is the sound of my alarm clock,
actually, in the morning.
actually, in the morning.
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(Laughter)
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And now let's go back to electric cars.
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And let's listen to the first example
that I showed you.
that I showed you.
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(Hum)
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And now I would like to show you
how a potential sound,
how a potential sound,
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based on the sound genetics
for electric cars, could sound like.
for electric cars, could sound like.
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(Ethereal music)
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(Pitch rises with acceleration)
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Cars are a metaphor of time,
distance and journey,
distance and journey,
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of setting out and returning,
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of anticipation and adventure,
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but, at the same time,
of intelligence and complexity,
of intelligence and complexity,
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of human intuition and accomplishment.
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And the sound has to glorify all that.
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I see cars both as living creatures
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and as highly complex
performative art installations.
performative art installations.
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The sounds that we envision
through sound genetics
through sound genetics
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allow us not only
to celebrate this complexity
to celebrate this complexity
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but also to make the world
a more elegant and safe space.
a more elegant and safe space.
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Thank you.
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(Applause)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Renzo Vitale - Sound geneticist, musician, acoustic engineerRenzo Vitale explores the narrative between music, science and human perception -- envisioning sonic spaces for music to evolve, for cities to sing, for people to transcend.
Why you should listen
Renzo Vitale is an Italian pianist, composer, sound designer, acoustic engineer and artist. His creative process involves an interrogation of the relation between music, science and human perception.
As a musician, Vitale has composed a wide spectrum of works ranging from dance theater to performative installation pieces and virtual reality experiences. His solo works focus on vulnerable states of human condition, such as the sublimity of emotional gravities and the irrational nature of disorders. As a scientist, his research encompasses architectural acoustics, psychoacoustics, vehicle acoustics and music communication.
Vitale holds a PhD in Acoustics from RWTH Aachen University, two master's degrees in electronic engineering and in piano performance as well as further studies in electronic music, composition and conducting. Previously he has been a research scholar at the Institute of Technical Acoustics in Aachen, Pratt Institute in New York and KTH in Stockholm.
In 2015, Vitale joined the Research and Innovation Center of BMW Group as a Noise, Vibration and Harshness (NVH) engineer. Since 2017 he designs the sounds of electric vehicles. He conceived a new generation of sounds through a novel approach that he calls "sound genetics," which defines the aesthetic space of sounds in order to generate soundscapes to enable us to envision abstract worlds and make them tangible and audible.
Renzo Vitale | Speaker | TED.com