[Jason]

BIMMERPOST NEWS

Behind the BMW Sound Design Process

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Last week, when BMW revealed its new ad signature tone [listen here], we mentioned how much development time and attention was paid to all the sounds that a BMW model makes.

BMW has posted a video which provides more insight into this sound design process.

A BMW has a unique sound --and we're not only talking about the engine, but about every button, every door and many other things that make a sound. A group of specialists at BMW focus on this. Have a look at their work and you'll surely remember this, the next time you're in a BMW.

[DUI Elite]

quewl.

i remember M division releasing a video like this years ago, in relation to their exhaust notes.

[lz419]

well doneeee

[gds52]

Whatever they do, a ding on dash computer scars the shit out of me and I think "Now What"?

[lemonukas]

Originally Posted by gds52

Whatever they do, a ding on dash computer scars the shit out of me and I think "Now What"?

[M5007]

I've seen a similar video about the amount of man hours it takes to create the "right ding"

Now we associate it with ka-ching$$$. As in how much is that beep going to cost!!!

[Gjm127]

here's me hoping they'd talk about exhaust notes... oh well...

[Wolf]

anybody found the name of the lead sound designer weird

[atomicS]

This sounds like PR bullshit.

My brand new F30 335i came with an awful lot of additional creaks, clunks, rattles and crocking noises from the interior, transmission and suspension system.

It's been in and out of the workshop since delivery and has spent the last 4 months at our local distributor Performance Motors Singapore with the suspension rattle still unresolved.

I deserve to be replaced with a new one.

[Wkwlb]

Originally Posted by atomicS

This sounds like PR bullshit.

My brand new F30 335i came with an awful lot of additional creaks, clunks, rattles and crocking noises from the interior, transmission and suspension system.

It's been in and out of the workshop since delivery and has spent the last 4 months at our local distributor Performance Motors Singapore with the suspension rattle still unresolved.

I deserve to be replaced with a new one.

I feel for u, my rear doors was creaking like crazy. Luckily got it fixed at PML in 2days, but I have to wait 3wks just to slot in an appointment for that? Now the steering column is making noises, driver side mirror is making whistling noise at 50-60kph...

Remind you we paid well over US$200k for a shitty 3 series, and we get customer service standard for a 5k crap car...

[enigma01]

I guess these are the same guys who came up with the fake M5 exhaust notes as well?

[SpokenHands]

I would suggest this is an area where BMW have been least effective to date. Anyone who has heard the awesome woofle of a Maserati V8 and compared it to one from any 'M' car knows what I am talking about. Spending vast amounts of money on chimes, 'dings' and TV commercial mnemonics must come AFTER serving the first priority: make every BMW however small-engined the most exhilirating, precise, best-performance car to drive.

Until then, stop embarassing yourself BMW

[Whostheboss]

Originally Posted by gds52

Whatever they do, a ding on dash computer scars the shit out of me and I think "Now What"?

my first thought is "Fcuk i need gas" but it's just the outside temperature notification.

[Whostheboss]

Originally Posted by SpokenHands

I would suggest this is an area where BMW have been least effective to date. Anyone who has heard the awesome woofle of a Maserati V8 and compared it to one from any 'M' car knows what I am talking about. Spending vast amounts of money on chimes, 'dings' and TV commercial mnemonics must come AFTER serving the first priority: make every BMW however small-engined the most exhilirating, precise, best-performance car to drive.

Until then, stop embarassing yourself BMW

right on, Mercedes beats us in exhaust tone. BMW stock exhausts sounds so sh!tty. Both //M and non M.

[Dante]

Whoever designed the indicator 'click' on the F3x models should be fired immediately!

[Die Wolfe]

This is awesome, I love how detail oriented BMW is...just the littlest things that add up and sell you to the brand.

As for the exhaust tones, I'm pretty happy with the sound of my X5M. Although I do admit that it should be louder; many performance enthusiasts change the stock exhausts out anyway. Either way, I'd rather have a quiet exhaust and a beast of an engine than an obnoxious exhaust and a weak power plant.

[JLed79]

Originally Posted by Dante

Whoever designed the indicator 'click' on the F3x models should be fired immediately!

I wholeheartedly agree!

[-Wingman-]

I wish they were more detailed in the explanation of sound creation. While I watched the video, i couldn't help but think of a sound engineer in an enclosed room pressing random buttons like an infant until they found a pleasant one.

seems almost like a waste of time to me. for all i could care, the indicator could sound like a girl clapping their ass and the seat belt sound like a flapping vagina. if the car drives good, and performs without compromise, that's all that would matter to me. then again, i came from the jdm scene where my car trembled like a race car at idle due to the race mounts.

[SmokeTL]

Originally Posted by -Wingman-

I wish they were more detailed in the explanation of sound creation. While I watched the video, i couldn't help but think of a sound engineer in an enclosed room pressing random buttons like an infant until they found a pleasant one.

seems almost like a waste of time to me. for all i could care, the indicator could sound like a girl clapping their ass and the seat belt sound like a flapping vagina. if the car drives good, and performs without compromise, that's all that would matter to me. then again, i came from the jdm scene where my car trembled like a race car at idle due to the race mounts.

Wow, I think i would make a bunch of turns and repeatedly put on...take off my seatbelt if that were the case.

[Grovsnus]

Originally Posted by Die Wolfe

This is awesome, I love how detail oriented BMW is...just the littlest things that add up and sell you to the brand.

As for the exhaust tones, I'm pretty happy with the sound of my X5M. Although I do admit that it should be louder; many performance enthusiasts change the stock exhausts out anyway. Either way, I'd rather have a quiet exhaust and a beast of an engine than an obnoxious exhaust and a weak power plant.

Shrug. If it were up to me, it should sound like a Fisker, but less noisy. I wouldn't mind if BMW took some of the Rolls Royce technology for making silent cars and put it into the BMW. Put the energy that goes into sound into the wheels.

[b33g33]

I would like to meet the sound 'designer' who added the 'squeaking like a tiny mouse' sound to my 1M's passenger side window when wet.

So, I could punch him in the nose.

[Kayani_1]

Maybe the BMW engineers need to work a little bit harder on getting more exciting sounds from the M engines. The best M sounds all came from past engines. The best being the high revving V10 (E60, E63) followed by the high revving V8 (E90/E92) and then high revving 3.2 liter inline-6 (E46), also E39 (V8 in M5).

The new M5 and M6 engines need to sound more aggressive. Do you hear that sound engineers. So please give that M4 some mean sound track.