At Ford’s Advanced Engineering Center,
sound quality engineers analyze a variety of vehicle sounds –
from the exhaust note of a Mustang to the click of a defogger
switch.
Sophisticated audio equipment in a
one-of-a-kind testing lab gives a large pool of jurors identical
auditory experiences – for repeatable, scientific
study.
Research builds specific guidelines for a
particular sound on future vehicles.
DEARBORN, Mich., May 5, 2003 – Almost
as unmistakable as a Mustang’s pony emblem is the signature
growl of its V-8 engine. An inspiring exhaust note doesn’t
come by chance, however, but is the product of careful crafting in
Ford’s Advanced Engineering Center, where sound quality
engineers analyze and refine everything from an engine’s
“aural DNA” to the “pop” of a trunk
release.
Ford Motor Company has been a
pioneer in the scientific study of vehicle sounds. It was one of
the first automakers to build a dedicated audio listening
laboratory to conduct true “blind studies” with
engineers and customers. The sound-proof room at Ford’s
Research and Engineering campus in Dearborn is completely isolated
from its surrounds – down to its silent ventilation and
lighting systems and the steel springs that support its
floor.
The listening lab has 14 pairs of
ultra-high-fidelity headsets and keypads to allow participants to
respond to sounds as they are played. “We don’t just
ask people which sound they like better,” says Kelly
Vandenbrink, the lab’s lead engineer. “Instead, we
target particular attributes to determine what elements of a sound
are perceived as good or bad.” In a typical listening study,
for example, she might play a series of sounds and ask participants
to rank them on a certain semantic scale from “extremely
smooth” to “extremely rough.”
“We’re not just copying good sounds,”
Vandenbrink says, “but we determine what makes a sound good
in our customer’s ears.”
The
advantages of a dedicated listening lab as opposed to field
evaluations are numerous. First, all jurors in a sound study have
an identical experience, since the recorded sound is perfectly
repeatable. More importantly, the lab eliminates the “halo
effect” or bias jurors might have toward a particular
product.
The listening lab has been very
busy recently. In 2001, for example, a total of 14 studies were
conducted. Last year, Vandenbrink and her team ran more than 35,
with topics ranging from target-setting for tire noise limits to
improving the sounds of seat motors, window switches, door closures
and power steering. “We even fabricated a sound from scratch,
studied it, refined it and readied it for production,”
Vandenbrink says, referring to the digital “door open”
chime to be used on future Lincolns.
Because each study focuses on distinct attributes of a sound,
the results can be used to help design future products to meet
established sound criteria. The all-new 2005 Ford Mustang is one of
many future Fords that will benefit from years of listening lab
work. What’s the formula for Mustang’s signature sound?
“That,” Vandenbrink says, “is a closely guarded
secret.”
Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is the world's
second-largest automaker with approximately 350,000 employees, and
operations in more than 200 markets on six continents.
Its automotive brands include Aston Martin, Ford,
Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mazda, Mercury and Volvo. Its
automotive-related services include Ford Credit, Hertz and Quality
Care. The company's world headquarters is in Dearborn, Michigan.
Ford Motor Company will officially observe its 100th anniversary on
June 16, 2003. Additional information can be found on the
company’s Web site at
www.ford.com.
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