Sound Simulation?

A lot of sim chat and discussion seems invested in the physics modeling of a car and how it impacts the feel of a vehicle. Yet i rarely see too much casual discussion about audio and related modeling.

How does/did Kunos capture/create sound for AC's officially licensed cars?

No doubt some are educated guesses (one of a kind historical cars), or with approximations? Yet for currently manufactured race and road vehicles how does Kunos capture it?

Is the sound we hear intended to be the sound within a vehicle without or with a helmet on?

 

For the most part they record sounds from all around the real car, I've seen pictures of them doing it. I think for the most part they had access to the real cars too.

They recorded inside the car and outside, I'd guess the helmet didn't come into it.

 

Perhaps adding more to realism than the actual fidelity of the recordings is that sounds are actually played when they should be. For instance skids sound do match according to the level of skidding during corners, braking and acceleration.

I suspect engine load plays a factor on the engine sound as well. An engine running at 5,000 rpm with no load (clutch open) would not sound the same as an engine fighting full acceleration at the same 5,000 rpm. If they only record the engine sound with an unloaded engine, we might be missing something.

Another aspect could be whether the sounds play from the correct speaker on a surround system. E.g. rear speakers on a rear engine car, etc.

In general I'm happy with AC's sounds, this is coming with someone with 2.1 speakers though. I do wonder if more can be done in terms in realism.

 

I'd prefer they not attempt to represent muffled sounds heard while wearing a helmet; for those that want that, it's easy enough to filter the audio for such effects. Pcars had that feature in Helmet cam and they eventually added the ability to switch it off due to many complaints from players.

 

There are some titles that do a good job of creating Engine-Load effects with increased intensity in intake and exhaust sounds; iRacing comes to mind.

A title that has very nice tire sounds is Automobilista; despite it's sound-engine limitations, it's pretty easy to tell what tire is locking or at the threshold of grip-loss.

 

Perhas, indeed. However the intended question i note in the OP here is more ... I rather wonder how Kunos go about capturing or creating sound for AC. How long does it take? Are there any particular software tools or mics used? What is the technical goal when KS's audio dev's start crafting the audio experience of a vehicle? How are the different effects we hear created for the different sounds a car can make in AC. Be it the engine, tires, etc.

 

I would use a U87 with a wind screen. HP FLTR @ 80Hz

 

I wouldnt mind knowing how they do it, but even if the sounds were 100% genuine, eveyone will get a different experience because of the speakers they use. Even if you spent a couple of thousand dollars on speakers you may not get anywhere near the real sound depending on the quality of the speakers and the amp subwoofer etc.