Renault, in tune with sound – episode 2
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Since the very beginning of the development of Renault’s first electric models, a series of new and fascinating questions have arisen about the characteristic silence of the way they work. How do you warn pedestrians of the approach of a vehicle that has an engine that makes almost no noise? How do you produce an audible warning that is both effective and benign? How do you create a signature sound design for electric vehicles that is exclusive to the brand? Laurent Worms, the Audio Strategy Manager at Renault Group, tells us about the process for creating what is known as a VSP. And to explore the voices of the electric vehicles of the future, a visit to Renault Group’s long-time partner, Ircam (Institute for Research and Coordination in Acoustics/Music), is a must!
BY STEPHANE LAROCHE

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What strikes you when you are in an electric car is the silence. We want to disguise this silence with a voice.
The sound of silence
Since its very first electric concept cars, Renault has been a pioneer in the development of a specific VSP. It became a reality in 2012, with the production version of the ZOE, which had a warning sound that had to declare, “I’m electric, I’m cutting edge, I’m a Renault”. It also had to be a sound that evoked Renault and its benign, human-focused values; a signature sound that would later be used on other Renault electric models. “The idea is, of course, to warn pedestrians without scaring them! At the same time, we have to make a positive association between this warning, electric cars and the Renault brand”, says Laurent Worms.
A well-written score, finely tuned instruments
Because sound design is all about teamwork. It requires vision, technical skill, patience and attention to detail. It brings together many Renault Group disciplines, including those in the Product, Design and Engineering departments. It also calls on outside partners and experts to arrive at the creation of a VSP. It is worth remembering that the partnership between Renault Group and Ircam began in 1994, well before Renault opted for electric as its future in the automotive world. Since then, it would appear that this historic link has helped to inspire several vocations: Laurent Worms and other employees learned their trade at Ircam before joining Renault in the cutting-edge field of applied acoustics.
My role is to set a course. I rely on the rich feedback from our customers and on current trends to write the sound specifications that describe the desired environments and evocations that will chime with our brand identity.
This work is part of a long history of collaboration and it benefits from the feedback and experience from over ten years. This means we can define and consolidate strong concepts such as intrusiveness. The goal is to meet an essential need of sound ecology: to make the sound as unobtrusive as possible inside the vehicle, for greater comfort.
A well-led orchestra
After the research stages, several directions or proposals will emerge. At this stage, questions and doubts are going to crop up. Everyone is at risk of basing their assessment on their own tastes. This is the first trap. A further trap would be to seek to reconcile every - inevitably irreconcilable - opinion. Throughout the project then, the role of customer sound experience manager is to ensure and defend the consistency defined upstream in the teams. In fine, when decisions are made, it is essential that the undertaking take on the strong, even contentious, character of the chosen signature sound. That is the basis for a distinctive sound, and one that is likely to prove itself over time. And that is the stance adopted by Renault.
Laurent WORMS: audio expert and accomplished musician
Laurent is passionate about sound design and new audio technologies. Behind the engineer with a postgraduate diploma in acoustics for music, awarded by Ircam, stands a freelance multi-instrumentalist muso. When he can, Laurent goes on stage to sing and play electric guitar with a pop/rock covers band. Laurent also composes music on a computer, combining analogue and digital technologies. Now that’s what you call combining passion for sound at work and play!
Renault Group and Ircam: a partnership of over a quarter of a century
Founded by Pierre Boulez, the Institute for Research and Coordination in Acoustics/Music is linked with the Centre Pompidou under the aegis of France’s Ministry for Culture. Since its creation in 1977, Ircam’s key mission has been to encourage fertile interaction between scientific research, technological development and contemporary music creation. These fields provide the main framework for all of its activities at the STMS laboratory which, with its seven research teams, houses the various components of the sound and music sciences and technologies.