The least musical but most impressive synth demo I've seen in a while

[Eddy Deegan]

A Hydrasynth performance that sounds like a car being driven. That might not sound very impressive but if anything deserves to be described as 'synthesizing sound', this does. I was extremely impressed and it gets better the further you listen through!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nGgVrUwV8Q

[Drew Stephenson]

Slightly disappointed that there wasn't a 'crazy frog' style 'ying-ding-ding-ding' of an old two-stroke downshifting in there.
Missed opportunity I reckon.

[Dan LB]

That is very impressive

I’ve never heard anything like that come from a synth

[Folderol]

Some people have entirely too much free time

[Murray B]

Just need one fitted in all the new electric cars so that you can hear them coming - once they are self driving, it will give people something to do when they are on a journey

[BWC]

I would have fun making such noises while the car drove me along, but I think most will prefer a sample player for that. The idea (and ease of use) of hearing the expensive machine of your choice from your little crappy car is too appealing. Plus, The Jetsons car sounds, Tie Fighters, etc.

[Martin Walker]

Some people have entirely too much free time

This +1

[N i g e l]

I like synth sound fx.

Bloke should redo the sound track to "C'était un rendez-vous"

https://vimeo.com/305211187

[Eddy Deegan]

"C'était un rendez-vous" is a classic - I first saw it years ago and it stands up well today. Sadly the subtext of it was picked up by various people who took it to ridiculous and irresponsible lengths not least of which was the notorious 'GhostRider' whose videos I won't link here but who endangered other people in the making thereof.

On the soundtrack front though, that Hydrasynth demo would have definitely hit the spot

[Watchmaker]

Ford motor is way ahead on this.

https://www.thedrive.com/news/31105/lis ... -the-cabin

[Eddy Deegan]

Ford motor is way ahead on this.

https://www.thedrive.com/news/31105/lis ... -the-cabin

In audio terms when it comes to the video in the linked article I think your 'way ahead' and my 'lags somewhat behind' are equivalent terms

The audio in the video sounded much like a feeble rumble to me; I'd take the Hydrasynth over that anytime if I wanted cabin audio-feedback goodness!

[t-sun]

Great bit of synth programming, but it sounds more like a bike exhaust to me. The revs are too high!

[BWC]

I sent the link to a good friend who replied, "...sounds like a big bore race bike."

[Arpangel]

Sounds a bit too electronic, if I didn’t know I’d probably guess.
Doesn’t sound organic enough, the gear changes sound too synthetic, that’s where it shows up most.
Should be able to do this with any good wide ranging oscillators, filters, in modular the challenge is to produce anything that "doesn’t" sound like an engine, or toilet activities
Good though, full marks.

[Hugh Robjohns]

"C'était un rendez-vous" is a classic - I first saw it years ago and it stands up well today.

It was and is... although I think the obviously dubbed-on tyre squeals let it down. (Why would the tyres squeal when he's driving at constant speed, in a straight line, through every red light?)

[Kayvon]

I've recently got into engines and finding inline fours humdrum the Yamaha R1 crossplane crank inline 4 cylinder has an interesting firing interval. Instead of evenly spaced power strokes it displaces the firing of the second two consecutive cylinders (actually cylinders 2 and 4 and effectively the 3rd and the 4th cylinder switch places in the 720 degrees of crank rotation). So basically it ends up creating a little 2/4 bell pattern.

I plugged said pattern into my keyboard with a cowbell, wound up the tempo and hey presto, the same offbeat tone as the Yamaha YZF R1 big bang four cylinder!

Here's an official Yamaha video that does it differently. Kind of obfuscates what plainly happens with the hi hats and snares etc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEXUrO5wYcE&t=58s

Cool that Yamaha are the one of the companies that car manufacturers go to when they need some engine wizardry. Even the Americans and Swedes (Ford & Volvo) have used them. I think it's down to the knowhow they learnt when trying to intone the bass notes on the CP80

[t-sun]

Don't forget the first example, the Toyota 2000GT from the 60s (and that Bond movie). They worked on the engine and the dash inlays were from the piano division

[Kayvon]

Yes of course

I drive a GT86 that has a couple of 2000GT design flourishes. But two cylinders less under the bonnet ¦-/