Do you think Polyphony gets their car sounds from actual cars?

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GTOne2Three

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Chicano3000X
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Chicano3000
Do they get them in person? Or do they just make digital versions of the car sounds?
Just wondering why the best cars sound so cheap. Why do most of them have a "whhhiiir" sound. Like a vacuum cleaner?
 


Jokes aside, here's what you want to watch (use headsets or speakers that can deliver BASS):

 
There is a video somewhere here that shows PD track testing, revving, and pulling audio from multiple cars. I'll see if I can pull it up.
 
They feel fake.
 
GTOne2Three
Do they get them in person? Or do they just make digital versions of the car sounds?
Just wondering why the best cars sound so cheap. Why do most of them have a "whhhiiir" sound. Like a vacuum cleaner?
Click to expand...

I remember that GT-R video showed them with an assortment of mics hooked up to the car recording engine noises... I imagine this doesn't hold true for all cars... I imagine it doesn't even hold true for the GT-R in the game.
 
No they have a blender in PD and they just tweak the blender sound for each car.:dopey:
 
GTOne2Three
Do they get them in person? Or do they just make digital versions of the car sounds?
Just wondering why the best cars sound so cheap. Why do most of them have a "whhhiiir" sound. Like a vacuum cleaner?
Click to expand...


You're never going to reproduce engine sounds with 100% accuracy. The reason being is that there's so many things that affect an engine's sound. The type of fuel, temperature, humidity, and even location. Also, different people are going to hear it differently.

Next time you're in your car start the engine and then turn your head to the left and then to the right. The engine sound changes dramatically.
 
XXI
There is a video somewhere here that shows PD track testing, revving, and pulling audio from multiple cars. I'll see if I can pull it up.
Click to expand...

It's at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, right? Type that in, I think it might be in the title of the video! :D
 
The sounds just arent mixed right... Basically lol

I would rather GT5 over shift 2 sound. It got so annoying after the first 30 mins.
 
Everyone complains about GT5's sounds but, personally, I have no issues, well, not to the degree some people do... I do have 5.1 set up, which maybe helps, could be some of the audio settings in game as well. There's options for range and room size, yeah? Those things can make a difference.
 
Dmarc_Atl
The sounds just arent mixed right... Basically lol

I would rather GT5 over shift 2 sound. It got so annoying after the first 30 mins.
Click to expand...
I agree. Especially the sound from the gearbox in Shift 2 annoys me.
 
Problem is the WAY which Polyphony does it:

1 - Alot of the engine notes sound 'vacume-ish', this indicates that they only do the internal engine noise and/or they have the microphones too close to the car itself. This is why the Pescarolo's Judd engine doesn't have the high pitch engine note that it usually has and why we hear alot of the whirring elements of most engines in the game. The same goes for the exhaust noises of some cars, perfect case is the C5R race car, to hear the engine properly with all the 'thunder' you need to back away 10 meters.

Pescarolo Judd in GT5:

This is merely the onboard sound used as the exterior sound.

Pescarolo Judd in real life:

Alot more high pitch.


2 - Recording is done while the car is static, it has been seen in many 'making of'/'sneak peek' videos that they simply park the car up to record the sounds of the engine, this is something that ideally needs to be done on a dyno to give the best sense of how the car reacts to the resistance of running on a surface of some sort.

3 - The audio equipment may not be the best or possibly ancient, its a common gripe that the engines dont have enough grunt/bass, this says to me that Polyphony may possibly be using old equipment that doesn't pick up or drowns out the bass, I've worked with sound alot and this was the first thing that came to mind when I heard the engine noises in GT5.
 
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Not the Sauber C9.....
 
Cowboys965
It's at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, right? Type that in, I think it might be in the title of the video! :D
Click to expand...

Yes I believe that's right. I'm having trouble finding it on my iPhone. Perhaps one of our forum wizards could help.
 
What do you propose they do? Put each car inside a recording studio go through all the rev-range? Hopefully the people survive the carbon monoxide long enough to get some decent samples.
 
Some cars don't sound bad but I always wonder, does PD realize how bad some of the cars sound?
 
GTOne2Three
Do they get them in person? Or do they just make digital versions of the car sounds?
Just wondering why the best cars sound so cheap. Why do most of them have a "whhhiiir" sound. Like a vacuum cleaner?
Click to expand...

I thought the same thing as you when I started playing GT5. In the end, I found out they actually did a good job,

Remember just try with any stock cars, no modification to it. Use 5.1 Surround Sound with BASS and you will notice the difference.

The vacuum cleaner sound is when you modify the car with
- Engine 1, 2 & 3 upgrade
- Transmission

Exhaust will change the idle and lo-mid rev sound

Try it out and you will know what I meant
 
Real life racing sounds are a lot more than just the cars' engine sounds. GT5 lacks a lot of nature's/physics sounds like an actual object moving at fast speed creating wind sounds or the tires rolling at fast speed. Also some other sound effects like the turbo noises sound really bad on GT5.
 
Dmarc_Atl
The sounds just arent mixed right... Basically lol

I would rather GT5 over shift 2 sound. It got so annoying after the first 30 mins.
Click to expand...
I had that problem with the first GTR. The sound was HUGE, but it ended up giving me a headache, especially with the really obnoxious idle down *CHUNK THUNK* in some cars.

brainfade
(read the whole thing. I'll bounce off of this part)

3 - The audio equipment may not be the best or possibly ancient, its a common gripe that the engines dont have enough grunt/bass, this says to me that Polyphony may possibly be using old equipment that doesn't pick up or drowns out the bass, I've worked with sound alot and this was the first thing that came to mind when I heard the engine noises in GT5.
Click to expand...
As a studio guy myself, I'm wondering if they aren't using expensive studio grade condenser mics, which often sound wimpy when abused by loud sounds. It's for this reason that most mics used on loud instruments in the studio like guitar and drums are old style dynamic mics, which are almost so rugged you can use them as hammers. ;)
 
back in PS2 and in GT4: Prologue there was a 2nd disc with "Making of..."
If you find it and watch it you'll be sure that PD is recording the real thing with multiple mics.
Here is the release that i am talking about
9TSF.jpg
 
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