August 2024

Generating Sound
Automotive industry leverages noise reduction, active acoustics, and sound generation.
Editorial By J. Martins

  The audio industry is truly fascinating for the wide variety of perspectives and disciplines that ultimately converge around the same phenomenon that is sound. At audioXpress we address this from a broad perspective of the many applications of audio technologies, products, and market segments, from consumer to professional applications, from recording and reproduction, creation and manipulation, simulation and auralization. While sound is inherently associated with noise, vibration, hearing, perception... and acoustics.

As we never get tired of saying, acoustic science is where everything starts, determining how sound and audio systems behave in practice. Acoustics is an integral part of audioXpress' mission, together with every other critical discipline in audio development and product design.

In our mission to truly reflect the evolution of audio technology I personally attend events dedicated to many of these disciplines of audio and respective application segments. Whenever I consider the activities of The International Institute of Acoustics and Vibration, The Acoustical Society of America, the European Acoustics Association, and many other entities, I hardly feel motivated to attend and report on their events. The reason is explained in the definition provided by The Institute of Acoustics, the UK's professional body for those working in Acoustics, Noise, Sound, and Vibration: Acoustics is the interdisciplinary science that deals with the study of all mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including vibration, sound, ultrasound, and infrasound. And they also discuss the sounds of whales and dolphins. A lot.

Other entities define their scope as addressing "acoustics, noise, and vibration," while essentially focusing on the two last topics. In the automotive industry, noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH), engineering teams work completely separately from the audio development teams – ignoring an intense pace of innovation converging cutting-edge audio and acoustics.

I see references to cooperation with the Audio Engineering Society (AES) on the websites of all these entities, but clearly they seem to exist in parallel universes. And likewise, as audio technologies and the overall product development disciplines need to be better represented by the AES, also a closer connection with the Acoustics societies is needed. We need to see more representation of advancements in audio, directly linked to acoustic science.


Every year I have this same familiar feeling when I start off working on the Acoustics special issue. This year, we expanded our coverage on the fascinating topic of active acoustics, an area with enormous momentum interrelated with the evolution toward immersive audio. In future issues, we will expand our coverage of the fascinating efforts taking place in the home and in automotive audio.

For this issue I highlighted a few more companies and products that define market trends in acoustics in our Acoustical Solutions update. Although I couldn't find the space to talk about everything, I would like to highlight efforts in bio-composite materials, recycled materials, and renewable, sustainable fibers and woods, all of which we are seeing increasingly applied to brilliant acoustical solutions.

Outside of professional audio and performance environments, increasingly we see companies addressing acoustics with sustainable designs for homes, offices, and public spaces, using furniture, space dividers, curtains, and valid acoustical elements that directly interact with human activities.

During the pandemic, all companies in acoustics had to quickly readjust to the pressing need to use acoustical treatment solutions with antibacterial, antiviral, and cleanable properties, contributing to healthier environments. Now, there is a visible trend to embrace solutions that are socially responsible and sustainable, and at the same time improve our inherent levels of comfort. This means acoustical solutions that interact more directly with our activities, starting with materials that reduce undesirable sources of sound and create more functional spaces.

By closely following the recent developments in the automotive audio industry, I was glad to learn all that is being done in practice in the new generation of electric vehicles. And not surprising, these new vehicles also feature some of the best audio systems available. By directly addressing active audio design in EVs, the automotive industry seems to be ahead in the way it considers leveraging noise reduction, active acoustics and sound generation.

This should be expanded to the home, and in general we need to expand audio development working closer with the acoustics, noise and vibration experts in many other application areas.

J. Martins
Editor-in-Chief

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