I started my response by preparing a timeline of historical sounds outlining the development of electric cars. As a backbone, I started with the undeniable sound of a Jacob’s Ladder. Its inventor is unknown, however many people attribute it with Tesla, arguably the scientist/inventor most associated with electricity. This sound is used as a side chain input for an expander (although its run to a dummy output so actually doesn’t make an audible appearance – just a ghostly hello from the past). With each arc, the engine seems to change gears, subtly.

After reading about the experiments at Lexus and how they tune their engines (https://archive.yamaha.com/en/news_release/2009/20091021.html), it was interesting to me to make the experience more holistic/healing rather than an expression of power and elation. Lexus’ engine tuning experiment is based on octaves of 250Hz, which from what I can tell was chosen arbitrarily. In my example, I chose a fundamental of 8Hz with a focus on 432Hz. This tuning of ‘A’ is debated to have healing properties because of its ‘universal’ nature. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythagorean_tuning) (https://ask.audio/articles/music-theory-432-hz-tuning-separating-fact-from-fiction).

In this example, 236, 432, 864, 1728, and 3456 (and included one 5th at 648Hz) are slightly notched to excite their expression giving the driver a subtle sound bath, deep audio cleanse, and healing experience while driving.

A few other small additions. The seatbelt is sound reinforced with mid and lo-mid frequencies to accentuate the feeling of strength and safety. It also sets the scene for an interactive but subtle sound interaction with the driver and passengers.

Finally, some sounds have been taken from popular culture and real-world examples of electric cars (the Jetson’s e-car was added because my kids liked it!), manipulated and added to the fabric of this meta and holistic electric car sound.

Healing people in the future while respecting the road in the rearview.

I hope you enjoy it!