# Audi faking engine sounds



## captainhero17 (Apr 10, 2018)

Guys,
Here is a link to a channel that most likely some of you already know.






"*Audi MK3 TTS vs Alfa Romeo 4c*". Its a nice review and a nice channel.

*HOWEVER!
Listen from 17:10-17:40. *The hosts mention that *Audi uses "in-cabin engine sound enhancement" *when in dynamic mode (similar to Nissan GTR and Z370). AKA. fake engine noise!

Did they make a mistake? Or is this true? 

Et tu Audi?


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## phazer (Apr 2, 2018)

captainhero17 said:


> Guys,
> Here is a link to a channel that most likely some of you already know.
> 
> 
> ...


It's true, there are exhaust flaps but there is also a noise generator I'm afraid. Doesn't sound that bad to be honest. It sounds shite in a Golf.


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## captainhero17 (Apr 10, 2018)

phazer said:


> It's true, there are exhaust flaps but there is also a noise generator I'm afraid. Doesn't sound that bad to be honest. It sounds shite in a Golf.


I never saw anything about it in the user manual. Is it kinda of a shameful secret? Is keeping that kind of a secret legal?

TBH the engine sounds very nice outside (very similarly to the inside) on my regular 2.0 Quattro Stronic TT. I dont feel like anything is enhanced for me.


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## Toshiba (Jul 8, 2004)

its not a secret, its well know.
Cant agree on the external noise sounding good the 4 cylinder Audis sound weak tbh.


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## captainhero17 (Apr 10, 2018)

Toshiba said:


> its not a secret, its well know.
> Cant agree on the external noise sounding good the 4 cylinder Audis sound weak tbh.


The sound outside when my friend was pulling it from the garage was decent. And when he passed me while I was outside was a fantastic sound. (especially the DSG fart).

Its as best as you can get with a 4cyl turbo with out sounding like a Subaru Impreza (ahem. CLA45, ahem)

Where did Audi mention to their customers that they use this tech to boost the sound? I cant find anything in the manuals nor in their news/articles.
All the features of the car need to be stated.


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## Omychron (Sep 9, 2016)

captainhero17 said:


> Toshiba said:
> 
> 
> > its not a secret, its well know.
> ...


The "4 cylinder" part is it's limitation. By no means is it a good sounding engine...
If a nice sound is what you want, you need to either replace the exhaust line (and potentially look like an idiot driving around town) or get a bigger engine.

DSG farts have nothing to do with engine sound, it's a DSG trick you can apply to anything from a 4 cylinder to a W16 as far as I know. It's also just as fake as the resonator you seem to be having issues with.



captainhero17 said:


> Where did Audi mention to their customers that they use this tech to boost the sound? I cant find anything in the manuals nor in their news/articles.
> All the features of the car need to be stated.


I don't believe they state it anywhere. I could be wrong.
Then again, Audi is not obliged to mention this in documentation at all as far as I know. And nor do they go out of their way to keep it a secret.
Most reviews I've watched/read mention the TT has "fake sound", and the reviewers were told so by Audi engineers.
Golf GTI/R/TT/TTS all have this resonator on the windshield. It's quite common knowledge...

If you don't want the sound, you can code it out with VCDS or OBD11. Check the coding thread if that's what you want.


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## captainhero17 (Apr 10, 2018)

Omychron said:


> captainhero17 said:
> 
> 
> > Toshiba said:
> ...


I see...
No Im ok with the sound. I know that DSG farts are artificially made but they are something that everyone compliments on the car.
However it seems like the car manufacturers need to start to be honest with whether they use the fake sound generator or not. (which needs to be enforced by law. Because manufacturers wont admit that on their own because it might/will drive off the sales).

I trust you but in all of the reviews I read they never mentioned the engine sound origins (What A Car, EVO, TOP SPEED...many other German magazines..). Thats why this video shocked me.


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## Toshiba (Jul 8, 2004)

Audi talking about it back in 2014..
https://www.motorauthority.com/news/109 ... soundtrack


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## leopard (May 1, 2015)

Not sure about DSG farts tbh. Sounds abit Chez leopard at Christmas after a bowl of sprouts and bacon bits


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## Glenc (Dec 17, 2017)

The sound you're referring to is generated by a device called the soundaktor, it's well documented even by Audi and they don't try and hide it. I remember when watching a video on YouTube where Audi were discussing they got the tech from old submarines they used similar devices to amplify noise under water.


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## Hoggy (May 8, 2002)

Glenc said:


> The sound you're referring to is generated by a device called the soundaktor, it's well documented even by Audi and they don't try and hide it. I remember when watching a video on YouTube where Audi were discussing they got the tech from old submarines they used similar devices to amplify noise under water.


Hi, Must work well on a roadster then. :lol: :lol: :wink: 
Hoggy.


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## captainhero17 (Apr 10, 2018)

I see.
Well there is no right or wrong answer here.

I was just surprised thats all. 

Its a sad state of affair these days. No different than turning your car and then playing Grand Turismo engine sounds via your phone then. :lol:

I swear to god these emission standards are going to kill the auto industry. We in Europe need to curb our cars because of the: CO2 pollution, noise pollution, heavy road taxation... while in US they are still allowed to drive minivans with 3.0L engine. Seems hardly fair to be the mature ones.


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## Hoggy (May 8, 2002)

Hi, Do it properly. :lol: :lol: 
http://www.soundracer.se/?p=98
Hoggy.


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## phazer (Apr 2, 2018)

Exhaust valves and interior noise generators came about purely because of regulation. The manufacturers know that a lot of what makes enthusiasts fall in love with a car/brand is the emotion. The sounds are an important part of that, which is why you get the extra noise on the "S" and a lot of extra noise on the RS. There's nothing like the sound of a proper "historic" engine though, but we won't be seeing that again 

The TTS sounds ok, not awesome with or without soundaktor stuff, the V6 in the S5 sounds loads better but then it should it has more cylinders 

I wouldn't get hung up on sounds and how they are created though, it won't be long before all we have is gravel on tyres when we're all electric. Not sure where or how a petrol head will get their kicks when we get there? Hopefully I'll be too old to care...


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## captainhero17 (Apr 10, 2018)

phazer said:


> Exhaust valves and interior noise generators came about purely because of regulation. The manufacturers know that a lot of what makes enthusiasts fall in love with a car/brand is the emotion. The sounds are an important part of that, which is why you get the extra noise on the "S" and a lot of extra noise on the RS. There's nothing like the sound of a proper "historic" engine though, but we won't be seeing that again
> 
> The TTS sounds ok, not awesome with or without soundaktor stuff, the V6 in the S5 sounds loads better but then it should it has more cylinders
> 
> I wouldn't get hung up on sounds and how they are created though, it won't be long before all we have is gravel on tyres when we're all electric. Not sure where or how a petrol head will get their kicks when we get there? Hopefully I'll be too old to care...


Exactly my thinking.



Hoggy said:


> Hi, Do it properly. :lol: :lol:
> http://www.soundracer.se/?p=98
> Hoggy.


Hoggy I want them to program so the sound is a child yelling: Whroom, whooooom, brm, brm...
Both outside and inside. :lol:


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## revulike (Jun 15, 2018)

In my first car (Renault 18 GTS) I could tune the radio in the AM band to pick up the ignition interference. Whack up the volume, sounded like a GT40. Sort of.

BTW, I thought the dsg fart was because of a required retardation during upshifts, so not 'fake'. (And not present in manual cars).


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## Omychron (Sep 9, 2016)

revulike said:


> In my first car (Renault 18 GTS) I could tune the radio in the AM band to pick up the ignition interference. Whack up the volume, sounded like a GT40. Sort of.
> 
> BTW, I thought the dsg fart was because of a required retardation during upshifts, so not 'fake'. (And not present in manual cars).


Not required at all. Launch your TT and the farts won't be there. (No idea why...)


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## ross_t_boss (Feb 28, 2017)

I was never a fan of the fake noise in my wife's 7R - I always drive with it turned right down. Actually her 7.5R's natural sound is better, wonder if it's the longer exhaust (it's an estate) or just re-tuned it in the facelift, but it shows there is a bit more potential in that 4-pot!

My understanding is that the DSG farts are unburned fuel expelled during the upshift being ignited in the manifold, different from the retarded timing in Launch Control which has it's own unique sound. It can be enhanced or reduced/eliminated as desired so you could argue it's a manufactured sound (certainly seems to be more prominent in some cars with DSG/DCT vs others). For the slower, smooth shift scenarios farts should be more prominent and a crisper, faster shift it should be pretty non-existent, which is how I find it at least in the TTRS.


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## captainhero17 (Apr 10, 2018)

ross_t_boss said:


> I was never a fan of the fake noise in my wife's 7R - I always drive with it turned right down. Actually her 7.5R's natural sound is better, wonder if it's the longer exhaust (it's an estate) or just re-tuned it in the facelift, but it shows there is a bit more potential in that 4-pot!
> 
> My understanding is that the DSG farts are unburned fuel expelled during the upshift being ignited in the manifold, different from the retarded timing in Launch Control which has it's own unique sound. It can be enhanced or reduced/eliminated as desired so you could argue it's a manufactured sound (certainly seems to be more prominent in some cars with DSG/DCT vs others). For the slower, smooth shift scenarios farts should be more prominent and a crisper, faster shift it should be pretty non-existent, which is how I find it at least in the TTRS.


Strange,
I have the regular 2.0 Quattro S-tronic TT and the farts are non existent when I apply the gas like a civilized person (city drive or normal highway merging). But at full gas the exhaust makes sure everyone in the same postcode knows that Im driving & changed the gear. :lol:


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## powerplay (Feb 8, 2008)

The Soundaktor thingy has been there for years, my 2008 TTS had one.

I think there are different types of "fakeness"; there's the type where the internal speakers are used to pipe engine noise into the cabin - this is utter poo imho. then there's the other type which the TT has which, if memory serves, is just an additional hollow tube tuned to resonate and attached to the induction manifold that sits in front of the engine bulkhead, so although not technically required for the engine to do its job, the sound you get is still "made by" your engine so not as bad as the first type


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## captainhero17 (Apr 10, 2018)

powerplay said:


> The Soundaktor thingy has been there for years, my 2008 TTS had one.
> 
> I think there are different types of "fakeness"; there's the type where the internal speakers are used to pipe engine noise into the cabin - this is utter poo imho. then there's the other type which the TT has which, if memory serves, is just an additional hollow tube tuned to resonate and attached to the induction manifold that sits in front of the engine bulkhead, so although not technically required for the engine to do its job, the sound you get is still "made by" your engine so not as bad as the first type


Thank you. I was trying to distinguish those two types of "sound enhancements" first one is straight up digital makeup that is being feed via the sound system.

The 2nd one is more practical special effect where the sound just goes thru an additional loop to sound better. I cant stand the thought of the 1st option. Might as well glue two mobile phones playing "Ferrari engine noise" on loop.


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## macaddict111 (Jun 13, 2018)

The Soundaktor is also referred to as the "Structure Borne Sound Actuator" and is essentially a hockey-puck-sized electromagnetic vibrating diaphragm that creates a generalized sound via the windshield it's mounted on. It's driven by a small control module just under the passenger's windshield that gets CAN info like RPM, throttle load, and drive mode setting. I think it's a fantastic and very realistic device, most noticeable in Dynamic mode.


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## Omychron (Sep 9, 2016)

powerplay said:


> The Soundaktor thingy has been there for years, my 2008 TTS had one.
> 
> I think there are different types of "fakeness"; there's the type where the internal speakers are used to pipe engine noise into the cabin - this is utter poo imho. then there's the other type which the TT has which, if memory serves, is just an additional hollow tube tuned to resonate and attached to the induction manifold that sits in front of the engine bulkhead, so although not technically required for the engine to do its job, the sound you get is still "made by" your engine so not as bad as the first type


The soundaktor on the Mk3 uses the windshield as a speaker, it is not mounted on the inlet manifold. Not a lot of difference to playing through the actual speakers...


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## revulike (Jun 15, 2018)

Doesn't Dynamic mode also open the exhaust flap?


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## no name (Feb 16, 2014)

I didnt realise til my speaker was acting up and the engine noise turned to white noise :-D

I reckon it wont be long until its sounded externally as well, when the electric cars start running old ladies over


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## powerplay (Feb 8, 2008)

There'll probably be some new law passed about it in due course. Once electric vehicles are commonplace they'll perhaps be legally required to make a noise such as lorries do when reversing, so either a continual beeping or 'attention, vehicle moving' being blasted out :lol: :lol:


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## Toshiba (Jul 8, 2004)

its too dangerous not to have a noise emitted for something like a car once moving at more than 5-10mph.


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