What should electric cars sound like? | Renzo Vitale

Translator: Nelson Simfukwe Reviewer: Doris Mangalu

Let's start with silence.

Tuanze na ukimya.

Silence is one of the most precious conditions for humans,

Ukimya ni hali yenye thamani kwa wanadamu,

because it allows us to feel the depth of our presence.

kwa sababu inatufanya kuhisi kina cha uwepo wetu.

This is one of the reasons why the advent of electric cars

Hii ni moja ya sababu kwanini ujio wa gari za umeme

has generated lots of enthusiasm among people.

umetengeneza hamasa kubwa kwa watu.

For the first time, we could associate the concept of cars

Kwa mara ya kwanza, tuliweza husisha muundo wa gari

with the experience of silence.

na mazoea ya ukimya.

Cars can finally be quiet:

Magari hatimaye yanaweza kuwa kimya:

peace in the streets,

amani katika mitaa,

a silent revolution in the cities.

mapinduzi ya ukimya katika majiji.

(Hum)

(Hum)

But silence can also be a problem.

Lakini unaweza pia kuwa tatizo.

The absence of sound, in fact, when it comes to cars,

Ukosefu wa sauti, kwa hakika, unapokuja katika gari,

it can be quite dangerous.

inaweza kuwa hatari sana.

Think of blind people,

Fikiria watu wasiiona,

who can't see a car which is approaching.

wasioweza kuona gari linalowasogelea.

And now, if it's electric, they can't even hear it.

Na sasa, kama ni la umeme, hawawezi kabisa kulisikia.

Or think of every one of us as we are walking around the city,

Au fikiria kuhusu kila mmoja wetu tunapotembea katika jiji,

we are absorbed in our thoughts, and we detach from the surroundings.

tumezama katika mawazo yetu, na tumeachana na mazingira.

In these situations, sound can become our precious companion.

Katika hali hii, sauti inaweza kuwa mshiriki mwenye thamani.

Sound is one of the most wonderful gifts of our universe.

Sauti ni moja ya zawadi murua katika ulimwengu.

Sound is emotion

Sauti ni hisia

and sound is sublime,

na sauti ni utukufu,

and when it comes to cars, sound is also information.

na inapokuja kwenye gari, sauti pia ni taarifa.

In order to protect pedestrians

Ili kuweza kuwalinda watembea kwa miguu

and to give acoustic feedback to the drivers,

na kutoa mrejesho wa sauti kwa madereva,

governments around the world have introduced several regulations

serikali dunia kote wameunda namna baadhi za udhibiti

which prescribe the presence of a sound for electric vehicles.

ambazo zinawajibisha uwepo wa sauti katika magari ya umeme.

In particular, they require minimum sound levels

Katika uhalisia, zinahitaji sauti kiasi kidogo

at specific frequency bands

katika mrudio wa mawimbu mahususi

up to the speed of 30 kilometers per hour.

hadi kilomita 30 kwa saa.

Besides this speed,

Ukiachana na kasi,

the natural noise of the car is considered as sufficient.

sauti halisi ya gari huchukiliwa kama ya kutosha.

These regulations have generated different reactions

Sheria hizi zimetengeneza maoni tofauti

among those who favor sounds and those who fear the presence

kati ya wale ambao wanahitaji sauti na wale walio na hofu ya uwepo

of too much noise in the city.

wa kelele nyingi katika jiji.

However, I don't see it as the noise of the car.

Hata hivyo, Sioni kwamba ni kelele ya gari.

I rather see it as the voice of the car.

Naona kwamba ni sauti ya gari.

And this is one of my biggest challenges, and privileges, at the same time.

Na hii ndiyo changamoto yangu kubwa, na kipaumbele, kwa wakati mmoja.

I design the voice of electric cars.

Ninarasimu sauti ya gari za umeme.

We all know how a combustion engine sounds like,

Tunaelewa namna gani injini za moto zinavyotoa mlio,

and we do actually also know how an electric engine sounds like.

na pia tunaelewa namna gani gari za umeme zinavyotoa mlio.

Think of the electric tramway.

Fikiria kuhusu mkokoteni wa umeme.

As soon as it moves,

Pale unapotembea,

it creates this ascending high-frequency pitch sound,

hutengeneza sauti inayopanda ambayo ni kali,

which we called "whistling" sound.

ambayo tunaita sauti ya "filimbi".

However, if we would just amplify this sound,

Hata hivyo, kama tutaweza kuongeza sauti hii,

we would still not be able to fulfill the legal requirements.

hatutaweza kufikia kanuni zilizowekwa.

That's also why we need to compose new sound.

Ndiyo maana tunahitaji kutengeneza sauti mpya.

So how do we go after it?

Sasa tunafanyaje?

In many cities, the traffic is already very chaotic,

Katika majiji mengi, msongamano wa magari una vurugu sana,

and we don't need more chaos.

na hatuhitaji vurugu nyingine.

But the streets of the 21st century are a great case study

Lakini mitaa ya karne ya 21 hutupa somo zuri sana

teeming with transience, cross purposes and disarray.

zikitiririka kutangatanga, na mvurugiko.

And this landscape offers a great opportunity

Na uwanda huu unatoa nafasi nzuri

for developing new solutions on how to reduce this chaos.

ya kutengeneza fumbuzi mpya za namna ya kuondoa hizi vurugu.

I have conceived a new approach that tries to reduce the chaos

Nimeunda namna mpya ya kujaribu kupunguza huu mvurugano

by introducing harmony.

kwa kuleta mlingano.

Since many people don't know how an electric car could sound like,

Vile kwamba watu wengi hawafahamu namna ambavyo gari la umeme linatoa sauti,

I have to define, first of all, a new sound world,

Natakiwa kufafanua, kwanza ya yote, dunia mpya ya sauti,

something that doesn't belong to our previous experience

jambo ambalo halipo katika mazoea ya nyuma

but creates a reference for the future.

lakini linatengeneza kumbukumbu ya kesho.

Together with a small team, we create lots of sonic textures

Pamoja na timu ndogo, tunatengeneza sauti za kusikika na wanadamu

that are able to transmit emotion.

ambazo zinaweza safirisha hisia.

Just like a painter with colors,

Kama vile mchoraji na rangi,

we are able to connect feelings and frequencies

tunaweza kuunganisha hisia na mrudio wa mawimbi

so that whenever one is approaching a car,

ili kwamba pale mtu anaposogelea gari,

we can feel an emotion

tunaweza kujisikia hisia

which, besides fulfilling the legal requirements,

ambazo, ukiachalia kwamba zinafuata matakwa ya serikali,

speaks also about the character and the identity of the car.

pia huongea kuhusu tabia na utambulisho wa gari.

I call this paradigm "sound genetics."

Naita namna hii "jenetikia ya sauti."

With sound genetics, I define, first of all, an aesthetic space of sound,

Na jenetikia ya sauti, naelezea, kwanza kuliko yote, nafasi ya sauti,

and at the same time, I search for new, innovative methods

na wakati huo huo, natafuta njia mpya za ufumbuzi

for generating soundscapes that we don't know,

za kutengeneza mazingira ya sauti ambayo hatufahamu,

soundscapes that allow us to envision abstract worlds,

mazingira ya sauti yanayoturuhusu kuwaza dunia ya kufikirika,

to make them tangible and audible.

kuipa uhalisia na yenye kusikika.

Sound genetics is based on three steps.

Jenetikia ya sauti inahusiana na hatua tatu.

The first one is the definition of a sonic organism,

Ya kwanza ni kuelezea kiumbe anayesikia,

the second one is a description of sonic variations,

cha pili ni kudadafua mabadiliko ya sauti,

and the third one is the composition of sound genes.

na ya tatu ni utengenezaji wa jeni za sauti.

The description of a sonic organism is based on a cluster of properties

Maelezo ya kiumbe anayesikia yanatokana na muunganiko wa tabia

that every sound that I compose should have.

za kila sauti ninayotengeneza inakua nayo.

[Sound is moving.]

[Sauti inasafiri]

I transfer to a small sound entity, such as the sound of a car,

Nasafirisha katika sauti ndogo, kama vile sauti ya gari,

the power of the motion of music,

nguvu ya mrindimo wa muziki,

so that sound can move so.

ili sauti inaweza safiri.

[Sound is acting.]

[Sauti inatenda.]

And just like a dancer on a stage,

Na kama kwa mchezaji katika jukwaa,

sound will project trajectories of sound in the air.

sauti itatengeneza njia katika hewa.

[Sound is memory.]

[Sauti ni kumbukumbu.]

And it's not just about the sound of a car.

Na siyo tu kuhusu sauti ya gari.

It's the memory of my father coming back home.

Ni kumbukumbu ya baba yangu akirudi nyumbani.

[Sound is hypnotizing.]

[Sauti inavutia.]

And sound has the power to create an unexpected sense of wonder,

Na sauti ina nguvu ya kutengeneza maajabu yasiyotegemewa,

which hypnotizes.

ambayo huvutia.

And ultimately,

Na kwa ujumla,

[Sound is superhuman.]

[sauti ni binadamu wa ajabu.]

sound goes beyond the human condition,

sauti huenda zaidi ya hali ya kibinadamu,

because it allows us to transcend.

kwa sababu inaturuhusu sisi kujongea.

As a second step, we define the sonic variations.

Katika hatua ya pili, tunaeleza mabadiliko ya sauti.

[Identity prism]

[Prizmu ya utambuzi]

Just like humans, where different bodies generate different voices,

Kama vile wanadamu, ambapo miili hutengeneza sauti mbalimbali,

also different car shapes have a different acoustic behavior

na pia maumbo mbalimbali ya gari yana tabia mbalimbali za sauti

which depends on the geometry and the materials.

ambazo hutegemea maombi na malighafi.

So we have to know, first of all, how this car propagates the sound outside

Hivyo tunapaswa kujua, kwanza kabisa, jinsi gari hili husafirisha sauti nje

by means of acoustic measurements.

namna ya vipimo vya sauti.

And just like a single voice is able to produce different tones and timbres,

Na kama vile sauti moja inaweza kutoa mirindimo ya sauti mbalimbali,

at the same time, we produce different sonic variations

na kwa wakati huohuo, tunatengeneza utofauti mbalimbali wa sauti

within a space of eight words that I defined.

katika nafasi ya maneno nane ambayo naelezea.

And some of them are, to me, really important,

Na baadhi yao, kwangu, ni muhimu sana,

such as the concept of "visionary,"

kama vile suala la "maono,"

of "elegance," of "dynamic," of "embracing."

ya "utashi," ya "mabadiliko," ya "kufumbata."

And once we have defined these two aspects,

Na pale tutapoweza kuelezea hizi namna mbili,

we have what I call the identity prism,

tunakuwa tumepata ninaoita mche wa utambuzi,

which is something like the sonic identity card of a car.

ambao ni kama kadi ya utambuzi wa sauti ya gari.

And as a third step, we enter the world of the sound design,

Na katika hatua ya tatu, tunaingia katika dunia ya utengenezaji wa sauti,

where the sound genes are composed

ambapo jeni za sauti zinatengenezwa

and a new archetype is conceived.

na muundo mpya unatengenezwa.

Now let me show you another example

Sasa ngoja nikuonyeshe mfano mwingine

of how I transform a sound field into a melody.

wa namna ya kubadili sauti kuwa mlio

Think that I am a violin player on stage.

Fikiria kua mimi ni mpiga fidla jukwaani.

If I would start to play the violin,

Kama nitaanza kupiga fidla,

I would generate a sound field which would propagate in this hall,

Nitatengeneza sauti ambayo itatembea katika ukumbi huu,

and at some point, the sound field would hit the side walls

na kwa wakati huo huo, sauti itagonga kuta

and would be scattered all over the place.

na itasambaa hapa kote.

And this is how it looked like.

Na ndivyo itavyoonekana.

Some time ago, I captured several ways of sound to hit side walls.

Muda fulani uliopita, nilinasa namna baadhi ya sauti inavyogonga kuta.

And last year, I was asked by the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra

Na mwaka jana, niliombwa na bendi ya Bavarian Radio Symphony

to compose ringtones that they were going to play.

kutengeneza milio ambayo wangeipiga.

So one of them, I had the idea to start from this sound field.

Katika mmoja wao, niliwaza kuanza na mrindimo wa sauti.

I took a section,

Nilichukua kipande,

I superimposed the section over the distribution

Nikakijumuisha katika mgawanyo

of the musicians onstage,

wa wanamuziki wakiwa jukwaani,

and then I followed the blooming of the sound field

na kisha nikifata mrindimo wa sauti

by means of three parameters:

kwa namna ya vipimo vitatu:

time, intensity and frequency.

muda, kiasi na mrudio wa mawimbi.

Then I wrote down all the gradients for each instrument,

Kisha nikaandika ulalo wa kila kifaa,

and as you can see, for instance,

na unaweza kuona, kwa mfano,

the piece will start with the string section playing very softly,

vipande vitaanza na kipande cha uzi kikipiga kwa umororo,

and then it's going to have a crescendo as the brasses, the woods will jump in,

na kisha kitaanza ongezeka pale shaba, mbao zitapoanza sikika,

and the melody will end with a harp and a piano

na mlio utaishia na kinubi na kinanda

playing on the highest range.

zikilia katika kiwango cha juu.

Let's listen how it sounded like.

Tusikilize inalia vipi.

(Ethereal music)

(Mziki wa mbinguni)

(Music ends)

(Muziki unaisha)

So this is the sound of my alarm clock, actually, in the morning.

Kwa hiyo huu ni mlio wa saa yangu inayoniamsha, kiukweli, asubuhi.

(Laughter)

(Kicheko)

And now let's go back to electric cars.

Na sasa turudi katika gari za umeme.

And let's listen to the first example that I showed you.

Na kisha tusikilize mfano wa kwanza ambao nimewaonyesha.

(Hum)

(Hum)

And now I would like to show you how a potential sound,

Na sasa nitawaonyesha namna gani mlio muhimu,

based on the sound genetics for electric cars, could sound like.

ambao unatokana na jini ya sauti kwa ajili ya gari za umeme, itasikika hivi.

(Ethereal music)

(Muziki wa mbinguni)

(Pitch rises with acceleration)

(Kiwango kinapanda na kuongezeka mwendo)

Cars are a metaphor of time, distance and journey,

Gari ni mifano inayohusiana na muda, umbali na safari,

of setting out and returning,

ya kuondoka na kurudi,

of anticipation and adventure,

ya shauku na safari,

but, at the same time, of intelligence and complexity,

lakini, kwa wakati huo huo, na utashi na utata,

of human intuition and accomplishment.

ya uelewa wa binadamu na mafanikio.

And the sound has to glorify all that.

Na sauti imetukuza hayo yote.

I see cars both as living creatures

Naona magari yote kama viumbe vinavyoishi

and as highly complex performative art installations.

na vifaa vilivyotengenezwa na sanaa tata sana.

The sounds that we envision through sound genetics

Sauti ambazo tunaziunda kupitia sauti za jenetikia

allow us not only to celebrate this complexity

sio tu zinaturuhusu kufurahia utata huu

but also to make the world a more elegant and safe space.

bali pia kufanya dunia iwe sehemu maridadi na yenye usalama.

Thank you.

Asante.

(Applause)

(Makofi)