When it is said that the sound of the engine and everything that concerns it is music, for Renault it is no longer just a figure of speech.
From the engine to the sound of the direction indicators, the beeps emitted by the display and the audio reproduction in the passenger compartment for the French brand also bear the signature of Jean-Michel Jarre.
The famous artist, composer and author, pioneer of electronic music and technology enthusiast, is working with Renault to develop the best possible sound experience on board the brand's new vehicles.
One of the first projects consisted of developing, in collaboration with Ircam and the Group's sound design teams, two types of sounds for Renault's electric and hybrid models.
The VSP, or Vehicle Sound for Pedestrians, an external sound emitted at low speed to warn pedestrians and the sound of the welcome sequence when entering the vehicle were the first steps.
Sound design is a topic that has found a new field of application with the advent of the first electric vehicles, because in the absence of the noise produced by the engine, the spaces for 'inventing' a sound have opened up.
Renault's sound design teams have been collaborating for a long time with partners such as Ircam (Institut de recherche et coordination acoustique musique in Paris) and the composer Andrea Cera.
Jean-Michel Jarre was also recently added to this list.
The artist's goal is to help Renault develop the best possible sound experience on board its new vehicles, all electric or hybrid, for a high-quality immersive and multisensory experience, for example by proposing musical environments via the multimedia system, which includes a new 'podcast' mode dedicated to this type of sound sources.
The idea was also to create, through a new VSP and welcome sequence, an empathetic sound signature, capable of expressing mobility rather than speed and power.
This meeting between the world of Jean-Michel Jarre's sound creation and that of Renault electric vehicles has provided the French company with the opportunity to develop an identity in a new expressive field that has so far been little explored and little exploited in the automotive sector.
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