Capteur >>> Emmeteur

What is the relationship between man and machine? What is an automobile without the influence of human interaction? After beginning my recordings of my car I began to realize the overwhelming influence that the body and the kinesthetic motion of the body has on the operation and design of the automobile. Interestingly, after 5 years of driving, this thought had never occurred to me; the act of driving quickly becomes an incognitive habit and therefore the car itself becomes an incognitive prosthetic of the body. With this thought in mind, how do we define the separation between man and machine? Does the brain send a signal that says, “apply pressure to middle pedal with right foot to brake” or does the brain send a signal that simply says “brake car.”

Modern efforts to separate acoustical transmission from engine to interior are being implicated on a standard basis. In the past ten years alone, interior noise levels at autobahn velocities have been reduced by 50% (Handbook of Automotive Engineering, Braess and Seiffert). However, below a certain noise level, it can be said that a car will suffer from a subjective loss of dynamic sound interaction and responsiveness. “In this regard, it is more than mere conjecture to say that an absolutely silent vehicle would also represent a soulless vehicle. I found this quote particularly interesting for the reiteration of the personification of the “soul of a vehicle.” For example, while I am driving, I often will not look at the speedometer or the RPM when I am need of shifting gears but rather will shift gears based upon the sound that I am hearing and recognizing out of habit. Therefore, does a level of interaction with the soul of the human define the soul of the vehicle; furthermore, are the sole of the human and the sole of the car in fact one and the same?

Incognitive Prosthetics

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Linear Spatialization

3 books obtained from the Red River Collegiate Library began to give me insight into the inner workings of auto-mechanics; something I was quite content being oblivious too but will undoubtedly be helpful far past the semester's end.

Automotive technology by M.J. Nunney.

Auto mechanics fundamentals : how and why of the design, construction and operation of automotive units by Martin W. Stockel.

Handbook of automotive engineering / edited by Hans-Hermann Braess and Ulrich Seiffert ; translated by Peter L. Albrecht.

I decided that I was specifically interested in the narrative of sound that my body dictates from the drivers seat. I used the books to research the direct path of my body through each control of the "drivers manifold" (as defined by Handbook of Automotive Engineering), through the engine and finally into the environment.


Select each title to hear sound clip.

Interior

Brake Pedal
Stick
Clutch Pedal
Gas Pedal
Dashboard

Engine

Brake Booster
Master Cylinder
Fuel Injector
Air Filter
Disc Brake
Transmission
Clutch
Engine
Spark Plug
Air Intake

Exterior

Wheels
Shock (bottom)
Shock (top)
Muffler
Fuel Tank

Man: Machine: Environment

Rhythm, tempo and notation are what we understand as the standards of musical measurement. In regards to the audio recordings of my car, the rhythm and tempo are defined by two things:

1. The environment - road conditions pertaining to traffic, stop lights, turns, etc.
2. Man - personal habits of acceleration, clutch control, shifting, braking, etc.


The driver of the car or the composer as I will attempt to get in the habit of calling him, plays each key of the car and sends signals to produce sounds in various locations of the engine system. A cyclical relationship of interdependency is created between man, machine, and environment. The man reacts to the environment, the car reacts to the man, and the environment reacts to the car as it continuously changes due to high velocities.

I have divided the recordings of the car into three categories:

The Interior: Sounds that are directly created by my bodies influence, eg: the brake pedal
The Engine: Sounds that are created by the various parts of the engine.
The Exterior: Sounds that are created by the outside environment

The Drive for Knowledge

Recording setup in my car.


During my first series of recording (which I have already posted below) while I was driving my car and patiently waiting to hear the results of my first attempts at recording, a eureka moment overwhelmed me. I suddenly became aware of the ergonomics of the drivers surroundings as an interface of perfectly placed controllable extensions of the engine. This surprising perspective on the environment I had previously taken for granted made me aware of how much of an impact the body has on the car.

I instantly started to imagine how the pressure I apply to the Brake Pedal or the Gas Pedal would move through the engine being transferred into different types of forces, creating combustion, creating motion, stopping motion. But soon realized that my imagination can only take me as far as my knowledge would allow. I had no idea what laid under the hood of my beloved 1998 Hyundai Accent. For me, a car was a tool of transportation and as long as I made it to school on time then the simple task of driving the car was enough knowledge for the time being.

But the curiosity of the muffled sounds beyond the dashboard demanded that I learn more. That I learn exactly how the pressure that I apply on the Brake Pedal is transferred into the deceleration of my car.


Some images of the microphones attached to my car

Engine


Air Intake


Shock (Bottom)