Renzo Vitale, Creative Director of Sound Design at BMW Group, tells us how he gives voice to the new generation of electric vehicles.
“Cars should not just move us from A to B, but also move us from one emotion to another,” says Mr. Renzo Vitale.
Acoustic Engineer, Mr. Vitale is BMW Group’s Creative Director of Sound Design – but also a composer, pianist, visual artist and an ambassador for Steinway & Sons.
This means he has the distinct privilege of defining the sonic identity for the three brands under the BMW Group – MINI, BMW and Rolls-Royce.
We caught up with the Italian creative personality over lunch when he was in Singapore for BMW Singapore’s Seven Senses experience.
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It can’t be easy giving “voice” to an electric car, especially since some people feel these should be the equivalent of sterile white goods.
However, BMW’s famous “Sheer Driving Pleasure” tagline already pre-supposes the BMW owner has a penchant for driving and doesn’t regard the car as a mere beast of burden to transport one from A-to-B.
This means that the accompanying soundtrack is as important to the motoring experience as the drive itself.
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In many ways, it is appropriate for a German automotive group like BMW, which is the embodiment of engineering excellence, to have an Italian creating its sound signatures. After all, Italy is a country of emotions associated with drama, love, romance and opera.
“It’s very challenging because sound is subjective and I have no reference to work with for EVs. Don’t forget that with ICE, we have over 100 years of history to tap on. Our first step is to create a sound that embodies BMW. This means we look back in the past to see where the brand came from and then look into the future to see where we want it to be,” Vitale tells us.
He continues, “We were looking for a sound that could stand out and had a personality without being pretentious, yet be effective and successful in conveying the unique message of BMW.”
The sonic signatures of the three brands under the BMW Group have to personify their distinct electric-car personalities, especially for the Spectre, which is Rolls-Royce’s first all-electric model.
“I have three different characters to create sounds for,” Vitale tells us. “MINI is young, fun and open to surprises. BMW is precise, athletic and executive. Rolls-Royce embodies perfection and thus its sonic sculpture is served with white gloves to the customer. For Rolls-Royce, even the super-short sounds (that last a split-second) had every detail worked on.”
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As an aside, Vitale adds that he’s added an Easter egg to the three brands’ sounds to answer the question, “What if the BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce EVs met at the traffic lights?”
He smiles and tells us, “Well, I wanted the cars to form a harmonious ensemble that sounds good together, so if all three accelerated from the traffic lights, their sonic signatures would act in concert as different instruments playing together in an orchestra.”
How does someone like Vitale “reset” his senses?
“Despite what people think, I’m not always in “full analysis” mode – that is, unless something catches my fancy. However, I am lucky to have an anechoic room at the office, which is a space where I can reset,” he says.
