Sound engineer here, interested in recording different exhausts for a shootout

[AnalogDan]

I'm a part time sound engineer in Texas (DFW area), and I'm interested in getting some Z4Ms together to record different exhausts for a high quality, somewhat-scientific "shootout," of sorts.

I realize this is tough for a variety of reasons. Z4Ms are relatively rare, and most people who have exhausts installed have other modifications. Regardless, if you or anyone you know lives in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and has an aftermarket exhaust on his or her Z4M, let me know and maybe we can figure this thing out. It wouldn't take long, and it would be a great resource for people looking to buy aftermarket exhausts (such as myself).

Edit: It looks like this is going down in the Austin/San Antonio area.

[beta]

Good luck sounds like a great project. Subscribed.

[r4gs]

i'll be based in the northeast san antonio area in about a month's time. still an awful long ways away from the dfw metroplex

[AnalogDan]

Yeah, San Antonio is about 4 hours away. What kind of exhaust do you have? If we could get an RPI, Diablo, and Eisenmann (those are probably the 3 most popular, right?), in addition to a stock Z4M (which I currently have), then that would be a great shootout. We could possibly even get a few people to throw in a few bucks for gas, since having a good shootout like this really benefits everyone in the market for an exhaust.

Or how about we get one of the exhaust companies to pony up and 'sponsor' this thing if they think their exhaust sounds better than everyone else's, eh?

[Rekla]

Hey ... I'm also in the DFW area and I'm all new to the ///M coupe: I just picked this one up out of state last weekend. OP: I would live to meet up in DFW and share some experiences. My car is completely stock as far as I can tell but your project "sounds" interesting...

[r4gs]

Originally Posted by AnalogDan

Yeah, San Antonio is about 4 hours away. What kind of exhaust do you have? If we could get an RPI, Diablo, and Eisenmann (those are probably the 3 most popular, right?), in addition to a stock Z4M (which I currently have), then that would be a great shootout. We could possibly even get a few people to throw in a few bucks for gas, since having a good shootout like this really benefits everyone in the market for an exhaust.

Or how about we get one of the exhaust companies to pony up and 'sponsor' this thing if they think their exhaust sounds better than everyone else's, eh?

i have rpis i'd be privy to meeting in the middle as far as north austin area, but dfw is really a stretch for me.

[b0bab0i]

You should try looking for E46 M3's at E46fanatics or M3forum. They are a lot more common and run same engines as Z4M's. Alot have aftermarket exhausts too.

[XMetal]

Originally Posted by benmoooon

You should try looking for E46 M3's at E46fanatics or M3forum. They are a lot more common and run same engines as Z4M's. Alot have aftermarket exhausts too.

While the E46 may have the same engine, but the exhaust setup is different.

[jimbojsb]

I'm in Austin and have an Eisenmann Sport system installed with no other drivetrain mods. If you're ever in the area, PM me. Happy to contribute, but not willing to drive to DFW to do it

[mfanatic325]

If you want to fly out to California, I'd have absolutely no problems with letting you use my car

Sound-applicative modifications I have on the car include:
- RPi induction kit (intake scoop + BMC drop-in filter)
- JVT headers (SuperSprint copies)
- SuperSprint uncatted section1 (s-pipe)
- SuperSprint section2 (x-pipe)
- SuperSprint race canisters (mufflers)

[mdrobc13]

AM in San Antonio and have SuperSpring Powerloops just installed. I too wouldn't mind meeting 1/2 like Austin for example!

[AnalogDan]

So, we have RPIs, Super Sprints, and Eisenmanns all in the Austin area? Looks like I might have to head down to Austin!

mdrobc13 - SuperSprint Powerloops
jimbojsb - Eisenmann Sport
r4gs - RPI
me - stock

This is certainly something to work with. Jimbo said he doesn't have any other mods. What about you two, r4gs and mdrobc13? Any other drivetrain mods? It's not a big deal if you do.

Also, anyone else in the Austin/San Antonio area with other exhaust setups? Even small differences would be interesting to hear.

[txz4]

Originally Posted by AnalogDan

So, we have RPIs, Super Sprints, and Eisenmanns all in the Austin area? Looks like I might have to head down to Austin!

mdrobc13 - SuperSprint Powerloops
jimbojsb - Eisenmann Sport
r4gs - RPI
me - stock

This is certainly something to work with. Jimbo said he doesn't have any other mods. What about you two, r4gs and mdrobc13? Any other drivetrain mods? It's not a big deal if you do.

Also, anyone else in the Austin/San Antonio area with other exhaust setups? Even small differences would be interesting to hear.

dont have any exhaust mods yet but would love to meet up and hear the different setups.

[marinb]

I'm really interested in the difference between Eisenmann Sport and Eisenmann Race. Hopefully you can find someone with the Race setup too.

Great project!

[AnalogDan]

Originally Posted by txz4

dont have any exhaust mods yet but would love to meet up and hear the different setups.

We can make a meetup out of it. Anyone can come

What are people's thoughts on the recording method? I was thinking about doing stereo mics set up about 5 feet off the ground, 5-10 feet behind the cars. Perhaps a few takes of just revving at a standstill, and a few takes of launches. That would imitate the experience of standing behind the car.

I could also set up a mic 20 or 50 feet away (or both), so people can hear a "flyby," of sorts. There's not really a good way to set up mics inside the cars, unless a separate rig is used. Perhaps I could use my laptop for that and desktop for the stationary mics. Additionally, I was planning on setting the mic input levels for the loudest exhaust, and then leaving them, so that all the exhausts are at a relative volume. People could easily get an idea of the loudness of certain exhausts compared to others. I should probably also get a decibel meter...

This will all be recorded with the highest quality gear. Great mics, great mic pres, etc. You'll be able to put your headphones on and feel the noise. All the files will be separated (RPI rear mic, RPI interior mic, RPI fly-by 20 ft, RPI fly-by 50 ft, Eisenmann close mic, etc.)

[r4gs]

i've still got my gruppem intake installed tt noticeably adds a deep growl to engine noise, and will probably translate across together with my rpi's during recording. no other drivetrain mods that affect noise

i'm guessing this is purely sound recording and no video? it's really generous of u to volunteer ur time and expertise to do this, albeit at ur inconvenience no doubt i do have a slew of videos of my current intake and exhaust setup using simple run-of-the-mill digital cameras and it's really not accurate.

[AnalogDan]

Originally Posted by r4gs

i've still got my gruppem intake installed tt noticeably adds a deep growl to engine noise, and will probably translate across together with my rpi's during recording. no other drivetrain mods that affect noise

i'm guessing this is purely sound recording and no video? it's really generous of u to volunteer ur time and expertise to do this, albeit at ur inconvenience no doubt i do have a slew of videos of my current intake and exhaust setup using simple run-of-the-mill digital cameras and it's really not accurate.

I have a nice video camera, but I'd rather just focus on the audio. Also, I'm not great at video editing. If anyone wants to take pictures or video to accompany the audio, that's perfectly fine.

And yeah, that's what I noticed while watching YouTube videos. It's impossible to compare exhausts because the quality and situation in every video is completely different. The same exhaust recorded by 5 different people in 5 different places sounds like 5 completely different exhausts. Then you change up the exhaust, and there's absolutely no hope of a proper comparison.

And I'm happy to do it!

Does anyone have ideas on a location? Somewhere where we can set up a computer or two (we'll need plugs within extension chord's reach) and make some racket?

[gcochard]

Is there going to be a dyno involved so you can load the engine?

If not, can you do a mic on the rear bumper or in the cabin with a proper wind filter?

I'd love to get a good comparo of these exhausts.

[AnalogDan]

Originally Posted by cliffhopper

Is there going to be a dyno involved so you can load the engine?

If not, can you do a mic on the rear bumper or in the cabin with a proper wind filter?

I'd love to get a good comparo of these exhausts.

Dynos are indoors, so that wouldn't provide realistic acoustic results.

The in-cabin microphone is the most realistic option, IMO. I can probably put my laptop and a good microphone in the passenger seats of the cars while they do their runs. Next question is: windows up or down? I was actually leaning toward windows up so we could hear the exhausts the way they'll sound in most driving situations.

[gcochard]

Depends if it's a coupe or a roadster, but above like 60 mph it's a good idea to have windows up.

[tekmoe]

I'm no audio engineer but I have access to a really fancy audio recorder. I'll get some recordings of my magnaflows.

[AnalogDan]

Originally Posted by tekmoe

I'm no audio engineer but I have access to a really fancy audio recorder. I'll get some recordings of my magnaflows.

The point of this shootout is to record all the exhausts in the exact same setting, with the exact same microphones, positioned exactly the same, through the exact same mice pres, at the exact same levels. The only variables will be the exhausts, whatever other drivetrain mods the car has, and the drivers. That is very few variables. Anyone will be able to listen to the different audio files and hear only the differences between the exhaust systems.

Where in Texas are you located? Anywhere near Austin?