If you’re a fan of Lincoln, then you will appreciate the latest news, which includes some musical cues from the Motor City. Lincoln announced that the Aviator’s alert system will play chimes recorded by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
“Aviator represents the true vision of the Lincoln brand,” said David Woodhouse, design director, The Lincoln Motor Company. “With a look this striking, we needed to have sounds that matched the beauty of this vehicle.”
The notes are precise, crystalline and rich with detail. Unique chimes, informing drivers of everything from an open fuel door to an unlatched seat belt, are now symphonic. Three levels of informational chimes will provide distinct musical alerts for about 25 features in the vehicle. These include:
- Non-critical
- Soft-warning chimes
- Hard-warning chimes
Lincoln’s vehicle harmony team ensured that an SUV of such distinction in its design and engineering received equal treatment in terms of its audio evolution.
Jennifer Prescott, vehicle harmony supervisor, The Lincoln Motor Company, brief musicians at the Detroit Symphony Orchestra ahead of their recording of unique chimes that will provide musical alerts for drivers of the all-new Aviator
“This is quite a departure for us – introducing music into the informational chime world,” said Jennifer Prescott, supervisor, vehicle harmony, The Lincoln Motor Company. “But we’re always thinking about luxury, and this was a way to take Lincoln to an even higher level.”
After brainstorming unique sound options with her team, Prescott sent an email to the musicians at the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. “I truly thought they’d think I was crazy,” she recalled, laughing. “But we wanted to make sure every detail in this vehicle was perfect.”
The opportunity to try something so markedly creative was irresistible, said Anne Parsons, president and CEO of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
“As the hometown orchestra of the Motor City, we were definitely interested when Lincoln contacted us about work that brought together music, cars and technology,” Parsons said. “The DSO has historically valued the use of technology to increase access to classical music, from radio to recordings to the internet, and we are very excited about this new project.”
Finding the right sound for Aviator
Three renowned musicians from the Detroit Symphony Orchestra – Adrienne Rönmark, Violinist, Eric Nowlin, Principal Violist and Joseph Becker, Principal Percussionist recorded six unique symphonic chimes informing drivers of everything from an open fuel door to an unlatched seat belt for the all-new Lincoln Aviator
Through multiple sessions, musicians from the Detroit Symphony Orchestra recorded several iterations of the alerts. Since the Aviator is not yet in production, Prescott had the musicians sit inside a Lincoln Continental to experience the ambiance.
“We told them the flavor of the new vehicle and gave them scenarios of the alerts,” she recalled. We told them, basically, to design their own soundscapes. Then they just went in and started playing. And it was phenomenal.”
Selecting the right mix of sounds was no easy task. More than 125 options were recorded the first time, and after a multitude of internal Lincoln listening sessions, those sounds were narrowed down to a single chime.
At that point, the vehicle harmony group returned to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra with a request to build a suite of embellished chimes around that particular note. Finally, about 100 recordings later, the Lincoln team ultimately found the symphonic soundscape that brought the project to life.
A unique project
The final selection was played by three renowned musicians from the Detroit Symphony Orchestra:
- Adrienne Rönmark, violin;
- Eric Nowlin, principal viola;
- Joseph Becker, principal percussion.
“It was a very stimulating project; sounds and soundscapes are so much a part of our life that we often don’t really notice them – and yet they can provide all these triggers that are so important,” Rönmark said. “As a musician, usually what my job entails is trying to bring to life a piece of music that’s already been written. So to be a part of this process, to create sounds knowing their meaning first, and then create the sound second, was a really, really engaging way to process the sound.”
For Nowlin, the creative freedom just added to the enjoyment.
“It was very open-ended, which was great,” he said. “For us, it was an organic process. We were constantly changing something. We would change a rhythm, or how fast we were playing, or we would change the pitch. Through that process, we were really able to hone our ideas.”
The more natural sounds integrate the organic style that many consumers are leaning towards.
“I feel like we all have enough technology with our phones and our computers every day,” Becker said. “People want to get away from that sometimes, so it’s kind of nice to have actual instruments. I think the concept of incorporating it into the car in a different way is very cool.”
The concept is spectacularly cool. And we can’t wait to experience it for ourselves. Stay tuned for more golden Aviator nuggets as they become available right here at Planet Lincoln – and don’t forget to save the date for November, 28 when the full production model is revealed!
If you’re in the market for a luxury SUV, then head on over to ReedHasIt.com and shop one of our many dealerships in your area.
