Yamaha developed Music:AI, an artificial intelligence system that automatically optimizes an automobile’s sound system by utilizing the company’s vast experience with musical instruments and sound systems.
Audio systems find it difficult to operate in cars due to the acoustics. Both external (such as other cars in the area, honking alarms, tire noise, etc.) and internal (such as the air conditioner, fans, wipers, engine, motors, etc.) noises are intrusive. Speaker sound is reflected and absorbed by the interior’s intricate design, which combines soft and harsh surfaces.
Automobile sound system designers have historically placed microphones where each passenger sits and then adjusted the speaker outputs by hand to get the optimal sound. When the car is stationary and turned off, this works well. However, as soon as the car is driven, noises that change constantly tamper with the tune.
Individual differences also exist in terms of hearing capacity and preferred sound tuning. For example, age or long-term harm from listening to too loud music can sometimes cause older listeners to lose their ability to hear the highest frequencies.
Yamaha targets these challenges with Music:AI for Cabin, Music, and Person. Music:AI for Cabin quickly optimizes the sound system for each car cabin, automatically finding the best tuning parameters. Music:AI for Music monitors the cabin in real-time to automatically optimize the reproduction and volume of music. Music:AI for Person allows each individual to tell the system what sounds best to their ears, automatically compensating for subjective preferences.
The company recently entered the automotive market, and its current, non-AI system is installed in Japan’s most prestigious model, the Toyota Crown. Music:AI will be available in its high-end car amplifiers for integration by automakers in 2025.
Drivers enjoying their non-AI sound systems might want to clean their cabin air with an air purifier (like this at Amazon) to protect their ear and brain health.
