In my opinion, a really interesting and important point is how does the loss of Mike Caviezel will effect the Sound and Soundcharacters in general?
The Sound Lead Designer was hired by Polyphony at a very very dilicate time of development of the game.
It could become difficult, but my hopes are that this have a very positive effect at all.
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Something I would really like is an adjustable option for the dump valve/wastegate blow off sounds. Also turbos should be a little more violent, especially when adding a race turbo. In project cars the Sierra Cosworth is spot on once you’ve maxed the wastegate (another feature I’d like to see added is adjustable turbo pressures), when it kicks in its easy to end up in a wall.
There are several factors that goes into a car’s exhaust sound, remember it’s not just the tone of the sound! Using something I’m familiar with, a classic American v8 engine, not all classic American v8 engines have that iconic “loping” idle, even some of the performance builds had smooth idles. That’s controlled by the profile of the camshaft… I’d like to see camshaft upgrades effect the car’s idle.
Forza 4, Horizon, and Horizon 2 for the 360 did have one MAJOR issue with their engine sounds. If you increased the rev limit via cam upgrades, you do not get a higher pitch at the higher RPM.
Let’s say a car’s stock rev limit is…7000RPM. If you pushed to at least 8000RPM using cam upgrades, then the engine note at 8000RPM would be exactly the same as the engine note at 7000RPM on the stock cams.
This is what I call the “Forza rev-stretch syndrome”. This I believe no longer exists on Forza 5 or the X1 version of Horizon 2
Another niggle, which was introduced in Forza 3, is that all the engine note’s sound pitches are off, and I find that it’s the most noticeable with the R35 GT-R. Basically, find a clip of the real car with engine pegged exactly at red-line. Then peg the in-game version at the same RPM, and notice that the pitch is lower, and in order to get the real car’s redline pitch, you’d have to go PAST the redline on the in-game car…
TL;DR: Actual engine at 7000RPM (R35’s redline) = Forza engine at 7500 RPM (if it can even rev that high on stock cams).
Inversely. Forza engine at 7000RPM = Actual engine at 6200-ish RPM
For anyone that knows me round here at all will know I’m probably the biggest video game sound NUT you’ll find on any game forum. I’ve worked and modded and dozens of games over the years striving for “authenticity” and “accuracy”. From everything to the exhaust burble of an RS focus, to the howling, growling sounds of Mach 1 Mustang. I have wanted games to pay attention to audio so much more in general, not just with engine and general vehicle audio. Through all this I have given shining credit to Forza and T10 as probably, and still IMO undisputedly the BEST for engine audio quality in any driving or racing game series to date ever, and what the benchmark for good audio should be in any game featuring a focus on cars, to be THIS series, and these games.
So with Forza 6 coming along, we can only hope the audio quality continues, right? With small features re-added such as “surfaces, tyres, engine volume, opponent engine volume” audio sliders probably being the first major thing that should be present, and was sadly, and strangely missing from Forza 5 (no engine audio slider? What…?). So I hope at the very least it copies the settings from FH2.
For me, I am hoping for a much, larger focus on smaller, more common cars engine audio design and also some of the big big dogs like the 1981 Ford #2 Zakspeed Racing Capri Turbo to be as close to real life as humanly possible, like the Week In Review video demonstrated (boy I hope it does sound that good!!) and it sounds very good in Project Cars too. With smaller/less exotic cars, here is a few nitpicks on the current list I really want and hope to see improvements on, both exterior, interior and exhaust sputter:
- 1965 MINI Cooper S seems to have a problem of not really sounding how it should, in Forza 5 it sounded too echoey and artificial, now, a game that did a superb job of this car was GT Legends on PC, superb, worth looking that game up and audio of it
- 1970/1 Ford Mustang Mach 1 One of my FAVOURITE cars of all time…that has yet to be fully captured with the essence and audio of it’s engine and exhaust, it doesn’t sound right at all in FM5 and oddly sound a bit better in FM4, but compared to how it SHOULD sound (I know this is the 70 model but the 71 had the 351Cl V8 too): STUNNING 1970 Ford Mustang Mach 1 - startup and great V8 sound! - YouTube Wow, this thing was amazing to here in person (didn’t record the video, but I know the guy) notice the splutter…mmm!
Now, I don’t want to list dozens and dozens of cars and reasoning for each one, and I only picked out the Mini and especially the Mach 1 as it was the two that resonates with me after having recorded and driven in the Mini plenty over the years and been a follower of the Mach 1 since the late early 00’s. I hope these two can be improved in the Forza series, exhausts in general.
Overall, I hope more detail goes into smaller cars, into hatchbacks, into classic Hondas and VW’s, Nissans and Toyotas, some of the neglected Fords even though Fords I can see this year will be getting extra focus (cover car, new breed, new Fords) which is heaven to my eyes and ears but with the majority sounding excellent already to be fair. However in general EXHAUST SPUTTER/BURBLE is the biggest thing to get right overall.
To conclude on exhaust Burble, here is a brief video demonstrating what I mean with the monster that is the Jaguar XKR-S 2012, which overall sounds all right in Forza, but could sound much better and is missing that iconic exhaust burble as seen here: Jaguar XKR-S 2012 Lovely Sounds! - 1080p HD - YouTube
Vs how is sounds in game FH2: Forza Horizon 2 - 2012 Jaguar XKR-S Gameplay - YouTube
This is just an example of what I mean and can apply to many cars in the series. After working with audio design for games especially in FMOD for many years, I understand how hard it can be for top top end cars, getting the time with the vehicles and of course the studio resources and I claim not to be an expert by any stretch of the word but have been very successful with the sounds I have recorded and modded for Shift 2 especially when it comes to exhaust burble. So how much time and resoruces T10 has with 450 cars is obviously, going to be limited by preference but I just REALLY hope they don’t keep on “recycling” sounds from previous games.
Ok this was longer than expected lol. Apologies.
What do you guys think? Do you have a favourite car that hasn’t been captured as well as you’d hoped from an audio perspective? As I doubt I am the only one who appreciates audio as much as I do. Plus, do you think T10 will put more into focusing on the exhaust sound and of course the sound of smaller or older cars? They do a superb job overall IMO but always room for improvements!
EDIT
Why was my post merged to a MONTH old thread? My topic is discussing my experience of sound modding, how reflective this can be in FM6 and what particular peoples opinions are in relation to past games improvements, why does this not deserve it’s own topic?
Looking at fm6, I feel great disappointment. The sound of the engine …
This I do not like, and T10 have not changed anything after fm5.
I had a lot of reasons not to play the F5, but the main thing was - physics and sound.
And about the physics and feedbacks on the steering wheel - I have hope that it will correct in fm6. What a good sound of the engine had no hope.
Sounds fm5, fm6 - too quiet, and devoid of emotion. It looks - like a castrated sound fm4. In fm4 timbre sounds identical fm5 but louder saturated. I think in fm5 and fm6 - sound engineer just made it more quiet and lifeless to Forza liked people accustomed to gt5,6 poor, quiet sound of the engine.
I know - the sound f5,6 aficionados more than fm4. But I can not put up with this sound, I can not play fm5 and quiet, boring sounds, I was very bursts. I’m T10 do something, do two options sound in F5 and F4 at the same time, do so - to the sound of opening side windows became angry and realistic, please! Do what ever volume setting and aggressiveness to - sound. And at the moment the series fm buried for me. I even do not want to buy fm6.
I am a big audio nut and Forza is usually pretty good in this department, but it really feels like they have been resting on their laurels since FM2. In FM2 there were different exhaust sounds for the different upgrades, and even brand names for the parts. For example, you could put a Tubi exhaust on the Ferrari 512TR and it had a TOTALLY different sound recording, not just the original recording clipped to hell by just upping the levels to simulate a more “aggressive sound.”
For whatever reason they did away with this system entirely. It really bugs me that they took a step backwards. One thing’s for sure, no one can realistically expect unique recordings of every car. Even with MS’s resources it would take a team of audio engineers YEARS to get it done and in the game. However, that doesn’t mean there is no room left for improvement.
They could, at the very least, get a few more UNIQUE recordings for the more popular (and more readily available for dyno recording sessions) cars. In addition for the other sound samples that get recycled alot (let’s say “generic big V8” which is on SO many cars in Forza,) build a set of 3 so that even though it’s shared among many cars, you can at least get the different sound set when upgrading exhaust.
The absolute pinnacle of sound design in racing games right now, beyond a shadow of a doubt, is Race Room Racing Experience on PC (what a mouthful.) Of course they have a very different task compared to Turn 10 or Playground because the number of cars is minuscule compared to Forza, but still, have a listen and tell me it’s not amazing:
Lastly I have to give a shout out to Playground Games who did manage to record some REALLY good engine sounds that weren’t in Forza before, such as the Mercedes SLS and Maserati Quattroporte. They really sound fantastic especially in external views.
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Smack on the money!
I’m all up for this, and miss the FM2 days to death… what a treat it was for the ears to test out your fully souped up ride.
On a related note, FM5 left me disappointed when it comes to sound changing after upgrades. Some cars sounded pretty darn good like the Evos and SLS AMG - in FM5, they sound weak, with virtually no change in tone and character of the exhaust after full upgrades.
PG did do a fantastic job of recording engine sounds, especially after upgrades. I always felt Horizon 1 had better mixing compared to FM4 and the same is the case with Horizon 2 on X1: more audible change in pitch, tone and character… and man… they nailed the off-throttle sounds and exhaust burble! Love it!
Well for me, after playing FH2 for a long time now and recently revisiting FM5, I can honestly say that FM5 has the better sounds. In FM5 the engines are louder (and deeper), the blow-off valves are louder and more distinct.
I haven’t tried stock, street or sport turbos on cars in FM5, so I can’t really comment on backfire, but in FH2 apply the sport turbo to cars like the MK2 Escort, MK1 Scirocco and others and you’ll have backfire almost like anti lag. Of course it happens at the same revs each time you let off the accelerator, but that’s forza. If you want to try this redline 1st, 2nd, 3rd it doesn’t matter and then let off. Also applying these smaller turbos gives you different blow off valve sounds, the sport turbo on the R34 GT-R is ear porn.
I hope FM6 takes FM5s engine sounds and turbo sounds and they tweak the backfire and burble sounds to be like FH2, if that makes sense.
I think the difference between F4’s stellar car sounds and F5 (where everyone complained about it being bad compared to DriveClub and PC) was that they muffled the sound for cockpit view.
But at least Forza 6’s backfire sound is really good. Between a pop and a bang 
In my opinion Forza is still the best in the sound department. What people forget is that Forza 5 and Forza horizon 2 had almost 3 and a half of the amount of cars that Project Cars had, so obviously Project cars had more time to work on the engine sounds for every car, but even with that extra time I still think Forza sounds better. I agree with you about the muffled interior view, but it is more realistic the cars being muffled inside the cockpit.
And STILL both Horizon 2 and FM5 are ions ahead of PCARS in terms of sound. That, I find mildly hilarious - SMS had a much longer dev timeframe, significantly less cars… yet, they goofed the sound, despite all the marketing hype they created on how good the game sounds. hogwash
Probably due to a lack of budget or simply lack of skill, equipment, imagination etc.
I’ve yet to see a console game that trumps Forza in terms of sound.
I wouldn’t say that Forza is eons ahead. It’s just that the quality in PCars is not balanced throughout. The race cars such as the Merc SLS sound amazing in PCars as does other LM type cars. And then there are road cars which has a kind of synthesized quality about them.
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They got many of the race cars sound right. And yeah… road cars do sound weak. The P1 and the MP4-12C sound nothing like the real thing.
Forza is somewhat of a hit and miss too with a select few cars (the SLS, Evos etc.)… though you can expect many many refinements in FM6.
I miss being able to set the sound for yourself in the options menu.
e.g drive hood view but be able to select outside view car sounds.
Definitely so simply option and with so great gain! When I start read this thread, in that moment I was thinking right about this feature 
There are so many cars which are much better sounding by view that I dont like to use. Even most absurd are 911s in FM4 which have the closest sounds to the real life one by chase camera but with back view 
I’ve been playing a bit of Forza 5 lately and messed around with a car I’ve never used through out all of the series, a Ferrari F50. Usually I’d upgrade engine components and not mess with aspiration changes but because this car is so light I figured why not twin turbo it, so I go with sport turbos. Long story short, the F50 is now my favorite car to drive, both handling and sound wise. It sounds amazing and has awesome spool sounds from the turbos. I hope Forza 6 can expand upon the sound engine but I’ll be happy if a twin turboed F50 sounds like the one I have now!
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Forza 4 had the best sounds in my opinion. The engines sounded fantastic. My favourites were the Porsche Carrera GT and Corvette Grand Sport (C6). I was dissapointed with Forza 5 as the engine sounds were no where near as good. Just compared the difference between the Carrera GT in Forza 4 and Forza Horizon 2 and it was clear that Forza 4 was way better. I’ve heard a Carrera GT in person twice and Forza 4 nailed the noise it emits perfectly. The FH2 version is no where close.
I hope Forza 6 is better but it looks like this is just a build on Forza 5 so not expecting anything major in the engine sound department. It almost looks like they got lazy for Forza 5 and used generic sounds for some cars. Realistic or not I found the deep, throaty growl of V8’s and the wailing scream of a V10 or V12 in Forza 4 thrilling and intoxicating. Made you actually feel like you were driving something impressive.
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Absolutely incredible… I remember when I used to play FM4… couldn’t help but abuse my sound system a little… not that it couldn’t take it.. took it like a man! Err..moving on..
I think an ideal marriage would be the best bits of FM4+5 and Horizon 2 combined with new elements in FM6. That would round off the audio package nicely for me.
Being said, I just want to see more focus on tires sounding different according to track surface, tire compound, losing/gaining traction - they’re pretty good as it is, but variety and dynamic sound properties would be really nice. For example when you’re braking hard without locking up, you should hear squealing… or when you’ve given too much input to the front wheels and they’re getting closer to the point of losing traction.. that "wrrrr’ sound should be there before the car starts to transition towards understeer.
Exhaust pops, cracks.. burble.. that beautiful firecracker like sound on most upgraded cars when you’re off the throttle.. I so badly want to hear that in FM. Horizon 2 nailed it pretty well.. and one car where this is really audible is the Huracan… man, I could listen to the off-throttle sound on that thing all night!
Speaking of off-throttle… this is another area I hope to see T10 pay more attention to.. when you’re revving and let your foot off the accelerator, you can hear the inertia and forces exerted on the engine.. the rumble and sputter in the exhaust… the car just sounds different when off-throttle.
Would love to see these tiny details in future FM and Horizon games, not to mention unique shifting sounds depending on the car you’re driving or the transmission you have installed. Pretty tall order I know, but here’s hoping.
All in all, I just want to salute the developers for putting in the hard work and man hours they have with ALL Motorsport and Horizon games to date. I suppose part of that motivation comes from us fans! 
Agree…BUT… crank the volume in FH2 in the cockpit view of the Carrera GT… the cockpit view in FH2 I found to be uniquely awesome and impressive!
I agree with all in this thread… and it’s good to see:
Engine sound is the single most important thing for me in Forza 6! Here’s hoping!