About EV Soundscape Limited
Understanding Sound. Creating Value for Products.
EV Soundscape Limited combines psychoacoustics, sound quality evaluation, sound design, and AI
technologies to support the evaluation and design of product sounds. We do not view sound only in terms of physical quantities such as loudness or pitch. We place equal importance on how people perceive a sound and what impressions or value they derive from it. The sounds generated by products communicate many kinds of information, including performance, quality, comfort, power, reassurance, and a sense of technological advancement. EV Soundscape Limited analyses the characteristics of sound, clarifies their relationship with human perception, and translates the results into product development and sound design.
Two Divisions Connecting Research and Application
EV Soundscape Limited consists of two complementary divisions: YIA Research, which conducts foundational and applied research, and AI-SQ Engineering, which brings that knowledge into product development.
YIA Research – Research Division / Yokohama Institute of Acoustics
YIA Research is the research division dedicated to psychoacoustics, sound quality evaluation, auditory perception, and product sound assessment. It reviews and validates established psychoacoustic metrics, identifies the challenges that arise when they are applied to real product sounds, and develops more practical evaluation methods. Research findings are shared through conference presentations, technical articles, and the YIA Research
blog.
YIA Research website: https://yokohama-onkyo.jp
AI-SQ Engineering
AI-SQ Engineering is the engineering division that applies the knowledge developed by YIA Research to product development and sound quality improvement. It combines acoustic analysis, psychoacoustic evaluation, subjective listening assessment, AI-based classification and prediction, and sound design to identify product sound issues and propose directions for improvement. In the future, the division aims to provide an integrated process that extends from sound analysis and evaluation to the generation and validation of product sounds using generative AI.
What We Value
Human Perception as the Starting Point
A change in a measured value does not necessarily mean that people will perceive a difference. Conversely, differences that are not fully represented by conventional metrics can significantly influence the impression of a product. We therefore do not draw conclusions from analytical results alone; we also consider subjective listening assessments and the actual product experience.
Capturing Changes Over Time
The impression created by a product sound is not determined by its frequency components alone. The way the sound starts, decays, fluctuates, and changes with acceleration or operating conditions is also important. We refer to this temporal approach as a “score-based structure”. EV Soundscape Limited evaluates sound from both the frequency-domain and time-structure perspectives.
Turning Research into Practical Value
Even a scientifically valid evaluation method creates limited value if it cannot be used in the product development process. We therefore translate research outcomes into analysis software, evaluation methods, design guidelines,
and sound design approaches that can be applied in real development projects.
Main Areas of Activity
- Sound quality evaluation of product sounds
- Psychoacoustic analysis
- Subjective listening tests and sensory evaluation
- Evaluation of stationary, time-varying, and operating-condition-dependent sounds
- AI-based sound classification and prediction
- Product sound design
- Research and development of sound quality evaluation software
- Research into product sound generation using generative AI
- Technical consulting
- Conference presentations and dissemination of technical knowledge
Our Work to Date
EV Soundscape Limited has worked on sound quality evaluation and sound design across a wide range of fields, including automotive sounds, household appliances and machinery, food and beverage products, health devices, and other product categories. The sounds addressed in these projects have included steady operating sounds, sounds that change with speed or operating conditions, short-duration sounds, operating and interface sounds, and notification sounds. The value expected from sound differs from product to product. In some cases, quietness and comfort are the priorities; in others, the desired qualities may include power, reassurance, perceived quality, enjoyment, or clear communication. For each project, we examine the product and its usage context, then combine acoustic analysis, psychoacoustic evaluation, and subjective listening assessment to develop an appropriate evaluation method and direction for improvement.Because many of our projects are subject to confidentiality agreements, specific product names and development details cannot be disclosed. The practical knowledge accumulated through this work is reflected in the continuing development of our evaluation methods, analytical technologies, sound design, and AI-SQ Engineering.
Creating New Product Value Through Sound
Product sound is not merely noise to be eliminated. It can communicate the state of a product, convey performance, create reassurance and anticipation, and express the character of a brand.Through research that deepens our understanding of sound and engineering that transforms sound into value, EV Soundscape Limited supports the next generation of product sound development.