Trek Bicycles
BellBeats
Digital bike bell
Introduction
Bicycles have been a ubiquitous staple of all aspects of urban, country, outdoor, sport and recreational life for centuries. Only recently have we seen the advent of sweeping changes throughout the biking ecosystem. Battery-powered electric bikes have become almost as common as their traditional pedal-powered cousins, along with the ever-changing and recently accelerating landscape of biking technology come new challenges which welcome innovation and creative thinking.
Trek Bikes have always been on the cutting edge of cycling technology. From humble beginnings in Wisconsin, from where they strived to introduce quality mid to high-range bicycle manufacturing to the US, Trek has always fostered a culture of craftsmanship and rebellion which carries through to this day.
With these core brand values in mind Trek have endeavored to shake up the cycling world once more by introducing the world’s first mass produced electronic bicycle bell, the Trek BellBeats: a device which aims to be more effective than a traditional bell while being as rugged and, weather-proof and user friendly. It also boasts extra functionality like the ability to pair with phones or other devices to play amplified audio on the go, whether music, notifications or navigation audio.
Electronic bells can produce a louder and more consistent sound than traditional bells ensuring that cyclists are heard in noisy urban environments or high-traffic areas. This enhances safety by effectively alerting pedestrians and motorists.
This case study documents our journey through the process of creating the entire audio suite for this innovative piece of technology, including sonic ident startup sound and UI sounds as well as bespoke bell sounds.
"We aim to stay true to the identity of the brand and create audio assets that can be used ubiquitously for any and all kinds of media to support and enhance the brand’s communication and its identity on the market."
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Max Juras, Head of Music & Partner
Client
"We aim to stay true to the identity of the brand and create audio assets that can be used ubiquitously for any and all kinds of media to support and enhance the brand’s communication and its identity on the market."
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Max Juras, Head of Music & Partner
Challenges
When creating sounds for this unique device we had to take into consideration a multitude of factors:
The sounds had to be audibly interesting and pleasing while also demonstrating and reflecting the heritage and values of Trek as a brand. This meant taking an innovative and creative approach to designing sounds which clearly resembled a traditional bike bell but also iterated upon and updated the concept with modern audio recording and processing techniques. We were free to re-invent the proverbial wheel!
The bell sounds had to effectively operate as a real-world notification and potential warning signal to pedestrians, cyclists and drivers. They had to be highly localisable, meaning listeners should, intrinsically, be able to place the source of the sounds while not necessarily being able to see it.
Another challenge presented to us was the fact that bike bells are used in a plethora of different environments and situations; for example a user might be using the bell to warn pedestrians in a city to stay off a cycle lane or they could be using the bell to announce their presence on a forested bike trail to other
riders or walkers who are out of sight round a corner. The wide range of applications for this device meant that we had to think carefully about creating a suite of sounds which could be equally as useful in a variety of situations.
With this in mind we embarked on a process of rigorous iteration and testing which again saw us teaming up with Professor Judy Reed Edworthy of Portsmouth University to aid us in understanding the psychology of sound and the science behind making the bell as user friendly and effective as possible.
As with many of our projects we had to also take into account the bespoke hardware we would be working with. In this case we liaised directly with Harmon Kardon to ensure our audio worked optimally with their speaker hardware. We would have to work to the specific loudness and frequency response data provided by them and balance and master our audio accordingly.
Process
At the initial stage of the project we were retained as consultants to help Trek formulate a brief adhering to their brand guidelines and industrial design specifications. To kick off the project we discussed with Trek their vision for the BellBeats and laid out a framework for extrapolating these ideas into audio form. We liaised with Trek to formulate a conceptual brief which required the sounds to be informed by their rich heritage of craftsmanship and tradition from the early days of bicycle manufacturing while also representing the current modern and forward thinking ethos of the company.
Sonic Ident and UI Suite - In regards to the sonic ident we made sure it was in-keeping stylistically, and natural to, the philosophy of Trek as a company, adhere to their brand guidelines and give a nod to the history and aesthetics of bike bells as a whole. Our first port-of-call was to use our large library of recordings, collated throughout the stretch of this project (flywheels, tyres, gear levers, sprockets, vintage and new bells etc), and build them into something easily recognisable, apt, and polished. We combined these sounds with tonal elements such as piano and synths to give a breath of positivity and musicality to the ident and bring it home to a middle ground which espoused the values previously stated while tying it firmly to the identity we had already created for the BellBeats.
For the UI sounds we used this same approach and philosophy: using the recordings we had amassed we trimmed and shaped them into smaller, more succinct sounds resembling traditional UI notifications but with the DNA of cycling running through them. Short pops and two note phrases were used to give a positive or negative indication and reversed bells gave movement, interest and a cohesive identity to the sounds.
Bells - Another key factor was the importance of the bell sounds themselves being recognisable as the classical, yet augmented, sound of a bike bell and associated immediately with a bicycle approaching so those hearing it can react accordingly. With this in mind we devised a series of banks of sounds based on style, within each of which we were to create a long-list of sound variations that could be refined down and iterated upon until we had a shortlist that would be focused on and perfected. Within these banks of sounds we also had to tackle the issue of urgency; as mentioned earlier depending on the use-case the rider would need to have access to different levels of urgency at any given time.
To cater for this the BellBeats has three functions with three different sounds broken into these categories:
Challenges
Creating a homogenous audio suite for the Stork devices and their companion app which is not only audibly pleasing but also effective at communicating the messages and parameters that are derived from Stork’s monitoring of a child’s vitals. These sounds also have to penetrate the broad spectrum of noise pollution common to a typical home environment (tv, open window noise, home appliances).
Optimising and testing the sounds for three different speaker configurations with discreet frequency and loudness profiles. The camera, hub and app sounds need to maintain a shared sonic aesthetic and sound homogenous despite the different limitations of their respective hardware.
Designing an intuitive audio landscape that allows parents to easily navigate the devices and app maintaining continuity throughout the app and devices whether user interface sounds, alarms or notifications.
Aligning the alarms, notifications and modifiers with a global audio standard known as IEC 60601-1-8 developed by Professor Judy Reed Edworthy in her paper “The Recognizability and Localizability of Auditory Alarms: Setting Global Medical Device Standards” among others. The aim of adhering to this standard is to develop more effective and meaningful auditory alarms for a global medical device safety standard which would alleviate ‘alarm fatigue’ and improve the overall experience relating to sounds for medical devices.
Adhering to the afore-mentioned standards comes with a specific challenge related to the sonic space we were confined to when creating the alarms. Our process was limited by these constraints to a relatively unique set of parameters regarding length and timings as can be read about further in Judy’s writings.
Process
Our team collaborated with Masimo to translate their science in a creative way into functional audio for Stork. Brainstorming with them we formulated a robust plan that targets all key areas of their audio needs. After an initial back and forth of ideas and producing a treatment of our preliminary plan we begin iterating on sonic ideas to send to the client for review. This initial process is extra valuable to us with regards to allowing us to learn and growing our skills through interacting with the different needs and demands of our client’s projects. We view every project and new client as a new challenge for us to adapt and we thrive when invited into different approaches and ways of working.
We utilised a number of soft, warm timbres such as marimba and pianos to reflect the delicate nature of the application while still retaining a recognisable and suitably alerting sound. In order for the home-user to gain familiarity with the devices and the highest factor of recognisability of the sound source, all alarms would be playing the Masimo brand notes; with different pace and sounds pertaining to the different categories, to differentiate them from each other.
We iterated from more melodic and tuneful alarms and notifications to more static, traditional ones and landed somewhere in-between, retaining a warm and comforting timbre while adhering to IEC 60601-1-8 standards with regards to timings and frequencies. Again more specifics about the standards can be read about more in Judy’s work.
"Makewaves tech is part of Makewaves audio. We specialise in conceptualising, developing and meticulously crafting audio and haptics for a diverse range of applications and functionalities that elevate user interaction and experience an
With a team of experienced sound designers, composers and audio technicians, we strive to enhance the user experience across a vast array of devices, tools and media providing reassuring, and engaging auditory feedback."
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Magnus Arwenhed, Creative Lead & Partner
Polite - This sound is the most akin to a traditional bike bell when used in a gentle way, it is used to announce the rider’s presence without startling the listener or sounding too aggressive.
Urgent - For use when the rider needs to signal a potentially dangerous hazard or situation to those around them. This in particular is where a digital bell with well localised sounds can outperform a traditional bell.
Ambient - Inspired by the ‘always-on’ nature of a trail bell, this sound was designed by the specific scenario in which the rider needs to be heard pretty much constantly but might find themselves needing to employ riding styles that physically don’t allow for the manipulation of a bike bell thumb lever.
These different categories were differentiated using various processing techniques to affect factors such as pitch, speed, inharmoniousness and so on. With faster, more discordant sounds producing a more urgent feeling and more tuneful and delicate elements being used for the polite category. The ambient category sounds were essentially created by elongating the polite sounds using techniques such as granular synthesis into longer, looping sounds that could play continuously without becoming annoying or too startling.
Here are the banks we decided on accompanied by audio examples from each category. The examples show not only the final sounds but some of the experimental sounds from earlier in the development cycle that eventually were cut revised or iterated upon:
Paradoxically, the more constraints that were applied to us by the standards the more creative we became. When working within a limited framework the result is often more creative and conceptual. In the process of investigating the possibilities of working to the standards we discovered new techniques for manipulating organic recordings digitally to more resemble artificially generated sounds while maintaining the unique timbres bespoke to our recordings.
In between the notifications of the subtle and more urgent alarms the modifier auditory icons needed play in order for the parent to quickly gain an understanding of what the deviation from the optimal levels the modifier alert is related to. We decided the sounds had to be be of an abstract character but still close enough, sonically, to what they represent and distinct enough to, illustrate which of the parameters they relate to. So for these we created sonic analogies of the main aspects of the sounds we associate with the heart, breathing, temperature and oxygen levels.
Heritage - This bank of sounds are all based upon traditional bicycle bell sounds with a modern twist courtesy of processing and recording techniques. We sourced a vast array of new and vintage bells for this, scouring the bike shops of Stockholm and Norrkoping to find as many unique and varied timbres as we could. We also sprinkled in some bells from other sources, both modern and old. We used numerous techniques such as hammering, bowing and different articulations of traditional ringing to achieve a range of interesting sounds. Velo - These sounds comprise a conceptual bank created using recordings of parts of bikes: flywheels, gear levers, tyre squeals and tuned spokes and frame parts to name a few. These were also blended with bell sounds to create a hybrid feel. We sourced old and new bikes for this, creating a palate of interesting mechanical and tonal sounds which we re-sampled to create interesting original patterns, sequences, melodies and chords.
Organic - The idea behind this bank is to use warm, natural timbre instruments and sound sources to create an organic yet still usable and effective series of sounds. We recorded marimbas, violas, xylophones and other wooden sound sources to build up an orchestra of suitable tones. These were then edited, layered and processed to mimic the sonic characteristics of a bike bell.
Wave - For this bank we went for the opposite of organic: synthesised sounds generated using our roster of analog, digital, outboard and software synthesisers to create a contemporary and sharp set of sounds. These again were layered, and processed in such a way as to remain reminiscent of bike bell while having a character all of their own.
Novelty - This is a bank specially requested by Trek which covers more recognisable and potentially funny sounds to replace your bike bell with. As with all the sounds in this project we created our own bespoke versions of these to adhere to our preferred delivery of a completely bespoke audio package. We recorded novelty horns and whistles, chimes and even trumpets to best recreate famous known and loved sounds and melodies.
“What sets Makewaves tech apart is their innovative approach to audio. They leveraged advanced technologies and research driven principles to create sounds that not only met our expectations but exceeded them. The result was a collection of sounds that not only captured the essence of Trek Bicycle but also had the power to excite and delight our customers. Makewaves tech's dedication to pushing the boundaries of what's possible in audio is evident in every aspect of their work.”
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Bob Najduk, Director of Hardware, Trek Bicycle
"Working with Makewaves tech has been a revelation. As a Bio-inspired consultant, I've seen the power of sound, but the team at Makewaves tech takes it to new heights. They are a passionate collective redefining bespoke audio. Their adventurous approach turns each project into a journey of creative exploration. In a world where audio hold so much weight, Makewaves tech are a beacon of excellence."
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Prof. Franco Lodato
“What sets Makewaves tech apart is their innovative approach to audio. They leveraged advanced technologies and research driven principles to create sounds that not only met our expectations but exceeded them. The result was a collection of sounds that not only captured the essence of Trek Bicycle but also had the power to excite and delight our customers. Makewaves tech's dedication to pushing the boundaries of what's possible in audio is evident in every aspect of their work.”
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Bob Najduk, Director of Hardware, Trek Bicycle
"Working with Makewaves tech has been a revelation. As a Bio-inspired consultant, I've seen the power of sound, but the team at Makewaves tech takes it to new heights. They are a passionate collective redefining bespoke audio. Their adventurous approach turns each project into a journey of creative exploration. In a world where audio hold so much weight, Makewaves tech are a beacon of excellence."
-
Prof. Franco Lodato
“What sets Makewaves tech apart is their innovative approach to audio. They leveraged advanced technologies and research driven principles to create sounds that not only met our expectations but exceeded them. The result was a collection of sounds that not only captured the essence of Trek Bicycle but also had the power to excite and delight our customers. Makewaves tech's dedication to pushing the boundaries of what's possible in audio is evident in every aspect of their work.”
-
Bob Najduk, Director of Hardware, Trek Bicycle
"Working with Makewaves tech has been a revelation. As a Bio-inspired consultant, I've seen the power of sound, but the team at Makewaves tech takes it to new heights. They are a passionate collective redefining bespoke audio. Their adventurous approach turns each project into a journey of creative exploration. In a world where audio hold so much weight, Makewaves tech are a beacon of excellence."
-
Prof. Franco Lodato
Let´s
work
together!
Conclusion
The challenge of creating suite of sounds for Stork was one of functionality blended with aesthetics as our work often tends to be. Through experimentation, testing and iteration we provided a modern but friendly and audibly legible set of sonic alarms, pointers and UI sounds to accompany and complement not only the functionality of the devices and app but also Masimo’s key brand values and identity.
As always, our grew through the process and gained key insights into how to best represent a brand while adhering to essential standards and also providing our expertise while consulting with the client. We were inspired to rise to the challenge and the resulting audio suite reflects our commitment to the project and the rewarding process we were thrilled to undertake.
Conclusion
The challenge of creating suite of sounds for Stork was one of functionality blended with aesthetics as our work often tends to be.
Through experimentation, testing and iteration we provided a modern but friendly and audibly legible set of sonic alarms, pointers and UI sounds to accompany and complement not only the functionality of the devices and app but also Masimo’s key brand values and identity.
As always, our grew through the process and gained key insights into how to best represent a brand while adhering to essential standards and also providing our expertise while consulting with the client.
We were inspired to rise to the challenge and the resulting audio suite reflects our commitment to the project and the rewarding process we were thrilled to undertake.
Conclusion
The process of iteration and experimentation undertaken throughout this project was very enlightening and satisfying for our team. We learned even more about the intricacies of optimising sounds for localisability working with Judy and look forward to taking these skills even further with future projects.
As is often the case, when creating the audio suite for the Bellbeats, we tread a fine line between sonic aesthetics and functionality. This project in particular highlighted the need for a pleasing audio palate that could serve multiple functions, we are thrilled to have produced the entire suite and look forward to hearing the BellBeats out in the wild soon!
-Thanks for reading!
Tests
A large part of the project encompassed testing and optimisation of sounds, as previously mentioned we worked closely with professor Judy Edworthy for this undertaking. Judy employed her expertise in the psychology of sound to devise testing procedures for our initial sounds which we participated in with members of the Trek development team.
We met with Judy and the Trek team in Stockholm to conduct urban testing in a loud, busy environment to test the localisability and audibility of the sounds under such conditions. We repeated these tests in a rural setting and on a biking trail outside of Stockholm. Various methods were used to ascertain specific parameters and collect data which could be collated into a study.
We tested static and dynamic situations as well as distance and direction. The collected data allowed us to learn which of our designed sounds performed best in each scenario; using this information we were able to iterate on the sounds and pinpoint any failings or shortcomings and address them by adjusting frequencies, sequence length and the attack of sounds to better pierce the audible landscape.
Judy conducted further tests in lab conditions to add to our growing data sets. More can be read about these tests in Judy’s papers on the matter >HERE<
Following this initial round of data collection Trek also conducted their own tests of a refined bank of sounds in urban environments in Madison Wisconsin.
They settled on some important user-facing data which specified the ideal audible distance of the bell; we were then able to refine this bank down to the final sounds heard on the production device.
