Sound Design

Sound and Vibration

Contribute to a better sound world and turn it into a reality for our clients by assisting them in their projects and offering full high quality customized solutions tailored specifically to their requirements.

Passion for sound quality 
We work everyday, with passion, to enhance sound technologies and contribute to a better sound world.

Innovation 
Each year, we invest 30% of our turnover in R&D. We are also involved with numerous European projects in collaboration with the main actors in French and International Research (such as CNRS-LMA, IRCAM, LATP, ORANGE LABS)…. For tomorrow’s sounds

Seeking Excellency 
Flexibility, reactivity and precision in execution. Learn and improve for an ever more efficient organization and quality offers adapted to your needs and deadlines.

Team spirit
Based on diversity of skills, autonomy, sharing of knowledge and conviviality, at GENESIS, the team work is first of all about enjoyment and respect.

​Our Vision to be an International reference in Industrial Acoustics.
Strengthened by our values and a national recognition, our team is building up and prepares daily its own future. That of an internationally recognized company, by the major industrial companies, the state organizations and the universities, as the best partner for controlling, designing and simulating sounds.

GENESIS was created in July 1999 by 7 engineers (in acoustics, computers and electronics), former employees of the company STERIA-DIGILOG. STERIA-DIGILOG was itself created to externalize the “audio & acoustic” activity from DIGITONE-DIGILOG.

Among GENESIS founders, several former research engineers from the IRCAM and the LMA-CNRS of Marseille. 

In 2004, GENESIS has developed the LEA software (LEA stands for French “Logiciel d’Expertise Acoustique), “The sound Lab for Industry”. It is dedicated to sound quality and sound design, bringing strong added value to acoustics department of leading industrial company, especially in the automotive sector but also in labs dedicated to researches in acoustics.

In 2005, GENESIS has won plaudits for its scientific contributions and technological expertise. It was awarded the Industry Prize by the Société Française d’Acoustique (SFA), counting 1000 engineers and researchers in acoustics.

Today, Genesis experiences strong growth and leading position for high end sound simulators with prestigious customers such as RENAULT, PSA, SNCF, AIRBUS, EUROCOPTER or the French Navy, and recognition from global players in Europe, Japan, Korea, China and North America.

All dimensions of Sound

Acoustics, Noise, Sound, Music .​

Acoustics, Noise, Sound, Music signify a sound phenomenon that we hear, and terminology in the first instance the appellant concerns the objectivity of measuring parameters related to sound, noise, sound level, sound frequency, amplitude, pitch, impulsive nature , intensity, volume, etc.. – And subjective concepts such as: noise, high-pitched sound, low frequency hum, loud, unpleasant, high volume, reverberation, speech understanding, and so on.

All the experimental data are actually measured with the microphones, then measure the sound pressure and is expressed by the relative unit dB re. 20microPa and compares the measured data with the values ​​given by various regulatory or research that are based all, or in large part, on the well known weighted sound level with the A scale; may be not everyone knows about the origin of this, Why “A” acale than?

Let’s excluding the possible objective related hearing loss, when it is necessary to associate the data with the objective measured of subjective individual prception of the listner, in other words with the actual perception of sound, we often find ourselves in trouble because compliance with the limits normed does not always correspond to a subjective judgment.

And then arises another question, does the dBA is applicable to all situations?

​dBA: when, where and how.

To correctly answer to the two questions above about if dBA is always usable in all situations, please refer to valid texts from the literature (Fletcher-Munson), let’s for now only a brief mention.

The dBA was based on an interpretation of an experimental study that would define how we perceive a sound phenomenon as a function of frequency and amplitude and is related to a feeling of iso-curve amplitude of 40 dB at a frequency of 1 kHz.
Therefore, is not really applicable for any amplitude value. The fact, however, most important is that the study demonstrated unequivocally that our sound sensation varied not only in function of the frequency of the sound phenomenon but also depending on the amplitude of the same. In other words, our auditory system is not linear in frequency and in amplitude even. Already at this point one might ask how can a single parameter (dBA) be good for all, that is sound for any situation? Clearly, there are large approximations which are not taken into account. If we then consider the various implications purely subjective and circumstantial: listening to music or your neighbor’s house beside the road, or in an industrial area, transport infrastructure, and so on, not if it comes out easily with the dBA .

As many will already have realized, the work of the acoustician is not so simple and are necessary more serious approaches and much deeper acoustic analysis in order to say that you understand and being able to propose solutions.

A step forward: Loudness

The parameter Loudness is a subjective quantity corresponding to the level of perceived sound. It is closely related to the sound level, but also to the frequency and duration of the sound. It is measured Sone, a unit based on the sensory scale built with methods of measurement called psychoacoustic measures (Stevens, 1956). This type of experiment is based on the following steps: during an experiment, people are made to listen to sounds at different frequencies and intensities, and are asked to give a figure proportional to the volume of each.

To estimate the values ​​of loudness without psychoacoustic tests are needed and physical models, including those proposed in the literature, we can mention: 

For sounds steady-state (stationary), there are two models of computation to be taken to include a reference standard – model Zwicker (1958) and the model of Moore (1996). The model has become the standard DIN45631 Zwicker (1991) and a standard ISO532B. The method of Moore has defined the standard American Standard ANSI S3.4-2007 (2007).

For the sounds as non-stationary (ie, characteristics that vary with time), two main models have been developed. The first was published by Zwicker and Fastl (1999) and the second by Glasberg and Moore (2002). An international standardization is currently under discussion.

Note that the standard DIN45631/A1 (2008) is an addendum regarding the calculation of the loudness as function of time.

Boullet (2006) has done research on the loudness of impulsive sounds, ie sounds whose waveform is characterized by a phase of fast transient, no stable phase, and a phase more or less long decay depending on the sound. The LMIS (loudness model for impulsive sounds) was developed to estimate the global Lodness of these sounds.

Genesis offers a free software package in MatLab for calculating the loudness on the basis of the models mentioned above.

Technical Papers and Projects

geneCARS  real-time audio synthesis


SNCF simulator – Soundscape Design ODAS

Audio simulator SHERPA – PSA

​Helicopter sound environment simulator

Objectivisation of car suspensions rattle noise

Dynamic Simulator CARDS2 – Renault

Dynamic Simulator  ULTIMATE – Renault

Free Access Downloads :

GENESIS’ Brochure


LEA Software

geneCARS Sound Simulator

geneVR, 3D audio sofwtare for virtual reality applications

Find us !

Brochure of Yokohama Institute of Acoustics, Inc., GENESIS partner in Japan

Registered Access 

geneCOPTER, 3D audio for helicopter simulators
» geneCOPTER Product Documentation

Case studies and references
» Audio simulator SHERPA » Soundscape design tool for SNCF simulator » Helicopter sound environment simulator

Papers
» ICAD 2007 : Spatial Audio Quality Evaluation – Comparing Transaural, Ambisonics And Stereo

LEA Case studies
» Noise source identification

Papers
» ICAD 2007 : Spatial Audio Quality Evaluation – Comparing Transaural, Ambisonics And Stereo

LEA Case studies
» Noise source identification

» ACOUSTICS’08 : A Model For Predicting Rattle Noise Subjective Rating – in partnership with RENAULT » DSC 2009 : High Fidelity Sound Rendering For Car Simulators » Automobile Comfort Conference Le Mans 2008 – Transaural Audio Systems For Psychoacoustics Tests In The Car Industry » Automobile Comfort Conference Le Mans 2006 – Loudspeaker Simulation of Sound Environnements For The Car Industry » French Congress of Acoustics 2010 – Audio Component Impulsive Noise Audibility Indicator » Internoise 2012 – Process for Car Engine Sound Design

Scientific Partners

LMA-CNRS: Laboratoire de Mécanique et d’Acoustique du CNRS – Marsiglia – (http://www.lma.cnrs-mrs.fr)

LATP-CNRS: Laboratoire d’Analyse, Topologie, Probabilités du CNRS – Marsiglia (http://www.latp.univ-mrs.fr)

IRCAM: Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique, Musique – Parigi – (http://www.ircam.fr/)

LABS ORANGE (ex France Télécom R & S) – Lannion – (http://www.francetelecom.com/)