The Audio Engineering Society’s (AES) 2025 Show in Long Beach has unveiled a transformative leap in automotive audio: the integration of multi-domain digital twins. This breakthrough, showcased in the session “Digital Twins – The New Era in Product Engineering in Mobility Components and Beyond,” demonstrates how engineers are now fusing mechanical, thermal, electrical, acoustical, and electromagnetic attributes into live simulation frameworks. The result? Virtual prototyping of complex audio systems before a single physical component is fabricated, slashing development time and cost while boosting precision and innovation.
At the heart of this advancement is the ability to model distortion behavior under realistic operational loads, combining laser vibrometry measurement with multiphysics CAE simulation. “These sessions aren’t just updates; they’re a signal that automotive sound is evolving into a fully engineered ecosystem, where software, hardware, and acoustics finally speak the same language,” explained session presenter Scott Leslie. By anticipating nonlinearities and optimizing microphone frequency response for Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) and speech quality, engineers can now address challenges like multichannel interference and environmental contamination in real time—all within a digital environment. This approach not only accelerates the design cycle but also enables the creation of smarter, cleaner, and more resilient in-car sound systems.
For audio professionals, the implications are profound. The shift to digital twins means that the days of iterative physical testing and late-stage acoustic surprises are numbered. Instead, engineers and DSP architects can now refine sonic branding for electric vehicles, develop software-defined audio architectures, and even simulate the impact of environmental factors on external microphones—all before a prototype hits the road. This level of precision and foresight is set to redefine industry standards, making it possible to deliver bespoke, high-fidelity audio experiences tailored to the unique demands of modern mobility. As automotive audio transitions from a secondary consideration to a core engineering discipline, the tools and techniques pioneered at AES 2025 will empower professionals to push the boundaries of what’s possible in sound design and acoustic engineering.
