by Emily Price on Mashable
We can’t always hit the road in the wheels we’d like to. A new app called XLR8, however, can at least make your family sedan sound like the sports car of your dreams.
Using your phone’s accelerometer, XLR8 plays sounds similar to what your car might sound like if it was something a little fancier. The audio revs up as you start, just like a vehicle does.
It idles when you’re stopped at stop lights, and pays attention to your vehicle’s acceleration, responding accordingly.
“I’m a race car aficionado as well as a sound designer with a passion for the sound of a well-tuned engine,” Robb Rinard, Creative Director at 2XL told Mashable. “When I was little, I was the kid who would sit at the breakfast table and make race car sounds with my mouth for fun while dreaming about tearing up the track.
“When I grew up, I had the great fortune of partnering with programming genius Rick Baltman (he’s done stuff like program Auto Pilot in unmanned spy planes). It was Rick who made my idea for XLR8 a reality.”
The app uses Hollywood recordings of real supercars. While it’s designed to be used in your car while you drive, it can also be used in manual mode when you’re not driving.
The manual mode lets you control the virtual engine by hand, turning your sofa into a super car.
XLR8′s Android and iPhone app includes just the Classic V8 Muscle Car. However, a NASCAR engine, Ford GT40, and the exotic Ferrari and Lamborghini sports cars are all available as in-app purchases.
What do you think about XLR8? Would you use it while driving around town? Sound off in the comments.
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, gmalandra
