Aural Aesthetics of Propellor Noise

[RobertsUp]

Aural Aesthetics of Propellor Noise.

I don't know why the matter should seem important to me but it is. The noise made by quads doesn't matter to others.

I flew my first bird with Xoar beechwood props and it flew well. I had already read that Xoar wooden propellors were quiet. My own bird proved to me that the Xoar propellors are indeed quiet. Of course there's the propwash sound that will always be present, but the wooden props introduced no new sound or tone of their own making. There's only the sound of rushing air.

Here's a link to a typical MR making lots of noise. Can you hear the kind of electric tone and buzzing that annoys me? The noise made by the craft in the video is typical. MR's don't have to make that much annoying noise. The noise is created by the propellors.

http://vimeo.com/70135565

- Rob

 

[djneils98]

Can you hear the kind of electric tone and buzzing that annoys me? The noise made by the craft in the video is typical. MR's don't have to make that much annoying noise. The noise is created by the propellors.

I thought that high-frequency whiney electrical noise was the ESCs not the props....

 

[kloner]

the high pitched constant sound is the motors, the in and out noise is the props when they hit perfect balance. If you fly a 3d plane around and get it into a hover, you hear that when you make it up onto the prop and it's flat. The more balanced the props are the more that transition sound from not flat to flat comes into play cause the not making that sound gets alot quieter. magneticly balanced you almost can't hear a prop except that buzz sound that comes and goes.

 

[Silverburn]

I like to blast around on my 3508-29 (380kv) 14" CF prop equipped quad.

If you bank hard right above you while at speed, it sounds like a spitfire...:nevreness:

 

[RobertsUp]

the high pitched constant sound is the motors, the in and out noise is the props when they hit perfect balance. If you fly a 3d plane around and get it into a hover, you hear that when you make it up onto the prop and it's flat. The more balanced the props are the more that transition sound from not flat to flat comes into play cause the not making that sound gets alot quieter. magneticly balanced you almost can't hear a prop except that buzz sound that comes and goes.

Your experience is valued by me but my experience is different. Without the props on, the motors at full throttle made no sound standing six feet away. Of course I could hear them when it was on the bench during testing. I flew my build with those wood props left and right, to and fro, close and far away and I only heard the sound of a fan pushing wind. Yes, the windy sound altered a little while maneuvering. The craft made a flubby kind of sound while descending thru it's own propwash. I thought that sound was amusing. I wasn't expecting that. The bird is flashed with the new firmware that's supposed to make it more stable during descents. It didn't wobble at all while descending. Came straight down and made that flubbing sound. Still all sounded like air being shoved around. Not electric noisy like in that link.

The build in that link sounds like a Yellowjacket buzzing next to my ear. His neighbors will become annoyed. I just want to swat that bee. No. I've learned how to fly quiet multirotors.

 

[kloner]

the video i watched was plastic props on dji motors and that whine was the motors bearings...... no props you wont hear alot of whine from bearings but get a prop on em and they sing like i was watching....i blow out a few motors from time to time and right before bearings get crappy, you'll hear that sound in the vid posted....

My props get the magnetic balance and am using those tiger cf and graupner props. There dead silent.......

 

[sixshooterstang]

From what I can tell plastic props tend to be noisy as well as cheap motors. I run cheap motors and plastic but balanced props on my fun fly tricopter and if you roll hard and yaw sharp it sounds like you stuck a stick in a cooling fan blade

 

[Dewster]

Eloquent title for a thread.

My APC props are pretty noisy. My Graupners are much quieter in comparison, especially at altitude.

I think having good motors helps to reduce that high pitch whine that some craft produce.