What are these?

[Trey]

The speakers/sirens are electronic:

[Midwest Siren]

It says that they were once used as regular sirens for warnings in the city. And that they rotate?????????

[Mister_Penetrator]

So these are 200 year old sirens that everyone knows about. They just didn't tell me. (These old sirens are new ones on me).

[loudmouth]

Odd.... they seem like some ones idea of a siren but they sound just like one... weird but cool
they sound almost like they have a reed and are air powered.
odd
but i guess some one got the musical idea of sirens..

[cdvtripleseven]

After looking over the Mecaniqe Vivante site I had
the wild off the wall idea to e-mail them and ask them
if the sirens were mechanical or electronic.

Here's the reply I got....

Dear Eric,

We are glad you show interest in our creations. To answer you question, the Sirens you listen are real mechanical Sirens. They are not speakers at all.

Actually, we performed in Trafalgar Square on last August 3rd.

The rest of the email is an advertisement for CDs of their siren
music.
It was signed....


Best wishes,

Melanie Foin,
PR & media manager

[StonedChipmunk]

I told you they were mechanical! Unfortunately I am unable to see the videos, anyone else have this problem?

[Daniel]

There must be mechanical sirens inside the white portions which have precisely-regulated speed controls which change to make that "music." The dummy horns, which have lights inside, are set up to resemble French siren horns. All in all, very bizarre, very French.

[Mister_Penetrator]

I wonder how people and emergency management personnel in the US would feel if all their sirens were replaced by these weird ones.

[Nelso90]

The must be like an HLS. ie: A small, light extremely high speed motor with a small number of ports, like 4 or so. They must be compressor driven to blast out notes that low.
But:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... song&hl=en
If Renault can do it with an F1 engine, they can do it with sirens.
BTW, I have a sound clip of We Are the Champions being played on a dyno by the same engine using waaay higher revs. If you want it, PM me your E-mail addy.

[cdvtripleseven]

Here's the second reply I got from the company that makes
the musical sirens...

The musical Siren comes from the alert siren and is determined by 2 principals :

-The tone chages are due to increases and decreases of the turbine rotation speed, each note corresponding to a precise speed.

-Both the sound volume and the attack of the notes are determined bythe opening of a valve reacting when the air comes through the siren.

10 years of artistic and technical developments have been necessary to make the musical Siren an adjusted and veloce instrument.
I have been carrying out a lot of research on the sirens, specifically on European types, and would interested in knowing more about the sirens of your continent.
Should you have any contacts or photos of American sirens, please do not hesitate to forward it to me. I am really interested in getting in touch with it.

Kind regards,

Franz Clohard,
Artistic Director and inventor of the musical Siren