Questions For The Sound Experts

Would like some input on getting the sd40-2 compressor to work
on the outside view? I have checked the sound file and it's there.
The eng.sms also shows it there, i have checked the file names and
everything matches, but it still can't be heard. Is this a train-sim
flaw in the game? You can here it in the cab where you should't be
able to hear it.Is there any way to turn up the volume for the outside sound for the
default dash 9 sound. I checked the eng.sms and can only find the
volume curve. I have tried playing with these with no luck.Has anyone ever taken the outside sound and used it in the cab?
I'am trying to get the x_sd402_power_cruise wav to work in the cab.
What i did was remove the x_ from the sound waves, but it playes
very fast and high pitched. I then tried taking the frequency curve
and the volume curve from the eng.sms and using them in the cab.sms
with the same results.Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
Gord

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RE: Questions For The Sound Experts, krswen, Sep-30-03, 09:07 PM, (1) RE: Questions For The Sound Experts, cngord, Sep-30-03, 10:35 PM, (2) RE: Questions For The Sound Experts, Jeff_Ashton, Sep-30-03, 11:29 PM, (3) RE: Questions For The Sound Experts, cngord, Oct-01-03, 07:13 PM, (4) RE: Questions For The Sound Experts, philskene, Oct-03-03, 06:56 PM, (5) RE: Questions For The Sound Experts, deejay1020, Oct-04-03, 09:49 AM, (6) RE: Questions For The Sound Experts, philskene, Oct-04-03, 10:14 PM, (7) RE: Questions For The Sound Experts, deejay1020, Oct-04-03, 11:49 PM, (8) RE: Questions For The Sound Experts, cngord, Oct-05-03, 10:31 PM, (9) RE: Questions For The Sound Experts, philskene, Oct-06-03, 00:14 AM, (10)

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LAST EDITED ON Sep-30-03 AT 09:09 PM (EDT)

It's a bug in the sim ..... the compressor does not play in the outside view as triggered by low main reservoir pressure as it does in the cab. And you are right ... in most real cabs you barely hear the compressor with the windows closed.However, you can get compressor sounds by using a random trigger to play an external compressor sound. Unfortunately, the x_sd402_compressor.wav file doesn't sound like a compressor to me, and it plays too slowly.On your Dash 9 you can turn up the volume either with a sound editor like Goldwave, or go into your d9eng.sms file and do the following:scroll down past the streams ( statement and the first stream ( statement. Between the Priority (6) and Triggers ( statements enter the following:volume (1.5)You can fiddle with the number in the brackets to get the volume you like.SAVE A COPY OF YOUR ORIGINAL FILE FIRST!The reason you're having high pitched power cruise sounds is that the files starting with x_ are mono files. Those without x_ are stereo. Stereo files are played in the cab. If you play a mono file in the cab it runs at twice speed. Similarly, if you play a stereo file in the sd402eng.sms file, it will play at half speed.
krswen

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Thanks for the imformation,I thought by inserting the volume you would be turning down the volume. I remember reading somewhere on
the forum that if there is no volume it is as loud as it goes.
Correct me if i'am wrong.
I have used this process to turn down the horn,sanders in the cab.
I have never tried turning up the volume.
What is the max volume numbers that can be used to turn up the volume?I'am guessing there is no way around the mono/stereo issue?Thanks
Gord

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I'm not sure that increasing the volume statement beyond 1.0 will have any effect. A believe I have read before that the only way a volume statement over 1.0 for a particular stream has any effect is if there is another volume statement at the start of the Scalability Group that is less than 1.0. That is, if the whole Scalability group is set at Volume (0.5), then a stream within that SG set at volume (2.0) will play at the normal volume (ie half of double) or whatever, but the combination will never be greater than 1.0.If you have Goldwave or another sound editing program , you can increase the volume of wav files, but only to a limited extent before you get distortion.As to the stereo/mono issue, you have two solutions. One is to use the same wav file for both sms's, but either cut in half or double (as the case may be) each of the frequencies in the frequency curve. The other option is to use Goldwave and simply open each wav and do a "save as" as either a stereo or mono file, again as the case may be, with a new appropriate name. Jeff

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Thanks Jeff.
I will give that Goldwave a try.My last sound problem is with the sound effects on the routes.
Bridges,tunnels,crossings.etc. These sounds continue to play
even after you have cleared it.
If you are approching any of the above sounds i will get poping
and crackling out of the speakers (sounds like rice crispies) lol.
And you know it's a bridge or tunnel because the sound starts playing before you are even at a tunnel or bridge, after you have
cleared the tunnel or bridge the sound continues to play.
Now this is the part that drives me nuts, 10 miles till the next
bridge, guess what you get 9 miles of bridge or tunnel sound.
Usually 1 mile before the next sound effect it finally goes
back to the track sound only to start poping and crackling
and doing the whole cycle all over again. This happends on any
of the routes with these sounds and last the whole route. This usually depends on train length. If you have a 25 car train the sounds don't get stuck playing but i still get the crackling and poping. If i have the 118 car grain train out i'am doing lots of outside driving #2 view,way to noisy in the cab.
Anyone else have these problem? Any fix for this problem?
I have a Sound Blaster 5.1 sound card, AMD 1.5 GHZ, 1 Gig Ram
GeForce TI 4600 video card (128ddr)Gord

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Gord -What a coincidence ! - I was going to ask an identical question in the hope that a sound expert like NALW's Chuck would share some of his accumulated wisdom with us.I have managed to get the compressor to work in an external view of diesels by modifying the xxxEng.sms file.You will find that in the sms file compressor scripts occur in two places.At the first instance, substitute the following for what is there:Stream (
Skip ( **** Compressor **** )
Priority ( 6 )
Volume ( 0.8 )
Triggers ( 2
Discrete_Trigger ( 12
PlayOneShot ( 1 File ( "x_!_compressor.wav" -1 )
SelectionMethod ( SequentialSelection )
)
)
Discrete_Trigger ( 54
PlayOneShot ( 1
File ( "x_!_compressor.wav" -1 )
SelectionMethod ( SequentialSelection )
)
)
)
)And the same the second time, but make the volume 0.6.You will have to fiddle with the indenting to make it all look right.This will now play a file called x_!_compressor.wav at brake release, but it will only play the file once.So I have chosen a compressor file that I liked, increased the duration to 15 seconds using CoolEditPro, and fiddled with the amplitude of the .wav file to make it the correct volume.Why it works I'm not sure, but it does.If you want to provide me with an e-mail address I'll share it with you - the .wav file and, if you like, the sd402eng.sms filePhil

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It works because you have "discrete trigger ( 54" which is tied to the brake realease/application. Like others have said, the discrete trigger for the compressor, 12, doesn't work in the external view. This was an oversight by the programmers. There are ways to get the compressor to trigger like doing what you did, which is basically what Chuck did to get the compressor to work in his audio packages, but in a different stream. You can also throw it in on a random trigger stream and have it spin-off at random intervals of your choosing. The random trigger stream is VERY useful. You can have as many random streams as you want (limited to 16 wavs per stream). I've started adding as many of these streams as I find the need to. Radio chatter in 1, air dryer audio in 1 or 2 streams, and then other miscellaneous audio in the as many streams as I need. Regards,
Dan Zollner - 3DTrains
http://www.3dtrains.com

Pro Series Geeps

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Dan -Many thanks for the explanation. As I hope you gather, I'm still very new to this and am still feeling my way around.From what you say, the line about trigger 12 is quite superfluous, and can be removed?Can you give an example of the trigger script that I could use to fire up the compressor at random intervals, just as happens in real life?Thanks,
Phil

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It can be removed, but I'd leave it in there since it's working for you. It's not going to cause any harm. Here's a clip of the random trigger I use to call up the compressor at random intervals:Stream(
Skip ( **** Rondom Compressor Spin-up **** )
Priority ( 6 )
Triggers( 1
Random_Trigger ( Delay_Min_Max ( 150 240 ) Volume_Min_Max ( 0.9 1.0 )
PlayOneShot ( 1
File ( "nameofcompressor.wav" -1 ) SelectionMethod ( RandomSelection )
)
)
)
)With that trigger the wav will play randomly every 2.5 to 4 minutes at 90% or 100% volume. If you want to add more sounds just change the number in the 'PlayOneShot ( #" line and then add another "File" line so that it would look like this:Stream(
Skip ( **** Rondom Compressor Spin-up **** )
Priority ( 6 )
Triggers( 1
Random_Trigger ( Delay_Min_Max ( 150 240 ) Volume_Min_Max ( 0.9 1.0 )
PlayOneShot ( 2
File ( "nameofcompressorwav.wav" -1 ) SelectionMethod ( RandomSelection )
File ( "nameofnextwav.wav" -1 ) SelectionMethod ( RandomSelection )
)
)
)
)You can do this for up to 16 wavs as that is the maximum. Any more and you have to start another random stream.Just be sure that when you add this new stream you change the total number of streams at the top of the sms file, but I'm sure you already knew that. Regards,
Dan Zollner - 3DTrains
http://www.3dtrains.com

Pro Series Geeps

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Thanks Phil & Dan, I will give them a try.
Gord

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Dan -Thanks for the help - the script you suggested works perfectly both inside and outside the cab.The best use of this effect is actually with steam locomotives to add the random "panting" sounds from the air compressor.If I can get permission from the original author I will be uploading a Dragon Railroad Shay that demonstrates this. It's great!
Gord -I've just been experimenting with the absolutely pathetic external bell sounds with the default MSTS diesels.I've found that increasing Volume beyond 1.0 makes no improvement over just the value 1.What does work, however, is to repeat the bell script several times in the Eng.sms file - six to eight times is just what is needed!If you follow this course with any sound, however, make sure to follow Dan's advice (above) about increasing the value for the number of sounds. And of course, in the script everything is repeated twice repeated twice (though again by experiment I have found that the complete second set of values can be deleted with out any detrimental effects).Best,
Phil

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