Author Topic: Sound applications  (Read 12710 times)

William Brillinger

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Sound applications
« on: December 20, 2015, 03:04:42 PM »
The thread regarding Button Placements got me thinking, some sounds should be on the engine some should not.

On my layout I run 2 man Crews whenever possible, and it seems to me that the conductor should be responsible for some of the sounds we are trying to run from our RailPro controllers.

Some time ago I embarked on an effort to digitize the timetables, operating rules, maps, and procedures for my layout in a Conductors app. As a natural extension to this I also began including sounds for procedures such as brake tests. Since this was working so well, I also added sounds for Coupler clunks, hose separations, and stretches. When I find or create some recordings of various brake wheel applications and releases, I will add them too.

This is that it lets me recover valuable button space in the RailPro interface for actual locomotive related items, but the real beauty is in variety. Some time ago I proposed the ability to do sound pooling to Tim Ring, where you could load a number of similar sounds onto the HC and it would play one randomly from the pool. The downside of pooling would be how much space it could eat up on the HC. Using my web based app, I can have large pools of sounds so that clunks for example, are almost never the same.

2015-12-19 Conductors App.JPG

I'm enjoying the Conductors App quite a bit. You can check it out on my blog at:

http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/node/24681

I do also intend to make a more generic version that includes the various sounds and brake test procedures for others to use as they like sometime in the new year.

Cheers!
- Bill Brillinger, RPUG Admin

Modeling the BNML in HO Scale, owner of Precision Design Co., and RailPro Dealer.


KPack

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Re: Sound applications
« Reply #1 on: December 22, 2015, 05:56:55 PM »
Bill, I've been messing around with the app and I like it.  The fact that all the tests are integrated and are well designed is great.  I like having to wait for the air test, I like the pass/fail tests, and I like th associated sounds when setting the brakes, etc.  Very cool.  It adds a whole level of fun/realism that has been missing.

This would be something that I think would work on the Railpro controller, but with the Railpro software not being open-source it would be impossible to customize/change the program to an operator's individual railroad.  It would be nice however to have everything in one place and not on two devices.  Perhaps someday I guess.

In the meantime I think your solution is great.  Very well thought-out and well executed.

Regarding Railpro sounds, I think we ought to press Ring a little more to incorporate the ability to have multiple sounds tied to the same button.  I.e., have three coupler clank sounds tied to one coupler button....press the button and you get one of the three randomly.  Same for stretching, uncouple, charging, etc.  Most of those are rather short sounds that shouldn't take up that much space.  Plus not every locomotive would need them....for example road locomotive (70ACe or Dash 9) wouldn't necessarily need a bunch of couple/uncouple sounds as they really don't do that very often.  Something that is used for switching on the other hand would really benefit from having more sounds available for that type of thing.  To add this to Railpro really would not be a big deal.  People can use it if they want, or leave it alone.  It shouldn't take up too much storage, but if it does we as users can decide what we want to put on or not.

-Kevin

William Brillinger

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Re: Sound applications
« Reply #2 on: December 22, 2015, 06:29:14 PM »
For solo operators, I agree, it would be nice to have these (and more) sounds on the HC, 2 devices is cumbersome at best,

If you're working with 2 man crews, having loco sounds on the HC and other train (conductor related) sounds on the second device is sweet!  The engineer gets to hear the couplers clank and has no control over it. It's pretty cool in actual ops.

Since the conductor is usually out with the train at the joints etc, the sounds coming from the hand held he is using seem more right than everything at the head end. And the engineer gets to stand back out of the way and follow the instructions.

Thanks for your positive comments Kevin!

- Bill Brillinger, RPUG Admin

Modeling the BNML in HO Scale, owner of Precision Design Co., and RailPro Dealer.


KPack

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Re: Sound applications
« Reply #3 on: December 28, 2015, 06:35:44 PM »
Bill - that makes sense.  With two operators the app would free up the engineer to actually focus on running the locomotive.  Running by myself it can be tricky controlling the speed of the locomotive while manually notching up, while pressing the uncouple button at the right time.  It would be much easier to have a second person with that capability.

At the same time I'd really like to see Ring allow multiple sounds per button. 

-Kevin

William Brillinger

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Re: Sound applications
« Reply #4 on: December 28, 2015, 06:48:18 PM »
Quote
At the same time I'd really like to see Ring allow multiple sounds per button

Me too!  - Tell Ring!
- Bill Brillinger, RPUG Admin

Modeling the BNML in HO Scale, owner of Precision Design Co., and RailPro Dealer.


SD90

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Re: Sound applications
« Reply #5 on: June 05, 2016, 09:26:15 PM »
This sounds very cool!
I used to be a conductor, the sound aspect of the hobby now is brining back good memories of my time 'on the ground'!