RailPro User Group
RailPro => RailPro Specific Help & Discussion => Topic started by: CampbellRice on October 11, 2017, 08:09:48 PM
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I have access to a very large and rare horn collection. My friend has provided his horn sound to SoundTraxx and I'm sure would provide them to Ring as well. He has some first run prototypes and first production horns.
I do not have the recording equipment to record these sounds but if someone could get these for Ring you would not be disapointed.
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Some recording software and a smartphone will do the trick. the key is to do the recording without letting the levels peak. After that it's fairly easy to edit the files.
If you can make the recordings, we have people here who will be happy to edit the files.
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Where (approximately) is this collection located?
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We certainly need more horn recordings, and it sounds like your friend has quite the selection. I've talked to a few horn collectors online about possibly getting recordings, but none of them were anywhere near to me.
I'll bet that the owner of the horn collection has some basic recording equipment. If not, as Bill said you can use a cell phone with appropriate software in order to set the levels correctly. A better recording will be obtained from a real recording device with a high-quality microphone, but for our purposes sometimes a cell-phone recording is just fine. You have to remember that the sounds are being replayed through small speakers in model locomotives. We'll never get the sound and fidelity from these tiny speakers as we would from large, high quality speakers.
-Kevin
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As an example, the CN Bronze Bell was recorded on an iPhone using the VIDEO recording option, by the owner of the bell in BC. Canada. His video was used to create the sound not only for RailPro but also for ESU, and the sound quality of this bell sound is excellent.
The thing with horns is that you don't want to be too close to them unless you have good control of the levels on your recording device and you want to do it in an area where there will not be a noticeable echo or a lot of other ambient noise.
Perhaps you can get a list of the Horns in the collection? (I'm excited!)
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Where (approximately) is this collection located?
It is in NW Tennessee
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Some recording software and a smartphone will do the trick. the key is to do the recording without letting the levels peak. After that it's fairly easy to edit the files.
If you can make the recordings, we have people here who will be happy to edit the files.
I can do that, I have an phone app for recording meetings and such so I can give that a try. I will see him Tuesday so I'll see if he will bring a horn to try. We can go to an open field and I can record it from the locomotive cab.
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I can do that, I have an phone app for recording meetings and such so I can give that a try. I will see him Tuesday so I'll see if he will bring a horn to try. We can go to an open field and I can record it from the locomotive cab.
Great!
I suggest recording the horn from outside, about 30 to 50 feet away in the open field.
If the horn has trumpets pointing front and rear, record it from the side so the recording will get all the tones.
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Like Bill said, from the side is best. Try to get several different blasts in there...short, long, medium. Gives us more to work with to make a good loop. Don't "play" the horn either....off--> full blast -->off. It's much easier to create a good file like this.
-Kevin
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Like Bill said, from the side is best. Try to get several different blasts in there...short, long, medium. Gives us more to work with to make a good loop. Don't "play" the horn either....off--> full blast -->off. It's much easier to create a good file like this.
-Kevin
Got it will do, I'll let you know what I come up with.