Big Boy, Challenger, Cab Foreward Sound Idea

[timken]

I posted this in the Big Boy discusion over on the loco forum too.

I've been playing with an idea to get the exhaust sounds of 2 engines under 1 boiler as in a simple articulated. As those of you who have watched videos or seen 3985 in action know, the engines do not stay in syncronization.
How about this? There are two streams for the power wave files. Instead of having them cross fade to mask the speed changes, how about playing 2 at the same time, one with about a 2-4% faster chug rate. It might require more individual
streams this way to sound right. As it stands, the stock sms files have 16 streams, 8 faster, 8 slower, and each of the 2 sets only has 4 speed changes (up or down), so they might have to have twice as many to sound good. I hope I got this idea across OK!

IT WORKS!!! I now have a test loco (Pacific) that sounds like 3985, (it sounds very strange coming from this engine!) with the 2 separate exhausts running in and out of sync., and roughly 4, chugs (each set) per driver revolution at about 4, 8, 12....mph. Because of the 2 streams playing with slightly different speeds, the transitions that are normally cross faded, are barely noticeable.

Steve

PS I haven't forgotten the clickety clack jointed rail sounds, just haven't had any free time for the last 3 weeks. Then I got this idea and got sidetracked this morning!

[davidpagesweb]

RE: Big Boy, Challenger, Cab Foreward Sound Idea

"Sound" Interesting! When will this come out?

[timken]

RE: Big Boy, Challenger, Cab Foreward Sound Idea

Both the Big Boy people and the Challenger people have it now. No point in uploading it to the files, as there's nothing to use it with.

I should probably get ahold of the guy doing the Pennsy T-1, though, with slightly different chug files (bigger drivers), it is perfect for that engine too.

Steve

[tburzio]

RE: Big Boy, Challenger, Cab Foreward Sound Idea

>I should probably get ahold of
>the guy doing the Pennsy
>T-1, though, with slightly different
>chug files (bigger drivers), it
>is perfect for that engine

The T1 had different valve gear and
had a unique cadence. I have a
CD that has sounds of the engine
going around the Horseshoe Curve, and
it was very mechanical sounding with
an even cadence from the chuffs...

Tony Burzio
San Diego, CA

[davidpagesweb]

Big Boy People

How would I contact the people making the Big Boy? I have been wanting to download a Big Boy engine for a while. I can't wait to hear the sounds, too.

davidpagesweb

[mikkox]

RE: Big Boy, Challenger, Cab Foreward Sound Idea

>speed changes, how about playing
>2 at the same time,
>one with about a 2-4%
>faster chug rate. It might

That's exactly how I planned to do it on the Cab Forwards. Two individual streams playing the sounds of the both exhausts. There are two ways to do this: Using one set of samples and using the frequencycurve to make the other stream chug faster, or two individual sample sets for both exhausts, to eliminate the flanger effect. Only the speed of the chugs should be changed, not pitch. Changing the frequency changes both. Adding or slowering the speed can be done by adding or deleting silence between the chugs in the samples.

>Because of the 2 streams
>playing with slightly different speeds,
>the transitions that are normally
>cross faded, are barely noticeable.

It seems the best and currently only way to eliminate the transitions between samples, not only in simple articulateds but all steam engines, is to use enough samples. All other ways are just compromises.

>PS I haven't forgotten the
>clickety clack jointed rail sounds,
>just haven't had any free

The clickety-clack is as easy as adding a stream. Using the distance variable, it is possible to trigger clicks and clacks at even distances, very realistically.

[timken]

Mikkox

I still get, This Message was undeliverable due to the following reason:
The user(s) account is temporarily over quota.
<mikkox@iobox.com>

I played with the shay, and changed the tender (since it is already an engine), into a separate sound source. Now, a much lower volume stream plays using the speed variable. When you shut the throttle, a much lower volume of the same chugging occurs. I did have to tweak the speed changes, as the variable1 reacts differently to the #s. With added gear and other mechanical sounds, drifting throttle is very nice!

This could be done on other engines, so they could slip, etc. and still have something other than silence with closed throttle.

Steve

[bcdef]

RE: Big Boy, Challenger, Cab Foreward Sound Idea

>I posted this in the Big
>Boy discusion over on the
>loco forum too.
>
>I've been playing with an idea
>to get the exhaust sounds
>of 2 engines under 1
>boiler as in a simple
>articulated. As those of you
>who have watched videos or
>seen 3985 in action know,
>the engines do not stay
>in syncronization.
>How about this? There are two
>streams for the power wave
>files. Instead of having them
>cross fade to mask the
>speed changes, how about playing
>2 at the same time,
>one with about a 2-4%
>faster chug rate. It might
>require more individual
>streams this way to sound right.
>As it stands, the stock
>sms files have 16 streams,
>8 faster, 8 slower, and
>each of the 2 sets
>only has 4 speed changes
>(up or down), so they
>might have to have twice
>as many to sound good.
>I hope I got this
>idea across OK!
>
>IT WORKS!!! I now have a
>test loco (Pacific) that sounds
>like 3985, (it sounds very
>strange coming from this engine!)
>with the 2 separate exhausts
>running in and out of
>sync., and roughly 4, chugs
>(each set) per driver revolution
>at about 4, 8, 12....mph.
>Because of the 2 streams
>playing with slightly different speeds,
>the transitions that are normally
>cross faded, are barely noticeable.
>
>
>Steve
>
>PS I haven't forgotten the
>clickety clack jointed rail sounds,
>just haven't had any free
>time for the last 3
>weeks. Then I got
>this idea and got sidetracked
>this morning!


well I have about 5 movies just on big boy and there whistle is low, like the titanic! As I saw the piston rods move it looked like they were moving at the same time!