Nine "N"gines Notching.....

[ednadolski]

Just for grins, here is a quick little video demo of a set of nine N-scale diesels all with Loksound decoders installed, going from idle to full throttle.   A mix of GEs and EMDs.  I'm still pretty impressed with what kind of sound can come out of these little beasts 

(Glad for the Drive Hold feature, as there isn't anywhere on this little shelf for them to go....)

Ed

[eja]

I too am impressed with the engine sounds that current N scale decoders can produce.  I have, however, failed to hear a horn sound that even faintly resembles a 1:1 horn and doesn't sound like some sort of cheap toy.

eja

[trainforfun]

I have the RAPIDO C40-8M and it's very surprising when you use the automatic crossing horns with the doppler effect

[basementcalling]

I guess I am a bass fan, as they still don't sound anything like what I hear trackside.

[tehachapifan]

I know these discussions keep happening and there's really no changing anyone's opinion but, FWIW, the vantage point of the video is not trackside. It's several hundred (scale) feet from the nearest loco alone.

I'm going to guess that, if someone was able to shrink themself to 1/160 and stand at the actual trackside, the sound would be pretty intense.

[mu26aeh]

Makes it easier when you remind yourself what N scale sound used to sound like, compared to today's units.  Unless someone gets invents a shrink ray and allows you to climb into the cab, or like @tehachapifan said stand trackside as an n scale figure, it will never be the same as 1:1

[TravelingCarpenter]

Sound is not for everyone. I personally think,, that the sound you hear from a model helps to trigger the sounds you heard in the past or currently hear.

   With my Proto throttle and ESU lok sounds,, it makes the experience of running trains most excellent.

  Ymmv

TC

[ednadolski]

I guess I am a bass fan, as they still don't sound anything like what I hear trackside.

Some time ago I tried hooking up a sound decoder audio output to a Bose speaker system and running it along with an HO scale loco.   It sounded kinda cool for a while (not anything like being around a +150 ton machine of course ),  but didn't take too long to start wearing thin.  Mainly there just seemed to be a disconnect between that 'big' sound appearing to come from such a small model. I had to keep lowering the volume, until eventually there wasn't much left to it.

The model speaker systems have since improved considerably, esp. considering they speakers are smaller than a fingernail .  What is curious tho is now without any sound, the silence to me makes the models feel kinda lifeless.

With my Proto throttle and ESU lok sounds,, it makes the experience of running trains most excellent.

Saw one of those at the train show last weekend.  Talk about tempting.... 


Ed

[ednadolski]

BTW for a proto reference of the SD40-2 notching, this is a fav:

Another thing that just occurred to me (actually two things):  First, it would also be really neat to find a way to replicate the other ambient sound such as coming from the wheels and coupler slack.   Second, it's easy to overlook the amount of distance that the prototype eats up when making those kinds of moves -- our model trains and track are much shorter, so would the loco even have time to notch up to that point before it had to be throttled down again so that it could stop in the space available on a typical layout.  (in HO you'd probably need 10-12 linear feet or more to look like the proto vid.)

Ed

[peteski]

I guess I am a bass fan, as they still don't sound anything like what I hear trackside.

LOL!  That's because most modelers running their N scale sound locos don't have their 1:1 scale ear about one 1:1 scale inch (13 N scale feet) away from the speaker in in loco.  They are hundreds of scale feet away.

Unless you use a system like BLS "sound of thunder" which has a large stationary speaker under the layout, it is physically impossible to get those low frequency sounds from a speaker that has a cone area of less than 1/2" and usually less than 1 Watt of power.  It ain't happening.

I personally don't care for the deep bass sound seemingly coming from a 5" model locomotive.  My brain just can't accept the earth-shaking sound coming from a tiny model.  Plus I enjoy hearing the sound travel with the model.  The under the layout systems don't produce that effect (because the sound source doesn't move). 

[ednadolski]

Plus I enjoy hearing the sound travel with the model.  The under the layout systems don't produce that effect (because the sound source doesn't move).

The Surroundtraxx system is (was? don't know if you can find one any more) an attempt to do that.  It implemented a cross-fading algorithm across multiple channels (like 5 or 6 stationary under-layout speakers) to simulate a moving sound source.   IIRC it did not try to simulate the doppler effect -- not an easy task, and the effect would be different for every individual observer anyways.  Still, bass sounds are supposedly less 'directional', so perhaps it could partly work as a subtle enhancement to onboard sound, at least within limits.

(I wonder if something like that could work in concert with on-layout detection to add the moving wheel sounds to a passing train.)

Ed

[tehachapifan]

LOL!  That's because most modelers running their N scale sound locos don't have their 1:1 scale ear about one 1:1 scale inch (13 N scale feet) away from the speaker in in loco.  They are hundreds of scale feet away.

Unless you use a system like BLS "sound of thunder" which has a large stationary speaker under the layout, it is physically impossible to get those low frequency sounds from a speaker that has a cone area of less than 1/2" and usually less than 1 Watt of power.  It ain't happening.

I personally don't care for the deep bass sound seemingly coming from a 5" model locomotive.  My brain just can't accept the earth-shaking sound coming from a tiny model.  Plus I enjoy hearing the sound travel with the model.  The under the layout systems don't produce that effect (because the sound source doesn't move).

I agree with this and will go a little farther (further?) to say that, if one was to be able to shrink a 1:1 loco down to 1:160, it would sound much closer to an N scale sound loco than a 1:1 loco.

[peteski]

The Surroundtraxx system is (was? don't know if you can find one any more) an attempt to do that.  It implemented a cross-fading algorithm across multiple channels (like 5 or 6 stationary under-layout speakers) to simulate a moving sound source.   IIRC it did not try to simulate the doppler effect -- not an easy task, and the effect would be different for every individual observer anyways.  Still, bass sounds are supposedly less 'directional', so perhaps it could partly work as a subtle enhancement to onboard sound, at least within limits.

(I wonder if something like that could work in concert with on-layout detection to add the moving wheel sounds to a passing train.)

Ed

Yes, there are "big sound" systems out there.  Still, I favor little sound for little models.  It just sounds "rigth" to me.
Even with all those speakers placed in multiple locations, you can't simulate the sound emanating from a loco traveling through various parts of the layout. Tunnels, valleys, open country scenes - the sound is different in each passed location, and the sound location agreeing with what my eyes see make my brain happy.   

[John]

The model speaker systems have since improved considerably, esp. considering they speakers are smaller than a fingernail .  What is curious tho is now without any sound, the silence to me makes the models feel kinda lifeless.

Saw one of those at the train show last weekend.  Talk about tempting.... 


Ed

I would like to see a manufacturer integrate a sound decoder into a throttle body -- so when you dialed up a loco - the throttle also generates the sounds from a duplicate sound file .. you could then put a much larger speaker in the throttle -- another option, bluetooth headphones paired to the throttle -- the tech is there .. maybe someone needs to start a "kickstarter"  and bring out that product

[dem34]

Hmm, you wouldn't even need a decoder for that. Just something that can sync a command to an appropriate loaded sound file. Probably something that can be bodged through JMRI.