New sound system ?..

[Javiz]

Since the very pleasant surprise of now also *hearing* viaducts/bridges whizz by, tunnels sometimes even with echo and all, almost realistic clickety-clack, points rattling, and what not, atleast with *some* routes and, if i'm not mistaken, with *all* trains driven on these routes i have been wondering about how this wonderful audio addition might have been implemented.

I understand with TS2013 a new sound system must've been introduced, right ?

And if i understand correctly, before, with TS2012 and earlier editions, all sounds pertaining to the train were actually triggered by the files belonging to the train, loc, wagons and coaches, isn't it ?

If we now travel on a route in TS2013, no matter with what kind of train, with a bit of luck we will hear all these great new sounds as decribed above. I was just wondering, isn't it very unlikely that the sound files of all these trains, locs, wagons and coaches have been updated with TS2013 but that it rather will be the *scenery* files that now trigger these new sounds ? ( atleast the sounds for viaducts, bridges, tunnels, points... )

What do you guys think, am i right ?...

Thanks!

Btw, waiting with bated breath for 'station sounds', atleast for the bigger ones, certainly with roof. Must be easy to do now with this new sound system.

cheers,
jan

[ashgray]

<SNIP> Btw, waiting with bated breath for 'station sounds', atleast for the bigger ones, certainly with roof. Must be easy to do now with this new sound system.

cheers,
jan

Yes, that does sound intriguing and it's certainly possible to do this now. Whilst It's probably too much to expect RS2013 to know your player train's origin and destination, there's no reason why a generic station announcement (along the lines of "the train now standing at platform 3 is the..."etc) shouldn't be made whenever a player train enters a sound field surrounding a station. OK, it would sound out of place in routes pre-dating the 1970s but nevertheless, as I said, the possibilities are intriguing...

Ash

[jp4712]

You get very nice 'station sounds' on the Edinburgh - Glasgow route.

Paul

[rivimey]

Jan,

A new sound system has been deployed in TS2013 - called OpenAL - which replaces the former mashup of EAX and "standard" sound. OpenAL is a software library and so supports many more separate streams of sound, which is one reason the sounds are improved as you can now hear what has been masked before, and I think the echo/reverb effect on bridges has been added recently as well. OpenAL also supports multi-channel motherboard sound systems: previously, EAX only really worked on specific hardware.

The rail joint noise is dependent on the track setup, the default for many routes being the assumption of long welded rail with joints at 300' or 600'. Only the old S&D route by default has short rails IIRC.

Some of the existing routes already support some sorts of station sound - Munich is one such - and I too hope we can see other routes following on.

Regards
Ruth

[ihavenonamenoreallyidont]

Wow! It's a former mod convention above this post!

I believe with some of the sounds they're not sound effects so much as an effect applied to a sound, eg an engine sound which is being played with a reverb instruction. EAX users have always had access to these effects but TS2013 brought them to everyone.

[peterfhayes]

Ash

OK, it would sound out of place in routes pre-dating the 1970s

Not so mate- the "train standing at platform 3' was universal on the the various UK routes pre and post British Rail,
Grab a copy of 'The smallest Show on Earth' with Peter Sellers and watch the hilarious scene where a train outside the movie theatre pulls into a station and moves off again as a group of Red Indiands are attacking a train on the screen, with sellers hanging grimly onto the projector to stop in falling over. The sound track is priceless. Can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMUEl-uMFXY watch from 45 minutes.
pH

[rivimey]

Lovely, Peter. Do you know any of the locations?
Ruth

[peterfhayes]

Ruth
Thanks - not sure what you mean by "locations"??
Let me know if I can help further.
Regards
PeterH

[rivimey]

Just wondering if the railway station and/or viaduct locations were known.

I later checked on IMDB and the film seems to have been made within a few miles of Ealing Studios: the Bijou cinema itself for example was in Kilburn, which suggests that the railway elements was one of the many stations that were demolished in the rush to car ownership!

Ruth

[Javiz]

Thank you Ruth and gents !

Interesting to read up a little about OpenAL ( i know of OpenGL, it does seem affiliated to it.. ) One would say the sky might be the limit now when it comes to sound in TS2013... About time too as sound has always been lagging far behind the visual aspect of RW while it is as much important to the immersion factor of a simulator, isn't it.

In addition to the typical sound of a big, roofed station i wouldn't mind hearing the town names being announced shortly upon nearing them ( common practise here in Holland, isn't that true in the UK too ?... ) Would this new OpenAL system provide a good opportunity for third parties to produce such sound enhancements for any route that is available today ?

Btw, i just drove up and down the Edinburgh - Glasgow route but no 'station sounds' whatsoever as far as i could hear... Not at Queens Street, nore Waverley, nore any of the smaller stations along the way. I can see the speakers hanging from the ceiling at Queen Street station but the're as quiet as a mouse... It's a nice ride but very, very quiet, atleast inside the 170 cab..

Munich-Augsburg is one of the very few routes i do not have yet so i can't check that.

Great to see (hear) my all time favourite night ride updated too although not with the full new soundsuite. It's the Sunday Madness scenario on the WCML North with the Class 125 HST. The viaduct/bridge sounds are there but only if you drive underneath them... Did not hear any ' point sounds' , remarkable enough when i drive the Class 86 on this route i *do* hear 'point sounds' . Seems i still don't understand half of this new soundsystem...

Looking forward to all great sound additions that might develop from OpenAL ! Sound guru's start yer recorders !!

Cheers,
Jan