Tsunami

[Anonymous]

first of all [#welcome] to the forum and [#ditto] to what was said above. I am in no way putting down anyone who uses Mrc sound decoders it like everything else boils down to personel taste and how much acurate sound means to you.MRC has been around along time and their products are very good,I could never figure out why they have never tried to upgrade their decoders to a more realistic sound. Sound like it or not is here to stay BLI and the way they have stormed the market is without a dought evidence of that. With Life like and Atlas and their legendary quality lines getting on board it will be the norm not the exception. To me the more acurate the sound only compliments the rest of the layout,it makes it that much easier to transition from a model to that place we all go when we run our trains.Close your eyes and listen to the sound of a BLI class A when it lays down on the whistle,or sountraxx first generation emd when the dynamic brake is on it may conjure up some images real enough where you can allmost smell the smoke or diesel fuel.Terry

[NZRMac]

Man I'm using Soundtraxx dsd-100lc steam and diesel decoders, I think they sound really good??!!

But from what I've been reading I can't wait for a BLI or Atlas Loco with QSI, or mayby one day a Tsunami!!

Ken

[AntonioFP45]

NZR,

Please, don't misunderstand me.

The Soundtraxx LC decoder's sound is "very accurate". What I've referred to in my past posts is that if you listen to a locomotive with a Soundtraxx LC decoder and THEN listen to a locomotive equipped with a Soundtraxx DSX decoder, you'll notice the difference right away as the DSX, which has the more powerful amplifier, sounds a little more dynamic. That's all. The disadvantage of the DSX of course, is that it must be used in conjunction with a motor decoder.

It's like comparing two Ford Mustangs, one with a 6 cylinder engine and the other an 8 cylinder engine. Both run well, but the 8 banger has a tad more "Zing" to it.

Peace!

[NZRMac]

Cheers for that. I really like the LC decoder I can land them in New Zealand with speaker for about $150 NZ (105 US ) not bad.

Ken.

[dave9999]

QUOTE: Originally posted by dave9999

QUOTE: Originally posted by AntonioFP45

QUOTE: Originally posted by TEFFY

Good Evening:

I talked to Soundtraxx this afternoon and was informed that it'll go into production at the end of this month, with testing the early part of Feb. They now have all of the parts in stock. Then Nancy will post what and when everything will be coming out.

They haven't decided if they are going to up-scale the DSX.

Bob

Bob (Teffy) This is wonderful news!! So looks like it's definitly on for this coming Spring! Hopefully the testing process will be a success. The timing is not bad since "rumor" has it that LifeLike will be making a QSI diesel sound unit available in the not too distant future (though I'll believe it when I see it).

I wonder though. Remember the controversial "Back EMF feature that was a part of the MTH controversy? Hopefully the Tsunami decoder will come with it "activated". While most of us could probably live with out it, for the price that this decoder is costing it should include all the "bells and whistles!" ([;)]pun intended!)

I'm looking forward to hearing EMD turbo chargers "whining" from my FP45s, eventually!

Antonio,
Thanks for dusting off this old topic.
I think you missed something BIG... LifeLike already has Diesel locos on
the market with QSI sound. They have the E6 and the GP9 on the shelves
as we speak. I was looking at a L&N E6 last Saturday at the LHS. Dave

Edit: They also have the U28 with DCC and sound expected 05/05.

As I posted the above post, I thought to myself, "there's no way Antonio does
not know P2K has loco's w/ sound"[:D] Sorry, it was a misunderstanding on
my part.

It would be great to have QSI as an option when buying a sound system for your
locomotives. And you can bet your last dollar that it would light a fire under Soundtraxx
to get the Tsunami on the shelves.

Thanks for the heads up... this is the first I've heard about QSI decoders being made
available as a stand alone decoder. Let's hope it happens. Dave

[AntonioFP45]

10-4 on that, Dave9999!

Here's more info.

On a Yahoo website where the many of the members use Soundtraxx decoders, Nancy Workman did make a post a while back asking all of us to please be patient, don't pay attention to rumors, and to know that Soundtraxx personnel have been making a very concerted effort on the Tsunami.

In fact, they've backed off of the new "SourroundTraxx" system and are concentrating on the Tsunami. The problems with the vendors have been resolved, and Soundtraxx is currently working out the final details. Mrs. Workman indicated that its at this stage where all of the "tiny bugs" are worked out and this can consume a great deal of time. Testing and Production would be the next stage.

Since her letter was posted a month or so ago, hopefully they're already at the testing and production stage.

Looking forward to it!

[davekelly]

Antonio,
Excellent point you made above concerning the difference between the two Soundtraxx decoders. There's nothing wrong with either - just one has a little more "zing."

All,

While I think it is frustrating waiting around for the Tsunami, I would much rather wait and get a bug-free product than get a product and have to go through numerous "updates" and "patches." Software manufacturers should take a lesson from Soundtraxx.

[Anonymous]

Sounds neat! How much will the Tsunami decoders cost?

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by dougal

Sounds neat! How much will the Tsunami decoders cost?

Tony's web page has them for about 139 per decoder, but remember, this is the DCC decoder and the sound unit for your choice of locomotives. The SP GS4 unit will have both the Steam whistle and the big air horn that the Daylights have, plus many more features that have never been avaiable up to this time.

i would guess that they will be worth the wait when they show up.

Tony's trains page will have a review of the prereleased unit soon, according to their emai that I received recently.

http://www.tonystrains.com/

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by dougal

Sounds neat! How much will the Tsunami decoders cost?

The list price is 179, but they will be discounted. The following is a complete description of the many features.

Tsunami DSD Specifications: List Price $179.00, Delivery in Dec 2003.

Tony's is now accepting orders and special pricing, in the Tony's tradition, will be announced soon.

Tsu • na • mi (tsoo-nä'-mee) n. A huge wave of sound caused by SoundTraxx's newest and slightly unpronounceable product (with apologies to Webster).

The Tsunami sound system is SoundTraxx's new high-performance, on-board locomotive sound system. Like the DSD-150 it replaces, Tsunami integrates a full-featured sound system, four Hyperlight lighting effects, a motor controller and a DCC decoder into a single, integrated package and is compatible with the NMRA DCC standards and Recommended Practices. Unlike the DSD-150, the Tsunami sound system can also be used on 'Analog' layouts and controlled with a conventional power pack, hence its model designation now begins with DSS rather than DSD.

The purpose of this paper is to highlight some of Tsunami's newest features and to illustrate their benefits to the consumer.

Design Highlights
There were four principal design goals for the Tsunami project:

Improve the sound quality
Increase functionality
Improve the motor control
Reduce the size
In addition, there were many suggestions made by SoundTraxx customers themselves that were also incorporated into the design specification (Yes, we actually do read those warranty cards!).

Meeting these objectives required an all-new design taking advantage of the latest electronic components and technologies on the market today. At Tsunami's core is a true 16-bit Digital Signal Processor, or DSP, capable of executing over 40 million instructions per second. With this new level of performance, SoundTraxx was able to give Tsunami 14 functions, over 22 individual sounds, and 4 special effects including the ability to alter the exhaust sound automatically in response to changes in the engine load. The motor controller received numerous enhancements as well, including the use of high frequency PWM and back-emf based load compensation. To keep the size down, only components available in highly miniaturized packages were selected for use in the Tsunami resulting in a form factor that measures almost 30% shorter and 50% thinner than the DSD-150.

New Sounds
To take advantage of Tsunami's increased sample rate and dynamic range, all sound effects have been re-mastered and re-digitized for the best audio possible. Some of the many new sound effects added to the Tsunami repertoire include:

Multiple Whistles and Horns
Each Tsunami will offer several horn or whistle selections within each model making it easier to select the right sound of your favorite model. And yes Mr. Lamont, the SP GS-4 will have an air horn too!

Short Whistle (or Horn)
To supplement the primary whistle, a short whistle control has been added to produce a short, snappy toot needed for many common whistle signals.


Dynamo
The dynamo sound effect has been improved to include the sound of the turbine windup when it is first turned on.


Brake Squeal
This effect has been added to both steam and diesel models and may be activated manually using a function key or automatically when the engine is slowed to a stop.


Water Stop - The water stop effecft can be activated with a function key whenever the engine is stopped and begins with the sound of the tender hatch being opened followed by the sound of water filling the tender.



In all, there are over 22 steam sound effects including the bell, air pump, exhaust chuff, coupler, steam release, cylinder cocks, snifter valves, brake release, side rod clank, Johnson bar/power reverse, blower, injector, pop valve and Fireman Fred.

And there are over 16 diesel sounds including the bell, engine start, engine exhaust, engine shutoff, dynamic brakes, air compressor, brake release, coupler, and Fireman Ed.

More Functions = More Fun!
To help control all these sounds, Tsunami will respond to up to 14 function keys. Function assignments are similar to the SoundTraxx LC decoder series in order to maintain consistency across product lines. Of course, Tsunami's function mapping feature can always be used to change the control configuration to suit one's personal taste.


Function Steam Diesel
FLF Headlight Headlight
FLR Backup Light Backup Light
F1 Bell Bell
F2 Whistle Air-Horn
F3 Short Whistle Short Horn
F4 Steam Release Dynamic Brake
F5 FX5 FX5
F6 FX6 FX6
F7 Dimmer Dimmer
F8 Mute Mute
F9 Water Stop RPM +
F10 Dynamo RPM -
F11 Brake Release/Squeal Brake Release/Squeal
F12 Coupler Coupler

For those operators using cabs with fewer functions, Tsunami also provides the ability to configure some sounds for automatic operation.

Sound Effect Processor
Tsunami has four built-in sound effects that allow the individual sounds (i.e., whistle, bell, etc.) to be modified in a particular manner. Each effect is fully adjustable using the decoder's CV settings and each effect can be turned on or off as desired.

Mixer
Tsunami's new mixer design incorporates several new innovations. To begin with, there are 24 individual volume settings allowing each sound effect level to be independently adjusted. A master volume control has also been added so that the overall audio level can be easily changed with a single CV. Finally, the mute function has been improved to provide a more pleasing fade-off/fade-on effect.


Dynamic Digitral Exhaust Processor (DDE)
The DDE processor has been greatly improved over the earlier DSD-150 design and in addition to sensing changes in the throttle setting, it now factors in the actual load placed on the locomotive by measuring the motor's back-emf level. This data is then used to automatically adjust the timre, volume and other parameters of the exhaust sound to simulate what would be heard from a prototype locomotive under similar conditions.

The sound of the steam chuff, for example, will have a deep, booming quality while the engine is working a grade or starting a long train and a quiet, wispy sound while the engine is running light. The DDE processor can also be used to raise and lower the side rod clank volume with engine load as well!


Reverb
A digital reverb has been included in the Tsunami system to add "spatial presence" to selected sound effects. By adjusting the reverb level and delay time, the user can simulate multiple prime movers for example, or the effect of operating in hilly terrain.


Multi-Band Equalizer
Each Tsunami sound system incorporates a multi-band equalizer similar to the "graphic" equalizer found on many of today's home and automotive stereo systems. Tsunami's equalizer allows the user to cut and boost sound levels by +/- 12dB over seven selected frequency ranges(62Hz, 125Hz, 250Hz, 500Hz, 1KHz, 2KHz and 4KHz) and providces the "ultimate" tone control.

Using the equalizer, the user can easily compensate for deficiencies in the speaker installation to produce a flatter and overall, a more accurate frequency response. Similarly, the equalizer can be used to match the sound system's response to that of the speaker. Consider a typical 12mm speaker. Limited by the laws of physics, this speaker will produce very little bass no matter how big a signal is sent to it. If the low frequencies are too great, the speaker will distort and eventually burn out. In such an instance, the equalizer can be used to lower the bass levels resulting in a clearer and more satisfying sound as well as a longer speaker life.

HyperDrive Motion Control System
No, the Hyperdrive will not transport you to the next galaxy but it will make your locomotive run better! Tsunami's motion controller incorporates all of the most advanced motor control features found in the DCC marketplace today plus a few new ones:

Scalable Load Compensation
Load compensation (a.k.a. back-emf control, or cruise control) is used to help maintain a constant locomotive speed and is useful for low speed operations. Steam modelers using auto-chuff will especially appreciate this feature, as the exhaust cadence will keep better time with the locomotive speed over a wider range of operating conditions.

Tsunami measures the motor's back-emf voltage to determine the load on the locomotive and the amount by which to increase or decrease the motor speed. Thus, power to the motor is increased when going uphill and decreased when going down hill. The degree of load compensation can also be adjusted so the decoder has more or less ability to correct any given speed change.


High Resolution Speed Steps
While most decoders topday can support 127 speed steps, Tsunami has 2048 speed steps! Admittedly, there are no DCC systems on the market as yet supporting this many speed steps; however, Tsunami interpolates between speed steps during acceleration and braking and as part of its load compensation algorithm. The result is micro-fine speed control regardless of the speed step mode selected on the DCC system.


High Frequency PWM Drive
Virtually all DCC decoders used a form of PWM (Pulse-Width-Modulation) to control motor speed. At low frequencies, the PWM signal used to control the motor speed can result in an audible hum or buzz, especially in brass locomotives. To mitigate this problem, Tsunami uses an ultra-sonic PWM frequency adjustable to 39KHz, well beyond the range of human hearing and safe for coreless motors as well.


Torque Control
Unfortunately, using a high PWM frequency also reduces the available motor torque. To correct for this loss, Tsunami employs a special torque control algorithm resulting in improved locomotive performance, especially at low speeds.


Speed Curves
Like all other SoundTraxx decoders, Tsunami provides a user-customizable speed table and an adjustment for starting voltage as well as 14 preset speed curves.


Adjustable Momentum
The acceleration and braking rates are independently adjustable and can be used to simulate the momentum of a heavy train. Additionally, in the event of a sudden direction change, Tsunami will first slow the motor to a full stop before changing directions and then accelerate back to the original speed.


Higher Amperage Ratings
The Tsunami will be available in a 1-amp model suitable for use in most HO scale models. More powerful 3 and 5-amp models will also be offered for use in larger scale locomotives.



Hyperlight Lighting System
Tsunami provides four function outputs for controlling lights. Each output can be independently set to any of SoundTraxx's 14 different Hyperlight lighting effects including the on-off headlight, dimmable headlight, mars light, gyra-light, rotary beacon, stratolite, ditch lights, single and double pulse strobe lights, engine exhaust and firebox flicker. Tsunami also has a new effect for steam locomotives called the "Dyno-Light" which synchronizes the lamp brightness to the "output" of the dynamo such that the lamp brightness gradually increases as the dynamo builds up speed.

Another new feature added to the Hyperlight system is LED Brightness Correction. An LED exhibits a much different output response than an incandescent bulb. As a result, LEDs were historically not recommended for use with the lighting effects, as they tended to be over-bright and a bit life-less. Tsunami now provides a control mode that corrects for the output differences resulting in a more eye-popping effect regardless of which type of light is used.

And of course Tsunami also includes the other lighting features found on previous generations of SoundTraxx products such as choice of directional or Rule 17 lighting controls, grade crossing timers and an adjustable flash rate.

[AntonioFP45]

Bangert1,

I remember the info you just posted. Good of you to post it since it shows the guys on here the "Cool" features that it comes with. This is the advertisement info that Soundtraxx posted on its website. This was back around the fall of 2003, just BEFORE the MTH vs. QSI lawsuit launched the DCC world into a "Tailspin". This was also before the problems with the vendors cropped up and of course the little "bugs" that had to be worked out.

It's 2005 now. Mrs. Workman stated that she would give an update as soon as the final stages were at completion. Hopefully it won't be too long. If the above "advertised info" is accurate and not "overblown hype", QSI indeed will have some MAJOR competition (which will be dictated by our wallets $$$$).

Guys,

I'm only ASSUMING, but we might start seeing Proto, Atlas, or Kato units equipped with Tsunamis. This is another reason why, I think, that BLI decided to release locomotives without sound systems as well since BLI indeed may be seeing the "Writing on the wall".

It's rather interesting that QSI will be making sound boards available for sale. I also think that QSI's managers realize that they will have to share the "Top of the Food Chain Spot" with Soundtraxx IF the Tsunami lives up to its expectations.

Thankfully, the sound market will be changing a lot more rapidly than we realize!

[;)]

[davekelly]

Hopefully both QSI and Soundtraxx will each get enough marketshare to stay in business. Competition is good. Not only does it control prices, but it forces each participant to stay on top of things and not rest of previous laurels. Perhaps QSI and Soundtraxx will be the next MRR/RMC, Athearn/MDC, Atlas/Kato/P2K etc. Good things are ahappening!

[AntonioFP45]

QUOTE: Originally posted by davekelly

Hopefully both QSI and Soundtraxx will each get enough marketshare to stay in business. Competition is good. Not only does it control prices, but it forces each participant to stay on top of things and not rest of previous laurels. Perhaps QSI and Soundtraxx will be the next MRR/RMC, Athearn/MDC, Atlas/Kato/P2K etc. Good things are ahappening!

It is a good thing to look forward to. The only "loose spikes up ahead on this track" is the MTH vs. QSI lawsuit. The last "rumor" was that thngs may be looking up for QSI; but the "Reality" is that we have to go by the facts. So until this case is finally decided, it will loom like smog in the distance.[sigh]

Hopefully the case will go in QSI's favor and the DCC/Sound manufacturers (yes, including MTH [:o)] ) can really work on producing and improving DCC Sound in cooperation with the NMRA.

EVERYONE BENEFITS! Even MTH.[;)]

[Anonymous]

http://www.johnshobbies.com/johnshobbies/product_info.php?cPath=90&products_id=217&osCsid=2199771106a3e7662071b32f40fb702c

I hate to post such a large link but here is some more info on the Tsunami decoder....
From what I have read here it is due out next month.

[AntonioFP45]

O.K, QSI.

Get ready!

[DigitalGriffin]

QUOTE: Originally posted by brclem

http://www.johnshobbies.com/johnshobbies/product_info.php?cPath=90&products_id=217&osCsid=2199771106a3e7662071b32f40fb702c

I hate to post such a large link but here is some more info on the Tsunami decoder....
From what I have read here it is due out next month.

strange no one else posted this info. I think Tony's and Loy's would be chomping at the bit to advertise this juicy tidbit for pre-orders.

[AntonioFP45]

DigitalGriffin,

Tony's Trains, and Litchfield Station have pretty good relationships with the owners of Soundtraxx. They usually post updates on their websites once confirmation comes from the "horses mouths".

If either one of these guys post info, then it's usually worth checking out.

I communicated with Bruce from Litchfield within the past week. He hadn't heard any official notification but indicated he was going to be speaking with Nancy Workman from Soundtraxx.

It's a pretty fair assumption that when the Tsunami is ready, Soundtraxx, Tony's, Litchfield, Loy's, and RegisDCC will let the whole planet know!

10-4![;)][:D][8D][4:-)]