Can somebody explain how this no-DCC sound works?
What happens when engine is not moving - 0 Volts on the DC track - I'd think, no sound can be heard?
I probably will spend the few extra dollars and get the Walthers GP Chessie units and know that they come equippted with QSI sound all the way through.
I have been in the market for a Chessie unit for some time and was hoping that MR will post a video of the SD40 running on the layout as I find those videos very helpful.
Safety Valve wrote: CAZEPHYR, I recently upgraded my M1a to the new version with a alternate chuff using the QSI chip. The whistle on that engine is acceptable to me. The whistle is OK, but not a good recording of a PRR sounding whistle. Of course, they all sound different to each of us and a recording done on a whistle standing still is different than a moving locomotive. The Reading T1 whistle has never been and will be re-programmed with a different sound set at some point in the future.I did not want to say anything about the sounds in the SD40, but after hearing the BLI website's sounds for the Blue line SD40, I thought how terrible. Did the other sounds actually stop when they blew the horn?Im not in a postion to judge a sound file because I am hearing impaired and cannot pick out the background stuff very well. I leave that to the others who might be Audio-piles on the forum.I dont know. Im just happy that Im in DCC and dont feel the need to try and get these Blueliners. I am aware that I have not had too much good things to say about it but.. am doing my best to be diplomatic here.
CAZEPHYR, I recently upgraded my M1a to the new version with a alternate chuff using the QSI chip. The whistle on that engine is acceptable to me. The whistle is OK, but not a good recording of a PRR sounding whistle. Of course, they all sound different to each of us and a recording done on a whistle standing still is different than a moving locomotive.
The Reading T1 whistle has never been and will be re-programmed with a different sound set at some point in the future.
I did not want to say anything about the sounds in the SD40, but after hearing the BLI website's sounds for the Blue line SD40, I thought how terrible. Did the other sounds actually stop when they blew the horn?
Im not in a postion to judge a sound file because I am hearing impaired and cannot pick out the background stuff very well. I leave that to the others who might be Audio-piles on the forum.
I dont know. Im just happy that Im in DCC and dont feel the need to try and get these Blueliners. I am aware that I have not had too much good things to say about it but.. am doing my best to be diplomatic here.
Safety valve
How do you like the alternate chuff on the M1?? I have one of those also. I find the alternate chuff is better than the original sound and ordered all of mine with the alternate chuff.
I did not listen to the sound byte, but normally, the other sounds would not stop when the horn is blown. If the other sounds stop during the time the horn is blown on the new blueline, that means they only have one input into the amplifier. Most DCC sound units have four inputs into the amplifier and the bell, motor, and the horn is on separate inputs into the amplifier. That leaves one other input channel for the alternate sound also. All of the input channels can feed the amplifier at the same time and you will hear all of the sounds together, but if you only have one or two input channels, they have to share one at a time into the amplifier.
The first Loksound systems only had one or two inputs and when the whistle was blown, the bell would have to stop first and then the whistle would blow. This was so annoying to me, that I immediately sold my first Trix Big Boy with sound. .
The old cheaper than any other sound units might have only one input to the multiplexer, instead of the normal four inputs. I hope this is not the case as that sound is worthless, at least to me.
CAZEPHYR, I recently upgraded my M1a to the new version with a alternate chuff using the QSI chip. The whistle on that engine is acceptable to me.
Antonio,Check your pm box please..
I promise no bombs! LOL!
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
Well I was a forklift operator for 15 years in a warehouse so like you I am no stranger to loud sounds.
Hey! If you want 6 solid hours of sound GO FER IT! Have fun!
BRAKIE wrote: Again you have not read all of my replies..I had DCC/Sound and like it..I just don't like 6 solid hours of it..If the truth was to be spoken I suppose many on this forum that has sound will agree to it as many did on the Atlas forum.Again you have no idea of the forth coming AND GREATLY UPGRADED Athearn SD40-2 and blowing more smoke as the unlearned does.There is NO sound verision as this is a RTR modelBuy your GENERIC SD40-2 and be happy..Just don't expect me to buy a GENERIC SD40-2 that doesn't look any better then a old BB SD40-2.
Again you have not read all of my replies..I had DCC/Sound and like it..I just don't like 6 solid hours of it..If the truth was to be spoken I suppose many on this forum that has sound will agree to it as many did on the Atlas forum.
Again you have no idea of the forth coming AND GREATLY UPGRADED Athearn SD40-2 and blowing more smoke as the unlearned does.There is NO sound verision as this is a RTR model
Buy your GENERIC SD40-2 and be happy..Just don't expect me to buy a GENERIC SD40-2 that doesn't look any better then a old BB SD40-2.
Brakie, I'm not trying to get into an argument with you, but I did look at many of your replies. Read the replies on the Atlas forum. Many seem to coincide with the replies here......sound can be enjoyable for a long time........at low volume.
Blowing smoke? Where? Nobody stated anything about you buying an SD40-2. The response was to your PUTTING DOWN the sound on the new PCM SD40-2. No mention of the body detailing was made at that point. You don't have to tell me to buy a Generic SD40-2. At 44, I can make my own choices. I have my goal set on the new FP45 and am already keeping in mind that the drive may need some tweaking. In fact, I just replaced a truck on an Genesis SD75M for a friend who's vowed not to buy any more Athearns. His drive is noisy!
But it is interesting that you constantly swing your points to Athearn's GREATLY UPGRADED SD40-2, with a seemingly blind loyalty . You've mentioned it on several threads and make it sound like it's going to be the "ultimte" unit. You haven't even seen one in front of you yet. So who's blowing smoke? Just as you picked apart the new PCM unit, if Athearn's drive hasn't improved, then the new SD40-2 will be a beautifully detailed shell with an o.k drive.
"I like my Pullman Standards & Budds in Stainless Steel flavors, thank you!"
So Brakie, this new Athearn unit, how much will it be with DC sound? O wait, it doesnt have it! Thats the POINT of buying Blueline.
And as for your comment about running sound units 6 hours a day....Well Im pretty sure in my line of work I hear those sounds x10 for much more than 6 hours a day.........Doesnt bother me.
Mechanical Department "No no that's fine shove that 20 pound set all around the yard... those shoes aren't hell and a half to change..."
The Missabe Road: Safety First
Brakie wrote: ".....Now, Frankly sound is ok for a short time but, for 6 hours straight it does get on your nerves. Try that at your club and see for yourself."
Geez... when I was a member I did and found it most enjoyable and the other members seemed to as well! On several occasions when someone came in with a new sound unit, there would be excitement in the air, especially if he had a Lok Sound or Tsunami equipped unit. The key to the enjoyment was not to have the sound units turned up at full volume. With sound, the railroad, imho, is so much more realistic.
Brakie wrote: "I doubt if I will buy any sound equipped locos any time soon - maybe not even in the next lustrum.
The next "lustrum"? Brakie, apparently sound gets on YOUR nerves. There's nothing wrong with admitting that, but you slide around it instead of admitting it, outright.
Everyone here likes and dislikes different aspects of this hobby. You got upset with Driline's reply. Neither of us are putting words in your mouth. Go back over your posts from the last 2 years. Over and over again MANY of your statements "knock" and put down sound as well as dcc, inspite of your statements that you are a member of 2 HO scale clubs. So hence, the responses here that seemed to have upset you.
You keep mentioning the upcoming new Athearn SD40-2. (Will this unit be, what, the 3rd version?)
The body detailing willl certainly be beautiful and may be superior, but I most certainly hope it does not have the outdated, noisy 1980s style drive that must be worked on out of the box. Yes, Athearns can be tweaked, but come on.......I've been buying them since 1977, have seen the minor drive upgrades, and a friend taught me how to tweak them, but after 30 YEARS and the price being asked, Athearn should have a considerably better drive than what they're offering in "non"-Genesis units. Even the "old" Atlas Roco drive from the 1970s is a superior mechanism..
Driline wrote: BRAKIE wrote:Mr.Grubba,Sorry to say that sound Blythe doesn't do the model justice..I was up close and personal with one of your SD40-2s..Indeed it does sound like a 645E3.After listening to that unit run for 5 straight hours I doubt if I will buy any sound equipped locos any time soon-maybe not even in the next lustrum..Why do you even bother to comment on threads like this? We all know you hate everything to do with DCC and sound and will never ever convert. Good for you, your choice.But give the rest of us a break here. We like our DCC and sound.
BRAKIE wrote:Mr.Grubba,Sorry to say that sound Blythe doesn't do the model justice..I was up close and personal with one of your SD40-2s..Indeed it does sound like a 645E3.After listening to that unit run for 5 straight hours I doubt if I will buy any sound equipped locos any time soon-maybe not even in the next lustrum..
Why do you even bother to comment on threads like this? We all know you hate everything to do with DCC and sound and will never ever convert. Good for you, your choice.
But give the rest of us a break here. We like our DCC and sound.
And WHO are YOU TO to say what anybody can or can not reply to??
Who says I hate DCC/Sound ? I don't recall ever saying that.STOP putting words in my mouth.
IF you know so dang much about my replies you will remember I was DCC/Sound at one time.I have also stated DCC has its place.
mario_puzo wrote:The sound may be ok, but sound does not compensate for an absolutely terrible shell and lack of railroad-specific details. Compared to other modern diesel offerings from Atlas and Athearn, the BLI SD40-2 looks like it was tooled 25 years ago thanks to plenty of heavy molding and thick details.
Not to mention the forth coming upgraded Athearn SD40-2 with road specific details will surpass the BLI's generic SD40-2.
AntonioFP45 wrote: These new Blue Line locomotives certainly look like and sound like they're going to be winners! I'm definetly looking forward to having some of these units on my roster.Brakie,in reading your above response......many would come to the conclusion that NO modern HO/N sound system is going to please you. You stated a while back that the club you belong to voted not to have any sound equipped units on the layout at all, so your response is understandable and almost expected. For many of us (myself included); onboard sound has become an incredibly enjoyable feature of this hobby and its great to see that it is becoming more and more popular. I enjoy walking in the SMRR Club, and throughout the layout I hear the faint distant sounds of Alco 251s, GE FDL 16s, EMD 567s, and steamers. Mr. Grubba.......please keep them coming!
These new Blue Line locomotives certainly look like and sound like they're going to be winners! I'm definetly looking forward to having some of these units on my roster.
Brakie,
in reading your above response......many would come to the conclusion that NO modern HO/N sound system is going to please you. You stated a while back that the club you belong to voted not to have any sound equipped units on the layout at all, so your response is understandable and almost expected.
For many of us (myself included); onboard sound has become an incredibly enjoyable feature of this hobby and its great to see that it is becoming more and more popular.
I enjoy walking in the SMRR Club, and throughout the layout I hear the faint distant sounds of Alco 251s, GE FDL 16s, EMD 567s, and steamers.
Mr. Grubba.......please keep them coming!
You fail to remember I am a member of 2 HO scale clubs..Now,Frankly sound is ok for a short time but,for 6 hours straight it does get on your nerves.Try that your club and see for yourself.
It sounds like an SD40 to me. The only problem I heard (besides the horn, but I've heard "sick" horns before) is that while reving up, the turbo is completely drowning out the prime mover. All the secondary sounds are great, just a little loud compared to the prime mover. wheres the thrrrrump, thrrrummp of the 645, which under heavy loads can sometimes drown out the turbo, not the other way around.
Is their any way to adjust the different sounds to bring out certain things and back off a little some others?
I second that.
grubbab wrote: AntonioFP45 wrote: I've listened to it again and have compared it to the recordings that I have as well as several SD40-2 videos on You Tube. No doubt in my mind it's an EMD 645 series power system. Again, overall it is still a BIG improvement over the previous SD40-2. My LHS is already selling these new units. DCC/Sound seems to be getting more and more popular here in my neck of the woods (Tampa Bay). I'm sure this and other PCM units will be popping up at the Suncoast MRR Club.The sounds used in the Broadway Limited Blue Line SD40-2 were recorded from SOO Line #6621 in the Wisconsin Cenral RR service and repair yard in Fondulac, WI. Photo below.http://sooline.railfan.net/photos/madsen/soo6621humboldt.htmlThe sound clip posted on the BLI website are a recording of the actual model, made by placing a microphone near the track so the sound clip is as close as possible to the model.http://precisioncraftmodels.com/BLISounds/SD40smaller.mp3Bob GrubbaPresident, Broadway Limited Imports
AntonioFP45 wrote: I've listened to it again and have compared it to the recordings that I have as well as several SD40-2 videos on You Tube. No doubt in my mind it's an EMD 645 series power system. Again, overall it is still a BIG improvement over the previous SD40-2. My LHS is already selling these new units. DCC/Sound seems to be getting more and more popular here in my neck of the woods (Tampa Bay). I'm sure this and other PCM units will be popping up at the Suncoast MRR Club.
The sounds used in the Broadway Limited Blue Line SD40-2 were recorded from SOO Line #6621 in the Wisconsin Cenral RR service and repair yard in Fondulac, WI. Photo below.
http://sooline.railfan.net/photos/madsen/soo6621humboldt.html
The sound clip posted on the BLI website are a recording of the actual model, made by placing a microphone near the track so the sound clip is as close as possible to the model.
http://precisioncraftmodels.com/BLISounds/SD40smaller.mp3
Bob Grubba
President, Broadway Limited Imports
Bob
Thanks for coming on and giving us that information.
I have a question for you about the future whistle on the PRR J1 and M1. Are you going to get a better PRR sounding whistle on the blue line compared to the previous QSI sound for the PRR engines?
I have all of the BLI PRR steam models and would appreciate an upgrade to that whistle.
Thanks for listening
CAZEPHYR
Bob,
Thank you very much for that link and also for removing all doubt that the recorded sound is that of an SD40-2 with 645 power system.
Only my opinion, but to be fair to Brakie, we also have to consider that even with diesel locomotives that have identical types of power systems, factors such as age, wear & tear, maintenance duty cycles, mechanical rebuilding, electrical component upgrading , etc, will affect the character of the sound emitted from locomotives (just as in automobiles).
Locomotive horns are good examples of equipment that's easily affected. A friend of mine (who is a sharp eared musician) noticed that the Soundtraxx recording of the Wabco E2 horn (honker) sounds like an aged horn perhaps due to a worn out diaphram or related components. Even with Soundtraxx's editing, it is noticeable when compared to other Wabco E2 horn recordings from competitors or even samples currently on the web that sound sharper.
Both the BLI GG1 and E8 (if I'm not mistaken) use QSI's recordings of Leslie AA2 horns. Yet you activate the horns on both these models and you will hear slight differences between the horns' characters that seem to go beyond the digital editing. The GG1's horn sounds "foggier" while the E unit's horn sound is sharper.
High Greens
The reason why I bought the model was exactly the same reason as conrailpolice--I don't have a lot of money to sink into DCC. I am very thankful I bought it. I thought about searching for a deal somewhere on a gold series Atlas, but when I saw a deal online for the Blueline series, I said to myself, "WOW, I got to get it!" I bought mine for for $127.00 (including priority shipping and handling). That's the price of a silent model!!!
Steve
No need to apologize Brakie.
I've listened to it again and have compared it to the recordings that I have as well as several SD40-2 videos on You Tube. No doubt in my mind it's an EMD 645 series power system. Again, overall it is still a BIG improvement over the previous SD40-2. My LHS is already selling these new units. DCC/Sound seems to be getting more and more popular here in my neck of the woods (Tampa Bay). I'm sure this and other PCM units will be popping up at the Suncoast MRR Club.
One feature that many of us should appreciate is that with then new programmer from QSI, anyone can upload other sounds, including other prime movers and horns.