10-29-2010, 04:18 PM
Sounds is a wonderful thing...if it is done well. I'm under the impression that most of it stinks. Tsunamis and LokSound, in my opinion, are about the only thing in small scales which doesn't detract from the experience...but then speaker placement/quality is a huge deal too.
This past weekend was a show. I 3-rail guy had his big boy pulling 60 cars or so. There was just one enormous problem with it: tender's don't make exhaust sounds...cylinders expelling used steam out the stack make exhaust sounds. That really detracted from his locomotive up close...far more so than the cigar smoke or the too-tight curves. The same certainly applies to smaller scales...but the spatially gap between where the sound should be coming from versus where it is coming from isn't as great. If done well, sound adds tremendously to the appeal but far too often it detracts from the experience for me unless it is well done (proper speaker placement, excellent sound card & speaker set up correctly, and correct sounds for the engine).
I agree with those of you who swear that DC will last as long as you in terms of its use, but I'll be very surprised if new DC only engines are still being released in 10 years. Afterall, are there new engines being released without decoder plugs? The cost to add the cheaper decoders is far less than cost to distribute DC-only engines in addition to the DCC equipped. It isn't at all disimilar to offering "headlight equipped" and "non-headlight equipped" engines....
Doctor Wayne, don't lose hope in us youngens! We made up the majority of the attendees at my local NMRA show and I'm the only one that shows up at meetings...
Michael
This past weekend was a show. I 3-rail guy had his big boy pulling 60 cars or so. There was just one enormous problem with it: tender's don't make exhaust sounds...cylinders expelling used steam out the stack make exhaust sounds. That really detracted from his locomotive up close...far more so than the cigar smoke or the too-tight curves. The same certainly applies to smaller scales...but the spatially gap between where the sound should be coming from versus where it is coming from isn't as great. If done well, sound adds tremendously to the appeal but far too often it detracts from the experience for me unless it is well done (proper speaker placement, excellent sound card & speaker set up correctly, and correct sounds for the engine).
I agree with those of you who swear that DC will last as long as you in terms of its use, but I'll be very surprised if new DC only engines are still being released in 10 years. Afterall, are there new engines being released without decoder plugs? The cost to add the cheaper decoders is far less than cost to distribute DC-only engines in addition to the DCC equipped. It isn't at all disimilar to offering "headlight equipped" and "non-headlight equipped" engines....
Doctor Wayne, don't lose hope in us youngens! We made up the majority of the attendees at my local NMRA show and I'm the only one that shows up at meetings...
Michael
Michael
My primary goal is a large Oahu Railway layout in On3
My secondary interests are modeling the Denver, South Park, & Pacific in On3 and NKP in HO
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My primary goal is a large Oahu Railway layout in On3
My secondary interests are modeling the Denver, South Park, & Pacific in On3 and NKP in HO
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