Epicrail Class 47 Posted July 29, 2019 Share Posted July 29, 2019 I'm Want to make custom DCC sound files for my loco but Im Unable to buy expensive Equipment and go Down to a Railway and Record locomotive sounds. So I was Wondering if there is a way of Making custom sounds with out needing to Go buy recording Equipment and Go down to a Railway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissaf Posted July 29, 2019 Share Posted July 29, 2019 Not if you want to load those sounds onto a blank DCC sound decoder. The cost of the equipment to do it is why the whole process is left to the specialists. They shift enough sound loaded decoders to make the cost of doing it financially viable. It is not just the recording equipment you need. You also need special decoder programmers and these are matched to the blank DCC sound decoder brand that you are loading the files onto. Also, the sound files themselves are not in standard audio file formats that most audio recorders use..Then there is the availability of 'blank' sound decoders. The common one is ESU Loksound and these retail at about £85 for a blank. Even if you had the right equipment, you cannot buy TTS blank decoders for example..Anything can be done if you throw enough money at it, but you are after a cheap solution..This also happens to be a question that has been asked before, more than once.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard_croft Posted August 2, 2019 Share Posted August 2, 2019 You can download the software for the lokprogrammer free of charge to have a play with and see if it’s fot you, download a European or American file and modify it, the complexity might put you off, but if it doesn’t you can always save up for the programmer and blank decoders Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
96RAF Posted August 3, 2019 Share Posted August 3, 2019 I have a LokProgrammer and the software learning curve is steep, but as Richard says you can download free sound sample files from ESU and follow one or more of their steam or diesel projects through to get a feel for the task. The process of editing sound bites and arranging them into a logical dependancy order all within the memory limitations of a particular sound decoder blank is painstaking and requires an orderly mind. The ESU programmer is expensive at around £140, so you need to be sure you are going to use it even to regain the value Invested. Similar programmers are available for Zimo and Digitrax sound loading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellocoloco Posted August 3, 2019 Share Posted August 3, 2019 Slightly at a tangent to the OP, but along similar lines...... Can a LokProgrammer be used to copy the files from one decoder onto another? (Not all files used on factory fitted models, by suppliers - like Hornby - are available to download free from ESU. If I had an existing Loksound equiped Hornby model, could I copy the sound file onto a blank decoder for use in a similar model?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
96RAF Posted August 3, 2019 Share Posted August 3, 2019 Yes you can read a decoder sound files and save a project hence reload it onto another blank decoder or overwrite an existing one, limited of course to those decoders supported by the ESU software. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellocoloco Posted August 3, 2019 Share Posted August 3, 2019 @RAF96 Thank you very much. Thats good to know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
96RAF Posted August 3, 2019 Share Posted August 3, 2019 Download the Lokprogrammer software from ESU and read the extensive project files to see what is involved and what you can and can’t do. As stated some sound files were produced for a manufacturer and they are not available for download. Hornby 21-pin full fat ESU sound files fall into this bucket unfortunately - but if you have one then likely it is not read protected against saving as a project. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard_croft Posted August 3, 2019 Share Posted August 3, 2019 Slightly at a tangent to the OP, but along similar lines...... Can a LokProgrammer be used to copy the files from one decoder onto another? (Not all files used on factory fitted models, by suppliers - like Hornby - are available to download free from ESU. If I had an existing Loksound equiped Hornby model, could I copy the sound file onto a blank decoder for use in a similar model?)I'm not sure if your question has been mis understoon but no you can't, unfortunately sound files are protected. So you can copy the settings from a decoder, mainly for the benefit of adjusting them using the lokprogrammer software, but you can't buy for example a class 37 decoder from legomanbiffo and then copy it off the decoder to 'burn' onto as many decoders as you want. In fact if you do want to buy a sound file from someone to load it yourself you will be asked to provide a serial number for the decoder and a file will be sent that will work on that decoder only. If yiou make your own sound files of course these wont be locked and you can load them onto as many decoders as you want. Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
96RAF Posted August 4, 2019 Share Posted August 4, 2019 Nicely clarified Richard. I was talking about unlocked sound files such as the project downloads from ESU. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellocoloco Posted August 4, 2019 Share Posted August 4, 2019 Thanks guys. It will be a while before I am even contemplating any of the above, but nice to know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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