Are matching sound profiles necessary?

[GMD]

Poll about sound profiles. 

[Bulleidboy]

I think, within reason, a steam loco is a steam loco, the same for diesels. There are now enough sound profiles available, to satisfy most needs. I have run steam loco's with the wrong profile, and the only thing that can really stand out is the whistle - the A4 and Britannia profiles have a superb chime whistle which sounds very realistic, but probably would not sound correct on a Bulleid Pacific - that's if your that concerned😕. I would not put off buying a loco because there was not the correct sound profile yet available.

[SteveM6]

I am more than happy to mix and match profiles with similar locos and am quite content to make do while waiting for something more suitable to be released.

I suppose the easiest compromise would be to have an example of a 2,3 or 4 cylinder steam loco for each of the main five operators (big four + BR) with typical whistles for each. This base could then be enhanced with specific locos where appropriate.

I guess a similar base set of non-specific profiles could be applied to modern era locos.

[GMD]

Thanks for these replies chaps. I am genuinely interested in the responses so far - it's only a very small sample, but I did expect there to be more in the first two categories. Early days and the poll is open for a while yet. Thanks to all who have voted/commented so far. 

[dBerriff]

Diesels, in my experience, have a more distinctive range of sounds. No one is going to confuse a spluttering Class 24 with the unforgettable sound of a Class 55 Deltic. At one time we lived near the East Coast Mainline and could listen to them accelerating South away from Biggleswade. A sound never to be forgotten.

I never thought I would feel nostalgia for the early diesels, but I now do. Steam too, and that is why I am here.

The thing about sound, at least on a big layout, is that once you have got used to it, locomotives without sound just feel lacking.

[BritInVanCA]

People have told me my “chuff rate” on my TT120 A3/4 doesn’t match the wheels. To be honest I never noticed. Actually I find two express locomotives running with sound turned on almost a little over whelming 

[GMD]

1 hour ago, BritInVanCA said:

People have told me my “chuff rate” on my TT120 A3/4 doesn’t match the wheels. To be honest I never noticed. Actually I find two express locomotives running with sound turned on almost a little over whelming 

I do think that the volume can be overwhelming. To my mind the noise should be scaled down too! With HM7k chips at least I find 20-25% is plenty. 

[SteveM6]

The volume control is not difficult to use if it's considered too loud.

[96RAF]

12 hours ago, BritInVanCA said:

People have told me my “chuff rate” on my TT120 A3/4 doesn’t match the wheels. To be honest I never noticed. Actually I find two express locomotives running with sound turned on almost a little over whelming 

Folk get confused by the chuff versus wheels synch thing. The chuff is the force of the steam exhausted from the pistons (plus firebox products) coming out of the chimney and this varies on the real thing according to load, regulator and cut-off setting, coupled with the opposing pistons are 90 degrees out from each other, different for 3 cylinder than  2 or 4 cylinder.

[Rallymatt]

Another vote for turning volume down to 20, but I think even at that, whistles/horns  can still get drowned out but on HM DCC is so simple to tweak those independently.

I love the sound profiles, it adds so much but I also have a loco that sound is impossible for, absolutely zero space for a sound decoder let alone a speaker! Still like operating it. 

[Brew Man]

Yeah, I've got a loco or two like that. One is an R1 (3D printed) that I got recently, it was hard enough getting a micro 6 pin decoder in.

[BritInVanCA]

Thinking about it from a prototypical point of view I think it is probably because having two express trains frequently passing each other while a shunter works in a goods yard isn’t typically what would happen. It is the reality of a lot of layouts though. 
I should have put some insulation in my tunnels to get a better contrast when the locomotives emerge!