I’m brand new on this site, been a model railroader for 25 years, and am just nicely getting most of my roster converted to Tsunami sound.
I LOVE the Tsunami, pretty much everything sounds bang on, with the exception of the whistle/horn being not loud enough, even after adjustments and fiddling with cv’s.
Soundtraxx doesn’t make a 12 cylinder 567, others do, but in my opinion, NOBODY has caught that 567 “chug” like Soundtraxx has.
That, AND the transition, they were doing it years before anyone else even acknowleged it existed.
Can anyone here recommend anyone else who does a credible 12 cylinder 567 decoder? The sound is very different that the 16 that is in the Tsunami…
I can’t be the first person to ask this, I’m sure.
All problems would be solved if Soundtraxx would just produce a 12 cylinder 567, but they don’t seem all that interested right now…
Thanks,
Jes
Jes,
A non-turbo V12-567 sounds quite similar to a non-turbo V6-567. I am sure there are ‘experts’ out there that can ‘hear’ the difference - but sound out of a small speaker in an HO locomotive is not audoiphile quality. A quality installation of a good decoder/speaker is still the most important part. That said, I can tell the difference between a turbo 645 and a turbo 567 power plant(most of the time). We are only talking 4 less power assemblies…I hope you are not comparing a non-turbo V12 in a switcher to a turbo V16 in a road diesel - they are different!
Jim
Hey Jim,
I’m looking for the distinct 567 sound from a GMD1.
They sounded rough and coarse compared to the ‘smoother’ running F units and Geeps.
If you’ve ever heard a GMD1 spool up and transition under a heavy load, you’ll know what I mean. They literally sound like they’re trying to shake themselves to pieces.
Soundtraxx “NAILS” the 567 loading up and transitioning, IMHO. Nobody that I know of even comes close. So that’s why I’m asking 
I think there’s a world of difference between a V16 and a V12 567, as far as sound goes…
IMHO
I just wish Soundtraxx would get the momentum to work right, I hate that my FTs are already moving out at 5smph before the engine starts to rev up. Once going it IS sweet sounding, with the transitions working as they should.
The Alco chugs on a QSI are really nice though, Jon Grant has some videos of some Alco switchers on Youtube, one has an MRC and is hideous, the other has a QSI and sounds spot on. And QSI horns are definitely better.
–Randy
I agree Randy.
Soundtraxx motor control is bush league.
I use tsunamis in everything so far.
I have an ABBA set of ALco F1s and I cheated and used the 251 12 cylinder decoder in 2, and the 244 12 cylinder in the other 2. It sets them off a bit, I think.
I’m so prototypically obsessed sometimes, and I purposely pulled a stunt like that…LOL.
The soundtraxx chug for the 251 is nice, now I’m gonna have to go check out the QSI, especially as ALco had no noticeable transition…
Ok, I’m totally new to the sound thing, in fact I have yet to break down and buy a sound decoder. Biggest reason is to my ear I haven’t found any that duplicate the rumble. I know that isn’t the right word a sound person would pick, but it’s the only one I can think of. Pretty much all I hear from any of them is a turbine winding up (least it sounds that way to me). I do understand that you can’t expect symphony sound from a tiny speaker but I want to hear a diesel, not a jet. In contrast some of the steam sounds seem pretty good so I think the speaker size isn’t the real issue. Kind of makes me want to switch to steam.
I agree. It’s all about speaker size and installation.
The factory installed sound systems are almost always delivered out of the box with the volume turned waaay up, which makes it worse.
I always try to do my own installations,and I’m pretty anal about speaker size and having a good sound box.The biggest speaker you can sneak in there, the better you are. I even mill away alot of the frame for space, I’m that crazy about it. I always run my diesels in a 3 or 4 unit lash up anyway, so losing a small amout off pulling power per unit is no big deal for me.
Steam sounds better because you have a huge sound box (tender) that gives a good sound from the speaker.
You’re never going to get that earth thumping feeling in your gut with model sound, but if you turn down the prime mover volume, it’s a fair representation…
Good luck
Hello Jes,
I think I understand your sentiments. I was fortunate to have access to 1st and 2nd gen locomotives back in the late 70s-early 80s (even tape recorded them). I have a recording of an EMD SW series switcher #145. I’m not certain if it was an SW-7, 8, or 9. That old girl almost sounded like a baby Alco! Not as smooth as the GP7s running in the same area.
If you haven’t heard, QSI will be releasing the new TITAN sound decoder. I was skeptical, but have communicated several times with the rep. This decoder is supposed to give the Soundtraxx Tsunami a very serious run for the money as far as sound fidelity, sound scheme accuracy, and motor control. QSI’s reps were out in the field recording new sounds from prototype locomotives, including prototype 1st gen units still in existence. I certainly hope that we won’t be disappointed. TITAN will reportedly hit the market sometime in June/July.
LokSound is also hitting the U.S market with the new V4.0. Supposed to be a winner as well. I’ll wait and see til then.
I was going to purchase Tsunami’s for my units but then was turned off by the poor “momentum vs throttle rpm” coordination. As pointed out by a friend of mine who’s a DCC tech, for road locomotives it might not be too noticeable, but for local switching service with lots of starting, stopping, back & forth movements…it’s very noticeable even with momentum settings.
I too am a Tsunami fan.
As far as sound decoder and speaker installs go, I have found the mini oval speaker and enclosure work well for me. I have also discovered that an “echo chamber” does wonders for improving the bass sound. Lately, I have been putting the speaker with enclosure in the cab of diesels with all windows closed. (The speaker is pointed down.) That makes the shell the echo chamber, and you can really tell the difference in the sound. I think an echo chamber of some sort really improves the sound quality.
I talked to the Soundtraxx guys the other day, and they didn’t seem to anxious to do a 12 cylinder 567.
There really IS a huge difference in the sound between a 12 and a 16.
The motor control is just something I deal with in order to get prototypically accurate sounds, and so far, nobody even comes CLOSE to Soundtraxx on Gen1 EMD.
Alco is a toss up though.
Steam is no contest, either!
There is one other way that you can go to get the sound that you want. I think QSI, LOK Sound, and Digitrax make sound decoders that you can load your own sound files into. It may or may not be easy, but it is do-able and the equipment is available. Now all you need are the actual sounds in sound files on your computer.
i don’t operate many sound equipped locos but i think it would be a great challenge to simulate the E unit passenger engines with their 2 567’s coming into and going out of sync as they rev up. since i was born too late for revenue steam operations, that was to me, the greatest sound in railroading.
and for the post about no increases in sound until 5 mph, as i recall, emd locomotives did not rev up when placed in run-1 position. engine speed remained at idle but power went to the traction motors. this actually resulted in a drop in engine speed account of the generator load. same thing caused engine to rev up slightly when the throttle was closed since they locomotive “unloaded” upon the move from run-1 to idle. this was most pronounced when switching with geep 7’s and 9’s
grizlump
Don’t forget the throttle back and power up of the transition at run-4. Very distinctive, and only soundtraxx seems to have gotten it right. THERE’S is just about perfect, too.
I know Soundtraxx has a tutorial on their site on how to set up a Tsunami so it sounds like any twin engine unit like an E unit, or a DL-109 Alco, if you’re an ALco guy.
It involes messing with the reverb on the output, and their tutorial is pretty good. I did it on my Proto E8, and it sounded awesome, just slightly out of phase.
It also works well if you have a lash up. Set it according to their directions, then set one or two units to manual notching and leave one set to automatic notching, and you get that cool effect where one or more units notch up or down all on their own.
I’m waiting to see how they manage with the new QSI Titan decoders - stereo output, so one speaker can be one prime mover and the second speakr the other, for a dual-motor unit like an E-unit. Should be interesting.
–Randy