When the engine first starts up in #7 cv sounds it has a clank sound which goes away as it gets up to speed. Is this just the program ? I know the sound is accurat but it is so much louder than the chuff.
Just trash it, and get a real sound decoder! Don’t mean to be negative but the sound decoders being made today will make this sound like a toy. Yes, will cost $$ but it will sound 100 % better.
Most sound decoders I’ve seen call that “rod clank”. A quick look at the Digitrax manual for your decoder don’t mention it, so apparently there’s no way to change the volume of it (or turn it off) short of changing the entire sound package and see if it’s better on a different one.
https://www.digitrax.com/static/apps/cms/media/documents/documentation/Decoder_Manual_V2-01_2014.pdf
Thats what I was afraid of.
Which sound are you using? The two that come with it are for up 3985 or a K-27 narrow guage loco.
You really just need to get a better quality sound project than the do everything sample they preload in the thing.
–Randy
Hey, I am just starting out in DCC, wanted simple plug and play till I get to the next level. Just doing extra engines now so I can weed out the ones I don’t like for my e-bay guy once he can come over again. Already got rid of countless engines and cars and tons of detail parts and kits etc.
Unless you buy a blank ESU decoder, all decoders are going to be “plug and play” - that just means there’s a receptacle you can plug a decoder in to. If you mean “cheap”, I’ve found cheap doesn’t work so well with steam. I find there are good inexpensive diesel decoders that work fine, but with steam in the long run it’s better to spend the extra money for a better decoder, like say a TCS or Tsunami.
No, by plug and play, in my case an 8 pin decoder. Only Digitrax seems to make stuff of this nature for older product, which is what I am converting. Otherwize I would just buy sound equiped stuff. I don’t need or want top end stuff, the Bachmann sound value as far as sound is fine for me.
ESU and Suundtraxx both have 8 pin versions of their decoders.
–Randy
…as well as TCS.
I don’t have a lot of experience with sound yet but I have to agree with Woodone. Digitrax were my go to decoders until I started with sound. I tried a couple different Digitrax sound setups and was disappointed. I now have 18 sound loco’s, 15 with factory sound and 3 that I have installed Soundtraxx decoders in. The Soundtraxx are more money than the Digitrax but are much better as far as sound quality. I ended up just giving a Sound Bug and two Digitrax sound decoders to a friend of mine to put in a few of his kids loco’s. I still like the Digitrax decoders I have in my non-sound locomotives but will not purchase their sound products again.
Yes, I relize this is not the top end. I am just starting out DCC wize and I am taking baby steps. It is not about cost per say but skill level and $ vs enjoyment. I enjoy my sound value engines and I have been able to get many for a fraction of MSRP but I have old DC favorites to convert. Heck, I am still having issues with CV’s. I have gotten better at decoder installs but am still 8 pining them. Withn your experience I doubt you remember how intimidating even that can be and how sticky Kaplon tape is and trying to get it to go where you want. I wish the PM system worked so we could talk more of my specifics, got to build a box for a speaker and have never done that, wrong I vaguely remember doing one as a kid out of wood for full size speakers.
Take a look at the variety of speakers offered with boxes already - from places like Streamlined Backshop. All sorts of sizes and varieties. Just because a decoder might happen to come with a speaker doesn’t mean you have to use that one and try to make your own enclosure for it.
The most useful tool you can have is a caliper, which you can use to get pretty precise measurements of the space you have available, and then order a speaker and enclosure to fit.
There’s really nothign wrong with the X series of 16 bit sound decoders from Digitrax, the non-X ones have lesser wuality 8 bit sound. The real problem is that Digitrax didn’t want to get involved with going out and collecting recordings - see some of Rapido’s videos, and there are some by decoder manufacturers as well, which show what’s really needed to do it right - hint, a tape recorder and a single microphone do NOT cut it. So they offered a few sounds they got from somewhere, probably mostly worked up by editing video someone shot, not a properly mic’d up recording session. And it shows. There are third party provided sound files that are much better quality - properly mixed so that the right things are loud and the things that shouldn;t be as loud are kept to the background. But you do need a PR3/PR4 to change them out, or know someone with one. The good projects are made by John McMaster, who posts them in a Groups,IO group called HO Model Layout and DCC Sound Projects.
Yes, Loksound, SOundtraxx, and TCS are much better overall decoders. My advice would be to pick one and stick with it rather than have a mix of decoder brands. I’ve tried most of the sound decoders except TCS, and I’ve consistently found ESU to have the best motor control and a wide variety of sounds. Plus the decoders are available in all sorts of form factors to fit various needs. So I invested in the Lokprogrammer hardware so I can load sound files.
I’d really suggest
All my decoders I have used so far are brand new. Acual decoder is DH165LO with a SFX006 sound bug, and yes I intend to upgrade the sound at some point though download.
Well I have a couple of Bachmann “Sound Value” engines - both steam and diesel - and I’m fine with them too. Not sure what that has to do with programming your Digitrax Soundbug though? Sound Value sound decoders are Soundtraxx decoders.
I know some will not agree with this, but I have a number of diesels with MRC sound decoders. They’re easy to install (eight-pin plug) and program, and aren’t very pricey. I’ve bought some of them for around $40 and they work very nicely.
I have a Digitrax decoder with a SFX 004 Sound Bug. I can’t recall rod clank with this one but perhaps it is an earlier version. Anyway there is a CV #145 for Misc. sounds and perhaps it is in this one. I have the volume turned down very low on this CV as I don’t like many Misc. sounds. If you have such a CV perhaps you just need to turn the volume of it down.
I would agree that other sound decoders may be better, I have an ESU in a PK2 0-8-0 that was just a plug in 8 pin that is very nice however I have never felt the need to change the motor decoder, a DH 165LO and Soundbug in the PK2 0-6-0. It has been in it for a dozen years or more.
CN Charlie
The original SFX004 Soundbug could only play 3 sounds at once, so there really was no room for a rod clank.
I bought an MRC decoder, so I could decide for myself and not take anyones word for it - it sounded more muddled than the Digitrax ones, and I never did get an answer on what the horn selections were - the instructions tell you which CV is the horn selection, and there are supposedly 16 or 32 different ones, but they don’t tell you which value of the CV corresponds to a specific horn type. I contacted MRC tech support only to be told “we don’t keep track of that”. The Chinese OEM for MRC also now sells many of them direct - which explains a lot. Other than having the factory put an MRC sticker on the outside, I don’t think MRC had anything to do with the design of those decoders.
–Randy
Yes there is a mis sounds CV, will try.
Well it turns out that misc dose nothing that I could find, tried the other steam sound and it is closer to what I want. Still experimenting with CV settings and such. Might switch over to mainline programing so I can test after each change eisier. Also mounted the speaker more securly, that accually seemed to dim the sound a bit. Need to try other things too.