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Mr rails steam sound misty unit

7K views 23 replies 10 participants last post by  RonLaden 
#1 ·
i have just seen a video on YouTube about the mr rails steam sound misty unit and i was wondering how is it fitted and can it be fitted to a hornby railroad flying scotsman
 
#5 ·
Hi Mallardman
Ive not got the Misty unit but have bought a couple of items from Mrrails.
He has a web site at www.mrrails.com which has some more information and products listed he can also be contacted by email at colin@mrrails.co.uk i have found Colin very helpful when i have sent enquiries.
Hope this helps
Regards Bob
 
#6 ·
I have heard some of these 'alternative' sound systems and looked at the youtube mentioned above and to be honest, they don't sound anything like the real thing.
Unless a sound unit is replaying a recording of the real loco it is installed in instead of synthesised sound, then quite frankly, the product is nothing more than children's toy trains. Provided it is marketed as children's toys, I don't see a problem.

This is the sort of technology that was sold in the 70's and 80's (complete with the inconvenience of tieing a loco to a wagon) and to be dishing it up these days is really not moving the hobby forward at all. I believe that one of the mainstream magazines reviewed one of these products recently and said exactly that.

There are no other products on the market which beat current DCC offerrings. My view is that if I can't do it properly, then it isn't worth doing at all. Half-measures such as these 'alternatives' are a very poor substitute.
 
#7 ·
Graham,

Now I just have to reply to you on that one!

First, for everyone else, let me declare that I have a financial interest in this debate as I am the manufacturer of the soundcards at www.mylocosound.com and am aware that I must not use this forum for commercial purposes.

Our products are not toys. They have been purchased by over a thousand railway modellers in the past year including one person who has bought sixteen so far. They fill a slot in the market. They have been professionally developed by an acoustics simulation engineer to give a realistic result. Our steam chuff has been recognised, by those who have made the comparison, as being significantly more realistic that that delivered by a Loksound V3.5 recording.

If you want a steam chuff, several whistle styles, firedoors closing, guards whistles blowing, injectors working, safety valves blowing, wheels screeching, etc. plus the ability to program your own sounds on a computer then DCC sound decoders from Loksound, etc. are great. Graham, I know that that is your interest and good luck to you. However, there are people out there who do not want to upgrade to DCC and just want a realistic chuff and a whistle on a DC layout. Those are my people and I offer them a product at one third the cost of a Loksound.

Each to their own but please don't call my products toys because they are professionally developed for the serious railway modeller.

Regards
Peter
 
#8 · (Edited by Moderator)
Peter,

The professionalism or quality with which the products are made is not in question.

You demonstrated your product to me on my own layout side-by-side Loksound products and we both heard them and compared them.

I'm sorry, but you cannot convince me that your synthesised sound product is anywhere as good as a recording of the real thing and I don't think you should be misleading people into believing this.

The product I had demonstrated to me did not respond in a reallistic way, the sounds were generic, they were not properly synchoronised and they certainly didn't exhibit that harsh 'bark' that many steam locos had. Acoustics engineer or not, the sounds did not sound to me to be like anything reallistic that I have ever heard.
I was honestly embarrased to see the thing running round my layout and came close to asking for it to be taken off because it appeared toylike to me!

You also commented that all of my SWD/Howes Loksound diesels sounded the same. I think there are plenty of people on here who would disagree with that comment, but I would expect that comment from someone selling generic sounds because it 'minimises' the competition.

Yes, there are people for whom this product is suitable. That is not in question. It is important that they know what they are purchasing and that they are not being mislead into believing that they are getting something which is highly reallistic, because what I heard did not lead me to believe that these products are reallistic at all.

You may quote 1000's of sales, but have you though that the vast majority of those sales may be 'inquisitive' to try the product out and see if it is worth following up on ? The true measure of success would be the number of repeat sales and the magnitude of those sales.

My own personal opinion, is that it isn't your product that is the problem. It is the wording you use to promote it.

My concern is that you are advertising this as a highly professional piece of kit, developed for serious railway modellers with very reallistic sounds - indeed you state this yourself in your signoff line in your message above - but that isn't what you told my father.
By all means advertise it as proffessionally developed, but please don't mislead those of us who would consider ourselves serous modellers by telling us that this is reallistic. I have heard it myself and I personally, don't agree - I am entitled to my opinion just as you are entitled to yours.

I think you would be better off advising as "professionally developed train sounds".

My suggestion would also be that you clearly have the ability to bring this kind of product to the market. Why not go the full-hog and develop a proper DCC sound decoder ? And at the same time, do it in a way that works with DC and places it at a price point which makes it serious competition for current DCC sound decoders - now that is a serious challenge for you!

Regards

Graham Plowman
 
#9 ·
Graham,

Thanks for the comments. Just a couple of things I need to note.

Firstly we get lots for repeat sales. As I said in my first post, one person has bought sixteen of them, over the period of a year, and runs them on an exhibition layout.

Our steam soundcards have both "bark" when accelerating and "coast" when slowing down. We have developed them by synthesis of actual recordings of preserved locos in the UK. Therefore I will absolutely call them realistic. I'm just not sure what you were looking for when you thought they were not.

Thanks for your view anyway.

Regards
Peter
 
#10 ·
Peter,

You demonstrated the thing to me, showing all of its features! I just stood there and listened.

What I was looking for was a match with familiar sounds - something that I would suggest that most reasonable people would be looking for.

What I found was something that was very synthesised and sounded very artificial and contrived to me.
To me, that is not reallistic and people shouldn't be mislead by advertsing that says it is.

You may well have recorded real sounds and then synthesised them, but I would contend that you destroyed them in the process! What you have done is started off with real sounds and then corrupted them in order to genericise them. That seem like a very backward step to me.

And if you started with real recordings, why not attempt to move the hooby forward by using technology to store them on the sound board and play them back ? That would give far better results than you currently do even if it didn't have all the synchronisations. But that is the key! If real sounds were used, it would be obvious what is going on and that sounds are wrong for particular locos - you couldn't sell a generic product. Corrupting the sounds enables a generic product.

It seems that my comments are supported by one of the major magazines when they reviewed it.
If I recall correctly, the term 'does not move the hooby forward' was actually a criticism of a product for the first time in a very large number of years. Magazines these days are noted for the fact that they never criticise anything!

One person has bought 16. Only one person ?

Graham
 
#12 ·
Graham,

We are moving the hobby forward by producing affordable and realistic sound for model railways. I didn't want to say this yet but, as you may recall, we are releasing a DCC sound decoder in about a month which will retail for about one third the price of decoders like Loksound. The fact that we use synthesis makes it possible to provide a realistic sound at a low price. It also means that customers can vary the sound by changing a few CVs. I realise that you are a computer boffin and have the skills to build sound characteristics but most modellers do not have or want to have those skills. We are just catering for the average modeller with a limited wallet who wants simple but realistic sound.

Now, rather than bore everyone with this debate any more, I suggest that we settle it with a challenge.

I recall that you have a steam loco fitted with a DCC sound decoder (Loksound, I think). I can't remember the type of loco. How about recording that loco sounding its whistle and starting off and putting that recording onto this forum. MyLocoSound is adjustable so, as soon as I know the type of loco, I will set up a loco and do a similar recording which I will put on the forum. I will then find a YouTube recording of the prototype and then people can judge which is the more realistic.

Regards
Peter
 
#13 ·
QUOTE (Moonraker @ 5 May 2011, 01:13) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Graham,

Now I just have to reply to you on that one!

First, for everyone else, let me declare that I have a financial interest in this debate as I am the manufacturer of the soundcards at www.mylocosound.com and am aware that I must not use this forum for commercial purposes.

Our products are not toys. They have been purchased by over a thousand railway modellers in the past year including one person who has bought sixteen so far. They fill a slot in the market. They have been professionally developed by an acoustics simulation engineer to give a realistic result. Our steam chuff has been recognised, by those who have made the comparison, as being significantly more realistic that that delivered by a Loksound V3.5 recording.

If you want a steam chuff, several whistle styles, firedoors closing, guards whistles blowing, injectors working, safety valves blowing, wheels screeching, etc. plus the ability to program your own sounds on a computer then DCC sound decoders from Loksound, etc. are great. Graham, I know that that is your interest and good luck to you. However, there are people out there who do not want to upgrade to DCC and just want a realistic chuff and a whistle on a DC layout. Those are my people and I offer them a product at one third the cost of a Loksound.

Each to their own but please don't call my products toys because they are professionally developed for the serious railway modeller.

Regards
Peter
wow ive seen youre website and the options to change the tone of the whistle a great but douse it have the option to replicate an a4 chime whistle
 
#14 ·
Peter,

QUOTE (Moonraker @ 5 May 2011, 18:27) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Graham,

...
Now, rather than bore everyone with this debate any more, I suggest that we settle it with a challenge.

I recall that you have a steam loco fitted with a DCC sound decoder (Loksound, I think). I can't remember the type of loco. How about recording that loco sounding its whistle and starting off and putting that recording onto this forum. MyLocoSound is adjustable so, as soon as I know the type of loco, I will set up a loco and do a similar recording which I will put on the forum. I will then find a YouTube recording of the prototype and then people can judge which is the more realistic.

Regards
Peter

I accept the challenge on the condition that it is expanded to include diesels as follows:

- West Country Bulleid Pacific (the steam loco to which you refer)
- Class 121 DMU
- HST
- Warship

I can commence video work this weekend.

Graham Plowman
 
#15 ·
QUOTE (mallardman96 @ 6 May 2011, 06:25) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>wow ive seen youre website and the options to change the tone of the whistle a great but douse it have the option to replicate an a4 chime whistle

Why ?
SWD provide a sound package which is a proper recording of the real thing and not some artificially synthesised offering!

Graham Plowman
 
#17 ·
Neil,

QUOTE (neil_s_wood @ 6 May 2011, 09:02) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Graham and Peter, can I ask that you start your decoder challenge on a new thread as this thread was intended to discuss Mr Rails product.

You may wish to add a poll to your thread so forum members can vote on their preference of sounds.

Thanks Neil

A very SOUND (pun intended) suggestion.
I have set up a new thread: Here

I suggest the poll is set up once we work out what is being compared. I suggest one question per loco: do you thing a or b is better ?

Graham Plowman
 
#18 ·
QUOTE (mallardman96 @ 5 May 2011, 21:25) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>wow ive seen youre website and the options to change the tone of the whistle a great but douse it have the option to replicate an a4 chime whistle

MallardMan,

It does indeed do chime whistles very well. On the DC version there is a switch you throw to move from plain to chime whistles. On the DCC version you set a CV. This, with the tone control, lets us replicate everything from American "Big Boys" to Sir Nigel's graceful products.

Regards
Peter
 
#19 ·
QUOTE (Graham Plowman @ 5 May 2011, 23:04) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Peter,

I accept the challenge on the condition that it is expanded to include diesels as follows:

- West Country Bulleid Pacific (the steam loco to which you refer)
- Class 121 DMU
- HST
- Warship

I can commence video work this weekend.

Graham Plowman

Graham,

I'm sorry but I have a point to prove here. You heard my steam soundcard running on your layout and have now claimed that it was not realistic. That is what I need to address by comparing the steam soundcard with a DCC steam decoder and the prototype. I would prefer not to get sidetracked into other debates and comparisons at a time when I am flat out field testing our new DCC sound decoder. There will be another day for diesels.

Regards
Peter
 
#20 ·
QUOTE (Moonraker @ 6 May 2011, 14:13) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Graham,

I'm sorry but I have a point to prove here. You heard my steam soundcard running on your layout and have now claimed that it was not realistic. That is what I need to address by comparing the steam soundcard with a DCC steam decoder and the prototype. I would prefer not to get sidetracked into other debates and comparisons at a time when I am flat out field testing our new DCC sound decoder. There will be another day for diesels.

Regards
Peter

And so do I.
You sell your product as "Low cost and customisable soundcards for DIESEL AND STEAM locomotives" and you tell us that it is very reallistic.

Let's prove it.

What's the matter ? Afraid of comparing this video on your website:

http://mylocosound.com/smalldieselsummary.html

with this one from my website:

)

????

More than happy to compare steam locos, but let's do a proper and complete comparison!

Graham
 
#23 ·
Having just played the two Grahams sounded the better, But the problem I see with this test is that not all laptop/PC have good sound, on my Apple laptop I can hardly hear Grahams,and would there for say that Moonrakers was best
 
#24 ·
I am completely unbiased as I am just starting out and dont have any sound locos and no knowledge of them.

I have no idea what a 42 should sound like for real but of the two Grahams sounded like a real diesel to me and easily the better of the two - very realistic..!!

I appreciate that Peter says his sound his not their latest so we need to hear that for a true comparison.

cheers
Ron
 
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