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Sound files

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1.2K views 1 reply 2 participants last post by  TheAndrian  
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Looking at Youchoos for soundfiles and they have an excellent and large range. ( including a GWR railcar recoded at Didcot- this would be different!)
This got me thinking- How do they make a sound file. Obviously they record the sound to a digital format and then program a chip, but what happens in between?. Are all sound chips capable of receiving the same file type or is each file type different for each decoder? Can more than one file be loaded on to a chip? Is loading a sound file in the realm of the hobbyist or is specialist equipment required beyond the reach of the everyday hobbyist?
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#2 ·
Hi,

The original sound file recordings are broken up into individual blocks for each individual sound like motor, steam, horn, bell etc. Unfortunately when it comes down to putting these files onto the memory chip for storage the format/structure is different for each sound decoder manufacturer. To do this you do need dedicated software and hardware to do this which can be purchased from the decoder manufacturer.

Pauliebanger ("Paul Chetter") did an article for Hornby magazine of how to program a Zimo sound decoder. Here is a link to the pdf of the article.

Cheers