Increasing the sonar sound effects...

LoBlo · 01-29-07, 11:08 PM

EDIT: LoBlo's BB mod available at SubGuru now: http://www.subguru.com/downloads.html

Does anyone know a way to increase the sound volume of the sonar effects? It would be interesting to enhance the audio in the sonar to be able to hear the noise of a merchant vessel directly first hand or the sound of a cavitating sub directly from the Sonar display. ATM the sound effects are so faint that the BB sound really isn't coming though that well except in chases of whales/shrimp. I've tried just turning up the sound effect volume in the options screen, but it also makes some of the other sounds (pings, torpedo launches) painfully loud.

There's got to be a way to increase the sonar sound effects independently right?

LoBlo · 01-31-07, 10:05 PM

Okiedokie. Figured out how to do it. Just a matter of finding a sound editor and upping the amplitude a good 3-4 fold and then using SCSoundEdit to put the sound in the game.

I'm thinking about upping every Broadband sound effect in the game up a good 3-4 fold to give the option of identifying a contact by the sound of its broadband, without having to automatically go to NB to match sonar lines. Sure you can do it already, but the range at which you can actually hear the BB engine effects for each sound type is really really low, like withing 3 nm iirc.

we'll see what happens.

Bill Nichols · 01-31-07, 10:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LoBlo

Okiedokie. Figured out how to do it. Just a matter of finding a sound editor and upping the amplitude a good 3-4 fold and then using SCSoundEdit to put the sound in the game.

I'm thinking about upping every Broadband sound effect in the game up a good 3-4 fold to give the option of identifying a contact by the sound of its broadband, without having to automatically go to NB to match sonar lines. Sure you can do it already, but the range at which you can actually hear the BB engine effects for each sound type is really really low, like withing 3 nm iirc.

we'll see what happens.

I am in favor of this. The lack of an audible component to the passive sonar has always bugged me.

Bellman · 02-01-07, 12:53 AM

Keep us posted LoBlo.

You might want to finesse the levels by category - whale farting is hard on the drums !

Could this Spectogram analyser help ? http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/show...ight=MSGalileo

Lets take it that a reasonable soundcard and a decent headphone set is a basic starter kit.

LuftWolf · 02-01-07, 03:29 AM

I use finiteless sounds mods with a pair of USB headphones and have set my volumn levels to his recommendations and I haven't noticed any issues with the passive sonar sounds (maybe I just stopped paying attention).

That having been said, turning up the gain on some sound effects sounds like a good idea, I'm always excited for new mods, just be sure to descriminate sounds that are already loud enough (whales...). Also, for my sake, if you turn up one of the torpedo sounds (the one used in the game by 98% of the torpedoes), be sure to turn them ALL up (there are about seven torpedo sounds in the sound archive which aren't used) so I can use them later on, which I will. Thanks!

If you haven't tried the finiteless stand alone sound mods, I'd recommend them.

Cheers,
David

LoBlo · 02-01-07, 12:17 PM

Thanks for the interest guys.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bellman

You might want to finesse the levels by category - whale farting is hard on the drums !

Actually I was thinking about changing the whale sound to just a bunch of farting... what'd expect from somthing that eats shrimp and seaweed all day long

So, I've made some starting tweaks and think the results are better but the issues are two. First, how loud/close is reasonable for the sounds to really start being distinguishable. And second, after a sound effect is increased so much, the distortion in the original sound is brought out as well.

So far I've upped most of the broadband sounds between 2-3 fold (except whale farting, that's increased about 10 fold). The result is that at 5 knots, you can really hear the loudest platforms distinct sounds pretty good at around 5nm... things like carriers, supertankers, and anything with SL around 80-85 come out pretty well at that range. The quieter things like CGs (SL 69) and idling fishing boats (SL 65) are still pretty indistinguishable even at close ranges (2-3nm).

I could up there sound effects even more... just gotta remember that all the distortion in the sound (inaudible at low volumes) get increased as well and the quality of the sound may be less... then again, what good is good quality sound if it never comes out in the game...

more tweaking in order.

LoBlo · 02-03-07, 01:44 PM

Ok, I've got a prelminary version finished.

I've increased the volume on some sounds and replaced others totally. The faintest contacts still are inaudible (which is probably as it should be) and the loudest (carriers, supertankers) give some nice noise to give you confidence in what your hearing. DE subs have an increased sound so that a loud (aka Song) DE which is cavitating can give you a good sound effect on BB. SSN sound has been replaced and increased as well, but I haven't tested it out yet.

If someone wants to test it, I suggest a custom map with various hulls ideling about at around 5-8nm (that's what I've been testing on). I suggest, one big civillian, one fishing/trawler, one cavitating SSK, one cavitating SSN, a medium warship, and a carrier arranged in a circle around your sub to give you a feel for the different sounds.

Anyone want to try it out? Feedback welcomed.

Bellman · 02-04-07, 10:15 AM

Yep - I'll give her a run. Just PM me with details.

LoBlo · 02-07-07, 12:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bellman

Yep - I'll give her a run. Just PM me with details.

Cool deal. Its not where I want it yet. My crappy sound editor has severe limitations, but I think its a subtle and interesting improvement in the right circumstances.

XabbaRus · 02-07-07, 04:56 PM

Yea I thought it was just me but with Sub Command the BB sound was good, why SCS turned it down for DW I don't know.

I ad the speaker cranked up to listen to a sub and then there was a mighty ping in the house...made the kids cry.

LoBlo · 02-13-07, 04:51 PM

So initial testing is done. Many thanks to Bellman

for taking the time to try things out. The new sounds levels seem like they are behaving like desired.

Not only have the sound volumes been increased, but sound effects changed totally. Cargoships have a deep rumble, carrier have a distinctive rhythmic roar, and warships hum.

Only question now is deciding whether I'm happy with the sound effects each ship has been given or to do some more swapping.:hmm:

Bill Nichols · 02-13-07, 04:52 PM

When you're happy with what you have, zip it up and send it to me. I'll host it, you betcha!

sonar732 · 02-13-07, 05:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LoBlo

So initial testing is done. Many thanks to Bellman

for taking the time to try things out. The new sounds levels seem like they are behaving like desired.

Not only have the sound volumes been increased, but sound effects changed totally. Cargoships have a deep rumble, carrier have a distinctive rhythmic roar, and warships hum.

Only question now is deciding whether I'm happy with the sound effects each ship has been given or to do some more swapping.:hmm:

Great...if you did a great job...I'm going to be doing turn counts with my fingers again.

:rotfl::rotfl:

LoBlo · 02-13-07, 08:20 PM

I'ld like some opinions on what people think is a reasonable distance to be able to distinguish a SSN BB effect from others. A lot of it is probably speaker/headset dependent, but Bellman mentioned some ranges that he could tell a SSN from others.

with a SW
A noisey Han was audible at 15nm to Bellman, 12nm to my crappy headset
I heard a Typhoons BB signal in Bill's HFRO mission at 8nm (and could tell it was an SSN by the sound effect).
A cavitating AkulaII in a sand bottom shallow water op was distinguishable at around 4nm...
A Grisha V was distinguishable as a patrol boat at 10-12nm as well.
Loud supertankers / freighters/ etc are very distinct at 15+miles.

Anyone have opinions? I'm mainly worried about them being too high and it representing a sortof cheat...:hmm:

Fearless · 02-13-07, 11:45 PM

Talking about Sonar sounds, I have a usb Headphone set and currently I have it setup so that I can talk and listen via the microphone and headset and listen to all DW sounds via my surround sound speaker system.

Is it at all possible that when I select the Sonar station, the sonar emmitted sounds can actually go through my headset whilst the other stations are as normal through the surround sound system when I select those stations?

01-29-07, 11:08 PM	#1
LoBlo Subsim Diehard Join Date: May 2006 Location: Texas! Posts: 971 Downloads: 78 Uploads: 3	Increasing the sonar sound effects... EDIT: LoBlo's BB mod available at SubGuru now: http://www.subguru.com/downloads.html Does anyone know a way to increase the sound volume of the sonar effects? It would be interesting to enhance the audio in the sonar to be able to hear the noise of a merchant vessel directly first hand or the sound of a cavitating sub directly from the Sonar display. ATM the sound effects are so faint that the BB sound really isn't coming though that well except in chases of whales/shrimp. I've tried just turning up the sound effect volume in the options screen, but it also makes some of the other sounds (pings, torpedo launches) painfully loud. There's got to be a way to increase the sonar sound effects independently right? __________________ "Seek not to offend or annoy... only to speak the truth"-a wise man Last edited by LoBlo; 04-10-07 at 10:22 AM.

01-31-07, 10:05 PM	#2
LoBlo Subsim Diehard Join Date: May 2006 Location: Texas! Posts: 971 Downloads: 78 Uploads: 3	Okiedokie. Figured out how to do it. Just a matter of finding a sound editor and upping the amplitude a good 3-4 fold and then using SCSoundEdit to put the sound in the game. I'm thinking about upping every Broadband sound effect in the game up a good 3-4 fold to give the option of identifying a contact by the sound of its broadband, without having to automatically go to NB to match sonar lines. Sure you can do it already, but the range at which you can actually hear the BB engine effects for each sound type is really really low, like withing 3 nm iirc. we'll see what happens. __________________ "Seek not to offend or annoy... only to speak the truth"-a wise man

02-01-07, 12:53 AM	#4
Bellman Sea Lord Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 1,945 Downloads: 220 Uploads: 0	Keep us posted LoBlo. You might want to finesse the levels by category - whale farting is hard on the drums ! Could this Spectogram analyser help ? http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/show...ight=MSGalileo Lets take it that a reasonable soundcard and a decent headphone set is a basic starter kit. __________________ Liberty, Equality, Fraternity Last edited by Bellman; 02-01-07 at 01:11 AM.

02-01-07, 03:29 AM	#5
LuftWolf Ocean Warrior Join Date: May 2005 Location: Free New York Posts: 3,167 Downloads: 2 Uploads: 0	I use finiteless sounds mods with a pair of USB headphones and have set my volumn levels to his recommendations and I haven't noticed any issues with the passive sonar sounds (maybe I just stopped paying attention). That having been said, turning up the gain on some sound effects sounds like a good idea, I'm always excited for new mods, just be sure to descriminate sounds that are already loud enough (whales...). Also, for my sake, if you turn up one of the torpedo sounds (the one used in the game by 98% of the torpedoes), be sure to turn them ALL up (there are about seven torpedo sounds in the sound archive which aren't used) so I can use them later on, which I will. Thanks! If you haven't tried the finiteless stand alone sound mods, I'd recommend them. Cheers, David __________________ LW

02-03-07, 01:44 PM	#7
LoBlo Subsim Diehard Join Date: May 2006 Location: Texas! Posts: 971 Downloads: 78 Uploads: 3	Ok, I've got a prelminary version finished. I've increased the volume on some sounds and replaced others totally. The faintest contacts still are inaudible (which is probably as it should be) and the loudest (carriers, supertankers) give some nice noise to give you confidence in what your hearing. DE subs have an increased sound so that a loud (aka Song) DE which is cavitating can give you a good sound effect on BB. SSN sound has been replaced and increased as well, but I haven't tested it out yet. If someone wants to test it, I suggest a custom map with various hulls ideling about at around 5-8nm (that's what I've been testing on). I suggest, one big civillian, one fishing/trawler, one cavitating SSK, one cavitating SSN, a medium warship, and a carrier arranged in a circle around your sub to give you a feel for the different sounds. Anyone want to try it out? Feedback welcomed. __________________ "Seek not to offend or annoy... only to speak the truth"-a wise man

02-04-07, 10:15 AM	#8
Bellman Sea Lord Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 1,945 Downloads: 220 Uploads: 0	Yep - I'll give her a run. Just PM me with details. __________________ Liberty, Equality, Fraternity

02-07-07, 04:56 PM	#10
XabbaRus Navy Seal Join Date: Sep 2001 Posts: 5,330 Downloads: 5 Uploads: 0	Yea I thought it was just me but with Sub Command the BB sound was good, why SCS turned it down for DW I don't know. I ad the speaker cranked up to listen to a sub and then there was a mighty ping in the house...made the kids cry. __________________

02-13-07, 04:51 PM	#11
LoBlo Subsim Diehard Join Date: May 2006 Location: Texas! Posts: 971 Downloads: 78 Uploads: 3	So initial testing is done. Many thanks to Bellman for taking the time to try things out. The new sounds levels seem like they are behaving like desired. Not only have the sound volumes been increased, but sound effects changed totally. Cargoships have a deep rumble, carrier have a distinctive rhythmic roar, and warships hum. Only question now is deciding whether I'm happy with the sound effects each ship has been given or to do some more swapping.:hmm: __________________ "Seek not to offend or annoy... only to speak the truth"-a wise man

02-13-07, 04:52 PM	#12
Bill Nichols Master of Defense Join Date: Mar 2000 Posts: 1,502 Downloads: 125 Uploads: 0	When you're happy with what you have, zip it up and send it to me. I'll host it, you betcha! __________________ My Dangerous Waters website:

02-13-07, 08:20 PM	#14
LoBlo Subsim Diehard Join Date: May 2006 Location: Texas! Posts: 971 Downloads: 78 Uploads: 3	I'ld like some opinions on what people think is a reasonable distance to be able to distinguish a SSN BB effect from others. A lot of it is probably speaker/headset dependent, but Bellman mentioned some ranges that he could tell a SSN from others. with a SW A noisey Han was audible at 15nm to Bellman, 12nm to my crappy headset I heard a Typhoons BB signal in Bill's HFRO mission at 8nm (and could tell it was an SSN by the sound effect). A cavitating AkulaII in a sand bottom shallow water op was distinguishable at around 4nm... A Grisha V was distinguishable as a patrol boat at 10-12nm as well. Loud supertankers / freighters/ etc are very distinct at 15+miles. Anyone have opinions? I'm mainly worried about them being too high and it representing a sortof cheat...:hmm: __________________ "Seek not to offend or annoy... only to speak the truth"-a wise man Last edited by LoBlo; 02-13-07 at 10:12 PM.

02-13-07, 11:45 PM	#15
Fearless Ace of the Deep Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Adelaide, Australia Posts: 1,046 Downloads: 340 Uploads: 1	Talking about Sonar sounds, I have a usb Headphone set and currently I have it setup so that I can talk and listen via the microphone and headset and listen to all DW sounds via my surround sound speaker system. Is it at all possible that when I select the Sonar station, the sonar emmitted sounds can actually go through my headset whilst the other stations are as normal through the surround sound system when I select those stations?