Increasing the sonar sound effects...

[LoBlo]

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]

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]

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]

:rock:Keep us posted LoBlo. :cool:

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/showthread.php?t=82356&highlight=MSGalileo

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

[LuftWolf]

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]

Thanks for the interest guys.

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:yep: :lol:

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]

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]

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

[LoBlo]

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]

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]

So initial testing is done. Many thanks to Bellman:up: 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: :yep:

[Bill Nichols]

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

[sonar732]

So initial testing is done. Many thanks to Bellman:up: 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: :yep:

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

[LoBlo]

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]

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?

[LoBlo]

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

Thanks SubGuru. I think I'm happy with what I have and will send you the files. There should be two files. One with the BB changes, the other with the reduced interface volumes.

lb

[FERdeBOER]

Any news about this?

I'm very interested in this mod. :yep:

Thanks.

[Bellman]

LoBlo - can you bring us up to speed on this eagerly awaited mod ?

[XabbaRus]

Glad to see someone working on it. It is very annoying when you are a few miles from a Han at 20 knots, you have a good BB trace but then you put your cursor on it you can't hear jack.

Maybe someone should compare SC sfx levels adn DW ones.

[BobbyZero]

OK, some of us are EXTREMELY impatient....is there any link where we can get this sound mod right away?
I've been checking SubGuru at least every hour today, and I just CAN'T WAIT to see it on the downloads page.

As for the idea, it rocks :rock: :rock: :rock:

I just wanted to ask: I know that PING was toned down for SCommand, is there somewhere already a modded sound file with a toned down ping for DW? Because stock sound file is really awful, waaay too piercing and loud.

[LuftWolf]

I just wanted to ask: I know that PING was toned down for SCommand, is there somewhere already a modded sound file with a toned down ping for DW? Because stock sound file is really awful, waaay too piercing and loud.

The finiteless stand alone sound mods are highly recommended...

Cheers,
David

[MarkShot]

I did this a long time ago for SC. So, simple even I could do it:

(1) Unpack all sounds.
(2) Use a batch wave editor to boost the amplitude.
(3) Repack all sounds.
(4) Swap SFX file.

Note: That in early versions of SC maybe up to 1.05, BB was much more pronounced. Then the sound volume dropped substantially with later patches.

However, doing this does change the game. It becomes fairly easy to identify surface ships which might at a distance be confused for a closer sub just by listening to the BB noise.

Probably a good idea not to over do it, since with NB how many lines you get varis and thus, leaves some ambiguity. But the game engine probably always selects the right wave file to play. Thus, if you can hear the wave file, then the whole issue of NB ambiguity is irrelevant.

[Bill Nichols]

OK, some of us are EXTREMELY impatient....is there any link where we can get this sound mod right away?
I've been checking SubGuru at least every hour today, and I just CAN'T WAIT to see it on the downloads page.


Oh, so YOU'RE the one ;)

[MarkShot]

I only did this for myself and did not post it anywhere.

The resultant file SFX.AGG is pretty large: 162Mb.

---

If you want to try out my file for SC/SCXIIC/SCU v1.08, I can upload it to my business FTP server for you.

[MarkShot]

(nevermind, I misread the email notification of your post Bill)

[BobbyZero]

OK, some of us are EXTREMELY impatient....is there any link where we can get this sound mod right away?
I've been checking SubGuru at least every hour today, and I just CAN'T WAIT to see it on the downloads page.

Oh, so YOU'RE the one ;)

If you mean those twenty hits I added to your site counter, then yes, I am :yep: For subsimmers, impatience leads to the dark side, I know...but sometimes I can't help it.

I played around with SoundForge sound editor and I lowered the volume of ping / tuned up BB signature for nukes and diesels, and it worked fine in BB, it really is simple. But I'll wait and see what LoBlo worked out.

And I shall have PATIENCE this time :cool:

[Bellman]

MS - Good point as the balance is all important ! :up:

But y'know its just nice to bring the 'drums' to the party - adding an extra layer of immersion.
Bit like '16km Atmosphere' doubling the visibility in SH3 Grey Wolves.

But I'm worried this one has 'withered on the vine' - things have gone real quiet !:hmm:

[LoBlo]

I did this a long time ago for SC. So, simple even I could do it:

(1) Unpack all sounds.
(2) Use a batch wave editor to boost the amplitude.
(3) Repack all sounds.
(4) Swap SFX file.

Note: That in early versions of SC maybe up to 1.05, BB was much more pronounced. Then the sound volume dropped substantially with later patches.

However, doing this does change the game. It becomes fairly easy to identify surface ships which might at a distance be confused for a closer sub just by listening to the BB noise.

Probably a good idea not to over do it, since with NB how many lines you get varis and thus, leaves some ambiguity. But the game engine probably always selects the right wave file to play. Thus, if you can hear the wave file, then the whole issue of NB ambiguity is irrelevant.

Yeah, this is the main thing I was worried about and I haven't found a happy medium that I was content with. As I've made it right now, its pretty easy to ID a civillian from a warship from a sub just by the tones in the BB... I don't know if I've overdid it or not... hopefully, it won't represent *too* much of a imbalance in sonar boast.

OK, some of us are EXTREMELY impatient....is there any link where we can get this sound mod right away?
I've been checking SubGuru at least every hour today, and I just CAN'T WAIT to see it on the downloads page.

As for the idea, it rocks :rock: :rock: :rock:

I just wanted to ask: I know that PING was toned down for SCommand, is there somewhere already a modded sound file with a toned down ping for DW? Because stock sound file is really awful, waaay too piercing and loud.

Any news about this?

I'm very interested in this mod. :yep:

Thanks.

MS - Good point as the balance is all important ! :up:

But y'know its just nice to bring the 'drums' to the party - adding an extra layer of immersion.
Bit like '16km Atmosphere' doubling the visibility in SH3 Grey Wolves.

But I'm worried this one has 'withered on the vine' - things have gone real quiet !:hmm:

Thanks for the interest. Sorry for the delay... it was just me stepping away from gaming for a bit to settle some RL issues (I've sorta got to take an all or nothing approach to gaming whenever I need to concentrate on RL stuff). I've given a zipped up version of the changes to SubGuru, whenever he gets some free time, hopefully it will be available for DL sometime soon.

Whenever it become available and people have a chance to try it, feedback welcome. :)

[Bill Nichols]

Today, fer sure. :up:

[MarkShot]

LoBlo,

I cannot remember what amp X coefficient I applied to the SC 1.08 sfx.agg file when I did this. My guidelines were:

However, what I did for balance was ... at normal speaker volume for my use I set the BB sounds that you could hear them when you already have a few lines in NB and decently thick line track in BB. Thus, for a skilled player by this point, you could have ruled out a close sub from a distant cargo ship. In essence, that simply leaves cycling the BB as adding some atomosphere to the game. In regards to the sub BB sounds (especially in SCXIIc), if you can hear the sub wav playing, then if it ain't one of yours, it can only mean that the contact has decided not to fire on you, since it would have IDed and engaged you a long time ago. So, it's all just atomosphere like the flow noise and throbbing of the engine.

Except there is perhaps one place where it does make a play difference. Biologicals ... They create some fairly thick BB lines (similar to ship). However, besides lacking NB lines, they are immediately distinguishable by their BB sound.

I hope that helps.

[Bill Nichols]

Available now for download at my site.
:D

[LoBlo]

Thanks SubGuru. :up:

Anyone that tries it out, post your impressions. :yep:

I cannot remember what amp X coefficient I applied to the SC 1.08 sfx.agg file when I did this. My guidelines were:

However, what I did for balance was ... at normal speaker volume for my use I set the BB sounds that you could hear them when you already have a few lines in NB and decently thick line track in BB. Thus, for a skilled player by this point, you could have ruled out a close sub from a distant cargo ship. In essence, that simply leaves cycling the BB as adding some atomosphere to the game. In regards to the sub BB sounds (especially in SCXIIc), if you can hear the sub wav playing, then if it ain't one of yours, it can only mean that the contact has decided not to fire on you, since it would have IDed and engaged you a long time ago. So, it's all just atomosphere like the flow noise and throbbing of the engine.

Except there is perhaps one place where it does make a play difference. Biologicals ... They create some fairly thick BB lines (similar to ship). However, besides lacking NB lines, they are immediately distinguishable by their BB sound.

My intial attempts were just to increase the stock BB by a factor of X (4-5)... but the quality of the sound whenever I upped the volume was pretty poor... scratchy and static filled even through the BB background noise. So I decided to completely switch the sound effects all together with other sources found throughout the web, old games, etc.

Not everyone will agree on the chosen sound effects I'm guessing; I like the initial choices, but if anyone has some handy alternatives they think are more accurate/appropriate, I'm open to feedback. For example, I was able to find a RL underwater recording of a fishing boat so I used that for the trawlers/fishing boats.

From my intial playing, I can say that if a contacts sound effects are clearly audible in the spherical/cylindrical array, then you pretty much already had enough NB frequencies for a confident ID anyway. The only problem arises when using highly sensitive TAs, where their might otherwise still be some slight ambiguity to the contact (ship vs sub... diesel vs nuke... big vs small, etc) a recognizable sound effect may push you to the real class... whether this is accurate or not is beyond the limits of my RL experience.

I'm hoping to get some opinions on the sound levels chosen.

[Bellman]

Having some problems - will PM you.

[LoBlo]

Try my suggestion. It may be that you accidentally deleted files that shouldn't have been deleted. The interface folder in my mod only has altered interface/..../sfx.agg files, so only meant to replace one file (the sound effect file) in each sub's folder. The rest should be left intact.

[Bellman]

Thanks LB - all greens now. :up:

[nzm30]

Tried mod last night.
Initial impression ... an amazing improvement!
Surprised SCS didn't implement this themselves.

Thanks!!

[FERdeBOER]

I testet it a few and I like it a lot. :up:

Specially the new balance of sounds, now the active pings doesn't melt my brain when trying to hear something on th sonar screen :up: :up:

[LoBlo]

Thanks for the feedback. Glad you like it.

[LoBlo]

Anyone else have any crticism?

Btw SubGuru. I forgot to link this thread in the readme so that peeps that try it can feedback here. Would it be possible to post a small link to this thread directly under the download links? Ff its not too much trouble, of course.

[Bill Nichols]

Anyone else have any crticism?

Btw SubGuru. I forgot to link this thread in the readme so that peeps that try it can feedback here. Would it be possible to post a small link to this thread directly under the download links? Ff its not too much trouble, of course.

:up: Will do, when I next update my site (probably tomorrow evening).\