Bluetooth sound

[adb968008]

I run DC, stuck in the past but with hundreds of locos, a family and regular travel I don’t have time for a fancy layout with scenery... I just play trains when I can.

 

Whilst I like DCC sound on diesels, steam doesn’t cut it for me. But at prices of £120+ a loco for a chip it’s going to cost me a years wages to upgrade my fleet to DCC let alone DCC sound.

 

At the same time, the new Hornby TTS sound van is very attractive, but useless on DC.

 

This lead me to think about options that are low cost, flexible and allow me to use real sound, rather than the pre-recorded chips.

 

Looking on Amazon, ebay there are hundreds of mini Bluetooth speakers out there, differing sizes. Each come with USB charger, battery, chip and speaker. In general they are all around the £10 or less mark.

 

After trying a few, I settled on this one for £7.99

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01H5HJYVG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

It is 1.5” inch cube, has the above, plus a microphone and mobile remote (though I won’t be needing them).

 

I found at this size it fits into any box van, most building interiors, any coach, but even if that’s not enough, you can open it out, flatten it and it gets even smaller...

 

 

As my criteria was the box van for replicating the TTS sound that won’t work on DC I went the box van route.. (but as I said the whole cube is small enough to fit anyway without opening it).

 

And away we go play time..

 

In this example I used no extra technology.. just paired the speaker with my iPhone and in this case I decided to play the TTS YouTube video from Hornby just to see if it works..

 

 

It did fine..

 

So what else could it do..

Here’s the speaker on a wagon, playing the sound of Bluebell 323 as I run the Hattons P class 323... this you can see I just dropped the cube in a wagon and played it...

 

 

Next up is the sound van playing sound from the iPhone of a class 24, it is a 30 second recording, set to play continuously.. (if using a laptop for Bluetooth you can play multiple sound files at once, even macro then or set the to hot keys on your keyboard.. whistle, break, squeal etc can all play in multiple by a single key press).

 

https://youtu.be/Xsa4RhlHcGY

 

 

Here’s another example, using the speaker as a station announcer..

 

 

I’ve been saying for years DCC doesn’t have to be expensive and with a bit of effort it’s quite easy to replicate as many sounds as you wish, from YouTube, personal recordings etc etc web etc etc, just press a laptop button and Bluetooth it.

 

Finally I have to thank my 7 year old daughter, who was my movie assistant, train driver and sound player during this article.. she partially inspired the idea when she asked for a party train.. which I had to duly oblige.. hers the P playing Ricky Martin..

 

 

Now if I had a bit of time I could look at synching this to train control and WiFi..

[Chris M]

I use soundboard on my phone to que sound to a Bluetooth speaker. I have a big speaker under the layout which gives great depth of sound.

[Mike Storey]

Extremely impressive! But, in the case of the P class for example, do you drive the loco to the sound recording you have, or does your recording somehow synchronise with the movement?

[adb968008]

Extremely impressive! But, in the case of the P class for example, do you drive the loco to the sound recording you have, or does your recording somehow synchronise with the movement?

The P was my first go at it, it was just a YouTube video, but the 24 was a bit more “pro”.

 

Most laptops have rudimentary sound playing capability and can play several overlapping sounds at once.

 

All you need is a 30 second clip (the 24 is exactly that, it cuts out at the end of the video I uploaded), but set to play in continuous you don’t see the break.. it just repeats.

Then play a horn clip 2-3 seconds etc etc... most laptops play multiple sounds at once.

 

If I were serious i’d Get a mixing desk app,

Create a project of sound files (different class 24 sounds, P sounds each class as a project etc), and set the sound clips to button presses “h” for horn etc, b for breaks etc.

 

(I’ve already found a free one which looks promising).

 

The only gap is the sync of speed of the train to the sound but as I’ve only paid £7,99 for my solution and I can run as many sounds for as many different locomotives as I care to research, I can live with it... all I need to do is throttle one sound and play a breaking or idling before doing the same with my controller.

 

 

If I were serious, then put a D.C. transformer control inline from the laptop to the track, and some software to mix the sounds relating to speed thresholds (that’s what DCC sound chips are already doing).

 

But a better tech solution would be a WiFi / Bluetooth chip to drive the loco, and play sound via Bluetooth controlled by an App on a phone. (The speaker I’ve got comes with a microphone and a remote control trigger switch though i’m Not using it), but others have built in cameras, ability to play lights etc.

Though those suggestions are for visionaries with time and money to peruse it.

Edited June 11, 2018 by adb968008

[adb968008]

I use soundboard on my phone to que sound to a Bluetooth speaker. I have a big speaker under the layout which gives great depth of sound.

Which app do you use ?

You could Bluetooth to that little speaker rather than your underbosrd one, this get the fade in / out as it rumbles past.

[Hroth]

If you want to construct sound textures, Audacity is probably your best bet, its like having a multitrack tape recorder on your PC, and its free!

 

https://www.audacityteam.org/

[9FEd]

Just had literally the same idea and thought I would trawl RmWeb to if there had been a pioneer, which inevitably there has been! 

 

@adb968008 are you still using this system and any comments from experience? Fitting a small bluetooth speaker into rolling stock and then playing your own sounds that travels with the train seems to me like it would give 90% of the benefit of DCC Sound with hugely less cost and more flexibility, synchronisation won't be as good but I really could live with that given the aforementioned benefits... 

[9FEd]

45 minutes ago, Richard Croft said:

Personally I'd say the synchronisation that DCC sound gives accounts for more than 10% of the effect. I think without it the results are very unconvincing.

 

That's fair enough and I would actually agree with you, although  I would highlight that this is far from insurmountable with a bluetooth speaker system and the extent to which it is an issue varies with type of operation. To take a practical example instead: 

 

- I will shortly take delivery of a  Farish Blue Pullman, in practice this will run on my layout - as per prototypical operation - at a scale express speed through a scenic section of the Peak District. It will probably orbit and repeatedly run through at a continuous steady speed whilst I compose a freight train or  take control or another train that requires more involved operation than a non-stop express (I suspect this is a fairly common way of enjoying this model). 

 

- Sound on a Blue Pullman requires at least one, perhaps two, sound decoders with soldering of speakers etc at a cost of say £180-200 (actual quote, today from TMC). 

 

- Alternatively, I can drop in a Bluetooth speaker with no surgery and the model will still orbit with an appropriate engine/throttle sound, as per regular DCC, and  I can still overlay eg: airhorn tone/other function noises such as announcements. Cost = £10 - or 5% of the above. Yes, I have lost automatic sound synchronisation but the marginal cost of this is huge (and ultimately perhaps not hugely relevant to a diesel with no visible valve motion that runs through at a steady speed). 

 

- I can actually buy with the ~£200 saving the upcoming factory sound fitted Farish 8F where the auto sync of  loco and valve motion with the sound is clearly especially valuable. 

 

- Even considering 'worst case', ie: variable speed with steam loco, you can still use a soundboard app that holds various sound files (8F move off/slow speed/high speed/stopping) and emit the relevant sequence to what the loco is doing. 

 

At the end of the day, at ~£10 a shot bluetooth speakers could offer serious 'bang for buck' and at the very least supplement regular DCC sound convincingly if you play to its strengths 

[9FEd]

10 minutes ago, Richard Croft said:

Yeah there's definitely a big saving, it'll be interesting to see how you get on

 

Cheers - I figure its worth a go; lets see! 

[adb968008]

4 hours ago, 9FEd said:

Just had literally the same idea and thought I would trawl RmWeb to if there had been a pioneer, which inevitably there has been! 

 

@adb968008 are you still using this system and any comments from experience? Fitting a small bluetooth speaker into rolling stock and then playing your own sounds that travels with the train seems to me like it would give 90% of the benefit of DCC Sound with hugely less cost and more flexibility, synchronisation won't be as good but I really could live with that given the aforementioned benefits... 

 

i am indeed, I just dropped it into a mk1 BG the other night, to run with my Duchess.

 

For a DC only user, I have just 3 cheap 1inch cube speakers, (two of which Ive cut out of their fitting to make even smaller, hidden in a brake van or a coach behind the loco, and for less than £15 all in, I have whatever sounds I want (i refuse to play kylie doing the locomotion but music has been played too).

 

Very theraputic, no messing with DCC, no £100 chips. It does trade off in sound files not having continuity...

 

 I use any that work from Youtube, platform announcements, crossing lights etc too its all out there to mine & harvest... the best recordings are those taken “on the move” from carriage windows.. usually they last several minutes, are consistent and sound levels dont vary.

 

The whole video below is made from my own recordings (ive made over 1500 -2000 over the years), but when playing on my own sessions I use any from any source.. argo recordings from the 1960’s are often fun... all I need is a phone/ipad and the speaker hidden in a vehicle, playing via bluetooth.

 

I have hundreds of locos, I couldnt afford to go 100% DCC sound, and I don't have any DCC faff, plus finding recordings is half the fun of it... my favourite was 48624 at Cauldon Lowe in 2010.. 12 coaches on a 1 in 40 gradient, recorded from the front coach, whilst I was being covered in flames (not ash but burning chunks of coal out of the chimney, never heard an 8f work that hard ever... 9m10 in the video below, played through a speaker in the brakevan*....

 

At 3m55, tell me whats wrong with timing that departUre from Summerseat with D213 in a sound recording to my start of running the train ? ... £5 on DC, no F numbers and CVs, its easy to forget that much of this site is extremist accurate modelling mixed with commercial operatives encouraging their products.... as you can see I openly “play trains”, with a family and day job, scenery can wait a few decades until I retire...sadly those of us who just want to have fun often get drowned out..

 

* one funny moment, my mini speaker actually has a microphone in it, I was playing sound running a train when the phone rang, I left the train running and my caller actually thought I was on a train at the time.

Edited May 27, 2020 by adb968008

[adb968008]

2 hours ago, 9FEd said:

 

- I will shortly take delivery of a  Farish Blue Pullman, in practice this will run on my layout - as per prototypical operation - at a scale express speed through a scenic section of the Peak District. It will probably orbit and repeatedly run through at a continuous steady speed whilst I compose a freight train or  take control or another train that requires more involved operation than a non-stop express (I suspect this is a fairly common way of enjoying this model). 

At the end of the day, at ~£10 a shot bluetooth speakers could offer serious 'bang for buck' and at the very least supplement regular DCC sound convincingly if you play to its strengths 

I did exactly the same, I bought the £800 OO set, recorded all the sounds off of it, about 25-30 mins of recording time.

Then sold the chips for £200, the DCC controller for £150 odd, brought the cost to an affordable level.

sound goes out via Bluetooth on DC.

 

At somepoint I will look at some sync software to play the sound files “on button click” and loops, then I do have the full DCC experience nailed onto DC... I wrote software to do exactly that 20 years ago in another industry, so its not beyond my skillset to do it on a mobile device.. but then i’m moving away from being a hobbyist, to becoming a commercial lobbyist, but my current day job definitely pays more so not yet.

Edited May 27, 2020 by adb968008

[9FEd]

@adb968008 firstly, that is brilliant re: the caller who thought you were on the train! 

 

I (believe) I have bought the same mini speaker to play with as you - I also plan on deconstructing it, is there anything to be aware of or is it fairly simple? 

 

I've actually got a straight up no sound DC Blue Pullman  on the way and although I do control with DCC there is still a big difference between two 6 pin decoders at ~£40 total vs two sound decoders plus associated speakers at ~£200 total. 

 

If you are happy to, I would be hugely grateful if you could share your Blue Pullman recordings with me as it would rather accelerate my project! 

[adb968008]

30 minutes ago, 9FEd said:

@adb968008 firstly, that is brilliant re: the caller who thought you were on the train! 

 

I (believe) I have bought the same mini speaker to play with as you - I also plan on deconstructing it, is there anything to be aware of or is it fairly simple?

5 minutes with a track cutter, (in orange) turned the blue speaker on the left into the speaker bits on the right. I started at the bottom (blue cutaway part in the bottom left corner and chewed a hole in the casing...
i kept the top corner (thats the microphone)
 

as you can see from my Hornby footplate crew,  its a miniscule thing.

 

 

Edited May 27, 2020 by adb968008

[Model Railway Noob]

Interestingly I bought a speaker to add an environmental soundtrack for my WWI layout. It will sit just under the board or by the backdrop (I have storage shelves built in to the back of it). In the soundtrack I have distant artillery, tanks, aircraft, lorries, troops marching, birds and background rolling stock noise. It's an 00 and 009 small layout. I hadn't thought of adding specific locomotive sounds too but I may do that now. I use some of these sounds in YT videos of my progression of the layout.