How to modify MTH PS2 announcements

For PS2/3 you must change the soundfile which changes ALL of the sounds and can screw up speed control and such if you are not careful. You can't just change select sounds - it is all or nothing. For TMCC/PS1 you are stuck with it. 

You cant really "pick and choose" what you want with PS2/3. You need to swap the whole file. If its something that has been run in multiple road names, you can upload the file from a different road name and see what changes. Sometimes it works in your favor, sometimes it doesnt.

PS1 or TMCC arent changeable, per se. You can change the sound chip in a PS1 board, but again, you change the entire soundset when doing so.

One easy way which has no risk of messing up things is to use protocast feature on your tiu.  If you have a smartphone, you can record the announcement you want to fit your lay out. I used "italk" app.  Their  a number of apps you can use.  Then using the protocast feature, you can plug the output of your iphone into the input of the protocast of the tiu.  The announcement can be played over the speaker of the engine.  " all Aboard for Asheville on the Carolina special" or what ever.

Thanks for the reply and info. I know I can use the protocast to send recorded messages through the engines speaker, but I don't really want to have to activate the recording when I want it to play. More importantly, I would like to just let the crew talk activate by its self, and if my railroad is set in Colorado, announcing that the crew is dropping cars off in Buffalo, really doesn't fit.

I was hoping that I can record over the existing crew talk, without effecting any of the other functions or features on the PS2.

Hoping someone still has some information on this.

RAY

With a microphone plugged into the TIU you can record your own announcements or pre recorded ones on to an engines chip and play them later via the DCS remote, that's as close as you'll get to what you're looking for.  This and a lot more can be found in Barry's book :-)

I recorded messages to my Grandchildren and they're impressed

Ray,

I was hoping that I can record over the existing crew talk

You cannot do so.

Why not pose it as a Q for the Q&A session to MTH in the pinned York User Group thread above.  This seems to occasionally come up also for modifying the whistle or bell sounds.  Maybe with PS3 technology something has changed on the MTH side wrt feasibility though I realize you're asking about PS2.

Stan,

Why not pose it as a Q for the Q&A session to MTH in the pinned York User Group thread above.  This seems to occasionally come up also for modifying the whistle or bell sounds.  Maybe with PS3 technology something has changed on the MTH side wrt feasibility though I realize you're asking about PS2

That's been asked and answered many times in the past. You simply cannot do any such modifications. All you can do is swap complete sound files.

At the MTH ASC session, the alluded to the future possibility of such things, but currently it's clearly not available.  I'm guessing it would open a giant can of worms that might drive them to distraction after folks corrupt their firmware load.

John,

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At the MTH ASC session, the alluded to the future possibility of such things, but currently it's clearly not available.

MTH Has been completely consistent in  this regard. It's always been "maybe someday".

I'm guessing it would open a giant can of worms that might drive them to distraction after folks corrupt their firmware load.

Absolutely!

I wonder if MTH is tired of listening to the broken record played by the usual suspects (the York Q&A crowd).  So what they need to hear is a "newbie's" perspective.  This function represents a new feature that PS3 could be capable of with its larger sound memory and re-loadable engine code.  The capability to download new engine features is something, to my knowledge, no other engine manufacturer offers in any scale.  So skip the York Q&A and write an email directly to MTH stating you are new to DCS and have this idea.  Sure, you may get a form-letter response but sometimes it's good to hear ideas from new customers who you know have not drunk the kool-aid so to speak...

HO and DCC can do it.  G

We may be talking apples-oranges. In HO/DCC the user can configure engines (via so-called configuration variables or CVs) to set or select from a range of options.  But, AFAIK, no DCC engine allows the user to add a new feature via download.  For example, you can configure your smartphone to select from different ringtones, set button behavior, whatever.  But the real breakthrough (IMO) is the ability to add new features via download - that is, Apps.

Think of your idea for a smoke control via Bell button. Obviously PS1 can not do this; the underlying hardware is not there as there is no control of smoke via the uC, and the engine uC cannot be updated.  But PS3 could theoretically add this capability as a downloadable "App."  The hardware is there (uC controls the smoke via FETs) and the software is there (engine's uC program can be updated).  So the new feature would be to toggle smoke on/off when you press Bell in conventional neutral...and no more picking up the engine to fuss with the smoke switch.

So wrt the OP's idea, the underlying hardware is in the engine (more memory to hold user-created announcement sounds) and the software is supposedly in place to load new engine features (apparently yet to be shown).  Sigh, back to reality, to GRJ's point, there are many worms in this can. But this is meant to be a forum where ideas can be hashed out.

So while this question has been asked and answered many times in the past, PS3 is different than PS2 and the squeaky wheel (sometimes) gets the grease!

Stan, No, I do believe they can change features.  They can load different sound files, change bell or whistle, remap speed charts, etc...  Manufacturers have programs and hardware available to allow changes.  Local HO guru carries a laptop with several programs.  Far more flexibility beyond CVs.  G

OK, we can skip the semantic gymnastics and declare victory. If the HO guys have demonstrated that those worms can be beaten into submission, then while there is no immediate solution for the OP, he can choose (or not) to squeak the wheel...

Yep,  I think there are 2 MTH sound engineers and their time is consumed creating sound files for New production.  Since this isn't open architecture I don't think there will be an APP store in the future.  Try getting them to change an old PS-2 file because Ditch lights are not turned on as NBL, or markers that come up in default as off that prevent a conventional only guy from turning them on.

I am still holding my breath on the new Parts/Service website.  G

One possibility I have hear of has not been mentioned here.

ALAS, it only applies to PS3 engines.

You can load the sound file from a PS2 engine and it will alter the sounds to the new file without changing the engines running characteristics. This is due to a different arraingment of memory in PS3. The Sounds will add without changing the Gear ratio, ect.

This opens a lot of possible sound files that were formerly not well matched due to engine operation changes.

Actually it's a pretty simple process esp. when it comes to QSI Products. Building sound files is a straight forward process and from what I've read QSI isn't an open architecture...DCC protocols maybe but not when it comes to manufacturers products.

Chuck,  I didn't want to prolong the discussion, because I thought my point was being missed about this capability existing.  None of the PS formats provide the flexibility to do what some sound companies for HO have.  Granted PS-3 is closer since the operating characteristic of the engine are now separate files from the sound.

It really gets into how the program is written for the sound.  Looks like QSI has individual segments, so you can pull down from a menu.  I think others have some preprogrammed options.

Clear MTH has the loader program built for consumer use, seems like it wouldn't be to hard to add some features on the loader program.  Just depends if the sound file is constructed to accept changes.

This would certainly be a leg up on Lionel and other O Gauge manufacturers.  G