Sound question

[bushp04]

I'm guessing I know the answer, however, I'd appreciate it if someone could confirm it.
If FS9 sees a sound file named in a sound.cfg, does it call it from the FS9\Sound (main folder)?

This would explain why many of my add-ons refer to .wav files in their sound.cfg's, but the aircrafts' Sound FOLDERs don't contain the referenced .wav's.

Can someone explain this more fully?

Thank you.

[Jim Robinson]

Yes, as near as I know it works the same as with gauges on panels where the sim first checks the aircraft's panel folder and if it doesn't find the gauge there it checks the main Gauges folder. I would assume in the case of sounds the sim would first check the aircraft's sound folder followed by the main FS9\Sound folder.

This can be confirmed by checking the default 737-400's sound.cfg. Some of the more generic sounds (those that are likely used on more than one aircraft) like bastall.wav (stall warning), lgwngscr.wav (wing scrape), and bnroll.wav (ground roll sound) for example are not located in the 737's sound folder but are found in the main FS9\Sound folder instead.

Jim

[bushp04]

Thanks, Jim.

So hypothetically, were one to place ANY (I suppose .wav)recording into the FS9\Sound folder, then instruct one's sound.cfg to ask for that
recording, would not the recording play at its designated point during the operation of an aircraft?

I'm thinking the answer is "yes." (?)

Additionally, I believe I read in a "How to" here that some sounds are included in some models, therefore cannot be manipulated. Do you know anything about "how" that works, exactly, i.e., which sounds would likely be ones that we could not edit using sound.cfg?

Thank you!!

BTW, Jim, I just visited your very excellent website and it's a keeper!!
Bookmarked right away, and I'd recommend anyone go there to look around!!
Thanks for this valuable contribution to the simming community!! Not to mention all the advice and helpful suggestions you've provided folks through the forums!!

[Jim Robinson]

Yes I believe you could place "Johnny Cash - A Boy Named Sue.wav" in the FS9\Sound folder and call it up through the sound.cfg as your overspeed warning sound and you'd hear the "Man in Black" every time you forgot to switch from IAS hold to mach hold passing through FL300 (Maybe "Metallica - For Whom the Bell Tolls" would be more appropriate). :D

I am not aware of a case where a sound is actually triggered by the model (.mdl) itself but I suppose it is possible. I do know that sounds are often triggered by gauges though, and the actual .wav that plays is usually located in the main FS9\sound folder. In that case a person could track down the .wav file and modify it, or simply remove the gauge from the panel.cfg if the intent was to eliminate an obnoxious sound associated with a particular aircraft. Been there, done that.

In most cases I think you can tell where the sound is coming from by pausing the sim when you hear it. If the sound is a normal aircraft sound being called up by the sound.cfg it'll stop when you pause the sim, if it's a sound that's triggered by a gauge usually it will continue to play with the sim paused. That's been my experience anyway.

Thanks for the nice comments on the website. I had/have plans to add a lot more stuff, but my interest in it comes infrequently, and in short spurts. I'm hoping things will slow down a bit with the real world this winter and I'll be able to add a few things soon.

Jim

[bushp04]

Jim,
That's a hoot! I really should've thought of these corealtions when I was installing Marcus Thompson's FSFDX packages 2 yrs. ago, or, more recently, the Hemisphere Dancer--Jimmy Buffet's Grumman Albatross by Greg Pepper (the Buffet repaint by Roger Gaylor). The Hemisphere Dancer is equipped with all the cool Caribbean music (+"Margueritaville" etc.).

I hope that you, Reggie Fields, and others will keep your websites up, as you've tapped into something that seems to be sorely needed by the Flight Sim community---readily available and well-organized reference stations.

I know, I know, someone's gonna come along and tell me that "all this stuff is in the MS SDK on your discs." May be, but few, if any (including me) ever try to look at them. Shoot, I only know where one of mine is! And the only reason I can keep track of it is b/c it never leaves my primary CD-player! (Thanks to MS' convincing everyone that we "must" never run the Sim without it!! So, like so many others, here I sit happily wearing out hardware resources!!)

Keep up the good work, Jim.