+4DSound™ is an additional
software module, that can be added to TrainController™. +4DSound™ adds realistic and spatial
(4D) sound effects to the operation of your model railroad. Why 4D?
Sound effects are not only played at the according locations in the
regular three dimensional space of your train room but also affected by
timing, train speed, attenuation and other factors.
+4DSound™ uses a series of
stationary speakers placed around the layout to re-create the sound of
trains traveling along the track. It does not require installation of
onboard sound decoders into each particular locomotive.
The diagram displayed above shows the structural principle and the
hardware components of model railroad computer control with TrainController™+4DSound™.
The system
utilises the train tracking features of TrainController™ to determine the location of
each train, then blends the train sounds among
the stationary speakers, allowing the sound to follow the train's
movement. The advantage of +4DSound™
is the ability to use larger and better speakers under the layout,
providing better bass response and much more realistic sound than
onboard speakers alone can produce. +4DSound™
can be combined with any digital system and it can be used by itself or
in conjunction with an onboard sound system.
Stationary sounds can be programmed into the software, too, such as
industrial sounds, waterfalls, animals and other nature sounds, and
grade-crossing bells.
+4DSound™ provides the
following features:
- Prototypical engine sound for all kinds of locomotives, such as
2-, 3- or 4-cylinder steam engines, diesel engines, electric engines.
- Multi Train support
- Multi channel sound allows for complex sound effects – e.g.:
channel 1: primary steam engine sound;
channel 2: secondary steam engine sound;
channel 3 to channel 5: multiple ambient sound
channel 6+: sound events (water pump, whistle, valves, bell, coal
shoveling etc.)
- Chuffs and motor sounds are synchronized to the motion of the
locomotive and vary in pitch, volume and revolution.
- Event sounds are played on motion changes, on demand, triggered
by function keys, scattered or looped.
- Well suited for all manually and automatically controlled model
railroad layouts.
- Smooth integration into the operation and train tracking features
of TrainController™.
- Stationary sounds reproduce local sounds of industries, farms,
traffic, nature, weather, etc.
A surround sound system (e.g. 5.1 or 7.1) is required to make spatial
sound effects audible. The use of mono and stereo speakers is possible,
too. But this will result in replay of regular mono and stereo sound
without any spatial or surround sound effect.
+4DSound™ can also be combined
with +Net™, the network
extension of TrainController™,
for example to run model railroad control and sound replay on separate
computers, if desired. This is especially useful, if you are looking
for a useful application for a spare computer. For further information
about +Net™ refer to the +Net™ Manual, please.
Even though +4DSound™ offers
so many possibilities you will find, that setup of +4DSound™ in the software is
amazingly simple. Learn more about +4DSound™
by reading its manual. Download +4DSound™ from here and try it free of charge.
