ELMOD

[Yellowshaker]

I need to ask if any of you have experience with the new elmod system and the blaster IV. I have this system and I think it works great. My question is what if I wanted to take sounds from another source, like a video on youtube for instance? is there a way to put these sounds on the sd card so that I could use them in place of the engine sounds that are pre-programmed? If anyone has info on swapping sounds on this sytem your help would be greatly appreciated.

[wibblywobbly]

I have done it so often I could do it in my sleep....but it is a very steep learning curve.

Something that you will need to take on board before you start.

The tx controls are what control the tank, so as you know, push the right stick forward the tank goes forward, pull it back gently and it slowly puts the brakes on, let go of the stick and it will coast to a halt. Diagaonal positions give you wide radius turning etc.

Now, what you have to remember is that the sounds are generated depending on where the sticks are. If you move a stick then one sound has to stop, and another has to start. The tx triggers the start of a sound, it cannot stop a sound once it has started, so the sound segment that was triggered will always play for its duration regardless of where you move the stick to.

The way it does this is to store 300 millisecond sound bites. There are anything between 20-80 of these just for the engine sounds. You also need cold engine start sounds, and warm engine, as well as engine shut down. Then you have the turret, barrel, gun, mg etc etc.

Worried yet? lol

What you can also do is change the 'timing', eg so that track squeaks start occuring after the tank has pulled away, and the frequency at which the squeaks happen.

Ok, that's all theory, but you need to be aware of it as otherwise you will wonder why things are not happening as they should.

First thing. Copy the entire Elmod sound directory onto your pc hard drive, it's a simple click and drag, and that way your files are always safe in case it goes pear shaped.

Now copy that set of files into a working directory. These are the ones that you will play around with.

You only need one folder, so call it 111.

Now you need:

Some sounds.
Some sound editing software.

The following is a free downloads:

Audacity.

You can download a YT video, and you can extract the sounds using various free programs, but be careful, most have ambient background noise, talking etc. You want the cleanest highest quality you can get.

A better source is games software, eg T34vTiger, World of Tanks, or if you want a prepacked fileset, then Jakeand has a whole load on a server all ready for you. A search in the forum will find the source.

If you are using a raw sound file, then use Audacity to cut a 10 second length of sound.
Then split that into 3 ms segments. A minimum of 20, and more than 40 is rarely needed.
Save all of these segments.
Now convert them into .wav files, mono, with 8 bit sound. The Elmod manual gives the specs.
Check the files for silence using Audacity, any tiny millisecond of silence in a sound bite will reset the Elmod chip and you will hear a click. These have to be removed.

A quick way to ensure that your files are in the correct format is to use dppoweramp, as this has batch processing.

Horrified yet?

In the 111 folder there is a text document, well two actually.

The first one is a list of all of the sound bites in the folder, and the configuration for each one.
The second is an auto test prog that checks every file to ensure that they exist and that they are in the correct format.

Once you have created your sound bites, save them into 111, and check them.

Now save the folder onto the Elmod chip and test it on the tank.

Bearing in mind that I know what I am doing, it takes me several hours to create engine sounds (often it takes days), and I have still not yet perfected the art. I know what I want to create, and what I want it to sound like, but great though the tanks sound, it still isn't what I would describe as perfect.

It is however another side to the hobby that only Elmod users can indulge in, a bit like 3D modelling, whereas a Tamiya modeller can only do 2D as they can't modify anything on theirs.

I am more than happy to assist if you have any queries, so just shout. If you want to see examples, just type Wibblywobbly1 into the You Tube search box.

Rob G

[wibblywobbly]

Just found the link to the sound files on Hobby Havoc.

http://www.4shared.com/dir/13644356/47d ... Tanks.html

There you go, pick your tank!

[Johnf]

I have just upgraded to Elmod. I just plugged in the blaster to my Tiger and hoped for the best. After reading wibblywobbly's posting I have a head ache but interested in haveng a go at improving sound further. What is the first basic step for upgrading Tiger 1 sound when first setting up. I would like the set up version for electronically challenged. For a start, what is a working directory? If the sound card on my computer what am I looking for and where should I start?

[wibblywobbly]

Dear John, methinks you are going to struggle. The easy option is:

1. Go to the link and download the files.
2. Put your Elmod card into your pc cardreader.
3. Rename the folder on the soundcard that is currently 111 to 111a.
4. Create a new folder on the soundcard called 111.
5. Unzip Jakeands files for the Tiger on your pc.
6. Copy the unzipped files into the new folder 111.
7. Put the Elmod soundcard back into the tank.
8. Switch on and enjoy.

The sounds that you download are excellent, a million times better than the standard Elmod ones.

If you get any problems just post them up here.

Cheers

Rob G
PS - If you have a 'fun tank' option on the main board, select the switches/jumpers to enable it. The batteries will last a lot longer and the tank will respond slightly quicker.

[tankmad]

Bloody hell I have just bought a Elmod and was going to put it in my Jadtiger but wibblys blown my mind as well.
Stevie

[Yellowshaker]

Rob, I truly appreciate the detailed, if not frightening eplanation. I was under the impression that I could take a sound file from you tube and convert it and I would have the prportional sounds of the tank at different speeds running and all would be well with the world. I also wanted to add song files and such to the tanks, but now I am scared to death and then some. I have figured out how to change the files to 8 bit and save them as WAVs, but 20-30 of the same sound? Oh man...what the hell did I get into here?

[Yellowshaker]

I just downloaded one of the files from that site and I cannot open it.....

[wibblywobbly]

Guys, guys!!

Ok, look at it this way. If you took a sound file from a video of a tank starting up and moving off then it would be one long sound file. If this was plonked onto the Elmod sound card, then when you pushed the right stick up the tank would move off, and the sound file would start playing.

Now, when you decided to stop the tank, whether it was immediately, or after say 5 seconds, the sound file would keep playing until it finished. This would obviously not be what you wanted.

There is no way for the system to be able to read selected parts of the sound file based on the stick positions. The only way that it can work (and every sound system, including computer games use the same system) is to split the sound into fragments.

With the Elmod there are two initial sound files. One is engine start (this can be as short or as long as you want - the tank will not respond to the tx until the sound file completes).

Then it runs the engine idle sound. It is awaiting a stick input.

When you move the right stick it starts the first of 40 sound files. It is a very intelligent system. It detects whether you are going uphill, on the flat, turning etc etc, and will play the appropriate file, eg changing down through the gearbox, squealing brakes, occasional track squeaks etc. This is something that the Tamiya system cannot do.

So, those 40 files are the sounds of a tank moving off and right up to full speed. Split into 300ms segments. The system will play whichever of those files is appropriate to the speed of the tank, engine load etc.

Because the segments are only 300ms long, as soon as you move a tx stick, they will stop playing, and it will select the current most appropriate sound segment, for the new stick position.

Now, as the system is multi-channel, it means that you can fire the gun, fire the machine gun, turret motor or hand cranking, barrel elevation, play music, run in any direction, and it will play all of the sounds at the same time. That is the beauty of the system.

All the while that it is doing this, it is also detecting engine loads and playing gearchanges, struggling engine sounds etc.

On top of all that, you can have all the lights you want, brake lights, muzzle flashes, additional servo's, recoil etc etc etc.

Of course, you also get the Tamiya compatible battle system, selectable tank weight (hits, reload times etc) all selectable from jumpers/switches.

In short its a one-stop all you will ever need tank rc system. No matter what tank you have, it can be configured to represent the real thing. Tamiya users are utterly shafted in this respect, as they have to pretend that the sound in their custom tank 'might have sounded' like the system that they have installed (and there is only a very limited choice with Tamiya tanks, you cannot edit or change anything at all).



If I get the time I will try and do a step by step write up on how to configure the sound files, using the appropriate tools within the sound editors you can splice up a sound, and convert it to the correct format virtually automatically.

One useful place to look for files is Panzerketten. Use Google translate and take a browse. People in Germany create all sorts of sounds, eg Leopard etc, and work at perfecting them.

Oh, and adding additional sounds eg music, requires a 6/7 channel tx, and it has to have the correct switches in order for it to work properly. Personally I stick with the 4 channel as it is way cheaper.

Cheers

Rob G

[Yellowshaker]

Rob, I agree that this is the beauty of Elmod. That is wy I am trying so hard to learn how to create these sounds. I am quite confused at the moment about a number of things. I do understand what you mean about each sound being very short in orer to be able to switch so quickly depending on the situation, but I am unclear on how to correctly achieve this. If you have the patience to do a tutorial I will be enthusiatic about learning it. I want to have accurate sounds for my Tiger 1, PzIII, and the Tamiya Leo A4 that I am in the process of restoring. Thanks alot for all the great information and that bulldog sounds amazing!!!