That distinctive Merlin "pop, pop, pop" sound

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Adam_NZ
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Re: That distinctive Merlin "pop, pop, pop" sound

Post by Adam_NZ »

Erlk0enig wrote:Adam, good idea! Looking forward to your video.
Well ... umm ... I had many attempts (when filming) and **couldn't get the engine to backfire at all**. Weird. Something isn't quite resetting itself properly, as I also get the "lights" bug mentioned in another topic.

Here are my two videos:

1) Recorded inside and outside the cockpit: Wot - no popping?

I tried the same thing on the ground (with two heavyweight ground crew) and had the same result .. nothing. Tried many times .. till my engine blew up :roll:. I'd be interested to see how other people produce the backfire effect, to see if I'm doing it wrong.

2) Repeated pressing of the "L" key triggers some sort of event (see the puffs of smoke) - or it's just introducing a micro-stutter which causes the engine to miss a beat. Toggling the lights from the mini-panel doesn't work either.
Wot - no lights?

I've just checked someone else's video: Spitfire takeoff - FSX ... and the gear goes up around 0:40 with a bit of a whine. I do *not* get this sound - with the Accusim sound quality in either "low" or "high".
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oelwanne
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Re: That distinctive Merlin "pop, pop, pop" sound

Post by oelwanne »

The Sound in the First Video is terrible. Is that your original Sound with so much Echo?
Seems like you have some Sound Effect running with it. Have you checked your Windows Sound Configuration?
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Adam_NZ
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Re: That distinctive Merlin "pop, pop, pop" sound

Post by Adam_NZ »

oelwanne wrote:The Sound in the First Video is terrible. Is that your original Sound with so much Echo?
Seems like you have some Sound Effect running with it. Have you checked your Windows Sound Configuration?
That may be one of my "experiments" ... setting the output to work for CamStudio (since restored back to the way it was). I'll record another movie with my usual settings ... though the result has always been the same - doesn't matter what I tweak where.

The cr*p sound could also have been me re-encoding it for Youtube badly.
Last edited by Adam_NZ on 08 Feb 2011, 11:08, edited 1 time in total.
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Erlk0enig
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Re: That distinctive Merlin "pop, pop, pop" sound

Post by Erlk0enig »

Adam,

I cannot listen to your videos currently, but I will watch them this evening. However, I saw that you tested this inflight? I only get the pop sound on the ground, when increasing throttle and closing it abruptly, and them it is sometimes too quiet, but it is there. Wathcing Scotts October update, the popping and crackling is much more in the foreground...

Concerning the video from the other spit with the whining gear, I can definitely say it is the older WWII fighters spitfire, not the accusim version. The accusim version does not whine.
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Ralf

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Adam_NZ
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Re: That distinctive Merlin "pop, pop, pop" sound

Post by Adam_NZ »

Erlk0enig wrote:Adam,

I cannot listen to your videos currently, but I will watch them this evening. However, I saw that you tested this inflight? I only get the pop sound on the ground, when increasing throttle and closing it abruptly, and them it is sometimes too quiet, but it is there. Wathcing Scotts October update, the popping and crackling is much more in the foreground...

Concerning the video from the other spit with the whining gear, I can definitely say it is the older WWII fighters spitfire, not the accusim version. The accusim version does not whine.
I did do some ground tests as well (same result) - I'll video some. The effect *should* happen in the air though ... I've seen/heard it in Real Life.

You're right about the other Spit - my mistake!
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Adam_NZ
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Re: That distinctive Merlin "pop, pop, pop" sound

Post by Adam_NZ »

OK ... the plot thickens!!!

I managed to capture some decent "backfire footage" and have uploaded it to YouTube here:
Merlin backfire test movie

Is this roughly what other people are seeing/hearing? This was recorded with Accusim sound set to "high", though the effect is the same when set to "low".

The really bizarre thing is that I hear them OK in the recorded movie but hardly at all in FSX.

Either there's something really "shonky" about my sound setup, or Playclaw (that I used for recording) is mixing the output from the sound card differently. It's grabbing the audio from the default sound device - maybe directly from the sound card, before Win7 intervenes with its impenetrable sound setup routines.

I may just rip out my Audigy card and go back to my on-board sound chip ... though all my other software seems to work fine (unless I simply don't know what I'm not hearing!).
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DogTailRed2
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Re: That distinctive Merlin "pop, pop, pop" sound

Post by DogTailRed2 »

This is an interesting thread.
I'm not hearing any crackles or backfires?
I tend to be very gentle with the throttle and a bit reluctant to close the throttle completely on landing, or open it suddenly,
which may be why.
However I have been hearing small `pauses` in the sound, sort of gaps.
Would be interested in what other people experience.

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Adam_NZ
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Re: That distinctive Merlin "pop, pop, pop" sound

Post by Adam_NZ »

DogTailRed2 wrote:This is an interesting thread.
Yes ... and I'm beginning to think like Manuel (in Fawlty Towers) ... "I know n-o-t-h-i-n-g!!"
DogTailRed2 wrote: I tend to be very gentle with the throttle and a bit reluctant to close the throttle completely on landing, or open it suddenly,
which may be why.
However I have been hearing small `pauses` in the sound, sort of gaps.
Would be interested in what other people experience.
I can reproduce them - on the ground - but can't seem to do it in the air (maybe because the prop is windmilling) ... but you *should* be able to do it, as that's when I've heard them the most (in Real Life) ... throttling back when coming in to land etc. It's also pretty loud (in RL).

These "pauses" are what I'm getting as well. For some reason, the effect is triggering the sound, but it's just not making it through. Take a look at my video - as the thing that's stumping me is that the sound is there *in the playback*.

The playback is being played through exactly the same sound setup as the original recording in FSX, so it's something to do with the way the sound is being processed *while flying*. The *information* is obviously there (as it's making it to the recording application OK) - you just can't hear it in FSX.

I suspect it's this limitation - of playing so many sounds simultaneously - that's causing it, and why the "high/low" options have been put there. Neither setting works for me.

UPDATE: Well ... I don't know what I changed (if anything) but now I *can* hear the misfires. What's more, I can hear them *in flight*. I just wish I knew *why*!!!! Have to put it down to good old fashioned "Gremlins", I suppose ;)
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