Other airplane sounds

[jackpilot]

P3D sounds
Is there a way to cancel the default traffic sound.
Piston GA sounds in particular are far too present in the 737 cockpit.
Even jets sounds are far too intrusive.

[Trevor Hale]

Think you need to lower the "Environment Sounds"  But could be wrong...

[jackpilot]

Yep tried that but they still barge in!

[brianwilliamson]

Jack, I have similar problems with the A320, so I know what you mean. I am just upgrading computers, so one of the first things I need to do is check all the audio, which I figure is extremely important.
If I come up with some answers I will let you know.

Regards...............Brian W.

[blueskydriver]

The simplest way would be to edit the sound file or known as the .wav file itself and lower the output level. You can do this for any sound file using a audio edting program. Or, you could lower the levels in the sound configuration file for each plane or those that seem to loud. The difference between changing the .wav versus the sound.cfg is the .wav can be changed in many different ways, but only for that particular file, whereas the sound.cfg is changing parameters of many different sound files at once based on how they're trigged.

For example, let's say you have a plane that uses a StartUp .wav and a ShutDown .wav file, and you feel the StartUp is way too high in volume or just doesn't sound right; maybe, it has too much bass or low end. So, using an audio editing program, you lower the volume level and lower the decibels of all the bass frequency under 100dB by 10%. Lowering here means removing, think about an analog EQ and the slider...you lower the slider to lower the dB; however, in audio editing, you're changing it in a different manner for just the frequency in question...like an EQ, but with greater precision.

Anyway, with the sound.cfg you are setting parameters based on events...so, like setting a King Air to use two engine sound files or just one, as well as the levels or how they interact with each other; such as, when two engines are used, and you start engine 1 up to idle, then you start engine 2 up to idle...you will have two of the same sound types occurring, but they change dynamically when both are used together. Or, think about a King Air (any other type as well) and how it sounds in cruise flight (ignoring things like what cruise level, weather, weight and so on), now assume you think it sounds to deep or has too much bass compared to the real aircraft. Thus, you would edit the parameters of the sound.cfg and adjust how engines sound together, as well as you might even edit the .wav because the sound.cfg is just not doing what you need.

Here is a link about the sound.cfg in P3D, read over it to learn more:

http://www.prepar3d.com/SDK/SimObject%20Creation%20Kit/SimObject%20Container%20SDK/Sound%20Configuration%20Files.htm

Here is an older YouTube link for Turbine Sound Studios (TSS) of a King Air. Listen to the different sounds heard from inside and outside of the cockpit. Now, think about changing the parameters or just a .wav:

https://youtu.be/MMvXRumk1s0

Therefore, to help Jack and Brian, that is the method you must think about. For another example, let's say all other planes outside the plane are all too loud. So, if you edit the parameter of the sound.cfg for it too be lower for all outside planes, they will all be lower as you'd expect. However, what if you do that and all are lower except one stand out airplane that just seems louder above all the others? Well, you would edit the sound .wav, BUT which .wav do you edit? It's a trick question because you must ask at what phase is the other outside plane in...startup, idle, full throttle, reverse, climbing, cruising, descending or landing. It could be one phase or all of them with the problem, you just need to decide which one or if all, then you edit it one or all them to fix the problem.

In regards to using enviromental sound settings, it usually works great, but you're adjusting an entire different set of parameters, which are not .wav files, nor the sound.cfg, but more like an overall manner of changing things. Hers is another link:

https://www.prepar3d.com/SDKv3/LearningCenter/settings/simulation/sound_settings.html

Normally, you start like Trevor suggests, and if that does not get the required results, you adjust the sound.cfg parameters of the plane you're flying, and you go to .wav files for more specific sound changes. Of course I can make it more confusing by asking if the other planes' sounds are from planes that you could fly or are they just AI planes? If AI, you might just want to change how the outside AI planes around you sounds to you while inside the plane your flying. In which case, you need to change the AI sounds or files depending on the issue at hand. Here is another very helpful link:

http://mavecreations.weebly.com/

Most likely, it's the AI sounds that Jack and Brian need to adjust, based on how they explained the problem...

John

[ifeliciano]

Jack,

How about dropping the GA Traffic Density to a minimum and see what happens then. I run mine at 5% and barely hear any prop stuff at major airports. You can adjust the volume levels in the sound settings. Also see if your avionics package has a place where to turn down sounds, like PMDG does via the CDU/FMC.

[jackpilot]

I'll try that, good point.