MM Sound Chip Search

[Patrick Davey]

Have taken the plunge and entered the digital age....yikes....

Does anyone have a MM 121 sound chip that they might sell?

TIA

**UPDATE: Got one!!  Marks Models to the rescue!!!

Edited March 31, 2023 by Patrick Davey

[WRENNEIRE]

If you need another. I know a man ........
He also has A class sound, 071 & 201 also 

[Patrick Davey]

9 hours ago, WRENNEIRE said:

If you need another. I know a man ........
He also has A class sound, 071 & 201 also 

Should have thought of you first!!!  If the digital bug bites I will be back..........

[Noel]

17 hours ago, Patrick Davey said:

Have taken the plunge and entered the digital age....yikes....

Does anyone have a MM 121 sound chip that they might sell?

TIA

**UPDATE: Got one!!  Marks Models to the rescue!!!

http://www.wheeltappersdccsounds.co.uk/styled-5/index.html

Best quality and most realistic driving characteristics for 121, 141/181, 071 and 201 are from Neil at Wheel Tappers. Much better than the vanilla ESU desk jockey efforts they produced for manufacturers including MM.  Driving a model train that lacks coasting and braking seems a bit like a broken pencil - pointless. LokSound V5 decoders have ESU's latest 'Full Throttle' software, but the MM ESU sound projects don't use such features, not even throttle hold. I've been using their decoders for some years, and they make driving even more enjoyable.

PS: If you have a LokProgrammer, you can buy blank decoders direct from Germany (€94) bypassing brexitistan customs fees, and burn wheeltappers projects onto them yourself with Neil's help.

[DJ Dangerous]

31 minutes ago, Noel said:

http://www.wheeltappersdccsounds.co.uk/styled-5/index.html

Best quality and most realistic driving characteristics for 121, 141/181, 071 and 201 are from Neil at Wheel Tappers. Much better than the vanilla ESU desk jockey efforts they produced for manufacturers including MM.  Driving a model train that lacks coasting and braking seems a bit like a broken pencil - pointless. LokSound V5 decoders have ESU's latest 'Full Throttle' software, but the MM ESU sound projects don't use such features, not even throttle hold. I've been using their decoders for some years, and they make driving even more enjoyable.

PS: If you have a LokProgrammer, you can buy blank decoders direct from Germany (€94) bypassing brexitistan customs fees, and burn wheeltappers projects onto them yourself with Neil's help.

 

Are all of the MM decoders terrible?

[Noel]

34 minutes ago, DJ Dangerous said:

 

Are all of the MM decoders terrible?

They are not terrible, the sound is actually good, they just lack prototypical driving characteristics. Not like driving a real train. But that's a personal preference thing. I just find them boring to drive compared to the skill needed to stop a scale 70mph train at a signal or station platform after coasting and braking to a gradual scale like halt.

The 071, 201 and 121 decoder projects all drive pretty much the same with minimal inertia, no coasting nor need for manual braking.  They are like driving an EV using regen braking to slow down by lifting off the throttle pedal rather than having to actually use the brake pedal. 1960s and 1990s trains never behaved like that, they took considerable running distance to slow down and stop. Skilled drivers could judge the distance and level of braking and coasting required. 

Edited April 1, 2023 by Noel
Lexdysia

[irishthump]

7 minutes ago, DJ Dangerous said:

 

Are all of the MM decoders terrible?

No they're not.

Please learn to take Noel with a pinch of salt, he has a talent for..... hyperbole shall we say.

[DJ Dangerous]

Sorry.

The post just seemed very disparaging of ESU techs, the files themselves, the performance etc, so I mistook it.

[irishthump]

3 minutes ago, DJ Dangerous said:

Sorry.

The post just seemed very disparaging of ESU techs, the files themselves, the performance etc, so I mistook it.

Oh was absolutely being disparaging to the ESU techs and the files. The point to remember is that ESU produce primarily for the European HO market and they have different preferences to Irish,UK and US modelers. They use a lot of automation and other programming features that we don't bother with so prototypical driving of locos is not something they care about. However when ESU went after the US market they had to change and set up a US based team. That's then they really improved and now have a substantial chunk of the US market. 

ESU decoders work fine out of the box. To really get the full advantage of ESU decoders you really need a Lokprogrammer. Then you can create your own soundfiles using the superior US sounds which are free to download from ESU's website. You can also unlock and tinker with the prototypical driving and braking features. 

[DJ Dangerous]

2 minutes ago, irishthump said:

You can also unlock and tinker with the prototypical driving and braking features. 

On blank decoders only?

Or also MM decoders?

[irishthump]

13 minutes ago, DJ Dangerous said:

On blank decoders only?

Or also MM decoders?

On MM V5 Loksounds only, which means the 121 decoders. Same for the IRM A class decoders.

With older V4 decoders you need to load a new soundfile which is relatively easy to do.

Edited April 1, 2023 by irishthump

[Noel]

Anyway first world problems  The driving characteristics of toy trains.

[Sean]

Just to clear up on a few points here, ive bought a heap of sound decoders lately from all of the irish manufacturers.

All LS5 chips function the exact same, there is no difference bar the loaded software telling the chip how to function.

I got 3x 121 chips, a 645 and a pair of 567's, all from different retailers

I am very pleased with the the 645 and one of the 567's as they contain the high quality prime mover files and come with a very comprehensive function map and accompanying pdf to guide the user through things. all of the full throttle features are there and are enabled and seem to be implemented quite well. the braking suite is also there

the second 567 that i got turned out to be a bit "meh" but it was the first one that i purchased so i probabaly missed the returns window on this one. this one has the non high fidelity prime mover sounds and the functions do not at all match up with the supplied pdf to the point that i suspect i might have been sent the wrong chip (although its definitely a 567 mover with irish sound effects). full throttle does not work on this one, I had no drive hold, idle or run8, unsure about braking as the function map is messed up. after probing the function map in JMRI I have been able to access drive hold and the braking features no problem however I cannot get to the idle and run8 functions  without the use of a lokprogrammer as they seem to be tied intrinsically to sound slots in the project that i cannot access or may not be present.  in fairness this works well now but i am not totally satisfied and will aim to have it reblown with a better sound file at some stage.

Ive also gotten 2 A class chips and its my understanding that these sound projects were developed in house by a company sound engineer to suit the actual duel speaker set up that is shipped with the loco. These sound files are second to none and are well programmed with all of the full throttle features and a few that are unique to the loco already set up and good to go out of the box, these chips really do work great and seem to have captured the unique sound of an EMD motor blowing out through metrovick exhausts fairly well. as much as people dislike paying a little extra for pre flashed chips, its kinda hard to justify not recommending them considering the amount of work it would take to come close to this type of project by yourself.

[Patrick Davey]

5 hours ago, Sean said:

Just to clear up on a few points here, ive bought a heap of sound decoders lately from all of the irish manufacturers.

All LS5 chips function the exact same, there is no difference bar the loaded software telling the chip how to function.

I got 3x 121 chips, a 645 and a pair of 567's, all from different retailers

I am very pleased with the the 645 and one of the 567's as they contain the high quality prime mover files and come with a very comprehensive function map and accompanying pdf to guide the user through things. all of the full throttle features are there and are enabled and seem to be implemented quite well. the braking suite is also there

the second 567 that i got turned out to be a bit "meh" but it was the first one that i purchased so i probabaly missed the returns window on this one. this one has the non high fidelity prime mover sounds and the functions do not at all match up with the supplied pdf to the point that i suspect i might have been sent the wrong chip (although its definitely a 567 mover with irish sound effects). full throttle does not work on this one, I had no drive hold, idle or run8, unsure about braking as the function map is messed up. after probing the function map in JMRI I have been able to access drive hold and the braking features no problem however I cannot get to the idle and run8 functions  without the use of a lokprogrammer as they seem to be tied intrinsically to sound slots in the project that i cannot access or may not be present.  in fairness this works well now but i am not totally satisfied and will aim to have it reblown with a better sound file at some stage.

Ive also gotten 2 A class chips and its my understanding that these sound projects were developed in house by a company sound engineer to suit the actual duel speaker set up that is shipped with the loco. These sound files are second to none and are well programmed with all of the full throttle features and a few that are unique to the loco already set up and good to go out of the box, these chips really do work great and seem to have captured the unique sound of an EMD motor blowing out through metrovick exhausts fairly well. as much as people dislike paying a little extra for pre flashed chips, its kinda hard to justify not recommending them considering the amount of work it would take to come close to this type of project by yourself.

Cheers for that Sean, even though I read most of it with a glazed expression (no reflection on your summary, purely to do with my own ignorance!) ..... but I appreciate your endorsement of the A class chips, thank you 

[irishthump]

22 hours ago, Sean said:

Just to clear up on a few points here, ive bought a heap of sound decoders lately from all of the irish manufacturers.

All LS5 chips function the exact same, there is no difference bar the loaded software telling the chip how to function.

I got 3x 121 chips, a 645 and a pair of 567's, all from different retailers

I am very pleased with the the 645 and one of the 567's as they contain the high quality prime mover files and come with a very comprehensive function map and accompanying pdf to guide the user through things. all of the full throttle features are there and are enabled and seem to be implemented quite well. the braking suite is also there

the second 567 that i got turned out to be a bit "meh" but it was the first one that i purchased so i probabaly missed the returns window on this one. this one has the non high fidelity prime mover sounds and the functions do not at all match up with the supplied pdf to the point that i suspect i might have been sent the wrong chip (although its definitely a 567 mover with irish sound effects). full throttle does not work on this one, I had no drive hold, idle or run8, unsure about braking as the function map is messed up. after probing the function map in JMRI I have been able to access drive hold and the braking features no problem however I cannot get to the idle and run8 functions  without the use of a lokprogrammer as they seem to be tied intrinsically to sound slots in the project that i cannot access or may not be present.  in fairness this works well now but i am not totally satisfied and will aim to have it reblown with a better sound file at some stage.

Ive also gotten 2 A class chips and its my understanding that these sound projects were developed in house by a company sound engineer to suit the actual duel speaker set up that is shipped with the loco. These sound files are second to none and are well programmed with all of the full throttle features and a few that are unique to the loco already set up and good to go out of the box, these chips really do work great and seem to have captured the unique sound of an EMD motor blowing out through metrovick exhausts fairly well. as much as people dislike paying a little extra for pre flashed chips, its kinda hard to justify not recommending them considering the amount of work it would take to come close to this type of project by yourself.

You're right about the IRM A Class decoders. The file for these included a bespoke recording of a real A Class and they really are excellent so I didn't mind paying a little more and you can't get that prime mover sound anywhere else.  Although I did use my Lokprogrammer to rearrange the function buttons on the decoders.

The 567 and 645 MM decoders on the other hand contain sound files from ESU's library of US soundfiles, all of which are free to download. But these are still very high quality and are the correct prime movers in each case.