Simanaitis Says
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SON OF DIRECTOR’S CUT
I THOUGHT I was done modeling the Otto Silent Engine, thus my posting the project’s Director’s Cut yesterday (http://wp.me/p2ETap-2is). However, as mentioned then I still sensed the need to endow the Otto Silent Engine, silent no more, with something better than “clunker,” a flight sim sound I downloaded years ago for my virtual-built turn-of-the-century aeroplanes.
My search for a proper Otto sound came up golden, again through the amazing work of Wayne Grenning. His operating model of a centennial engine was a highpoint of Otto 2 (http://goo.gl/TPZzYu). And even more recently Wayne has posted a video of his restored full-size 10 HP Schleicher Schumm slide-valve engine in operation (http://goo.gl/bhNluw).
The video displays Wayne’s expertise and also his enthusiasm for what was evidently a complex project. Note the video at around its 5-minute mark, when Wayne’s fiancé gets briefly involved in his hobby, albeit off-camera.
I find it particularly telling that when Wayne comes back on-camera, he’s wearing ear protectors. I suspect Wayne’s fiancé and Wife Dottie are kindred spirits, God love ’em both.
The video has a fine example of the sound I was seeking. I used Windows Sound Recorder (part of Windows 7) to capture 30 seconds of the Schleicher Schumm’s wonderful whirs, clatters and pops.
The result, however, is in Windows Media Audio format, a .wma file, whereas Microsoft Flight Simulator sounds require .wav files.
Thus, I needed software that converted .wma to .wav.
Googling this task yielded a bunch of “free” downloads. However, those I explored all came with excess baggage forcing changes to my computer operating system that I didn’t want.
After a day of searching and evaluating downloads, I opted for visiting my local computer store, making a long-term investment and adding appropriate software. Installation of Magix Audio Cleaning Lab 2013 was a breeze. The .wma/.wav conversion took less than a minute. What’s more, the software’s editing of audio (e.g., transforming LPs and cassettes to digital format) will enhance my computer puttering.
Here’s my Otto Silent Engine, with thanks to Wayne Grenning for its no longer being silent. ds
© Dennis Simanaitis, SimanaitisSays.com, 2014
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