OnCourse Software

It's not what they say Dave, it's how they say it, as I have described. I thought that was clear from my comments. The recording of the new phraseology doesn't fit with the existing voices at all and individual words stick out like a sore thumb - some sounds are more like a distorted, electronic 'buzz' than actual words. I do hope you can be persuaded at least to allow a user option to remove these.

Been on this forum for many, many years, as you know, and I am not given to unfair criticism, but I have to say that it now sounds truly awful. I'd sacrifice any other updates included in 3.10.2 and afterwards to go back to how it was...

Hope you can help.

Have you tried what RustyDog suggested? If you uncheck Simulate Radio Comms you won't here any difference

From my post earlier today:

Quote:

Yes, unchecking the 'Simulate COMs' stops it, but I don't like that unchecked as there is then no difference is voice quality between the supposedly 'live' pilot and ATC coming across a radio (no matter how hi-fi it is, it won't sound the same).

And the radio noise option is not good enough?

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And the radio noise option is not good enough?

If you mean adding radio noise to PF3 with 'Simulate COM' unchecked, I have to answer 'no': at best a very definite downgrade from my PF3 experience before v.3.10.2

Or maybe we are at crossed purposes? Just to be clear, what I am saying is that if I check 'Simulate Radio COM', as has always been my very strong preference, then many of the voices now (since v3.10.2) sound very obviously 'edited', with snippets of completely different voice qualities cut in. So for instance, E-5 (wasn't that Dave L. I seem to recall??) now has phrases like 'Descend' and 'When Ready' in a completely different voice to the rest of the sentence. That pretty much destroys the sense of real ATC communication that was most definitely there with most of the voicesets before the update. Some of the insertions, as I say, don't even sound human, just a bit of distorted computer-generated noise that I often only understand when I look at the onscreen COM log.

For me, the result is that PF3 is now 'broken', at least in respect of the soundsets with COM simulated - and I don't mind admitting I am pretty unhappy about it.. I use PF3 every flight (and paid good money to get the plugin enabling PF3 in X-Plane too - nothing if not 'loyal' to Oncourse software ), as in the same way I used to use PFE years earlier (and S-Combo before that!).

How I wish I'd kept my backup of the earlier version, but it is now, made before I noticed this problem, of v3.10.2. Too late.

Please provide a way of getting the old voicesets back Dave. I am not really that bothered whether ATC uses phrases like 'when ready' instead of 'at pilots' discretion' or not to be honest. Yes, nice, had they somehow (impossible I guess) been added in the same voice and recording quality as the originals, but not at the expense of the old soundsets being doctored like this.

Afterthought: can I download from somewhere the standalone update for v.3.10.0 (I think that was prior to these changes) - I can't find an 'archive' of updates on the site. I could then start from scratch with the PF3 setup.exe from my original purchase and update it to 3.10.0, then stick with that.

The 3.10.0 update will be no good for you because all the new voice calls were applied to that version. The only thing you could do, although I don't recommend it, is revert to 3.9.

I've just tested unchecking the 'Simulated Comms' option then select 'Radio Noise' and turn the volume of that to about 50%. Sounds (excuse the pun) like a radio transmission to me, but we're all different I know.

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I've just tested unchecking the 'Simulated Comms' option then select 'Radio Noise' and turn the volume of that to about 50%. Sounds (excuse the pun) like a radio transmission to me

Well I only gave it a brief test, I must admit. I'll try doing that for an entire flight or two and see. But otherwise, I'd certainly opt to have 3.9 back if it meant getting the voice sets as they were.

I have noted some 'glaring examples' (since you did ask a few posts back!): try..

A-D 'Calm' / 'When Ready'
B-A 'Squawk IDENT'
B-B 'Climb'

.. etc. etc. These few examples are not only a completely different voice and recording ambience but also (to my ears) electronically distorted. I can't help but notice them (especially as they irritate me so much - simply for spoiling the earlier illusion of hearing real ATC rather than the realisation now that it's just a hacked .wav file! )

I must say (and I think you are aware of this Dave!) I have been a big fan/supporter of OnCourse ever since S-Combo, which goes back a long way now of course, but I am at a complete loss to understand why these extra ill-fitting bits and pieces have been added to the existing wav files. It's always been known on this forum (and well understood by all) that it's the very impossibility of matching the existing voices that has meant the sound files have never been successfully edited or added to - and you've never really tried to before, I think. And now this!

Well, rant over, haha! Just reflects how strongly I feel about PF3 having been 'nobbled' IMHO. As you say, we're all different!

I'll try a few flights with the settings you suggest, but if unsuccessful I hope you can give me a way to get back to the latest incarnation of 3.9 - though I have no idea as I write, what I would lose in going back to that: it'd have to be something pretty fundamental not to be worth getting rid of these inserts.

Sorry to be so unenthusiastic. Never had recourse to being so 'passionate' (in a negative way) in the forum before I think!

Thanks

Martin

I have given your suggestion a try, but adding a bit of crackling in the background is no substitute for how I used to have things. There is no differentiation in tone of voice between the simulated 'live' pilot and what is supposedly coming through the radio. Just doesn't work for me, especially remembering how good this used to sound.

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The only thing you could do, although I don't recommend it, is revert to 3.9.

I dare say you put in a lot of hours adding the new bits of sound to the wav files and are not best pleased at this reaction - but I'd be grateful if you'd help me go back to the version of PF3 which immediately preceded these changes (3.9.??), as suggested - whatever additions have been made since then are no compensation to me for having, in effect, lost the far more realistic 'simulate radio com' option. I will then reluctantly be forced to turn off further updates so as not to have this issue again. Lesser of two evils for me, I'm afraid.

Thanks Dave.

Recorded a sample (zipped)... how can the word 'climb' cut in like that not come as a 'bit of a disappointment' let's say?

M.