From the Soundtraxx list:
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November 12, 2005
As Chief Engineer of SoundTraxx, I am pleased to announce the first
releases of the TSU-1000 Tsunami Sound Decoder are now shipping.
Every technology company sooner or later encounters the "Project from
Hell" and Tsunami has certainly been ours. So to all our loyal
customers, testers, dealers and supporters, I would like to extend a
deep and heartfelt "thank you" for all your patience and support
during this period. It's been a long, tough road (no, more like a
death march) getting to this point and the words of enthusiasm and
encouragement we received often came at times when we were ready to
can the project and go pursue an easier line of work. To all the
nay-sayers, I have but one thing to say: Time makes fools of us all.
Tsunami was a major undertaking with an ambitious feature set. Those
who have quietly waited will not go un-rewarded. Behold a few of
Tsunami's more innovative features:
16 Bit Audio Processing - The primary goal of the Tsunami project was
to substantially improve the audio quality and this meant 16-bit audio
encoding and an ultra fast Digital Signal Processor. But you don't
have to be an engineer to appreciate the techno-mumbo-jumbo. Just
listen and you'll hear sound clarity and detail like never before.
When 'Fireman Fred' raises the water spout, you can actually hear
water droplets still dripping into the tender tank.
Playable Whistle - If you have a Digitrax DT400 or NCE's latest code
update, you can bend whistles 'till your fingers fall off. (The rest
of you will have to put up with pushbuttons but we did add a short
whistle function to make signaling easier).
Seven Band Audio Equalizer - Now you can fine-tune the decoder to
better match your installation's frequency response.
Reverb- Tsunami's reverb module allows you to apply a little more
depth and presence to select sound effects furthering your ability to
give every engine its own audio 'personality'.
Load Sensitive Exhaust and Rod Clank - For the first time, the exhaust
bark and rod clank can be tuned to respond to changes in grade. Chuffs
will deepen and grow louder on the uphill side and drift on the downhill.
24 Channel Mixer - The volume of each sound effect can be
independently set over 48dB range in 256 steps to suit your individual
tastes.
And there are a host of other minor improvements that Tsunami adds to
our product line like 22+ sound effects, back-emf, silent motor drive,
dual whistle mode, automatic whistle signals, slipping articulated
chuff mode, improved lighting effects, analog mode operation, a
braking function, and on-board diagnostics to name but a few.
Our initial offering includes 29 steam whistles, some old favorites
and many new ones, spread across six versions, each with a unique set
of exhaust chuffs, bells, air pumps and so forth. Attractively priced
at $99.95, there's sure to be something for everyone. You'll find the
latest information along with select audio samples on our new website,
www.soundtraxx.com.
Thank you again for all your support. We hope you enjoy our newest
product and look forward to your comments and feedback.
Best Regards,
Steven R. Dominguez
President and Chief Engineer
SoundTraxx
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Kennedy