"Silence of Space" option in OrbiterSound

[igel]

When adding sounds to the Molniya addon components, I discovered that the whole resulting "look and feel" feels better for me when the "Silence of Space" option in OrbiterSound is disables, and all sounds can be heard in the external view, articulating the visual effects and events. Of course, this is a personal preference, and we had many beta-testers who preferred just the opposite, when even the brightest visual effects occur in full magnificent silence.

So, I want to grab a bit more stats on this division from the community with the poll. NOTE: I include the very dangerous option in the poll, "It depends..." option. It is dangerous, because it is the universal first-come answer to many-many questions, simple or complex, especially in the scientific-minded community! So, I urge you to resist temptation to use this option and to try to evaluate your most frequent and most close preference. I still leave the option, though: sometimes, no matter how you try, you just can't come to a definite answer!

 

[pete.dakota]

Personally, I prefer it on. Not simply because it's realistic, but also as it adds a sense of depth. I remember when I first flew a Shuttle mission with silence of space on, and getting an almost eerie feeling a few seconds after SRB sep when switching to external view and hardly being able to hear anything, considering how close the camera was to all this energy, it really makes you feel like you're leaving the atmosphere.

 

[TSPenguin]

I concur with pete.
When I am in space and see something big happening and don't hear a thing, it makes me smile. It is a kind of "you won't mind boggle me with this trick universe"-smile

But this really is a very personal preference. When I am taking out Star Trek ships, I leave it off.

 

[simonpro]

Where's the option for "Not using orbitersound"?

 

[igel]

Where's the option for "Not using orbitersound"?

Ups! It was supposed to be the same as "unaware", the last one. Not sure if I can edit the original poll text...

Thanks everyone voting and commenting, I am watching anxiously!

 

[Bullethead]

I should note, however that the "enabled/disabled" question is somewhat misleading. In my installations of Orbiter Sound 3.5, the default is with the "Enable silence of space (realistic)" checked. However, the music always plays in external view with this box checked. I have to uncheck this box to have silence. Anybody else have that problem?

 

[DaveS]

I should note, however that the "enabled/disabled" question is somewhat misleading. In my installations of Orbiter Sound 3.5, the default is with the "Enable silence of space (realistic)" checked. However, the music always plays in external view with this box checked. I have to uncheck this box to have silence. Anybody else have that problem?

The MP3 player has its own drop-down menu where you can select the behaviour of the OrbiterSound MP3 player.

 

[nitro159]

It depends can bring ona whole new area of thinking, I chose that the silence in space is good, but sometimes when soaring through the sky I like having the MP3 available in external views as I have some good songs that keep pace

 

[ryan]

I dont like the sound every time you press F1, it's too well too i dont know, it's not my kind of music, and when theres a soundpack on i want to here the soundpack not the opera music all the time, but i hope on the next version of orbiter which is coming out on Tuesday i hope they do something new.

 

[BlueDragon8144]

just put your music into orbiter/sound/mp3

 

[MJR]

I dont like the sound every time you press F1, it's too well too i dont know, it's not my kind of music, and when theres a soundpack on i want to here the soundpack not the opera music all the time, but i hope on the next version of orbiter which is coming out on Tuesday i hope they do something new.

It is not opera. It is classical. If you don't like it, out songs in your Orbiter MP3 list.

 

[ryan]

My Orbiter sound config wont show up, it installs fine but at the end it says theres some sort of error, the module on the luanchpad is there it works, but the orbiter sound config icon doesnt show up.
I cant change it.

 

[BlueDragon8144]

you don't even have to use soundconfig. All you do is copy the playlist or music into the mp3 folder and delete Bach's music.

 

[Saturn V]

I only chose "It depends" because it really does depend on what I'm flying and what mood I'm in.

For example...

I always used to disable it because I personally liked hearing the roar of the rocket, but as we've been working on some new soundpacks, I've been doing the editing based on the option being allowed since this appears to be the preferred method of most Orbiter users. I think your poll numbers will bear me out on this.

Anyway, I've gotten more used to it, so these days, I'm usually allowing it.

So, as you see...it depends!

 

[MJR]

I think it getsboring when it is quiet outside the ship.

 

[tomek]

I think "it's better with silence" is a dangerous option too The thing is, even though I prefer it realistic, every once in a blue moon I might want to actually disable "silence of space" and hear sound outside of the craft. And that of course is only possible if you make it possible, which you might choose not to if everyone votes on the first option. But I still chose first one, because even if there won't be an option to turn external sound on, I still won't really be upset. Hope it makes any sense

 

[Andy44]

I leave external sound off, except for radio chatter and sometimes music. Sound in space in movies in one of my pet peaves.

 

[NukeET]

Definitely silence in space. The roar of the booster drops off as the atmosphere thins...to nothing.

 

[Xantcha]

Voted for "it depends.."

As I understand silence in space (concept, not the option): You should hear external sounds while in atmosphere and hear only internal sounds of your ship while in space. But in Orbitersound this is yet to be supported since (as far as I know) sounds are limited to the ship in focus. So silence of space is always on, even in atmosphere.

About the silence in space while in external view.. I have mixedfeelings. External view is as unrealistic as it gets, applying principles of realism to it is tough.
The only rationale for sound and external camera - it's indestructible sensor/micropone tuned to the radiofrequency of ship in focus. Weird, eh?
There is anothe thing that's bugs me. When in external view I move camera awya so that the only thing I can see are starts and planet, should I hear ship's sounds? radio? anything at all?

 

[igel]

Thanks a lot to everyone who voted and commented! The outcome is highly definitive and well-expected, but I still wanted to verify it, as it is important knowledge for addon designers. My own preference usually is to hear sounds at all times, and I knew I'll be a minority . No problem with that.

I have some rationale behind my out-of-line preference, just did wanted to keep it until I got more responses. The trick is what I imagine in my head when I observe internal and external views, how do I visualize my virtual "presence" in a place where I am "not supposed to be".

Internal view of a manned spaceship - this one is easy, I am a "pilot in a pilot seat". Internal view on the unmanned probe or a rocket stage is already a different matter. It usually means a "rocketcam", and a ground observer in a control room - with a very different sound picture! To me, the big drawback of most modern rocketcams is that they don't transmit sounds. Being installed on the flight vehicle, they are quite aware of the real sounds, so adding them to the visuals (when it is not already done) would be great and won't cost much (if anything). In the Orbiter, I just imagine the "rocketcams" to transmit internal sounds as well.

External view is a tricky one. You can imagine yourself floating in a spacesuit and watching the rocket or a spacecraft, but the camera mobility and lack of physics do not go well with that concept. Plus, as we know, a spacesuit is a rather noisy place and you are likely to listen the inside of the observed vessel over the radio. A freeflying robotic teleoperator camera can be a better explanation of your virtual presence, and makes case for the Space Silence (it is not attached to the structure and does not have to have radio from the vessel, like spacesuit has). Is it what most of you visualize? Just curious

I have a different visualization for external views. All "physical" excuses sound too lame for me - so my first-order visualization is... exactly cinematographic. Watching the scene on TV, like a movie or rather a documentary. Interactive TV, with controllable camera angles, but still a TV. In no surprise, the cinematographic aesthetics kicks in immediately. And cinematographic aesthetics has some established laws, slightly different from the laws of nature . George Lukas knew these laws back in 1970. For this, he is loved by millions, but cursed by purists ever since . However, in 2003, Dan Maas had followed Lukas, not purists, in his famous MER animation. Obviously, he knows these laws too .

I am far from idea of trying to convert anyone to my side . Just reminding, that some people may look at things quite the opposite way one may think to be "natural". Even more that that, once you move away from the special domain (like the Orbiter community) to the outside world (e.g., to demonstrate Orbiter features to general public for educational or other purposes), you may discover that the "norm" has just turned upside down! Be aware!

Finally, a practical note, this one specifically pointing to "it depends" state. Orbiter addons are very diverse! For me, the very question of enabling/disabling the silence option had arisen during the Block L and Luna development. I very soon realized the reasons for Maas to picture his MER the way he did. There were lots of staging events, element deployments, pyro and engine firings, electric motors, pneumatics... In the internal views, even implemented through strategically placed rocketcams, it is very hard to associate the sound with the particular event. It is possible sometimes, but it is so much easier in the "big picture" of the outside view! Subtle and "special" events also become harder to miss. Of course, such "loaded" event sequences are quite different from the regular lengthy processes with just background noises!