VSD Use cases (was two more questions)

All,

Thank you for the discussion in response to my question(s) about contexts
and listeners and devices.  There is a LOT there, and I'll probably have
to read your responses 3 or 4 times to soak it all in.

I'll share a bit more of what I'm thinking at a high level, in hopes that
you might see any major "holes" or perhaps have some ideas to help make
things easier or better.

I see two modes of operation, basically, which are scaled up or down to
match the size of the layout (anywhere from a single operator on a 1x3'
shelf layout to a several thousand square foot club setup with dozens of
operators and trains).  What follows is a mix of what I was already
thinking, with the feedback you've already given.

ROOM AMBIENT:  This is sound-out-in-the-air.  A stereo speaker pair for a
tiny shelf layout, up to a 5.1 or 7.1 home theater surround setup for a
room sized layout.  One Device, one Context, one Listener.  The Listener
is in a fixed position at the center of the "room" (or, for table or shelf
sized layouts, at the operator's position).  The error in the apparent
sound locations from operators being away from the sweet spot is taken as
an acceptable compromise in exchange for (a) not having everyone wear
headphones, and (b) not having the cacophony of ten different sound images
overlapping each other in a spare bedroom.

For larger, multi-room home layouts or large club layouts, the above
scenario might be expanded to multiple Zones.  Each Zone would have its
own speaker system, Device, Context and Listener.  The Zones are set not
to overlap any more than absolutely necessary.

The case of a single, stationary operator wearing headphones instead of
using speakers, but remaining basically stationary around a small layout
is considered a ROOM AMBIENT scenario in this case.

HEADPHONE:  In this case, one or (more likely) several operators are
around the layout.  Each operator has his own pair of headphones, either a
bluetooth/wireless set, or attached to his smart phone (with the audio
streamed to the phone).  The easy method is that each operator hears the
"cab view" of the locomotive he is controlling... the sound as though his
listener position was inside the cab.  Somewhat harder is "room view",
where the listener hears what he would hear from where he is physically
standing in the room, only it's his own personal version, due to the
headphones.  Clear?  The hard part here is tracking and recognizing the
listener's location in the room, but I'm working on that.  This case would
require one Context and Listener for each operator.  Whether multiple
Devices are required seems a bit fuzzier, but it also sounds like with the
wireless headset case, we get that for "free".

A couple of points.  Even in the room ambient case, volumes are generally
kept quite low, for two reasons.  One is that the sound works better if it
is kept "to scale" with the models.  It doesn't sound right to have this
tiny locomotive you can hold in your hand have a diesel rumble so loud it
rattles the windows.  The other is that often there is a good bit of
conversation when a group is running trains, and you don't want the train
sounds to interfere with the talk.  So when thinking about the multiple
zone case, keep the low volumes in mind.

Another thing is that actually tracking the location of the trains (or the
listeners!) rather difficult and expensive, much more so than keeping
track of characters in a video game or sound effects in a movie.  So while
spatially locating the sounds precisely is a laudable goal, the reality
for most people is that at best they will get a rough approximation.

So, in summary, I haven't heard anything that says I'm busted, and I've
heard several things (like the Bluetooth headsets having their own
devices) that will actually make things easier, when I get to that.

Well, I've filled your inboxes enough for now.  I'm sure I'll have some
more specific questions soon.

Again, thanks a bunch for your help!

- Mark (TD)

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