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[whistler]

AmbienceFX Mod v1.5
Because Music is powerful stuff



==========================================================
 AmbienceFX Mod v1.5 for IL-2 Sturmovik 1946 by whistler (16-July-2017)
==========================================================

All tracks mixed from high-quality sources, edited with Audacity & CDex - MP3>RIFF 16bit Stereo, 22050hz, 64kbps

Download the mod from Mission4Today:

http://www.mission4today.com/index.php?name=Downloads&file=details&id=5346

You need a music randomizer for this mod to play properly. There are a few options out there but I strongly recommend the excellent Random playback of music mod by marcost.

I offer as alternative my 'Random Skies' mod, which I updated to include music randomizers.

=========================================
   Install instructions
=========================================

• Go to IL-2/samples/Music/
  
  
• Rename the folders Crash, InFlight, Menu and TakeOff to:
  (note the preceding minus sign)
  
  -Crash
  -InFlight
  -Menu
  -TakeOff
  
  
• Copy/move the folders Crash, InFlight, Menu and TakeOff from this mod to IL-2/samples/Music/

=========================================
   In-Game Instructions
=========================================

• Run Il-2
  
  
• Go to Setup -> Sound Setup -> General and activate (switch up)
  
  Play Music
  
  
• Go to Setup -> Sound Setup -> Music and activate (switch up)
  
  Play 'take-off' tracks
  Play 'in-flight' tracks
  Play 'crash' tracks
  
  
• Have fun!

=========================================
   Menu music
=========================================
Menu music packs out there are normally compilations from different sources and volume and quality (not to talk about some weird song choices) vary greatly from track to track. Tracks get repetitive rapidly, some song choices become bothersome and we end up disabling the music.

Let's use just one song. A good menu song for our IL-2 menu.

I propose Ennio Morricone's Humanity (Part 2) from the original The Thing soundtrack. But let's not use all of it, we only need the quiet but unsettling over-present heart beat... let's create a subtle but uncomfortable atmosphere, just like if something is about to happen any time...

I include 4 copies of the same menu track in this mod:

- Menu/de.wav
- Menu/ja.wav
- Menu/ru.wav
- Menu/us.wav

=========================================
   Take-off, In-flight and Crash tracks
=========================================
Take-off, in-flight and crash tracks do not work in all maps. Do not ask me why but it seems it has to do with each particular map and/or mission and how that map or mission was created. Tracks work in most maps though, in my experience. Take-off, in-flight and crash tracks always play in a-z order unless you use a mod that adds a random factor. Since tracks are not played randomly we always listen to the same tracks in the same order again and again.

Let's then use randomizers! (see top of the page)

The mission loads and you are welcomed by the (intro) drum roll by John Williams' Hymn to the Fallen track from the Saving Private Ryan's soundtrack. A call to arms! the mission begins! and then... silence. Make yourself comfortable in your cockpit, look around and listen to the airfield sounds (if the mission maker added any) but don't go too easy pilot! Listen to your engine's start up roar and get ready for you are sitting there for a reason: war! A well known tune kicks in and you are urged to move on. Taxi to take-off position and wait your turn. There is no going back now. Push throttle forwards and ride pilot! Ride!

I include 15 take-off tracks in this mod:

- TakeOff/AmbienceFX_Bizet_Carmen-Prelude.wav
- TakeOff/AmbienceFX_Khatchatourian_Sabre-Dance.wav
- TakeOff/AmbienceFX_Mozart_The-Marriage-of-Figaro.wav
- TakeOff/AmbienceFX_Offenbach_Can-Can.wav
- TakeOff/AmbienceFX_Prokofiev_Montagues-and-Capulets.wav
- TakeOff/AmbienceFX_Ravel_Bolero.wav
- TakeOff/AmbienceFX_Rossini_The-Barber-of-Seville-Overture.wav
- TakeOff/AmbienceFX_Rossini_William-Tell-Overture.wav
- TakeOff/AmbienceFX_Strauss_Radetzky-March.wav
- TakeOff/AmbienceFX_Strauss_The-Blue-Danube.wav
- TakeOff/AmbienceFX_Suppe_Light-Cavalry-Overture.wav
- TakeOff/AmbienceFX_Tchaikovsky_1812-Overture.wav
- TakeOff/AmbienceFX_Verdi_Aida-Grand-March.wav
- TakeOff/AmbienceFX_Vivaldi_Summer-Presto.wav
- TakeOff/AmbienceFX_Wagner_Ride-of-the-Valkyries.wav

Most of these tracks were written in the 19th century or early 20th and these classical compositions perfectly fit all aviation eras. Sure, WWI aircraft were not equipped with radios but who is to tell canvas pilots did not have some of these instrumental music pieces playing in their minds during battles?

I admit I committed some sacrileges in the mixing room but hey, anything for our beloved IL-2

---------------------------
   In-Flight
---------------------------
Take-off tracks automatically quit as soon as you gain some distance from the airfield and the IL-2 engine moves to the In-Flight tracks. We do not need songs here (we can use radio broadcasts if the mission maker added any). But there is something that should be there no matter what: wind. A two-minute track of stereo wind blowing plays for the rest of the mission. In-cockpit engines noise will overlap any wind sound but you will hear it if you listen carefully. Wind sounds get more prominent as soon as you switch to external views and it adds a layer of height, loneliness and vastness that wasn't there before. You truly now are up there in the sky.

The track included is:

- InFlight/AmbienceFX_Wind-Blowing.wav

---------------------------
   Landing
---------------------------
Since the game does not allow for Landing tracks, take-off tracks will play again during landing. Not much can be done about this, but the take-off tracks fit also well during landing.

---------------------------
   Crash
---------------------------
The game is over and it is time to think what went wrong. Another familiar classical tune will play in the background along with the wind while you watch your pilot slowly glide safely to the ground. Just like in any sad movie end credits, you can now follow the aftermath of the battle or review the mission accomplishments with a sorrow symphony playing in the background.

I include 5 Crash tracks in this mod:

- Crash/AmbienceFX_Bach_Toccata-e-Fuga.wav
- Crash/AmbienceFX_Barber_Adagio-for-Strings.wav
- Crash/AmbienceFX_Beethoven_Moonlight-Sonata.wav
- Crash/AmbienceFX_Mozart_Lacrimosa-Introitus.wav
- Crash/AmbienceFX_Schubert_Ave-Maria.wav

=========================================

Hope you enjoy it - all the best - whistler

[whistler]

boog2006 posted a comment at Mission4Today, but since uploaders cannot reply to reviews, I post the reply here.

Please no wind effects as music

Good but...

You forgot that "us.wav" or "jp.wav" will play if a Pacific Fighters map is selected in QMB . So with your sound pack, selecting a Pacific map will revert the menu music back to stock for those.

Also, I turned off the in-flight "music". The wind sound is not right IMHO. It sounds like a blizzard outside. At 300 mph, the noise from wind turbulence will have a higher frequency than atmospheric wind.

I wish you would find a nice in-flight music track to play and leave sound effects to the various sound effects packs.

I like the takeoff track... Very Happy

boog2006, if you are around, thanks for the review! Regarding us.wav or jp.wav, I could not replicate what you mention in my install. What IL-2 version, mod-pack (if any) and map? I noticed that some tracks stick to the cache and a system restart is sometimes required.

The wind sound is not right IMHO. It sounds like a blizzard outside. At 300 mph, the noise from wind turbulence will have a higher frequency than atmospheric wind.

I agree! This mod is my take to improve immersion and not realism. The wind sound you are referring to would only add background white-noise (your brain won't like it unless you are sitting in the real thing) and I opted for something more elaborated that could fit both in-cockpit and in external views. Luckily we can add/delete enable/disable sounds at will

[SAS~Storebror]

Hi whistler,

Thanks for sharing your mod.
I like the idea and I also like the results and understand the reason why you did it the way you did it.
boog's comment about PF maps in QMB... no clue.

The file could be hosted on a less vindictive site but hey, that's nitpicking

Best regards - Mike

[whistler]

Thanks Mike and please, nobody quote or try to interpret here what boog2006 says, I just wanted to have the chance to clarify some points with the reviewer.

[whistler]

boog2006 at Mission4Today pointed out some Pacific Fighters maps will use US.wav and JA.wav (not jp.wav) menu tracks and he is correct, I  noticed it when finishing some missions in stock Okinawa and Hawaii maps. In v1.1 I include copies of US.wav and JA.wav tracks. Thanks boog2006!

Do Take-Off, In-Fligh and Crash tracks play at random after all? I have no idea! but I now notice sometimes the intro Take-Off I included in the initial download does not play at all and the second track plays straight away. Other times I hear nothing, since I also included a silent track, is this track possibly playing first?

In v1.1 I include only one mixed Take-Off track and two Crash tracks, one with the loud and heavy crash sound and one without it. Pick your winner! or use both. This seems to fix some issues but still, music tracks in IL-2 remain a kind of a mystery to me...

Delete all previous tracks if you update to v1.1

[whistler]

I read somewhere tracks should be under 5mb! Why? Never explained... but I re-sampled (from original high-quality sources) the Take-Off and Crash tracks down to 22050hz/64kbps to decrease their size and it seems I am getting a better rate of success in more maps. Is there a link between track file size and memory allocation? I don't know but quality remained the same, to my ears anyway, and I converted all tracks to 22050hz/64kbps.

This project is now complete and version 1.2 is final. Promised!

[max_thehitman]

This sounds like an exiting new mod. I will give it a try. 
Many thanks Whistler !

[SAS~Malone]

very cool!
lol, should add 'Taps' or something similar, to play when your pilot is killed ...

[whistler]

ahahaha right, that crash sound does not belong on this mod anyway

Lessons are now learned and there is MUCH more that must be done... WIP.

[whistler]

AmbienceFX Mod v1.5
Because Music is powerful stuff

You will need a music randomizer. Make sure to check the first post!

Tracks included:

- Menu/de.wav
- Menu/ja.wav
- Menu/ru.wav
- Menu/us.wav

- TakeOff/AmbienceFX_Bizet_Carmen-Prelude.wav
- TakeOff/AmbienceFX_Khatchatourian_Sabre-Dance.wav
- TakeOff/AmbienceFX_Mozart_The-Marriage-of-Figaro.wav
- TakeOff/AmbienceFX_Offenbach_Can-Can.wav
- TakeOff/AmbienceFX_Prokofiev_Montagues-and-Capulets.wav
- TakeOff/AmbienceFX_Ravel_Bolero.wav
- TakeOff/AmbienceFX_Rossini_The-Barber-of-Seville-Overture.wav
- TakeOff/AmbienceFX_Rossini_William-Tell-Overture.wav
- TakeOff/AmbienceFX_Strauss_Radetzky-March.wav
- TakeOff/AmbienceFX_Strauss_The-Blue-Danube.wav
- TakeOff/AmbienceFX_Suppe_Light-Cavalry-Overture.wav
- TakeOff/AmbienceFX_Tchaikovsky_1812-Overture.wav
- TakeOff/AmbienceFX_Verdi_Aida-Grand-March.wav
- TakeOff/AmbienceFX_Vivaldi_Summer-Presto.wav
- TakeOff/AmbienceFX_Wagner_Ride-of-the-Valkyries.wav

- InFlight/AmbienceFX_Wind-Blowing.wav

- Crash/AmbienceFX_Bach_Toccata-e-Fuga.wav
- Crash/AmbienceFX_Barber_Adagio-for-Strings.wav
- Crash/AmbienceFX_Beethoven_Moonlight-Sonata.wav
- Crash/AmbienceFX_Mozart_Lacrimosa-Introitus.wav
- Crash/AmbienceFX_Schubert_Ave-Maria.wav