BKSQ C208 sound
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Hello Black Square,
I would like to provide some feedback regarding the sound design of the Caravan Professional.
I have extensive real-world experience with the Cessna 208 Caravan, so I am particularly sensitive to the characteristic sound and behaviour of the PT6A-114A and propeller system.
Overall, I appreciate the work that has gone into the Boris Audio Works sound package. However, there are three specific areas where, in my experience, the simulation does not reproduce the real aircraft convincingly enough:
- Propeller feather
full fine pitch
The transition between feathered and full fine pitch does not sound like the real Caravan to me. On the real aircraft, the change in propeller loading and the resulting change in the PT6’s acoustic signature are very distinctive. The transition feels more like a change between audio layers in the simulation than the progressive change in load and RPM that I hear in the real aircraft.
- Condition lever – GROUND IDLE FLIGHT IDLE
The change between Ground Idle and Flight Idle is also very noticeable on the real aircraft. The change in engine/propeller behaviour produces a characteristic change in pitch, loading and overall sound.
In the simulation, the difference feels too subtle and/or too linear compared with the real Caravan.
- Engine start with the propeller feathered
This is probably the most obvious difference to my ears.
During a real start with the propeller feathered, the acoustic transition as the PT6 accelerates and the propeller subsequently comes out of feather and begins to load the engine is very characteristic. You can clearly hear the transition from the relatively unloaded turbine during spool-up to the engine/propeller combination coming alive.
In the Caravan Professional, this transition does not sound quite right to me. The change seems too abrupt or lacks the characteristic progressive loading of the propeller.
I am not suggesting that the recordings themselves are poor. Rather, I suspect that the issue may be the way the various recordings/layers are blended according to the simulated propeller and engine states.
Since the Caravan Professional has such a detailed simulation of the propeller governor, feathering and beta range, I think these acoustic transitions could potentially be made considerably more convincing.
I would be very interested to know whether these areas are already being considered for future sound improvements.
I am happy to provide more detailed observations based on my experience with the real C208 if that would be useful.
- Propeller feather
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I know there were some improvements implemented after initial release already. I don't have a lot of experience around caravan's but I do agree the sounds you mentioned were surprising to me too when compared to other Black Square PT6 engine sounds. I hate to speculate, but it does sound like Boris has a lot on his plate especially right now. Hopefully we can see an update in the future.
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Thanks for the honest reply. I appreciate it.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who found some of those sounds surprising compared with the other Black Square PT6 aircraft.
Hopefully Boris will have the opportunity to revisit them in a future update. I know these details can be difficult to get right, but the engine and propeller sounds make such a big difference to the overall immersion.
