I noticed during the Euro GP a start sequence with a female voice was used. Can someone point me to where can I get a MP3 version of that sequence?
Thanks,
Scott
Scott, send me a copy if you find it. I had it a while back but must have deleted it. The voice is nice but the one second chimes get old real quick. I want to edit out the beeps.
Thanks,
John
Is that the one that starts–“Bowts to the wartuh!” with a great Aussie twang?
I have one without that annoying knocking noise. It has only the three required guns and the 10-=second countdown.
tomo,
can you email it to me…mjs82@georgetown.edu…
I agree the ticking sound of the metronome is very annoying…
If you don’t like the ticking, you’re gonna hate the beeps on the english woman version.
It sounds more like someone hitting a desk with a metal object than a metronome. The starting gun isn’t too defined either- it should be clearly heard, start at exactly zero, and last exactly 1 second. Most of the audible stuff isn’t correctly timed either, but it was probably about the best at the time. It’s odd that in this digital age, that a correctly-timed sequence hasn’t been made.
fwiw
Agrreed it should be any “easy thing” to make… but yet here we are…
I could see having the ticking on the last 10 seconds or so…but the entire 120 is too much…
According to the RRS:
Appendix E, Rule 26
Audible signals for starting a heat shall be at one-minute
intervals and shall be a warning signal, a preparatory signal and
a starting signal. During the minute before the starting signal,
oral signals shall be made at ten-second intervals, and during
the final ten seconds at one-second intervals. Each signal shall
be timed from the beginning of its sound.
Thus, a 60-second start is illegal, becase there’s no way to have the three signals at 1-minute intervals.
All this is enough for a fair start. No one should need a start timer on the radio, nor should there be any other audible signals between the warning and preperatory signals; a well-practiced skipper will know how many turns or how far the boat can go to take up the first minute. Keep in mind it’s a hobby and sport, not a science experiment.
Anything more, like some kind of annoying knocking, just makes things confusing. This must be one of the last leftovers from the Pre-Appendix E days, when there were things like “mast abeam” rules and so forth.
Rule 26 doesn’t define the starting signal; should it start at zero, or at 1 second, and what type/how long should it be? Should it be a tone, a bell, a gun, or what? Since it’s to be timed to the beginning of the sound, it should then begin at zero, and 1 second ought to be long enough, IMO.
fwiw
Wow, I did mean to start a metronome war
I have the AMYA guy and it works just fine, I just thought having a woman’s voice would be a nice change.
Scott
Sometimes a woman’s voice is easier to distinguish… :witch::sly: My GPS device has both male and voices, and it seems the femae voice is easier to make out with the window down and traffic noises, etc.
No, it’s not a sexy voice, just some sheila the developer had on hand, probably.
A two minute start sequence is the most desirable for serious regatta use.
(One minute is OK for club days with just a couple of starters.)
Originally it was desirable to have some sounds between the two and one minute signals to verify that the cassette tape was indeed still running.
With the introduction of CD and now Ipod media that is not now the reason. Now it is just a help to keep track of the sequence.
For the use of the sequence in match racing it is essential to have a clear signal at the ninety second mark as that is when both boats should enter the start area.
It is also helpful to have various signals as keys to your location within that first minute, so I not in agreement with TomoHawk on that point.
The start signal it`s self is on the ZERO and should be a sound signal of sufficient volume as to be clearly audible by all competitors.
It should be of short duration with a fast decay.
I had a sequence recorded in a studio some years ago by a “voice” during the making of some radio commercial or other.
We made the mistake of having music put behind the countdown and that has now been deleted. Trust me, do not put music with any start sequence you make.
If I can work out how to do it I will post my recording here for anyone to download as I think it is still one of the best I have heard.
Cheers, Ian.
No, sorry, I have the sequence stored as a “Windows Media Audio File” and that is not able to be uploaded here.:scared:
HELP, can any of the computer boffins here tell me what is the best way to give this file to the world, please. :graduate:
I don’t think you can post anything that big. Can you email it to me? We can also have it put on the website.
Our club just bought a start box. Simple controls, simple switches, very loud.
tallastro at gmail if you want to email it, thx
Ian,
If you can e-mail your version to tallastro, that would be great. I can then download it from his site.
Thanks,
Scott
I’m going to convert it from wma to mp3 and then give it to Charles. He’ll get it on the website somewhere.
The wma file type has the smaller size, but mp3 seems to be more compatible. Please convert to monophonic for an even smaller size. It’s not that big for 1 or two minutes of monophonic audio, anyway.
Did anyone ever upload a one minute, or even a two minute start sequence in MP3 format? Where? I know there used to be one on the AMYA site, but darned if I can find it now.
Here you go. One zip with 2 mp3’s, one with a female voice with a metronome, and one without metronome.
The markers are:
1 minute
50 seconds
40 seconds
30 seconds
20 seconds
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Bang!
If someone wants a 2 minute countdown, let me know. Also what markers you want.
Only to add, that the reason for a slightly longer start sequence is to allow the previous class to clear the starting area before the next classes’ starting sequence began. Even in big boats, a very late starter usually was sufficient to confuse the race committee, and when you get “them” confused, … well, you know !