Back using FSX, and being totally amazed plane watching,....

[Sesquashtoo 2,846]

A while ago, I had sold my copy of FSX to a friend of mine. He used it since my selling it to him, but then decided to go back to FS9, full time for reasons of his own. He asked if I would 'be interested' in buying FSX back from him. (Read between the lines....;) ) and I said "..no problem."Well...I have had it for about a week back installed upon my hard-drive. With absolutely no tweaks, and a .cfg file set up upon the fresh install and then applying SP1, have had no issues. I just wanted to share an experience with using FSX, (in fact it (FSX DELUXE) is on pause right now so I could post this).Absolutely loving the Constellation from HIGH FLIGHT SIMULATIONS, in FS2004---I downloaded the same for use in FSX. I have taken quite a few flights with it, and am enjoying it just as much in FSX as in FS2004.I was just heading out tonight from KLAX (Los Angeles Intl.) with intentions of flying to Phoenix, Arizona--- and upon taxiing to 24L, at around 17:10 hours, I decided to not take off, but plane watch tonight, instead.I had REAL WEATHER doing its thing (great cloudscape tonight over KLAX and the Valley), with A.I. Smooth v1.20 doing its thing also, and made my way out towards the end of runway 24L, near the fuel bunkers. Dusk was just starting to take over the sim, and here following, are my comments.--------------------------------I am sitting here watching one of the most ***realistic airport operations***, I have EVER seen on a simulation. A.I. Smooth is simply a **MUST HAVE (version 1.20)** and because it is dusk, I can see the inbound flights being stacked in a hold pattern over Van Nuys and Encino (I used to live there...) Those two places are in the 'Valley. The San Andrea Mountains are just beyond that. I have been watching a quite fantastic scene of flights (brought to me by WORLD OF A.I.) being vectored to the holding pattern over the Valley, and then seeing one after another being finally vectored to intercept the initial fix for 24L. Again it is dusk, so you can see the navigation lights of the 'holds' and watch their movements within the holding pattern. I have not had ONE GO AROUND or two flights within 2 miles of each other once established upon the 24L glide-slope!!!I have also found that if you turn off both AUDIBLE and SCROLL message in A.I. Smooth, you pick up 2-3 FPS AND...you do not get the stutter and jump upon the screen when A.I. Smooth's printed scroll message appears in the upper section of the screen. In fact turning it off, makes for a much more immersing viewing experience as you watch the planes land and take off without prior benefit of knowing their liveries until you see them turn off at the end of the runway. This is very much, enjoyable!So...if you have FSX, A.I. Smooth v1.20, as well as a full load of A.I. aircraft, I invite you tonight to take a hour or more AT DUSK, and place yourself at the end, and off to the side of 24L, and with the TOWER tuned into your radio---sit back and enjoy the show. It is simply amazing to see!!! FSX's KLAX at around 17:00 hours is a very busy place, landing and taking off. One final thing, it is so truly IMMERSIVE AND ENTERTAINING to listen to the cockpit calls for take-off clearance (TOWER FREQ) where you see the different logos of the airlines, and then hear where they are out-bound to. Already I have heard Air Lingus to Dublin, Southwest to Phoenix, Oakland, Ontario (California), American to Detroit, an American heavy bound for Heathrow and one to Hawaii, and on and on. :)This is as much fun---with all the FSX ground/service traffic coming and going as actually being P.I.C. on a flight. Tonight especially, KLAX is simply magnificent to watch--and enjoy! Sip a coffee, turn on your scanner, by keeping one engine (the fourth of my Connie) running for the generator, and have a go....With all of this happening on screen, (looking towards the 24L threshold and holding area, with everything in view happening on the ground and in the sky) I am averaging about 10-12 FPS on my Pent. 4 3.4GHz, and that is enough FSP 'push' to make all go smooth as cream.Enjoy all!Mitch R.

[Geofa 108]

Mitch-nice to see ya!I did a somewhat modest upgrade from a Pent. 3.4 a couple months ago to a duo core 6750 and 8800 gt card-now it is 35-45 fps 96 % of the time, higher up to 100 3% of the time, and low 20's in New York-with autogen trees maxed and 30% on all traffic settings-all other sliders almost full right, water low 2.x. This also includes every ex add in (gex,utx,fex,asx,), mytraffic-additional cars on additional roads with utx etc.We will have to get together some time for a Baron shared flight!http://www.mediafire.com/imgbnc.php/1b5baf...b9f427f694g.jpgMy blog:http://geofageofa.spaces.live.com/

[Sesquashtoo 2,846]

>Mitch-nice to see ya!>>I did a somewhat modest upgrade from a Pent. 3.4 a couple>months ago to a duo core 6750 and 8800 gt card-now it is 35-45>fps 96 % of the time, higher up to 100 3% of the time, and low>20's in New York-with autogen trees maxed and 30% on all>traffic settings-all other sliders almost full right, water>low 2.x. This also includes every ex add in>(gex,utx,fex,asx,), mytraffic-additional cars on additional>roads with utx etc.>>We will have to get together some time for a Baron shared>flight!>>>--------------------------------------------------Hi Geofa,Yeah...(toes scuffing the ground)...I'm having quite a bit of fun with FSX at present. I guess in the final mix, there is room for both on my hard drive. Sheesh.....lol!Your post has made me drool...but financially at present, I'll have to do with what my Pent. 4 can throw at me. BUT...I most likely will be following you down that upgrade path, whenever! With the performance you post, you must be in Heaven!!!The Baron 'check-ride' sounds fantastic and will be much looked forward to! Most kind of you to offer, Geofa! Friday-Sunday morn is best for me, if that is also convenient for yourself. :)Cheers, and now back to taking my position off of 24L.... :)Mitch

[timest 472]

It's nice to see threads like this for a change ;)Congrats. :D

[LAdamson 240]

> I guess in the final mix, there is>room for both on my hard drive. Sheesh.....lol!>Good to see the change of heart; and IMO, it's the best way...You don't have to leave FS9 for FSX, or FS9/FSX for X-Plane.L.Adamson --- FS9/FSX/X-Plane

[Mace 1,902]

>>With all of this happening on screen, (looking towards the 24L>threshold and holding area, with everything in view happening>on the ground and in the sky) I am averaging about 10-12 FPS>on my Pent. 4 3.4GHz, and that is enough FSP 'push' to make>all go smooth as cream.>I didn't realize you were running that nice big monitor with a P4! You could upgrade that cheap, very cheaply...RhettAMD 3700+ (@2585 mhz), eVGA 7800GT 256 (Guru3D 93.71), ASUS A8N-E, PC Power 510 SLI, 2gb Corsair XMS 3-3-3-8 (1T), WD 150 gig 10000rpm Raptor, WD 250gig 7200rpm SATA2, Seagate 120gb 5400 rpm external HD, CoolerMaster Praetorian

[Sesquashtoo 2,846]

Yeah...thank GAWD for the monitor! :)I will be Rhett, surely but for now, I do go into the 22's-25's when at regional airports and mostly that in the air. The low figure was with all you-know-what breaking loose at KLAX at 17:00 hours. :)That FPS figure was driving things along OK, as I was merely an observer to all the action.I'm spending my time reading all the folk's upgrade comments and filtering what I would like to see for my next sim-rig.My digital Grand Piano recently had a keyboard failure, and I have to attend to that as I play mostly every day. That is my 'financial limitation' that I stated when posting back to Geofa for upgrading my computer at this time. He and I are both musicians. :) It (my Grand) has precedence over my flight simming for the buck-road. :)Cheers,Mitch

[Geofa 108]

Mitch-how can you let a musical instrument get in the way of flight simming! :-lolhttp://www.mediafire.com/imgbnc.php/1b5baf...b9f427f694g.jpgMy blog:http://geofageofa.spaces.live.com/

[Sesquashtoo 2,846]

>Mitch-how can you let a musical instrument get in the way of>flight simming! :-lol-----------------------------(..busting a gut laughing at the above... :) )Hey Geofa...YOU of all people, lol, should know that the passion of music and the pursuit of it...comes even from within the womb itself. I have been playing piano since about 3 years of age...WAY...before even calculators made the scene...LOLOLOLOL!I KNOW....you KNOW...e-x-a-c-t-l-y (ROTFLMBO) what I am talking about. Hey...sell that violin for $$$ and create a cockpit downstairs...LOL. Yeah...right...: NOT!My father and mother had a seasonal box at the Hollywood Bowl back in L.A., and we practically lived there on the weekends. I also remember living in the Hollywood Hills and my sister and I would climb up onto our Ranch-Style home's roof and if the wind was right, we could hear a concert in progress. Man, that was a great part of my life. My sister also plays piano as well. I can't tell you how many wax, green Hollywood bowls I have from those machines on the ramps leading into it. Come to think of it...hmmm..I wonder if I still have any kicking around... Back then it was a hoot to put in your 25 cents (big money then..lol) and watch the machine create your green-molded 'Bowl...and then drop it out of the chute near the bottom. That was right up there with Knot's Berry Farm and all the locomotives! Hey..I was 10 years old...so you have to understand...lol. This stuff was HUGE! :)Cheers and here's a glass to the music we create...may it never end!Mitch

[Mace 1,902]

>>My digital Grand Piano recently had a keyboard failure, and I>have to attend to that as I play mostly every day. That is my>'financial limitation' that I stated when posting back to>Geofa for upgrading my computer at this time. He and I are>both musicians. :) It (my Grand) has precedence over my flight>simming for the buck-road. :)>>Wow, I didn't know that. Feel free to advise me on a reasonable starter-type keyboard to buy. I have always wanted to buy one... but never have.It might be neat to play something, make a MIDI file out of it, and then store it on my computer for later playback as a .mid file. I could say, "that's me!". Is that possible?RhettAMD 3700+ (@2585 mhz), eVGA 7800GT 256 (Guru3D 93.71), ASUS A8N-E, PC Power 510 SLI, 2gb Corsair XMS 3-3-3-8 (1T), WD 150 gig 10000rpm Raptor, WD 250gig 7200rpm SATA2, Seagate 120gb 5400 rpm external HD, CoolerMaster Praetorian

[Geofa 108]

We must have been close when growing up-I was in San Diego.Spent a week at the Hollywood bowl in August, 1994-sounds like a long time ago!http://www.mediafire.com/imgbnc.php/1b5baf...b9f427f694g.jpgMy blog:http://geofageofa.spaces.live.com/

[Dewey 0]

Who is the manufacturer of your Grand, Mitch? Are you satisfied with the sampled sounds?I play a Yamaha keyboard. One of its voices is a Grand Piano. I think it's close, but maybe not close enough for someone who actually plays a Grand. It would be interesting to see.One of my hobbies is arranging songs, recording all the parts with different instrument voices, and putting them on CD. My sister and I compose songs, and I arrange, play and record them.It's amazing what you can do with digital voices, and it's a fun and satisfying creative outlet.Dewey

[n4gix 4,947]

>My digital Grand Piano recently had a keyboard failure, and I>have to attend to that as I play mostly every day. That is my>'financial limitation' that I stated when posting back to>Geofa for upgrading my computer at this time. He and I are>both musicians. :) It (my Grand) has precedence over my flight>simming for the buck-road. :)Ouch! It's nice to know other simmers who're musicians. I've been a semi-pro concert organist for nearly thirty years, having begun study when I was ten.I've got over ten grand invested in my Conn Artist three manual console. I gutted the electronics about ten years ago and 'MIDIfied' it. Each key/pedalboard has its own P4 computer running WinXP and a customised jOrgan controller program. Each machine has its own SoundBlaster Live card, and the output of each is fed through a mixer to an 800 watt/channel organ amp.The jOrgan controller basically sets up an onscreen console, complete with "drawknobs" and "couplers". It also features 30 programmable "preset combinations". I mostly use a custom soundfont that has been "rearranged" and "remixed" to provide more realistic "stops" with some intriguing mutations.Best of all, with literally hundreds of soundfont samples available, I can 'virtually' play many of the best pipe organs in the world! ;)If you can play an .mp3 file, here is a sample from my 'virtual pipe organ.'Processional from Judas Maccabaeus: George Frederick HandelStately march showing off quite a dynamic range. Impulse reverberation added. Instrument: The Casavant Fr

[Sesquashtoo 2,846]

>>>>My digital Grand Piano recently had a keyboard failure, and>I>>have to attend to that as I play mostly every day. That is>my>>'financial limitation' that I stated when posting back to>>Geofa for upgrading my computer at this time. He and I are>>both musicians. :) It (my Grand) has precedence over my>flight>>simming for the buck-road. :)>>>>>>Wow, I didn't know that. Feel free to advise me on a>reasonable starter-type keyboard to buy. I have always wanted>to buy one... but never have.>>It might be neat to play something, make a MIDI file out of>it, and then store it on my computer for later playback as a>.mid file. I could say, "that's me!". Is that possible?>>>Rhett>>AMD 3700+ (@2585 mhz), eVGA 7800GT 256 (Guru3D 93.71), ASUS>A8N-E, PC Power 510 SLI, 2gb Corsair XMS 3-3-3-8 (1T), WD 150>gig 10000rpm Raptor, WD 250gig 7200rpm SATA2, Seagate 120gb>5400 rpm external HD, CoolerMaster Praetorian------------------------------------------------------------Hi Rhett. You know Rhett (and we are probably going to get killed for a thread that has taken 'music to flight'...ok, ok..I couldn't RESIST!)...lol, but truly, music is such a personal pastime, that you truly need to go to a local instrument shop/piano store and allow the staff to take you through their stock---with hand's on by you. There are so many permutations in equipment--that for me to 'recommend' anything--would be redundant. Go at it...enjoy yourself, and know that as you learn to play music, your brain will be actually increasing in capacity, as you are for the most part learning a new language. Also, enhanced dexterity plays big for the bonus factor as wellI will tell you one cool instrument to play, and own if you wish. The flute! Yeppers, you can do classical, jazz, improv, all of it...and have an instrument that can be taken with ease to the beach, camping, to the lake/ocean-shore, or merely a jam-session at a friend's. I'm considering taking up the flute for the aforementioned reasons.Cheers!Mitch

[Sesquashtoo 2,846]

Hello Dewey,Roland Pianos is the manufacturer, and my exact model is the: Roland KR-377 Digital Grand.I use to have a Kurzweil, but sold that to a friend, and after auditioning Yamaha, and others, I went to a Roland seminar and in playing all of their Grand's, decided upon this one. The sampling is superb! On board sequencer, tens of features that I haven't even got around to yet, and I have owned it for about 6 years. The failure I have mentioned with the keyboard, is perhaps that I have a rather aggressive style of play, and most likely contributed to it. It (the keyboard) has been sent out, and being 'tuned' for returning to the key-bed. :) Can't wait...mid, this week.Mitch