ASA Discussion (split from New Blue Line Car Discussion)

Not to dig up an old topic...but I was riding home on the blue line last night - car 0717 - and the car was using a non Frank ASA. It may have been the original. Extremely smooth, clear, and well timed, and fewer of the annoying chimes in between each announcement. This system seems so much more superior to what they have been using with Frank's voice. Not sure why they don't just stick with it.

jdrinboston wrote:Not to dig up an old topic...but I was riding home on the blue line last night - car 0717 - and the car was using a non Frank ASA. It may have been the original. Extremely smooth, clear, and well timed, and fewer of the annoying chimes in between each announcement. This system seems so much more superior to what they have been using with Frank's voice. Not sure why they don't just stick with it.

I agree. I love his announcements on the red and green lines, but his voice on the blue line is so deep that the speakers crackle!

CircusFreakGRITZ wrote:

jdrinboston wrote:Not to dig up an old topic...but I was riding home on the blue line last night - car 0717 - and the car was using a non Frank ASA. It may have been the original. Extremely smooth, clear, and well timed, and fewer of the annoying chimes in between each announcement. This system seems so much more superior to what they have been using with Frank's voice. Not sure why they don't just stick with it.

I agree. I love his announcements on the red and green lines, but his voice on the blue line is so deep that the speakers crackle!

For me, it's not so much the voice, but the constant chimes. They're enough to drive you crazy after about two stops...

ns3010 wrote:

CircusFreakGRITZ wrote:

jdrinboston wrote:Not to dig up an old topic...but I was riding home on the blue line last night - car 0717 - and the car was using a non Frank ASA. It may have been the original. Extremely smooth, clear, and well timed, and fewer of the annoying chimes in between each announcement. This system seems so much more superior to what they have been using with Frank's voice. Not sure why they don't just stick with it.

I agree. I love his announcements on the red and green lines, but his voice on the blue line is so deep that the speakers crackle!

For me, it's not so much the voice, but the constant chimes. They're enough to drive you crazy after about two stops...

That too. I can't stand them either. Although, I seem to recall the other voice had the same amount of chimes. But I guess not!

The chimes are far worse on the buses--they go off every few seconds on routes that aren't express.

The bus chimes don't combine an obnoxious tone with obnoxious volume levels, though.

MBTA3247 wrote:The bus chimes don't combine an obnoxious tone with obnoxious volume levels, though.

Are you guys referring to the Stop Requested chimes?

MBTA uploaded a bunch of audio clips.

Why? No idea.

http://mbta.com/about_the_mbta/document ... name=Audio

Im sure someone will have fun with that.

jamesinclair wrote:MBTA uploaded a bunch of audio clips.

Why? No idea.

http://mbta.com/about_the_mbta/document ... name=Audio

Im sure someone will have fun with that.

It's part of their Accessibility page: http://www.mbta.com/riding_the_t/access ... p?id=19946

I had actually asked @mbtagm on Twitter maybe a year ago, when the Accessibility site for rapid transit would be done for precisely this reason (to download sound clips ). I'm disappointed there aren't any red line sounds though!

While on the Green Line today, the train I was riding was short-turned at Park Street. As we pulled into the station, the ASA played the exact same "This train is being taken out of service. We apologize for any inconvenience" announcement that the 01800s play when they arrive at Ashmont. How long have the Type 7s/8s had that particular recording in their systems? I don't recall ever hearing it before on the Green Line.

That announcement is pretty common at Government Center. I've never understood why it plays at Ashmont, though.

The announcement plays at Ashmont because the train is going to continue without passengers. And the announcement has been on the Green Line right along.

sery2831 wrote:The announcement plays at Ashmont because the train is going to continue without passengers. And the announcement has been on the Green Line right along.

In one of the interview videos of Frank Oglesby (the voice of the T) he said he recorded the Red Line announcements in 94, then "again" in the late 1990's along with the Green Line announcements.

I didn't ride the T much back then, but I would guess that the stops themselves "next stop, xxx" are from the original 94 recording, and "the destination of this train is..." announcements that play on ashmont- or braintree-bound trains at every stop are from the late 90's since his voice sounds deeper. Also, I believe the "this train is being taken out of service" message would have been recorded in the late 90's as well since it was not there originally and his voice also sounds deeper in that recording.