LokSound DCC Sound Decoder Installation in a HO Scale GP9

Installation of a LokSound V4.0 DCC sound decoder in an Athearn Genesis Rio Grande GP9 HO scale model train engine. This installation uses a Rail Master 8 ohm speaker. A comparison between the LokSound decoder and a factory equipped Athearn Genesis GP9 with an OEM Tsunami decoder can also be heard.

[@DGModelworks]

Nice clean install and sounds great! Once I bought first Loksound decoder, I've been a fan ever since.

[@Modeltrains]

Thanks Deryk. Me too.

[@Mumbles19852007]

I have 4 of the athearn RTR SD50s with DCC and sound. I am impressed with the econami sound quality. Now, I also bought a scale trains SD40-2 with the loc sound dcc in it. Wow. I'm amazed at the sound quality with the loc sound.

[@CarminesRCTipsandTricks]

That Atheren Geep Seven is a seriously well detailed locomotive! WAY out of my price range, but I do enjoy seeing them. Great little workhorse too! Also cool, is they're nearly appropriate for any era from the mid-50's to Present. They just keep going! I really love those Lok-Sound decoders too! Even better than the obviously great sound, is the amazing low speed control. Possibly the BEST in the industry!!! ~ Carmine

[@Modeltrains]

Carmine, thanks for the feedback on the video, the Athearn Rio Grande GP9, and the LokSound decoder. Cheers, Kevin

[@mikelucas2309]

WICKARD DUDE! Am about to embark on my first experiences in model railway and find your videos the best. Look forward to more from you.

[@Modeltrains]

Mike, thanks for the nice compliment on my videos. More are coming soon. Cheers, Kevin

[@Nerfball6]

Thanks so much for your video and help!! I was successful in adding DCC with sound into my GP9 thanks to this! I now have my first DCC loco.

[@Modeltrains]

+Nerfball6 That's great! Glad to hear this worked out well for you. Cheers, Kevin

[@struck2soon]

Great sound from that decoder, it replicates the 567 engine well making your GP7 sound very realistic. Just need to get rid of that plastic shine on the loco now!

[@Modeltrains]

+struck2soon Thanks. I think is sounds pretty good too. Agree on the plastic shine. One of these days I'll get around to weathering all my engines. Cheers, Kevin

[@stephenc2738]

Thanks for the informative video. Some advice - 1st turn off the music, 2nd while you can see it we can't, change the camera angle and lighting, most of the time your hands are in front of the camera.

[@el_cuh_9094]

Thank you this was really helpful am young and getting into the hobby!

[@ScottDowneywoundedbear]

Loksound decoders sound really nice compared other brands. Scott

[@Modeltrains]

Scott, thanks. I agree that Lok Sound sounds great. Using a larger speaker will also improve the sound. Cheers, Kevin

[@ianisaacs2340]

Sounds awesome! Love the M3 horn🤙

[@ianisaacs2340]

Loksound wins because the m3!!!

[@Modeltrains]

Ian, thank you for the feedback. Cheers, Kevin.

[@rvooyen]

The lights fade in and out because of a small keep-alive circuit in the decoder, typically sound decoders have this to overcome very short power dips that would effect the sound. At least this is how I believe it is. :) Thanks Robert

[@atsf3780]

The lights fade in and out because they are set to do that by default on the decoder. There is no built in capacitor on the Loksound decoders. You can program the light outputs to shut off instantly when the headlight function is pressed, or keep the fade in/fade out to emulate older incandescent headlight bulbs.

[@PennCentral99]

nice install, seemed pretty easy. lots of good things about LokSound, going to try one someday. you should consider soldering all the wires to the board, those little plastic clips are not very reliable for electrical contact.

[@Modeltrains]

Thanks. I've actually never had any problems with the plastic clips. Agree that soldering the wire would eliminate the possibility that they might come loose in the future. If I start having problems with them coming off, that's probably what I would do. Cheers, Kevin.

[@MultiMusicianman]

Great Demonstration.

[@Modeltrains]

Thanks. Glad you enjoyed the video. Cheers, Kevin

[@Modeltrains]

Manolo, I'm using JMRI to program my LokSound decoder too and haven't have any issues. LokSound does make their own programmer that is really nice but I haven't invested in it yet. Maybe if I get a chance I'll do a short video on programming a LokSound decoder using JMRI. Cheers, Kevin

[@ClassIRailroader]

I see. it's face down because it gives that a muffled noise and that's sorta what they actually sound like. ps how much is that decoder?

[@Modeltrains]

IAISICE trainmodeler About $100.

[@ClassIRailroader]

thanks

[@corkyn34]

Very nice how-to. I'd like to hear Loksound in person. I wonder if one reason the soundtraxx loco doesn't sound as good is because the speaker is inferior? Also, on my tsunami equipped engines, I used decoder pro to set the headlight type to "dynalight" I think it was called. This gave them the slow on/off effect.

[@hovermotion]

Nice install.

[@Modeltrains]

Thanks.

[@KflanntheRailfan]

Great video, I recently purchased an athearn Genesis GP9, NKP 514, yeah really wanted that one, now I am going to purchase the decoder, I am a year into DCC conversion and still on one engine and still somewhat new, so this was a great instructional video on how to install the decoder. How hard is it to program to the 567? My other questions the engine that I have been working on is a PROTO 2000 GP38-2 D&H engine, i have gotten the decoders hooked up and had to modify the weight. Have you dealt with PROTOS yet and what sound decoder would you recommend, the speaker is the hardest thing to put in. I believe it is the 645 non turbo engine. Any info would b great.

[@ACLTony]

Good vid! The issue that absolutely ANNOYS me with the Tsunami is the annoying triple "pop-off" sound. Many prototype 1st and 2nd generation locomotives, with worn air let off valves, emitted single pop-offs that lasted from 1 to 4 seconds. Some with higher tones (like what's heard on the Tsu-2) but many with lower huskier tones. The constant "Ch!-Ch!-Ch!" from the Tsu-2 can become quite annoying. With Loksound, you can upload different air let off schemes from a variety of units. The Baldwin air let off schemes, imho, sound the most realistic as they're actually low toned and have a bit of bass and reverb to them.

[@sandersvillemodelrr7539]

hey thanks for the video great stuff have 1 question the purple wire is that used for anything ? asking because im trying to hook up same decoder per instructions says there a blue wire for the lights but cant find. in trying to hook up the ditch lights

[@abrahamhernandez5977]

hello I have a dda40x brand bachmann is a DCC on board but it has no sound where I can buy it? Thank a lot

[@jonnyspeed]

Thanks for the video. I don't mean any offense by this comment, but I don't think the RailMaster speakers are doing your decoder justice. I have heard LokSound decoders using cube speakers or even iPhone speakers that sound better. The LokSound is superior to the Tsunami IMHO, but you wouldn't really know with the RailMaster in there. Not trying to nit-pick, just sharing with you in case you want to experiment with different speakers. I'm going to try one with a pair of iPhone speakers and see how it goes.

[@Modeltrains]

No offense taken. Thanks for the information. I haven't tried many different speakers and certainly haven't done any type of controlled test to see which speaker sounds the best for a specific decoder/sound file. Cheers, Kevin

[@CarminesRCTipsandTricks]

You will be a happy man indeed, after you try the newest breeds of "Sugar Cube" speakers - if you haven't already! I run two 11mm X 15mm Sugar Cubes in each of my sound-equipped locos (all FOUR of them - I'm poor). Anyway, the sound improvements are nothing short of phenomenal!! 😎😲😲😲 Crisper, more defined, more efficient, EVEN more Bass tones! Which I struggle to figure out WHY. Only caveat being that they HAVE to have a well sealed enclosure . It doesn't need to be large, just use (or make) an enclosure where the "box" is pretty much the same size as the speaker - basically the same width and length, but when done, the height will end up roughly Double. Don't worry though, because FOUR of those, with boxes, will be about the same size as ONE Railmaster Speaker!! 😉👍👍😎 If you already know this, maybe it can help one of your other subscribers. ~ Carmine

[@iflytango]

You unplugged wires to plug in the decoder. Do you just leave them under the body unpluged?

[@TNRailProductions_01]

Ok so I am planning on getting a Bachmann 2-8-0 dcc locomotive but with no sound. I want to add sound so would I program a sound decoder at my local hobby shop to steam effects and then replace the factory installed decoder with the sound one???

[@losi5ivet29cc]

I have a new version RTR SD40-2 that I put the Genesis conversion motor into I too am using a Loksound V4.0 decoder but I have switched to LEDs. My question is can I use the existing tabs or for the lights or no? I have read that you need to use the hole for the blue common on the positive but that's about it. How would you wire it up to still have separate functions of the head lights and ditch lights that is what is sort of confusing me. This is my first attempt at a DCC conversion so I'm pretty new to this. Thanks for any info you can provide? :)

[@TootnKumin]

I don't know whether you did this or not, but as you are not using the 9 pin socket and wires, cut or break the wires off at the lighting board. Gets rid of the clutter.

[@Modeltrains]

Ray, no I didn't cut the 9-pin wires off. I try to not modify my decoders unless I have too in case I remove this decoder at a later date and install it in a different engine. Cheers, Kevin

[@TootnKumin]

I have had to do so in a sound install so the shell would sit down. Thought I'd mention it in case another reader had the same situation and wondered.

[@commandertank2233]

Hello everyone! Quick question: which LokSound decoder would be best to upgrade a Walthers Mainline F7A Diesel Locomotive? Thanks for the wonderful video, and happy railroading!

[@salvatorericca8353]

I'd recommend the "Loksound Select", it's a great decoder and doesn't cost quite as much as the regular Loksound decoder.

[@commandertank2233]

@@salvatorericca8353 thanks for the help!

[@salvatorericca8353]

@@commandertank2233 My pleasure! I think you're going to be very pleased with that decoder. I've installed a number of them myself and they are terrific. Just be sure to get one that has the correct connector, i.e. 8-pin, 21-pin, 6-pin etc. Hardwiring can be done with some soldering and splicing of wires if your loco is not DCC ready, but if it is DCC ready, then just see what type of decoder connector you have inside the loco and buy the Loksound Select with the appropriate connector.

[@commandertank2233]

@@salvatorericca8353 cool, I'll give it a go! Any major differences with the decoders (Select vs. Select Direct vs. V 4.0)? Again, thanks for your input!

[@salvatorericca8353]

Commander Tank The select direct is a drop in decoder for locomotives with that size and shape of decoder that either screws down to the frame or clips onto the top of the motor. The select is also available in a totally different shape from the select direct with wire leads leading to a 6 or 8 pin plug, and I’m pretty sure it also has a version with a 21 pin decoder. To answer your question about what’s different between the select and loksound v4, the v4 allows you to upload your own sound files to it (like if you yourself made a recording of the locomotive you’re modeling), whereas the select will only let you upload sound files from loksound.com (which is what I and probably 99% of people do). Other than that they’re the same decoder essentially. FYI, the loksound v5 decoder is being released in the next few weeks so you might wanna wait and see what differences it has before you decide what to buy. But if it was me, I’d likely end up with the select like I said. I’ve installed the loksound v4 and the select directs, there’s no difference in performance between the two and the sound quality is the same. That’s why I recommend the direct over the loksound v4.

[@keithphillips1234]

So I’m so confused. I’m running a mrc tech 4 280 power rectifier and running older locomotives. I want sound, what do I need to purchase to get sound on my trains like this. I don’t want to change my locomotives or my power pack. Any advice would be great thank you.

[@Modeltrains]

Keith, you'll need to add a dual mode DCC sound decoder to your engine. Depending on what engine you have this could be very hard or very easy. Since you're not running DCC you'll need a sound decoder that says it works with DC as well as DCC. I don't run DC so I'm not familiar with which specific decoders would work for you. Hope this helps. Cheers, Kevin.

[@dacuzzz]

nice vinny

[@Modeltrains]

Thanks Vinny.

[@haywoodmckinnon4780]

Great video thanks for posting it. Just out of curiosity what happens to the ground wire?

[@Modeltrains]

Thanks. I didn't do anything with the ground wire. Just tucked it up into the engine.

[@manolo602]

Awesome video. Loksound decoders are great but I think it´s tricky to program. I´m using JMRI and programming Tsunami´s is easy but when programming a Loksound I´m lost, how to program the sounds volume, the prime mover notch...? Manolo

[@Nerfball6]

Sorry for all the questions ... did you secure the speaker and decoder inside the engine with anything, or did you just place everything inside loose when you put the shell back on?

[@Modeltrains]

+Nerfball6 I attached the speaker with a small piece of double stick foam tape. Depending on how tightly the speaker fits inside the shell you might not need that. Cheers, Kevin

[@Nerfball6]

+Scale Model Trains & Colorado's Joint Line Thanks for replying so quickly Kevin! I'll be placing it inside the same model Athearn Genesis GP9 so I'm glad I found your video. Did you tape the speaker to the plastic shield that the weight was originally sitting on? Did you leave it face down? or tape it face up? Lastly, do you know what the model number for the V4.0 decoder was that you used (was it the 54400)? Again, sorry for all the questions, and thanks so much for taking the time to answer them!! I was about to take this loco to a hobby shop and have it done, but seeing this video gave me the encouragement to try it myself.

[@Modeltrains]

+Nerfball6 No problem on the questions. I put the speaker in face down and taped the read of the speaker to the top inside of the shell. Unfortunately, I don't know the exact model of the decoder. One item to note is that on Athearn's RTR engines that are listed as sound ready, the way they made room for the speaker is by hollowing out the removable weight. You than then mount a very small speaker to the weight. Cheers, Kevin

[@Nerfball6]

+Scale Model Trains & Colorado's Joint Line Thanks again Kevin!! I just ordered the decoder and speaker. I'll let you know how it goes!

[@SuperFrecciaNera]

Hello. The Tsunami decoder not have a F key for startup and shutdown. It is true?

[@Modeltrains]

+SuperFrecciaNera I believe you are correct in that the Tusnami decoders do not have a start-up or shut down function key. They start up automatically either when track power is applied or when the locomotive is first commanded to do something depending on how you have it set up. They then power down after a period of inactivity depending on how long you have the quiet period time out set for. Hope this helps. Cheers, Kevin

[@SuperFrecciaNera]

Hello. I interfaced esu ecos 2 with JMRI. The locomotives with decoder tsunami finally have the startup and shutdown sequence if they controlled by JMRI controller with the PC keyboard. It is really very nice. You try.

[@Mumbles19852007]

Btw, I listen to rock 99% of the time. I don't mind the music. It kinda makes you stand out from others doing these type of videos. Had no problem understanding you or hearing what you said.

[@Nerfball6]

Did you notice any issues with the weight removed with performance of the loco? Is there any way to get more weight back into the loco after the speaker install?

[@Modeltrains]

+Nerfball6 No, I did not notice any change in performance of the locomotive. There is still some open space inside the shell that some weight could be added too. However, I haven't found the need to do so. Cheers, Kevin

[@donaldmoore8920]

I noticed that you prefer Loksound decoders. In your honest opinion is loksound better than soundtraxx sound decoders?

[@Modeltrains]

Donald, I think the sound the various sound decoders produce is a very personal thing. Some people have strong opinions as to whether a particular sound decoder replicates a given engine's sounds with any fidelity. For me, I think LokSound, Tusnami, WowSound, and Paragon all sound good to my ear. However, it is hard to beat LokSound's ability to update the software and sound files on their decoders using their LokProgramer. Having the ability to add new sounds or to entirely change the type of engine the decoder is replicating is a big advantage in my book. For that reason, I am installing LokSound decoders for any of my after market installs. Cheers, Kevin

[@Rebecca_The_Dragon]

do u need to do more soldering in order to have flashing ditch lights or does the nmra plug take care of that too?

[@Modeltrains]

It depends on the specific engine. Some engines are manufactured with each ditchlight wired separately and some other engines have their ditchlights wired together. If wired separately you shouldn't have to do anything except program the decoder so the ditchlights work the way you want them to. If wired together you'll have to rewire them so each ditchlight can be addressed as a separate function on the decoder. Though you might not have to do any soldering to do that. Hope this helps. Cheers, Kevin

[@DieselDog403]

I fully admit there were points in this video where I had to shift my focus to the heavy metal.

[@Modeltrains]

Thanks for the feedback on the video. Cheers, Kevin

[@gbaker51]

Hi, I just watched your video for the Loksound installation, Did a nice job on showing what to do and commatation. The only thing that I didn't like is the background music,makes it hard to concentrate on what your doing and saying. Other than that nice job.

[@Modeltrains]

Thanks for the compliment. Glad you liked the video. Copy on the music. Cheers, Kevin

[@TakeMeToChurchill]

This is probably a dumb question, but if I keep my E and F units coupled in 2-unit (with a few 3-coupled that include B units) sets permanently, is it viable to use 1 sound decoder with speakers in both engines? I'm totally new to the DCC thing so apologies for not knowing anything.

[@Modeltrains]

Joseph Ferrito Joseph, that's a great question. A single sound decoder will generally be capable of driving two speakers. However, you would have to run the speaker wires from the A unit into the B unit and have enough slack in the wire to account for the engines going around curves and be picked up and set down. Steam engines do something similar with a large speaker and decoder in the tender connected to the motor in the actual engine. However, doing this from scratch might be more trouble than its worth. In a lot of my multi engine consists I just have an engine with sound as the lead and rear engines with the others not having sound. Don't think that if you go with some sounds engines you have to put sound in all of them. By the way, welcome to the wonderful world of DCC. Cheers, Kevin

[@TakeMeToChurchill]

Scale Model Trains & Colorado's Joint Line Yeah I suppose that's true. If I just keep the sets permanently coupled then I might as well just have sound in the lead. Thanks for the tip!

[@Modeltrains]

Joseph Ferrito Anytime Joseph. Cheers, Kevin

[@DenverRailfanHD]

Nice video, have you ever tried to program custom sounds? I heard you can do that with the Loksound V4 decoders.

[@Modeltrains]

Thanks. No I haven't ever tried to upload custom sounds or change the sounds loaded on the LokSound board. Cheers, Kevin

[@Nerfball6]

Where did you end up putting the decoder before you put the shell on?

[@Modeltrains]

+Nerfball6 The decoder sits centerline with the engine. It was pretty easy to get the shell to fit over it. Cheers, Kevin

[@skinny7177]

What for dcc system do you run?

[@Modeltrains]

I'm currently using a Digitrax Duplex Radio Super Chief. I've also used ESU and NCE DCC systems in the past and they both work well also. Cheers, Kevin.

[@christianbzco6816]

please tell me which are the values ​​of q Jobs for machine functions about ? I have a Athearn RTR SD50 with LokSound and I can not make real good traction to ( fbk : christian bzco ) thanks

[@Modeltrains]

+Christian Bzco To adjust how the locomotive performs you need to adjust the values in the speed table or VMin (CV2), VMid (CV6) and VMax (CV5). You can also adjust the acceleration (CV3) and deceleration (CV4). If the engine is still not running the way you want it to, you can adjust Load compensation with 4 CVs (CV 52, CV 53, CV 54, CV 55). The ESU LokSound manual has a good explanation of how to do this manually if you aren't using Decoder Pro. You can download one from their website. Hope this helps, Cheers, Kevin

[@christianbzco6816]

gracias!!!! thanks!!!

[@Josedav3]

Thank you, but I had to turn it down to keep my nerves in check- please try again without the background racket...

[@seaboardspastic]

Is this installation the same as installing tsunami?

[@Modeltrains]

It is similar, but I don't believe any of the Tsunami decoders come prewired to an 8-pin connector. Its't not too hard to solder the wires to an 8-pin connector. Hope this helps. Cheers, Kevin

[@patrickhuff-HuffUniversity]

Nice presentation except for the annoying band noise. I am not sure how it adds to your video clip.

[@Modeltrains]

Dr, thanks for the feedback. This was one of my earlier videos and I hadn't got the sound levels figured out yet. Cheers, Kevin

[@TwinFun0327]

how do i install a loksound dual-mode decoder in a non-Dcc atlas locomotive?

[@Modeltrains]

You'll have to use a wiring harness or run wires from your LokSound decoder depending on the specific decoder you're using. On their website the LokSound manuals should have a diagram showing which wires attach to which parts of your non-DCC ready locomotive. Cheers, Kevin

[@TwinFun0327]

Scale Model Trains & Colorado's Joint Line thanks!

[@GaryCost]

Turn off the nerve racking head banging noise in the background!

[@gsound5094]

Good job with video but I couldn't agree more with distracting background noise.

[@parmadj]

I could barely hear the music. Quit being so nit-picky

[@therealskypilot]

The background music level ruined the video for me.

[@Modeltrains]

Thanks for the feedback. This is one of my earlier videos and I agree with you the background music is too loud. In most of my videos now I don't use background music, but when I do I have it at a lot lower volume and mute it when I'm talking. Cheers, Kevin

[@Modeltrains]

Thanks for the feedback. This is one of my earlier videos and I agree with you the background music is too loud. In most of my videos now I don't use background music, but when I do I have it at a lot lower volume and mute it when I'm talking. Cheers, Kevin

[@hartmutlorentzen9659]

The ESU-Loksound is better, but the horns of both decoders sound very poor.

[@steves4027]

I really wanted to hear what you had to say about the decoder installation, however the background music was so annoying that I tuned you out 10 seconds into the video. FYI you do not need any music, it Doesnt make the video cool despite being rock music. I’ll Listen to music videos if I want that

[@Modeltrains]

Thanks for the feedback on the music. Cheers, Kevin

[@Jhnnymck4]

This would be great if you cut out the background NOISE, yes I'm getting old!!

[@Modeltrains]

+J. McKinley Thanks for the feedback. This was one of the first videos I added background music too and I got it too loud. Cheers, Kevin

[@larrymonske8086]

computer laptop speakers many are good quality.

[@Modeltrains]

Thanks. I haven't tried those before. I'll have to check them out. Cheers, Kevin

[@Josedav3]

Background noise very irritating, please....

[@terryh5526]

I would have watched if it weren't for the annoying music.

[@AnthonyStone-dn9ym]

Information?? Cool!!!! Music in back ground???? What a distraction!!!!! It is not needed at all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@Modeltrains]

Tmoney Anthony Thanks for the feedback. Cheers, Kevin

[@VA3ELX]

Lose the music when explaining "how to" videos. If you want to listen to rock music in your headphones while doing it then go ahead. Just do a favour for the listener.

[@Modeltrains]

Thanks for the feedback. All the music is added after the videos after filming. I have some videos with music and some without. This was one of my earlier tries at adding music and I didn't drop the volume when I was narrating the steps to the process. Cheers, Kevin

[@elainenilsson5472]

Great information. Annoying music.

[@Modeltrains]

Elaine, thank you for the feedback. I actually agree with you on the background music. This was one of my earlier videos and I've changed how I make my videos since then. Cheers, Kevin.

[@jasonjmarchi]

Drop the ridiculous music please. And it's Athearn, not Athren.

[@358tfs]

Your music is damned distracting.