Who at Northern.... (Poor quality audio for auto-announcements)

[S101]

Who at Northern uploaded the automated announcements to all the diesel stock that sounds like someone is talking through a dirty sock, and thought, bloody hell that sounds amazing, let's keep it.

 

[DownSlow10]

Used to be some other Yorkshire bloke and he was fine and spoke clearly, before then it was a woman too and clearly spoken aswell. Changes that didn’t need to happen and you are completely right.

 

[Buzby]

Just travelled on 2 Northern DMU’s from Sheffield to Carlisle. The first leg on a 158, as you say was abysmal - even the change in person stating the destination included a pregnant pause and was amateurish in the extreme. It was not as bad from Leeds on a later vintage 158 but still the same long pause before random name generator came up with it.

 

[jfollows]

Yesterday on a 323 I couldn’t tell whether the announcements were in Welsh or in English. Although the station announcements still refer to “Sandback”.

 

[Pinus contorta]

Kirkby-in-Furness is non existent on the 156 announcements. Like when it has a long pause . .. "and please do not use the foot crossing until the train has left the station."But doesn't scroll forwards to this specific station at all!

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

I believe the voice is now the guy in charge of the customer information systems. So it sounds like both Northern and Great Northern both have poor sounding, to my ears, announcements largely because the people who source them like the sound of their own voices, unfortunately for us.

 

[jamieh27]

I believe the voice is now the guy in charge of the customer information systems. So it sounds like both Northern and Great Northern both have poor sounding, to my ears, announcements largely because the people who source them like the sound of their own voices, unfortunately for us.

The man incharge of the PIS announcements is David Curtis.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

The man incharge of the PIS announcements is David Curtis.

Yes, I know. And he's the voice too.
Figures

 

[jamieh27]

Who at Northern uploaded the automated announcements to all the diesel stock that sounds like someone is talking through a dirty sock, and thought, bloody hell that sounds amazing, let's keep it.

It was ment to be a reply to this one but clicked the wrong one

 

[ainsworth74]

For me the issue is less how the people are speaking and more whatever the hell Northern have done to the recordings in post processing. They sound incredibly crackly as if the train speakers are knackered. Yet the speakers are clearly fine because any manual PAs are crystal clear. No idea what Northern did to their announcement files but it's bloody terrible.

 

[Parallel]

Not to mention, Northern have introduced some really long, wordy scripts. PA is also about the quality of delivery - announcements need to be delivered in a clear tone with suitable pacing. I wish they'd re-introduce Trisha as she was perfect in this regard. Well, until something went wrong with the 195/331 system and she started shouting all stations starting with a 'w'.

With the current situation, I have no idea how the audio is reasonable quality on the 331/195 system but yet some phrases are terrible on TrainFX when they are the same recordings. I also have no idea why they feel the need to change scripts so regularly, when other TOCs do not.

 

[Acathater]

A lot of the Northern 156/158 fleet have knackered speakers / PA systems

 

[Nym]

A lot of the Northern 156/158 fleet have knackered speakers / PA systems

Didn’t “Digital Train” replace all these?

 

[Acathater]

Didn’t “Digital Train” replace all these?

If it did, it hasn't

 

[Recessio]

A lot of the Northern 156/158 fleet have knackered speakers / PA systems

True but as mentioned up thread the manual announcements are often fine, so it's something specific to the automated ones

 

[S101]

A lot of the Northern 156/158 fleet have knackered speakers / PA systems

The two 158s and 170 were crisp and perfect when the guard used it. The issue is with the bloke talking through a dirty sock, and his creepy heavy breathing through the speakers. How did they get it so wrong, and why has it been allowed to stay for what is now, months. The audio is better through my ring doorbell. That cost £70. Just saying.

I'd just like to meet the person (not really) who listend to the first live test on a unit and said 'woah, that's good. Let's roll it out across the entire fleet' rather than, 'christ, that's awful, do not under any circumstance continue until this is sorted, it sounds like a creepy pervert.....' for example.

All good fun though, from Hull, with the locals guessing at quite some volume what the voice sounds like.... (I think it was the breathing sound that sparked their interest)