Alert Sounds Discussion

@bsazaz - See Motorcycle Mama's post directly above yours.

I like to keep my Garmin 780 stock and would like to use the Jack and Jill voice for my POI, right now I'm looking for the phrase "approaching point of interest" in the Jill voice. Is there a program that I can type this in and it will create the file.

Ron

You can create custom audio alert files here:

http://www.research.att.com/~ttsweb/tts/demo.php

Use the mp3 format if your model has an mp3 player, or wav format if it does not.

Thanks for the Sox info....

This is great information. BIG thanks

I haven't tried this and it would take a little work, but I think the basic procedure is this:

1) Use Turboccc's TTS Voice Editor program to temporarily change the phrase "Please drive to highlighted route" to the phrase you want to record.
2) attach your nuvi line out to the line in of your PC sound system so the nuvi audio will play through your PC.
3) use sound recording software such as Windows Sound recorder to capture the audio to a .wav or .mp3 file.
4) simulate a route to force the nuvi to play the modified phrase so you can capture it as indicated in the previous step.
5) use an audio editing program such as Audacity to clip and adjust the sound file you recorded.
6) Rename and import your new .wav or .mp3 sound file using POI Loader.

Oh, and don't forget to restore your original voice file back to your nuvi when you are finished. There is a basic help topic on recording sounds here: http://www.poi-factory.com/node/10169.

Thanks Gary, this works great. I looked all over the internet for something like this and couldn't find it.

RED

remember the mp3 file must be exactly the same name as the item file, excepting only the file extension, EG: if your point of intereest file is named..(rest-area.csv) then your mp3 or other sound file must be named..rest-area.mp3 and should be located in the same folder. I hope this answers your question
stan

I've heard some of you say that the alert won't sound unless your POI is within 50 ft of the road. Why do they have a proximity distance then?

I'm testing mine in simulation mode right now and driving by certain locations. when I drive by some locations, it doesn't sound and on others it only sounds when I drive by in front of it and not on the street behind it or beside it. considering how far away I am when I get the first notice on places that work, the places that don't work easily fall within that distance. (usually 400m / 1312ft)

The alert sound will trigger when your route causes you to pass within 50 to 75 feet of the coordinates in the POI. If the coordinates are say at one entrance to a parking lot halfway down the block, the alert will not trigger if you are on a side street. To get the alert to trigger whenever you are in the area, use TourGuide in the name. This changes the alert to a radius around the coordinate point so you would get an alert when on a side street.

I was just reading the same thing in hornbyp's tutorial. "But if your calculated route (or your actual journey) does not take you past the POI, then the alert will not trigger" and then he went on to talk about the TourGuide part as you have said. I will try that thanks again.

Are you working on a new POI-file that needs a Sound alert.
Don't hesitate to drop me a note and I will create it for you. It can be a plain alert file or one with sound effects mixed with it. I will create both a WAV and MP3 for your POI file.

If you have been using a POI file that does not have an Alert let me know and I will create it quickly for the community

I ask,you help me with pronunciation, you can do this by using phoenix spelling in your note along with the normal spelling for the more difficult names that I might not know how to pronounce.

bobdeesounds@gmail.com

I have a Nuvi 265WT and noticed that the unit contains a decoder for the open source Ogg Vorbis format.
This can be found under:
Settings > System > About

With that in mind, would it be possible to use the Ogg format instead of WAV format for alert files since the unit apparently includes support for it? It would save a significant amount of space.

Just a thought.

- Phil

I have the GPS nuvi 650 for 3-4 yrs now and I just start to adding POI. This is good info.
Thanks

Yes the Nuvi 265W, can indeed play the Ogg file
format. drop me a message and I will send you a Ogg file of you choice or make a new one for you.
use the email address in my signature.
Bob

BobDee

Do you need to add any thing to get the Ogg to work?Like you do for the wav and add the sox.exe.

Hey Charlie
SoX, the Swiss Army knife of sound processing programs as it's writers like to call it can be used to handle the OGG vorbis file for sound. the advantage of using them over WAV files are, size and compression. the vorbis files are much smaller when recompressed.

Sox homepage:
http://sox.sourceforge.net/

My curiosity got the best of me and I tried it for a sound alert and it didn't work for the 265.

I compared a wav file to the ogg and a lot of difference in the size of the file.I use Goldwave to convert from wav to ogg.

Very cool. I'm assuming that Garmin has written SoX support into POILoader. It looks a bit like LAME, which is pretty much THE gold standard in MP3 encoding.

Charlie, what bitrate did you try encoding it to and what sampling rate was it encoded from? I wonder if there could be limitations on the codec in the 265 that require specific settings.

- Phil

Several selections using the wav converter GoldWave.I save as vorbis 44100hz,86kbs(0.4q)mono .

I recently downloaded some sound files to go with some POI files (redlights etc) and these sounds are way louder than Jill on my Nuvi 780.

Do I have to edit these files to lower the volume, or is there an easier way to tell the garmin to lower the volume on these alerts?

You will need to edit the sound file.I use GoldWave but lots of others will do the job.If you turn the volume down on the gps you may lose the level you need to hear other commands.

A free but very capable open-source sound editing program is Audacity. Works on Windows, Mac, or Linux:
http://audacity.sf.net

- Phil

Hi, Miss Poi:
I just got a Garmin 755T a few days ago and was lucky enough to stumble upon this site. Everything has gone smoothly with loading my custom POI's & icons to my unit. But...I've been unable to get any of the sounds from this site to my PC to enable me to load them to my unit.
If I double click on the sound from the library, Quicktime plays them & I have no capability of saving. If I right click on the sound in the library, it doesn't give me the option of saving or copying.
Am I doing something wrong? Ideas?
Please advise.
Thanks!!
Colleen

If you want to add an Icon (bmp), mp3 (sound) or wav (sound) file the process is the same for all to download from the Poi Factory site. Click on the title and when you see attachment just right click mouse on it and pick save target as.

Hi,
Thanks for the suggestion but that didn't work either. If I just left click once on the MP3 file, it automatically brings up a new IE page & Quicktime & plays it. No ability to save.

Right click - not left click.

Sorry I'm using Firefox and I have the option for sound files set to ask what to do when I left click on them. I just tried IE and it plays them, so right click and use save target as, as a_user suggests.

Thanks for your idea...I've just got it working. Yeah! Thanks to all!

Ok, so I have a Zumo 550 and have started playing with POIs

I have downloaded a the Starbucks POI csv and associated mp3 files
Using POI Loader I transferred it to the Zumo in the POI file
I renamed the resulting file (poi.gpi) to Starbucks.gpi
I copied over the audio file to the POI directory and named it Starbucks.mp3
I turned on Proximity Alerts on the Zumo

There is a dot on my Zumo map where the Starbucks is - so far so good
But, I can drive right up on it and no audio.

Any ideas?

The biggest problems with the alerts and icons not working are the files not being named the same except for extensions and having double extensions. Double-check each of them. The best way to prevent double extensions is to go to your folder options in the control panel and click view then find hide extensions for known file types and remove the check mark. Click ok.This is for Windows XP.

Note make sure you have ran poiloader in manual mode and set the distance you want for the alarm.See http://www.poi-factory.com/node/25721

POILoader does all the work. You need to have the csv and the mp3 file in the same folder (source).

Make sure the POI and mp3 file have the same name (Starbucks).

Starbucks folder:
Starbucks.csv file
Starbucks.mp3 file

Run POILoader on the Starbucks folder and it will combine the mp3 file with the csv file to give you the alert.

Yep.

It sounds like the user is trying to load the MP3 AFTER the .GPI has already been created.

As noted above, you need to do them together.

I would love to help all of you that have emailed me, However I was told not to send anymore sounds to POI Factory because it overloads their daily operations.

I will however email them directy to you when you email me for them.

Now that MP3 GPS devices are going by the wayside, more and more WAV sounds will be needed and I will be glad to help you in anyway I can!

This has been mentioned before but bears repeating.

Audacity is a bit of freeware that is highly recommended by magazines like PC World and (as i recall) Consumer Reports.

It will take a .mp3 file and convert it to a .wav file with ease.

A portable version is here
http://portableapps.com/apps/music_video/audacity_portable

This version will extract itself to a folder of your choice and not make any changes to the registry.

Run the program "audacity.exe" and "Open" some mp3 file. Press the Play button (the green sideways triangle) to hear the file. If desired, do a File > Export As WAV.." to create a .wav version.

I have followed all the advice and I still can not get the MP3 sounds to play on my 1490.
I have these loaded from my CustomPOI file.
aMcDonalds.csv
aMcDonalds.bmp
aMcDonalds.mp3
When I open aMcDonalds.mp3 with Windows Media Player, I hear the sound.
As I approach McDonalds,I hear the double chime. I see the Golden Arches.
I am stumped.

Your unit will not play mp3.You need wav files and sox.exe to get voice alerts see http://www.poi-factory.com/node/25730 .

Make sure to put sox.exe in correct location.You only need to do this one time.On my computer with xp .I go to my computer,local disk c then click garmin folder.You will see lots of files there including poiloader.Just paste copy of sox.exe there on any blank spot

Thanks Charles. There is no stopping me now!

Hey all I cannot find a way to save the sounds off the site?..when I open them I see a player but no way to save it?..when I right click it no"save as.."option?..what am I doing wrong?

I have vista and a Zumo550

When you get to the screen that says attachment.Right click on title and select save target as.

excatly ..when I do that no option..can save link* but thats not right

Not sure why it will not work.Just tried it but I have XP.Clicked on library screen to select one and on the next page just righ clicked to get the save target as.Even when I jus click on it it goes to the save screen.

yeah when I rt click it doesnt give a "save as" options only link options.. and when I open it..it takes me to a blank page with generic player ( quick time something)in the middle..I can listen to it but not save it
and BTW I cannot save Icons easily either I have to completely open the icon file..then rt click the icon and then it finally gives me a save as option..

What web browser are you using?

Firefox...and in Firefox "save link as"is the same as save target..Im a dumbass thanks alot guys!

Glad you got it.I use MSN Explorer but tried it on Safari that I use sometimes.Different save link there also.

I looked through the chat and cannot find an answer to this one. I Have state line as my POI. It comes with two waves.. On is state line ahead and the other is crossing state line. I can only name one exactly the same as the poi name. What do I do to have the other one work?

I would like more information. What I read is that you have a POI file that has individual entries that must be coordinates of where a 'state line" occurs on roadways. How was this file created?

Assuming, for the moment, a POI file with one entry - the coordinates of the stateline, you want the GPS to play a WAV file as you approach the stateline and then play another WAV file when you cross the line. My first question is how far in advance distance of the stateline should the "approaching" WAV play? The reason I ask, is that, if the distance were something like 500 feet, why would you need one saying you had crossed the stateline?

As far as I know it's only one alert for any particular POI. If you have duplicate files, named differently you can set an alert with a greater distance for the approaching message and a second alert for actually crossing the line in the second file.

I personally don't see the need for both, if I am aware a state line is approaching, why do I need to be told I'm actually crossing it?