I noticed that as the engines were running the fantastic sound of the knobs and switches seemed to be so faint I could hardly hear them. Not to worry though, it’s only one sound, so I began my taxi to runway 35 for a quick departure. I’d expect that sound on the older 737’s, but not the NG. A hard “chunk” and a sharp switch sound followed as I transfered to the left and right IDG BUS.
As I went to transfer power from the APU Generator BUS to our left and right IDG generators I noticed the first sound that I felt wasn’t realistic. I readied the aircraft for taxi, and as I dropped the flaps I really enjoyed the realistic sound of the flap lever being moved, it matched nearly perfectly with my experiences with this aircraft. Everything up to this point has been fantastic and made me feel as if I was onboard the real deal. The sounds were not overpowering and cheesey, they had a subtly about them, which is good. I couldn’t help but notice the subtly of the knobs, switches, and other various systems. I ran through my flows, reviewed the release sent over by dispatch (aka yours truly, I’m like a swiss army knife you know), and configured the aircraft for our test flight. I’m impressed so far, it’s already sounding rather realistic, but let’s see what else it has to offer. As I flipped on the master battery I immediately noticed the cockpit ambience sound, the fans cooling the instruments and circuit breakers, the slight hum as everything begins to run.
It’s not winter yet, so the aircraft was not in a “warm” configuration but rather the standard cold and dark. I began at the Delta Tech Ops hangar located on the southwest side of the airport. I decided to test these sounds on a simple maintenance flight, Delta Air Lines 9980, a round-robin to and from Minneapolis St Paul International Airport. Once everything was installed and ready to go, it was time for a test flight! I tried these and for me the sounds were a little too faint, but give them a try as results will vary depending on your hardware and personal preference. Also included is two “Recommended Settings” screenshots of sound settings in the FMC. There are also “Alternative” sounds that you can install, and I will talk about those later. I want to point out that the sounds provided by Immersive Audio don’t fully replace ALL sounds, only certain ones, and some default sounds will still be used, so make sure you COPY the entire 737NGX folder to a new location. The instructions tell you to backup the original folder, then copy the new sounds in and overwrite when prompted. Installation was easy, though the documentation could be clearer.
This add-on offers over 300 new cockpit sounds including cockpit ambience, pack sounds, circuit breakers, APU sounds, instrument sounds, the infamous 737 trim wheel sound, and more, offering an even more realistic experience.
But can that experience get even better? Well, perhaps so, with the Immersive Audio NGX Cockpit Sound Immersion add-on designed specifically for the PMDG NGX. It has been modeled to perfection by the crew at PMDG, offering an incredibly immersive 737NG experience. I don’t think you can find many people that don’t have this fantastic add-on, and for good reason too. The PMDG NGX is probably the most popular add-on aircraft for FSX and P3D to date.
Immersive Audio NGX Cockpit Sound Immersion was provided free of charge to FSElite for the purpose of reviewing for the community.
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