http://www.halloweenforum.com/blogs/haunter/ Halloween Discussion Forum, Haunts and Home Haunt Community. en Fri, 10 Feb 2012 21:18:36 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.halloweenforum.com/images/afterdark/misc/rss.jpg http://www.halloweenforum.com/blogs/haunter/ http://www.halloweenforum.com/blogs/haunter/645-review-haunted-pirate-ship-cd.html Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:35:58 GMT To add some creepy ambient sounds to my pirate yard haunt, I decided to purchase the Haunted Pirate Ship CD... To add some creepy ambient sounds to my pirate yard haunt, I decided to purchase the Haunted Pirate Ship CD of sound effects from Poison Props.



This 70-minute single-track designed by Adam Johnston, a 2-time Emmy Award winner for sound editing and owner of Poison Props, is filled with creepy sounds of a creaking ship, lapping water, ghostly moans, and a distant bell and fog horn. Note that there is no background music--just ambient sounds.

With the exception of maybe too much use of the fog horn sound effect, I found the combination and layering of sounds to be very well done. The stereo quality is also excellent.

This would be best used in a dark and quiet part of haunted attraction that features a haunted pirate scene or in a yard haunt by itself. I will use it as the sole ambient sound for my pirate yard haunt on weekday nights. (On the weekends, I activate the animatronics in the yard, so I use a selection of more intense tracks from Nox Arcana's Phantoms of the High Seas or remixed tracks from the three Pirates of the Caribbean soundtracks.)

To listen to a sample of this CD, click here. ]]> Haunter http://www.halloweenforum.com/blogs/haunter/645-review-haunted-pirate-ship-cd.html http://www.halloweenforum.com/blogs/haunter/538-creating-multichannel-sound-using-multiple-scary-terry-boards-sound-card.html Fri, 26 Feb 2010 18:33:00 GMT Several years ago, I purchased a Talking Skull Kit from Cowlacious.com for my Halloween display. I liked it so much I wanted several more talking... Several years ago, I purchased a Talking Skull Kit from Cowlacious.com for my Halloween display. I liked it so much I wanted several more talking skulls, but I also wanted to create a multi-channel audio program incorporating the Scary Terry board.

I had an extra 5.1 channel DVD player lying around the house, so I tried my luck at creating a multichannel audio DVD so that I could split the audio to multiple channels for individual talking skulls. Alas, I found out that it is impossible to create such a DVD without the use of some very expensive software. Haunters are penny pinchers by nature, so I looked into some other alternatives.

I stumbled across the idea of using a 7.1 or 5.1 channel sound card to split the audio of a multichannel audio file. Alas, my laptop, which I received for free from a family member (penny pincher!) does not have a built-in multi-channel sound card, but I found one that conveniently plugs into your USB port.

It is the inexpensive Zalman ZM-RSSC, which fits the bill.



Creating a Multichannel Audio File

Now came the challenging part of creating a multichannel audio file. Thanks to HauntedBay, I found the necessary encoding software free from Microsoft.

Microsoft Windows Media Encoder (WME)
Microsoft Mono to Multichannel Wave Combiner (WavAviMux)

Next, I created three separate audio files, one for each talking skull, using the Audacity software. With this 5.1 channel sound card, you can output up to six files, but the SW (subwoofer) channel (indicated by the “.1”) does not output audio at the same frequency and the sound is non-directional, so the maximum number of files with dialogue is limited to five. Even if you plan on using only five audio files, you will have to create a “filler file” for the sixth channel (or use one of your existing five files) so you have one audio file for each channel.

Each of the files MUST be the same length and in mono in order for them to be combined and encoded properly. Because I wanted my talking skulls to chat back and forth to each other, I synched the files together and created areas of silence where the skulls are not to talk. Audacity was extremely useful in completing this. I then saved the files in WAV format.

Once I had the necessary audio files of the same length, I combined the files into a single 5.1 channel AVI file using WavAviMux. To use this software, you must enter a command in a command prompt. Open a command prompt (Run > cmd or Start > Programs (All Programs on XP) > Accessories > Command Prompt), and change to the directory in which WavAviMux.exe is installed. (Be sure to move your WAV files to this directory.)

Type the following and press Enter.

cd c:\program files\wavavimux

Now type the following and press enter.

wavavimux -o [Output AVI file] -iwav 6 [Input WAV files] -mask 63

(To create a 7.1 channel file, use the following command.)

wavavimux -o [Output AVI file] -iwav 8 [Input WAV files] -mask 255

Replace [Output AVI file] with the name of the AVI you want to create, for example, audio.avi, and replace [Input WAV files] with the six WAV files you previously created. Here is an example of what the command prompt should look like:

wavavimux -o audio.avi -iwav 6 front_left.wav front_right.wav front_center.wav superwoofer.wav rear_left.wav rear_right.wav -mask 63



Once you press Enter, the software will create an AVI file in the same directory. If the files have been combined successfully and you play back the AVI file, you should hear the audio in multiple channels. The size of the file, however, will be very large.

To compress the AVI file to a more portable multichannel WMA file, you will have to use Windows Media Encoder. Start WME and select “Convert a file” and “OK” on the New Session screen. Select the source AVI file created above and an output file. To be able to play back the WMA file on your computer, select “File download (computer playback)”. For Encoding Options, select “Multichannel audio (VBR)” from the Audio pull-down list and click “Finish”. To compress the file, click the “Start Encoding” button at the top. (To confirm the encoding format, click the “Properties” button > “Compression” tab > “Edit” button > “393 Kbps” tab. Check that the information in “Audio format” is correct.)

You should now have a multichannel WMA file that is a fraction the size of the original AVI file. You can experiment with different size files. The longest (and most difficult) file I have created is a 4-minute song in which I separated the audio tracks into four separate files (one for each talking skull, who sang different parts of the song, and one with the entire song running in the background).

Outputting the WMA File Through a Multichannel Sound Card

If you have a computer with a built-in multichannel sound card, you can skip the steps for setting up the sound card to work with your computer. Just be sure to set “Speaker setup” (Sounds and Audio Devices > “Volume” tab > “Speaker settings” > “Advanced”) to “5.1 surround sound speakers” (or “7.1 home theater speakers”) if not already set. Otherwise, set up your sound card according to instructions.

I connected my three talking skulls to the USB sound card using 3.5-mm audio cords and a Y splitter at the sound card. (There are three output ports, and each one outputs two channels.) I then played back the audio file on my computer and adjusted the volume on the computer and the sound card until I achieved the optimal feedback from the servos.

If your computer has a multichannel sound card, this is a fairly cheap and easy way to create multichannel audio for your props. Enjoy! ]]> Haunter http://www.halloweenforum.com/blogs/haunter/538-creating-multichannel-sound-using-multiple-scary-terry-boards-sound-card.html http://www.halloweenforum.com/blogs/haunter/316-aging-bucky-lindberg-skull.html Sat, 13 Jun 2009 05:25:10 GMT I just aged a bucky and Lindberg skull using my new favorite aging medium: *Minwax Gel Stain in Aged Oak (602)*. Image:... I just aged a bucky and Lindberg skull using my new favorite aging medium: Minwax Gel Stain in Aged Oak (602).



I applied a very light coat of stain with a rag and quickly brushed it off to create an antique look to the skulls. I used a brush to apply the stain into crevices, around the teeth, and hard to reach areas and quickly wiped away any excess. To create a light dirty look to a bucky skull or skeleton, you only need to use very little stain. A regular quart of this stain will go a long way. If you can find a pint size can, you may want to buy this amount instead, unless you have an army of buckies to stain. Remember to use disposable gloves when staining, and be warned that the stain will eat through the gloves.



Here is a before and after look of a bucky arm.



Before staining the Lindberg skull, you may want to sand it to create a rough surface and allow the stain to take more easily.

In the past, I have also used Minwax Gel Stain in Mahogany to create a dried blood look. Here is a “head-to-head” comparison of bucky skulls stained in Aged Oak (left) and Mahogany (right).

]]> Haunter http://www.halloweenforum.com/blogs/haunter/316-aging-bucky-lindberg-skull.html http://www.halloweenforum.com/blogs/haunter/287-re-imagineering-skeletal-helmsman.html Sat, 21 Mar 2009 01:44:25 GMT One element that had been missing from my pirate-themed yard haunt was a skeletal helmsman, as seen in the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction. I had... One element that had been missing from my pirate-themed yard haunt was a skeletal helmsman, as seen in the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction. I had extra bluckies (blow-molded skeletons) lying around, but I didn't have a nautical wheel, a motor, or the expertise on how to animate this prop.

After scouring HalloweenForum.com, I came across several home-fashioned helmsman props and ideas on how to incorporate a windshield wiper motor to animate this prop.

I started by looking for a quality nautical wheel, which is easily the most expensive part of the project. Luckily, I found a non-functional decorative wheel on eBay that turned out to be solid oak. The antique-colored blucky is courtesy of OrientalTrading.com and the motor came from MonsterGuts.com.

The first part of the prop to build was the wheel house. Good solid 2"x6" planks were fashioned to hold the wheel on a 7" bolt. The planks were secured to a base, and a cap was created and added to the head of the bolt.

The most time consuming part of this prop was the positioning of the blucky. Despite my best efforts to encourage him to cooperate and stand on his own, he refused to do so. And so holes were drilled into several parts of his body (against his wishes) and 1/2" schedule 40 PVC pipes were used to prop him up. (Now he can quaff as much rum as he likes and he'll still be able to drive the ship!) You will notice that he is not straight up and down. That would not look very realistic, so I combined several 45 and 90 degree joints to get a more realistic "leaning-into-the-wheel" effect.

To give his hands and arms more realistic motion while the wheel is turning, I placed his hands on the wheel handles and wrapped them with thick bone-colored rubber bands so the hands can turn a bit. I also wrapped a much larger rubber band around his upper torso and secured his arms to this rubber band so there is some give, but the arms will not come off.

This was my first venture into wiper motor-based animation, and it was quite simple to complete. The wiper motor was mounted to a sturdy board with a 2-3/8" pipe grip tie and positioned directly below and to the side of the wheel. The linkage comprises 4" aluminum stock (on the motor side) and a PVC pipe (on the wheel side). The aluminum stock had to be bent slightly to prevent any contact of the nuts and bolts. I went with a 5VDC power supply and not a 12VDC power supply so it looks like the blucky is gradually rotating the wheel. Also, the motor is apt to kick a bit as it moves the PVC pipe, so I secured the board to the base of the wheel house.

I then decorated my helmsman with a shredded $2 kids Halloween costume and some creepy cloth and added pieces of seaweed garland and jute netting to the wheel to hide the motor linkage. He will grace the front of my redesigned pirate ship porch for next Halloween.


Video of skeletal helmsman prop






]]> Haunter http://www.halloweenforum.com/blogs/haunter/287-re-imagineering-skeletal-helmsman.html http://www.halloweenforum.com/blogs/haunter/62-how-create-talking-pirate-plaque-gemmy-skull-part-iii.html Fri, 29 Feb 2008 01:23:41 GMT Once the fabric is attached to the board and trimmed, you can mount the swords. Push the wire from the bottom through the hole and the fabric, wrap... Once the fabric is attached to the board and trimmed, you can mount the swords. Push the wire from the bottom through the hole and the fabric, wrap it around the sword, and push it down through the fabric

and the next hole. Wrap the wire tightly to secure the swords.

A trick for hiding one of the wires is to position the bottom wire for the bottom sword at the spot where the top sword overlaps the bottom sword.


Now mount your skull to the board, positioning the round protrusions on the bottom into the holes on the board. (Make holes into the fabric before mounting.) Then, while supporting the skull, thread a wire

through the two top holes on the board and through the loops on the skull. Wrap the wire tightly. Repeat this for the two bottom holes.

Your skull should now be seated into the larger holes on the board and secured to the board at the top and bottom by wires.This is a good opportunity to make sure that you can turn the skull on and off from

the back of the board.

Add picture frame mounting hardware to the back of the board (or tie up the extra wire to create a loop to hang the plaque). To prevent the wire from scratching the surface of the wall to which you will mount

your masterpiece, cover the tied wire on the back of the board with high-quality duct tape (now available in many different colors!).


Slap your favorite buccaneer headpiece on your Gemmy skull, turn him on, and then mount him above the bed in your guest room (or other location in your home). Happy Haunting!
]]> Haunter http://www.halloweenforum.com/blogs/haunter/62-how-create-talking-pirate-plaque-gemmy-skull-part-iii.html http://www.halloweenforum.com/blogs/haunter/61-how-create-talking-pirate-plaque-gemmy-skull-part-ii.html Fri, 29 Feb 2008 01:22:21 GMT Next, lay out where on the board you would like to position the swords and your Gemmy skull, and mark the positions of (a) where you want to mount... Next, lay out where on the board you would like to position the swords and your Gemmy skull, and mark the positions of (a) where you want to mount the swords (ideally two locations for each sword), (b)

where the round protrusions on the bottom of your skull come in contact with the board (for mounting the skull on the board), and (c) four points adjacent to the loops also on the bottom of the skull (for

securing the skull with wire). I suggest using wire to secure both the swords and the skull so they can be easily removed for fending off aggressive house guests or for application in another prop in the future.


Now, take that drill you bought yourself for Christmas and drill holes for mounting the swords and skull. Drill two holes into the board on either side of each sword at the top and bottom, two (or four) holes to

seat the round protrusions on the bottom of the skull onto the board, and four holes adjacent to the loops on the bottom of the skull.


Keep that drill handy because you now have to make a wide opening on the board so that you can turn your skull on and off after the skull is mounted.


Take that beautiful piece of fabric you found at the thrift shop or in your linen closet (the wife will never know!) and lay it over the board so it drapes nicely on the front. Use your staple gun to secure the fabric

on the back.
I found this to be the most frustrating step because it was difficult to staple the fabric so that it laid nicely. Oh, be sure to check that you are NOT using staples that are too long. (I found out the hard

way...ouch!)


Continued in Part III... ]]> Haunter http://www.halloweenforum.com/blogs/haunter/61-how-create-talking-pirate-plaque-gemmy-skull-part-ii.html http://www.halloweenforum.com/blogs/haunter/60-how-create-talking-pirate-plaque-gemmy-skull-part-i.html Fri, 29 Feb 2008 01:20:56 GMT

So you've got a Gemmy skull and you're feeling bored. Well, put it to good use and create your very own talking pirate skull plaque--you know, like the one in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride.


First, you'll need some materials. More specifically, you'll need a wooden board, some fabric, two swords (not too sharp, please), a saw, some wire, duct tape, a drill, a staple gun, picture frame mounting

hardware, a pirate hat, and one talking Gemmy skull from last year's halloween.


Take your board and cut to the desired shape, like so...


Continued in Part II... ]]> Haunter http://www.halloweenforum.com/blogs/haunter/60-how-create-talking-pirate-plaque-gemmy-skull-part-i.html