Thread: Scary Terry Audacity Synchronisation

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I'm sure this is covered somewhere on the forum, but my search didn't throw up the specific result I was looking for.

I have just received 2 Scary Terry talking skulls (my first EVER attempt at anything involving servos and/or computers... TOTAL NEWBIE!).

I have seen 'Push-ejects' fantastic tutorial on Youtube about using a hidden tone to activate the jaw motion..

...however, he says to use a 14kHz tone. I find that that is extremely audible to (my) human ear.. in fact to the point where it is quite uncomfortable (admittedly, my hearing is supposedly excellent as I am a pilot and it's part of my medical requirements). I have used a 16.5kHz sine-wave tone in audacity, but even with that, I find there is still a very audible 'click' from the speakers as the tone is generated. Any advice on that?

Also, I want to have the two skulls 'speaking' different parts of the same song or audio piece. When I select export to MP3, it says it will merge the seperate audio 'tone' track with the stereo. Does that not mean that both skulls will react at the same time to the same audio tone? How can I get around that problem?

Forgive me if I'm asking stupid questions.. but that's just about my level!

Whilst typing this post, I am developing some ideas, but won't get a chance to try them until next week.

Any advice from you experts would be so gladly appreciated.

Thanks!

There are several ways you can use the Scary Terry boards. You described one - using an extra channel (via audacity) to set tones that supposedly aren't heard by the human ear. I agree with you...there's a distinct tone that is audible although it shouldn't be. To me...it's a humm...no matter how high I set it.

One thing you can do is split the left and right channels. Put a mono copy of the file on one channel (call this the audio channel). Use the other channel for the tone signals to the scary terry board. Output the audio channel to your speakers but only pass the script channel to the board.

As for more than one prop talking - I haven't tried it before. But taking the scenario I described above...mix the two. Lay down a script only channel on say the left side. On the right, put the audio along with a high signal. Set the board pots on the second prop so it reacts only to the high signal and not the regular level audio.

Has anyone else encountered this problem, and if so, how did you overcome it?

I have a Cowlacious/Scary Terry talking skull, and I tried the suggestion with the tone mixed into the voice track - I can hear it too and it didn't work that well for me. Splitting the audio works great, with an audio track and a cue track. However, I'm not sure if you can do what Darklore suggests (two different tones on one cue track).

I hate to say this, but it seems to me like you may end up in a setup with two mp3s playing at the same time, one for each skull. Each skull would have its parts of the song and an appropriate cue track. How are you playing the mp3s? If you've got a microcontroller you can have two mp3 playback modules and start them one after the other. Then it's a matter of editing the dialog and cue tracks so half the performance is allocated to each skull.

I've a feeling I'm going to end up running the routine straight from the laptop unless I can figure a way round this mp3 problem. 3 weeks of head scratching and bumping this thread for other potential solutions.

I don't have any microcontrollers or anything else fancy like that. My initial plan was to simply have my iPod hidden out of sight playing the routine through 2 computer speakers.

Any other ideas.... Please keep them coming! Thanks!

I was going to suggest that you use a computer. It gives you the ability to run multiple tracks at the same time. I don't know enough about what software to use, but someone here should be able to help.

Originally Posted by DamoTheRed

Also, I want to have the two skulls 'speaking' different parts of the same song or audio piece. When I select export to MP3, it says it will merge the seperate audio 'tone' track with the stereo. Does that not mean that both skulls will react at the same time to the same audio tone? How can I get around that problem?

I believe the ST board lets you select whether you drive the servo from the right or left channel. The tone itself would have to be added to channel for the skull that it's driving.

I don't know how you do it in Audacity, I use Goldwave. I can insert a tone into either the right or left track.

If I was doing a 2 skull routine I would record the dialog for both skulls into 2 separate audio files. I would then do a tone track with the audio and get it working for both and save the file as stereo in case you have to fine tune it later.

Then I would wave each as a mono file individually.

Create another project and in that one import each mono track as a separate stereo track.

I hope that makes sense.

If the original poster is willing to live with the "click" from the speakers as the tone plays then that will work. If he doesn't want that then he has to go to a different solution.

I'll have to see if you can eliminate the actual click. Maybe using the tone but making a short ramp up of the volume at the beginning of the tone would help to eliminate the click. I did notice the click with my preliminary testing of a generated tone but I didn't have the time to try my theory.

Sally goes bowling tonight so maybe I'll have a chance to test it out.

I am willing to live with the click, however, I think there may be a problem with the ST-400 boards. It doesn't matter which channel I select to drive the servo, they always activate with the right channel. I even took both jumpers off and they still activate with the right channel.

I listened in with headphones to be sure the tone wasn't coming through both channels and it is definitely split correctly L/R so that is why I now think that there is a problem with the ST-400 boards supplied with my skulls. I can get around it by running 2 separate MP3 players and making sure they start simultaneously. I will of course have to do 2 separate programs to control each skull independently. It's not ideal, but time is of the essence now so it'll have to suffice.

I will try and get an email to Cowlacious to follow this up.

Thanks to everyone for the advice, and keep it coming. You may end up with a niftier solution to help me out.