Thread: Adding Music to Props

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Ahoy! We are John & Sandy Selby. This is our first post on this forum, so please forgive us if we mess something up. We are known in our community as The Pirate House. We started about 8 years ago with just a simple bloody pirate fountain and have grown a little each year. Last year we had over 700 trick or treaters on Beggars Night. Along with our yard display we began a project called Costumes to Treasure. We collect new and used Halloween costumes to give to at risk children. Because no one should miss the experience of Halloween.
This year we are expanding our display to include the garage. We have a pirate pub that has 2 skeletons that sway back and forth behind the bar. Can anyone please tell us if there is an inexpensive way to add music to the display that would come on when the skeletons begin to sway? We are very inexperienced at moving displays and know nothing about adding music.

We are amazed at the talent and response on this forum. I think we are way out of our league here but are having the time of our life.

There are different ways to add sounds to props but the one I use is a Picoboo 105. You can get these at Frightprops.con for about $100. There are much cheaper ways but I like this because they are easy to program and you add the sound right to the unit. Welcome to the forum! There is much to learn here!

I 2nd picoboo105's have 3 of them on different props. Very easy to program.

Well the cheapest way would be an mp3 player and set the player in loop mode to continue to play over and over.
If you want the more advanced mode you could go with a sound recorder Cowlacious Audio Products

This is an excellent board to allow you to record and ply back your scare or scene. It also allows for a trigger.

Hope this helps.

MM

I got a good pirate audio if you need it as well. Email me dean0521@hotmail.com

As myers said, use a MP3 or cheap cd player, set it to loop so the music plays all the time. and then connect it to a set of amplified computer speaker. Then you can just turn the speakers on or off at the same time as your prop does. The music will start or be heard only when the prop begins to sway. Of couse you will have to have some way to turn the props on and off like a motion sensor, pressure mat or even manually with a switch.

The Cow board are a great product and work really well if you have a sound track that needs to start at the begining each time.

The Pico Boo's have the sound built in and will activate your prop all at the same time. A very good product for a reasonalbe price. Both products cow and pico boo require a trip mechanism. Also both have an ambient sound that plays as people approach then when tripped the selected sound will play.

Take a look at the product review section for feed back on both the Pico Boo's and Cow boards.

I think we need to start with how the skeleton swaying "begins". Is the motor triggered and if so how? Are those rockin' skelies on a timer? If so what kind? How to sync sound to them will depend a great deal on the answers to these questions.

I have several of the Cowlacious boards and am very pleased. They are around $40 and easy to setup. They have a motion sensor add on as well.

Welcome aboard!

Arrr....you guys great or what! Thank you very much for the info. We are going to check out the Cowlacious board. The skeletons sway by using a wiper motor and an adjustable power supply . I'm sure we are going to have a lot of questions... after we tackle this project.
Just curious.....how early do you start setting up your larger displays? Thanks again!