I need audio mix help for Halloween

[Tracy]

As some of you may already know, hubby and I run a yard haunt every Halloween and it's a total blow out every year. The neighborhood just loves it. We're expecting roughly 1,000 Trick or Treaters this year.

This year, we're breaking our haunt up into seperate rooms with themes which needs different sound files.

For instance, we have a Hell pit scene which we're doing in one room. I have an MP3 of beckoning, whispering voices which we want to play in the room. I also have a wav of sobbing/crying voices which I want to play softly in the background without having to use two cd players. I need the two sound files mixed together.

Could one of you guys mix this for me?

We also have two other scene rooms that need mixed audios and I just don't know how to do it. They don't need to be studio exact.

I have all the sound files. I just don't have the knowlege or means to mix them together.

I've had a lot of computer problems lately which really set me back on doing this myself and I have a ton of work to do to set up our home haunt so I'm asking for help on this one. I don't have the time to find software that will enable me to do this nor the time for the software learning curve.

Can anyone help?

[MarkE]

Id be happy to do it Tra. Email me the audio files with specific instructions of what you are looking for. It should be easy.

[Tracy]

Did you get my email?

[MarkE]

Sorry...got busy last night.

yes, I got it. No problem. I'll do it over the weekend.

Marky :)

[Tracy]

No worries, I was just concerned that my email may had been dirveted accidently to the Spam box.

Just making sure ;)

[babayaga]

Trace / Mark...

Let me know if I can be of any help in this... I know I've a few spooky soundbites on my archive discs if needed...

Cheers - G.

[Tracy]

Thanks Graham! I'll need help with a couple more of our haunt scenes, the Exorcist room, the graveyard and the Freddy boiler room. Scott and I are currently deciding on what files to use but we had the demon pit ready to go.

[babayaga]

No probs Trace... feel free to send me some files files over if I can help out...

Halloween is great fun over here as well.

We had a mega-halloween party here one night for the kids... totally blacked out the dining room with bin liners suspended from a garden gazebo frame we'd erected within the room, and created a tunnel into it from the living room. There was a cauldron in the centre, spiders webs, flickering candle-light (all safely done of course! :-)). They all piled into it (around 10 of the little darlings) dressed as witches etc. and read spooky stories to each other.

The sound system was provided by two 15 inch PA cabs which were linked into my Sony Tc-377 tape decks via the PA amp.... the looped tape effects played back at a slower pace to what they'd been recorded... I called it 'the Dragon!'. The sub-bass effect was great was really made their stomachs rumble (as well as everything else!).

At least one of them ran out in tears afterwards .... but it was typically a boy! The girls all just giggled and just wanted more!! (arf!)

Take care - G.

[Tracy]

Ok Graham, we have three wav files picked out for our grave yard scene. PM me where to email them to.

One file is a wind sound, the second is moaning and chain rattling and the third is night creatures like crickets, owls, bats and such.

Our graveyard will be rather large with life sized tombstones and several live scare-actors playing zombies which will stumble and lumber toward the guests. It will be back lit with blue lighting and have several low lying fog machines (just trying to give you a mental picture to go on).

Since it sounds like you're a great Halloween fan yourself, mix the files into an MP3 that you think would fit the bill. I totally trust you on this!

Just let me know where to email them to.

THANKS SO MUCH! In advance ;)

BTW, here is a copy of the flyer that we'll be posting around town hehehe...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/Cassie777/Halloween%202008/flyer.jpg

[Tracy]

MarkD, if you're still on board, I could use your help for our Exorcist room mix once we decide on the files. It's really hard to get good sound bites that don't have a ton of cursing in them LOL. But I'm narrowing them down. This one is taking the longest to choose on and since you're not really available until the begining of the month, this one is perfect for you to do :)

The Exorcist scene is going to be a static room that the guests have to walk past. It will be a full bedroom (bed, dresser and such) with a replica of Regan sitting on the bed with her head spinning. A dummy priest will be standing beside the bed with a bottle of holy water in his hand. (just to give you a feel for the scene). Here is a pic of our Regan prop...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/Cassie777/Halloween%20Props/regan5.jpg

[Tracy]

We've begun setting up our haunt walkthrough. These pics were taken a few days ago, we're further along now but I ran out of sunlight last night before I could take more pics. I'll update this thread as we go along.

Here is the basic frame of the spider room...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/Cassie777/Halloween%202008/Prep%20and%20Setting%20up/MVC-234S.jpg

This will house the Exorcist bedroom...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/Cassie777/Halloween%202008/Prep%20and%20Setting%20up/MVC-235S.jpg

This will eventually be Camp Crystal Lake (our Jason scene). We have more trees to put in it LOL

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/Cassie777/Halloween%202008/Prep%20and%20Setting%20up/MVC-236S.jpg

A long shot of where the spider room and exorcist room will be...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/Cassie777/Halloween%202008/Prep%20and%20Setting%20up/MVC-238S.jpg

Spider egg sacks and victims for the spider room...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/Cassie777/Halloween%202008/Prep%20and%20Setting%20up/MVC-244S.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/Cassie777/Halloween%202008/Prep%20and%20Setting%20up/MVC-245S.jpg

And for the soft haunt in our front yard we did this quick little thing (at the last minute, we'll set up our Charlie Brown Great Pumpkin scene. I know it's driving our neighborhood crazy that we're not putting sick stuff out front this year...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/Cassie777/Halloween%202008/Prep%20and%20Setting%20up/MVC-239S.jpg

We've gotten a lot further along, I just need to take more updated pics. But we're well under way!

[MDDRUMZ]

Hey! Cool prop! Yes, sign me up for that and as I said before, please send files to my gmail account but give me a heads-up on my aol so I know the files are waiting >:-D

[Tracy]

MarkD, I will send the files to your gmail and give you a heads up on your other email account. I just need to sit down with hubby and bang out the sounds we can use for our Excorsist room. The problem we're having with most of the files is that there is cursing. Is there a way that you can omit/cover the cursing with other sounds that we send? Like moaning and such? This room sound is going to be tricky to put together.

For everyone else, I thought I'd add a catchup on how our haunt construction is going so far, so here it is...

The front yard is just beginning to take shape. It's a soft haunt for the really little kids. It will be a soft haunted Charlie Brown Great Pumpkin patch scene. It will suck to be our front yard workers because that Charlie Brown theme song gets annoying after about 10 minutes of listening to it. They'll have to take it for about 4 hours LOL

Our Airblown Castle will be in our neighbors driveway on the right. It has three entries. the one in the front will be the enterence and then the two exits...one will lead to the soft haunt in front and the other will lead to the hard core backyard haunt. On the left of the yard in our driveway (not shown) will be the Airblown Haunted House and it also has three entries. The kiddies enter from the side of the front yard and the hard core haunt victims will enter from the back. This will house our candy and give-aways (and our Book of Souls for people to sign and comment in).

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/Cassie777/Halloween%202008/Prep%20and%20Setting%20up/1construct.jpg

When the older kids enter the haunt walkthrough, this is the path that they will take. Those are $1 tin lanterns painted black glued on painted PVC ziptied to the fence. We'll have flickering tealight candles in them. We'll be putting up scene setters on the house siding and probably something spooky in the windows (they'll pass by 4 windows along this path. Up ahead is the enterence to the Spider Room.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/Cassie777/Halloween%202008/Prep%20and%20Setting%20up/2construct.jpg

Here is the Spider Room. It's 10x10. I know it's not very sexy but it's quite effective and no one will see the outside of it on the big night. The sound file I have for it is absolutely perfect and is creepy as hell with clicking/ticking/busy bug noises. I'll also be hanging loose fibers from the ceiling (like fishing line) that will brush up against them as they pass through.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/Cassie777/Halloween%202008/Prep%20and%20Setting%20up/3construct.jpg

This shot is looking back over your shoulder behind you of the path (Spider Room at upper right and Camp Crystal Lake on the left). A live actor will be playing Jason and will spook them AFTER they realize that the animatronic is just an animatronic hehehe. The right hand side of this view will be blocked off because it will house the Freddy Boiler Room scene (not set up yet) which the victims will walk through right after the Grave Yard.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/Cassie777/Halloween%202008/Prep%20and%20Setting%20up/4construct.jpg

[Tracy]

Turning back around on the path and looking forward is the Cemetery enterence gate and sign. We have a scene setter facade that will cover the front of the yard building to make it look like a cabin in the Camp Crystle Lake scene. We're hoping that they will be afraid that something will pop out of the door but it won't. And just as they pass that and feel relieved, they'll set off a motion detector that will sound with LOUD thunder and lightning. That will be the cue for our live zombies to hit the graveyard cd players (Thanks Graham for mixing the files for us for that!).

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/Cassie777/Halloween%202008/Prep%20and%20Setting%20up/5construct.jpg

Then they enter the graveyard. You can see the stakes waiting to be skinned with 4mil black plastic. This will majorly cut down light, wind and the view from the side street. With our setup, we hoping to have almost complete control of atmosphere in here (lighting and fog). You can also see the Exorcist Room at the back of the graveyard. That will be hidden behind a wall when we're done.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/Cassie777/Halloween%202008/Prep%20and%20Setting%20up/6construct.jpg

Just a couple long shots looking back on the Graveyard to give a sense of scale. Our Graveyard alone is larger than our front yard which we've haunted for years. Our zombies are going to have a BLAST! Hubby keeps looking at it and crying "We need more tombstones! We need more tombstones!" LOL

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/Cassie777/Halloween%202008/Prep%20and%20Setting%20up/7construct.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/Cassie777/Halloween%202008/Prep%20and%20Setting%20up/8construct.jpg

There's still a lot more too add and work on (Freddy's Boiler Room, the Hell Pit (Thanks MarkE for the great mix!), the Exorcist room, The Demon Hatchery, The Hellbillys, ect) but that's where we're at for now.

MarkD offered weeks ago to help with the Exorcist mix but frankly, I'm at a loss as what to send him. We don't want cursing in it but it's hard to find good creepy Exorcist sound files without them so if anyone wants to put something together on their own and send it to me, I'll give a listen.

To give you all a feel for the scene, it will be Regan's bedroom with her sitting on the bed with her head spinning and a priest at the foot of the bed splashing holy water on her. The room is 10X10 and will be set up as a childs room. The bed has bedposts which will be padded much like the movie scene. We want the sound file to be as creepy as the original movie was.

How's that for a challenge? And not to add any pressure, I need it in under two weeks (in case local news crews want to preview our haunt this year again. They always wait till the last minute).

Thanks again all you guys for your help and interest. This means so much to me!

[Tracy]

I can mesh wav files together (had to refreash my memory and get the proggy for it), and then that led to me stumbling on an mp3 editor and I took right to it. I got all the rest of the haunt files mixed and burned to cd's! I'm so proud of myself! LOL It was a lot easier than I thought.

I have simply GOT to thank you guys for your help and offers. But now, our Haunt sound files are done and 'in the can' so to speak.

Here's a couple of vids of todays Haunt build progress (it's coming out great I think)...

I paused on the part with the little dark tombstones with names painted on them because those are names of fellow Home Haunters that I have become friends with online and wanted to suprise them with it :)

x0daiLWJIfs

To6AEnOGYC8

ntpwFBUFBXI

tCOGXSm8z5Y

This is going to be our Exorcist room. The white PVC you see on the right side is the frame for the priest.

ifWst9TmUwc

[MDDRUMZ]

Hi Tracy. I'm at work so I'm going to refrain from playing those files now and risk scaring the pants off my co-workers....wait. I'm the only fool here! LOL. But they'll be streaming in any minute.

So you don't need any assistance with any sound files (The Excorcist Room, etc)? Just want to be certain you're not waiting on me for anything, as I did receive two files from you and then I thought you changed the idea for that room. Please confirm when you get a sec. Thanks!

[Tracy]

Nope, I managed to do them. I'm so proud of myself! I used a program called Audacity and it was so easy to learn. I was amazed. It was actually a lot of fun.

Next step for me is to find a video editor that I can learn to use as easily :D I just finished downloading one but winrar reported that the install and crack file was corrupt so I deleted it. I need to find one that's free and wont eat my computer LOL

[MarkE]

You guys are outta control. It all looks GREAT!!!

I love the headstone "Told you I was sick" ROFL :cu1:

[Tracy]

MarkD, if you mixed something for me please send it. I may perfer yours to mine or add yours to mine. I was worried about the Exorcist sound files that I liked because although there was some really good creepy sounding moans and groans, the profanity was over the top and I didn't think they could be removed but I managed. However, I'd like to add some of the backward talking (backmasking?) from the movie in the background but couldn't find any sound bites of it online.

[MDDRUMZ]

Hi Tracy. Incredible!!! I just watched the videos. You guys really pull out all the stops.

You know, I hadn't mixed anything yet. My first opportunity was going to be the very weekend that I saw your post saying you did your own mixing - jeez, just scrolled down and noticed that was just last weekend, but it seems like weeks ago!

As much as I wanted to help I actually got buried in work when I returned from vacation at the beginning of October. So I ended up working last weekend and it would have been tough fitting the mixing in. So I was relieved because I wouldn't want to do a half-assed job and leave you in a lurch (Addam's Family pun not intended).

I'm excited for you with the Haunt this year. It's been a real treat seeing it progress.

[babayaga]

Trace - very good indeed! You don't see this sort of thing over here very often... maybe I could start a new trend!? G. :-)

[Tracy]

It's a lot of work and expensive but it's soooo worth it on Halloween night. We get so many great comments from people and they all have a great time. They really love it. Two years ago, we got about 150 trick or treaters, last year we got around 700 so this year we're expecting at least 1,000.

I'll be manning the video camera this year so I'll be sure and share the vids here :)

Last night I did a quickie makeup test for what I plan on doing to our zombies and I think it looks great. They're going to look so gruesome! All it is is liquid latex and cheap Halloween creme makeup...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/Cassie777/Halloween%202008/zombieMakeup.jpg