Sound Design 101 Part 1: The Anatomy of a Room

by: RFR Casket Crew Maestro Macbre

I’m Baaaaaaaack!  I know it’s been a while since I reared my ugly head, but I was finishing up my new album to be released in April!

With the spring right around the corner, you are no doubt preparing for your design and set up of next years haunt.  What better time to go over the basic resources available to you to achieve a professional sounding haunt!  As I’ve touched before in my previous posts, sound is very important in a haunted attraction.  So I won’t spend as much time on that as I do basic information regarding equipment, set-up, sound creation and planning.  It’s actually easier than you would think to sound like a professional haunt.  If you are a professional haunt, there are always ways to improve your set up!

In this first part I will go over the process of laying out a sound system and location of speakers.

The first principle in laying out a haunt is flow and scares.  With my company we often sit down first and ask the designer to “walk” us through the haunt.  Although it may not be built we can still get a mental picture of space, props and feel.  Some good questions to ask yourself and fellow designers:

Picture the room and imagine the set up with me.

What kind of sounds would I hear in this type of area?

You are standing in the entrance to the room.  To the left you see bookshelves askew.  They would shake and cave in as you walked by.  The organ would then play blowing smoke and flashing lights as two “Statues” came to life and lunged at you.

What action or cue sounds are needed?

The action started with the organ blaring and vibrating.  This caused the book cases to vibrate and fall.

What will I need?

All of this only used two speakers and one prop controller and one sensor.

The “Bed” of a creaky cavernous room was the preset loop on the controller.  The Speaker Located at the top of the room, angled to hit the entire room with sound. As the props (the Organ and Shelves) would activate the controller hit the cue triggering both controllers.

Where are the sources?

The Cue played the Organ through a Large Powered speaker from behind the organ through the right channel and the book cases through the left. Creating two different sound sources from one controller.

This is just an example of how I broke down this room.  Some are simpler and others may take more thought.  The same questions should be asked though.  Let’s take a closer look at the break down.

What kind of sounds do I expect to hear in this area?  

This is what I like to call a “Bed”.  A bed is an ambient looped track that creates a general overall feeling. For instance:

A Chapel:  Wind howling through the corridors, large room reverb creates the illusion of size and depth.

A Crypt: Closer Cavernous reverb and echo, with dripping sounds.

You get the point, these are often called ambient albums.  For examples of these check out “Gothic Nightmares”.

The bed will often sound distant but the closer sounds should sound as if they are close and crisp, this is where high quality speakers help.  This itself is a little challenging.  Finding the proper space may jump out at you, but often takes adjusting to make sure sound fills the entire space. The best way to plan for this is to look at the room highlight the path of the patrons, and figure that you want to point the sound right at them.  Ideally this is directly above, however that’s not always possible.  But aim high and save a space to roughly work with dialing it in.  Put it on your blueprints.  While you are leaving that space figure out where the source is and leave space to easily access that.  It may be in a neighboring room, control room or other space, but make sure you are able to access it with little exposure to patrons.  I will cover this more in part 2.

What kind of Cue is needed? What will I need and what are the sources?

The Cue needs to surprise your patrons, but also needs to make sense and come from an unobstructed source.  The human ear is very keen, if your prop comes from the left and your sound from the right, it would calculate in the brain correctly, meaning that it will seem cheap and transparent.  Placing a speaker for a scare is even trickier than placing a speaker for a bed.  Small speakers, unless powerful and clear will not come off well, I like to use studio reference monitors for these (I prefer guitar center, because of the pro coverage replacement plan, ask me for more info).  They are clear and precise.

These key elements should be focused on each room and always present in construction and design.

Transient rooms or hallways rely heavily on sound.  The same careful planning should be taken for those as well.  But with on important difference, the volume.  The volume in these go between areas will not only create the illusion of transporting to another area, but it will also mask the sound from the previous and upcoming room, fighting sound with sound.  The sources can often be shared to save money on players.

The needs are typically two monitor speakers, a boobox or mp3 player and a sensor.  The placement of these will be discussed more in depth in the next segment, but spending a little more upfront on good equipment will save you money and frustration in the long run.  Plan early and keep sound in mind with visual effects and props.  With this in mind you can have a haunt that you do not need to turn on and off every night one mp3 player at a time!  More on this in the next segment!

Until then, Sit back, relax and rot away!

 

The MASK MAKER has arrived at CFX!

The makers at Composite Effects are at it again! With the creative style, product and technique that has made them a mask making force in the industry, they have now packaged it in a way that allows YOU to become the MASK MAKER!

The team at CFX has continued to make leaps in the mask making world and allow its’ customers to create their own design utilizing CFX’s skills, tools and high end mask materials to bring your haunt or event to life with the creation you specifically needed and designed!

“Do you have a great idea for customizations for a mask, but don’t know for sure how it will look it when put together? Do you want to get live price estimates for your wild alteration ideas? Do you just want to screw around with different ways of playing with a mask? Look no further, because the CFX Mask Maker is here NOW!

It includes the option to email CFX at the end of the process so you can get an official, final price quote on your new mask! So let’s see what you can make, shall we?”

To see the mask maker process and to see all the creations you can come up with be sure to visit the CFX team at: www.CompositeEffects.com

The All-New CFX Exclusive TOXIC AVENGER ‘TOXIE’ Mask!

Our friends at COMPOSITE EFFECTS are at it again bringing you the BEST in silicone masks and the overall best detailed creations for your costume, event, haunted attraction or just to collect!

“Now you too can become a hideously deformed creature of superhuman size and strength, without having to leap through a window into a barrel of toxic chemical waste. This officially licensed Toxic Avenger mask captures the lumpy, malformed majesty of Melvin the monster hero down to every disgusting detail and features a drooping realistic silicone left eye. (Remember to watch that depth perception, as it does cover your real left eye.)”

This Toxie mask is fantastic. The overall detail is dead-on with the character in the films we all know and love! You can get your TOXIE exclusively from CFX Website

This Toxie mask is available exclusively from CFX.

The Toxic Avenger is licensed from our friends at:

GET YOURS AT: www.CompositeEffects.com

The Fright Factory Really Manufactures Terror!

by: RFR Casket Crew Jigsaw Jim

Greetings Deadities,

While traveling about Washington State on my annual haunt tour, I came across an excellent haunt in the town of Buckley, Washington. The Fright Factory presents a trifecta of chills and thrills which includes: a house with 8 rooms, an outside orchard with several sets and a 3rd house with 7 sets. They use a minimum of 28 actors but can accommodate 40 – 50 actors to scare the living crap out of up to a 1000 people nightly! Some of their sets really startled us (the infamous Clown Room and the Gallery of Serial Killers forced my friend to change his pants) and they change their themes every season. The Fright Factoryhas been in operation for 16 years in various locations but has been based at its current location in Buckley for the pat 9 years. Open every weekend in October and every week night before Halloween. Admission is $10 (but there’s a $1 off with a donation of a can of food to the local food bank). Well worth the price! Highly recommended to all Deadites. A special thanks to Dennis Wink for his fine hospitality and for producing a truly terrifying experience. 

For more information, visit their website at: http://www.frightfactory.net/

National Podcast Awards Daily Voting: Ride The Doombuggy and Help ROTTING FLESH RADIO Take the Win for Halloween Freaks!

Hey there Deadites,

Since 2005, you have been loyal Deadites, spinning RFR from the grave, visiting us at Conventions, Tradeshows, and more. And most of all, keeping The Mortician Rotting Away from the Morgue every week for the last Six Years!

Well it is because of you, ROTTING FLESH RADIOM is nominated in the national podcast awards at www.PodcastAwards.com.

Rotting Flesh Radio is the Only Haunt / Halloween Industry Podcast Nominated in the Annual Awards and this is because of YOU our Haunt Friends and Family.

So now it is time to take that ride in your doombuggy and V-O-T-E for ROTTING FLESH RADIO DAILY in the General Category. You have gotten us this far as both the Original Halloween and Haunt Industry Weekly Show and recognized in the National Podcast Awards.

Let’s see if we can show the world us Fright Freaks, Halloween Junkies, Haunt Lovers and Weirdos can take the top spot.

Spread the word Daily and THANK YOU DEADITES!!! Sit Back, Relax and Rot Away…

V-O-T-E DAILY:
Where: www.PodcastAwards.com
Who: Rotting Flesh Radio
Category: General Category

sCare Foundation to Honor Jamie Lee Curtis With the 2011 Humanitarian Award

This Halloween, the sCare Foundation will honor award-winning actress, Jamie Lee Curtis, with the 2011 Humanitarian Award at its inaugural fundraising event on October 30, 2011. An evening filled with entertainment, dancing and an exciting auction, the event will be held at the Conga Room L.A. Live and will benefit the CHAMPION Fund at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles to support the life-saving programs of the Hollywood Homeless Youth Project (HHYP).

“Jamie is the perfect recipient for this award,” said sCare Foundation founder Malek Akkad. “She is constantly giving back to the community through her work with children, AIDS charities and those in recovery. We are honored she will be joining us at our inaugural event.”

Jamie Lee Curtis landed her first role in John Carpenter’s Halloween. Since then, she has starred in such acclaimed films as Freaky Friday, True Lies, Trading Places and A Fish Called Wanda. In television, Ms. Curtis co-starred opposite Richard Lewis in the sitcom “Anything But Love,” as well as the title role in TNT’s adaptation of Wendy Wasserstein’s play, “The Heidi Chronicles,” and the CBS telefilm, “Nicholas’ Gift.”

Ms. Curtis is also an author of best-selling children’s books having sold over five million books under the banner Books to Grow By: My Mommy Hung The Moon, A Love Story, BIG WORDS for Little People, Is There Really A Human Race?, It’s Hard To Be Five, Learning How To Work My Control Panel, I’m Gonna Like Me, Letting Off A Little Self Esteem, Where Do Balloons Go? An Uplifting Mystery, Today I Feel Silly and Other Moods That Make My Day, Tell Me Again About The Night I Was Born, and When I Was Little, A Four-Year-Old’s Memoir of Her Youth.

Ms. Curtis has a deep and active connection to many children’s charities including, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh as well as being the official spokesperson for CAAF (The Children Affected by Aids Foundation) and on whose Executive Advisory Board she is a serving member and The Starlight/Starbright Foundation. Ms. Curtis is a recovering alcoholic/addict and was honored to serve on the Board of Directors of CASA (The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University). She currently serves on the board of The Scott Hitt Foundation.

She is the mother of Annie, age 24 and Thomas, age 15 and has been married for 27 years to actor/director Christopher Guest.

The sCare Foundation was created to focus on issues affecting today’s youth – poverty and homelessness. There are over 1.6 million homeless youth in American and an additional 5-7% become homeless in any given year. And currently, youth in the United States are more likely to live in poverty than any other developed nation. The goal of the sCare Foundation is to be help alleviate some of these issues.

Additionally, the sCare Foundation is pleased to have writer/director John Carpenter (Halloween, The Thing, Escape from New York) and producer/director James Wan (Saw franchise) as part of its honorary board.

Founded by Malek Akkad, producer of the successful Halloween franchise, sCare Foundation (Suspense Community Allocating Relief and Empowerment Foundation) is a non-profit organization dedicated to alleviating the hardships of poverty and homelessness facing today’s youth throughout North America. sCare Foundation’s focus will be to provide financial support to existing youth programs throughout North America as well as arranging special sCare Foundation activities for the children such as set visits, movie screenings, celebrity meet-and-greets and more. In addition to working with children in need, the sCare Foundation aims to involve more young people in philanthropy and develop their passions and skills to give back to their own communities. sCare wholeheartedly believes that the suspense genre demographic is an untapped resource of unlimited potential in giving and changing our global community. It can be a part of the solution. To learn more about sCare Foundation and the Board members, please visit the website at www.scarefoundation.org.

Tickets may be purchased by visiting http://scarefoundationhalloween.charityhappenings.org/.

Miami Seaquarium Offers Halloween Fun for Four Ghostly Nights

Little ghosts and goblins get set for big fun at Miami’s biggest kid-friendly Halloween Extravaganza – Monster Splash Nighttime Bash returning for its 17th year on October 28 – 31, 2011 from 5:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. With more ghoulish treats and ghostly fun than ever before, this year’s event features trick-or-treating at Sharky’s Sweet Tooth Station; kiddie rides and bounce houses at the Little Monsters Play Area; the Monsters in the Mangrove Haunted Walk; Flipper’s Dance Party and the only place in Miami to enjoy Halloween themed marine animal shows. Monster Splash Nighttime Bash is a safe Halloween alternative for kids and their families. Purchase tickets at participating Walgreens and receive a 20 percent discount.

“At Miami Seaquarium we love Halloween and we love to see big smiles on the faces of our little guests after they spend an unforgettable Halloween night at the park,” commented Andrew Hertz, General Manager at Miami Seaquarium. “We are happy to have provided local families with a safe event to celebrate Halloween in South Florida for more than a decade.”

Halloween themed marine animal shows to give guests a fright during Monster Splash Nighttime Bash include Flipper’s Thrills and Chills, Curse of the Golden Dome Witches sea lion show along with the splashy fun of the Swashbuckling Pirate Top Deck dolphin Show.

Special admission price for the Nighttime Bash is only $24.95 plus tax after 5:00 p.m. for adults, and $19.95 plus tax for children (ages 3 to 12 years) after 5:00 p.m.

Miami Seaquarium, South Florida’s most popular tourist attraction, is a family-oriented marine-life park open to the public 365 days a year. The park provides visitors with a greater understanding and appreciation for marine life through shows, presentations and marine-life exhibits. For more information on Miami Seaquarium, please call 305-361-5705 or visit www.miamiseaquarium.com.

CFX’s “Mask of the Month for October” Beetlejuice Sold Fast

A good friend of ours at Rotting Flesh Radio makes some of the best silicone masks you will find within the Haunt Industry! Composite Effects has made their mark in the Halloween and Haunt Industry with top notch quality silicone masks. And each month they offer a hidden gem in the Mask of the Month.

The Mask of the Month is the CFX Team’s way of offering a limited ONE UP, ONE OF A KIND silicone masks. Each month they are different and the first person to snatch one up gets that one of a kind piece. From the Joker, to Darth Maul, they have explored many unique Masks of the Month.

For October, they decided to go in the direction of a fan favorite 80s classic…BEETLEJUICE! And as much as we are excited to let you know about it, it has already been sold.

So one lucky Haunter out there will be able to done the ghoul’s face that Keaton brought to life in Tim Burton’s classic. And even though you missed this chance, look at the detail, the care and the movie quality of the mask!

Let this remind you to keep looking for the Mask of the Month and keep an eye on November’s right around the corner. And if you still need a mask for the Haunt Season right now, check out all their current inventory that we are sure you will encounter at a variety of haunts this Halloween.

For more on the CFX Team visit them at: www.Compositeeffects.com

Krispy Kreme® Halloween Doughnuts for a Limited Time!

If it is one weakness the Mortician gets while in the RFR Morgue Studios it is that delicious taste of HALLOWEEN DONUTS!!!

What makes a ghoulishly great Halloween get-together? Fun costumes, friends and family, and fangtastically delicious Halloween treats from Krispy Kreme of course! Krispy Kreme is scaring up some special treats this season with the return of three frighteningly tasty Halloween–themed doughnuts, and a pumpkin spiced fall favorite. The Krispy Skremes! jack-o-lantern, chocolate iced w/Halloween sprinkles, spider web and pumpkin spice cake doughnuts are available for a limited time only in Krispy Kreme U.S. and Canadian Shops.

“Pair one of our wickedly tasty Halloween and yummy pumpkin spice doughnuts with a cup of our delicious new coffee brew for a sweet end to a frightful evening of Halloween fun,” explains Ron Rupocinski, Krispy Kreme’s Corporate Chef. “Get tips and tricks on how to add Krispy Skremes! games and doughnuts to your next Halloween gathering at KrispySkremes.com.”

You could win one of five Spook-Tacular prize packs when you enter your fun, spooky, or boo-tiful Halloween Family Photo into the Krispy Skremes! Halloween Family Photo Contest. Visit www.KrispySkremes.com for contest rules and entry details. No purchase necessary to enter or win.

The jack-o-lantern, spider web, and Halloween sprinkles doughnuts are available through October 31. The pumpkin spice doughnut vanishes on November 27.

Jack-o-Lantern Doughnut: A pumpkin-shaped doughnut wearing a mask of orange icing and a jack-o-lantern face.

Chocolate Iced with Halloween Sprinkles Doughnut: A festive orange and black sprinkled doughnut.

Spider Web Doughnut: A chocolate-iced doughnut with Kreme® filling caught in a tasty web of white icing.

Pumpkin Spice Doughnut: An old-fashioned cake doughnut made with pumpkin flavors and spices and finished with Krispy Kreme’s Original Glaze®.

Krispy Kreme Halloween doughnut assortments are also available October 26-October 31 at participating grocery stores. Visit www.krispykreme.com for locations.

For updates on special promotions, exclusive offers and local events, join “Friends of Krispy Kreme” by visiting www.KrispyKreme.com

American Vampire: Survival of the Fittest #2

by: RFR Casket Crew Denise

Vampire hunters Cash McCogan and Felicia Book get shot down over the mountains of Romania and find themselves trapped in the Nazi-occupied country. And as if these monsters weren’t difficult enough to contend with, they also need to worry about the vampires that stalk the night.

Do you remember this series? Well, I do and I’m still faithfully following it. However, instead of Sheriff Book, we follow special agent Felicia Book, his daughter. And she’s haunted by Sheriff Book’s old nemesis Skinner Sweet. Is Sweet still kicking around? Not sure, but his presence is still felt.

This time or this era, Felicia is not only facing vampires but maybe a more evil force – Nazis. And what’s worse – Nazis vampires.

Along with her partner, Cash McCogan, Felicia is on her way to rescue a scientist from the Nazis when their plane is shot down in Romania. Posing as American sympathizers, these two manage to get their destination in one piece. They meet the scientist they were sent to rescue but something far worse is waiting for them.

American Vampire: Survival of the Fittest #2 was written by Scott Snyder and drawn by Sean Murphy. It is published by Vertigo.