Anyone into background sounds for their railroads? My layout is getting close to being functional and I envision a lot of atmosphere. Maybe a cd of cricket songs just above earshot at dusk or a blues sound coming from the black man sitting out back by the river playing the dobro. I know there are soundboxes available for whistles,horns and cows but what about ambient sounds - the ones you can't distinctively hear but all mesh to make a mood. Is anyone currently doing this with their model railroad? Would love to hear about how yours is setup or any ideas or feedback about the direction I'm trying to take mine. Thanks, Craig
I thing somebody makes ambient sounds for layouts- Greenfrog? I'm not sure though. I mentioned this before, but sound is at the bottom list of my modeling priorities. Maybe one day in about 10 years! I just have to many other things to do though.
Craig, listen to the sound samples on the bottom of the following page. I own a couple of these and must say the sounds are very good! and for a reasonal price. http://www.ittcsoundeffects.com/tsg.htm ------------------ Paul Van Herwegen Rappannahock Terminal Railway
Sound? Yes. I went out and bought three el-cheapo tape players (walkman type), some small speakers and now have 6 locations with 40 minutes of sound each. Where did I get the tapes? I made them by recording sounds at various spots around Anderson including three rail spots. One of those was a diesel idling in South Anderson Yard and it plays in the background of a yard. There are street sounds including busses, children playing (for a playground) and even the courthouse clock striking 11. I guess that makes it from 10:30 to 11:30 on the railroad if that tape plays. I mixed the tapes so that one side carries one location and the other carries another by using a two mike setup on a stereo. One neat tape has a train making a change onto a branch line from the main. You not only hear the diesel revving, but the squall of the flanges on the curve. I guess Conrail will live on as long as I play that tape. Oh, well... Roger Roger Hensley - rhensley@anderson.cioe.com == http://cid.railfan.net/eci_new.html == == East Central Indiana Railroad == [This message has been edited by rhensley@anderson.cioe.co (edited 18 August 2000).]
Although the CSW is sort of out of commission right now with a planned move, it too is at the point where ambient sound is necessary. On a previous layout I used the tape method as well. I found that good quality tape decks can be found second hand (pawn, garage sales etc.) fairly cheap. These days, early generation CD players can also be found. One trick is to position the speakers so that the sound is coming FROM the object, not below it (on small layouts this is a real problem). I experimented around and found that small holes drilled in the layout base worked well, with the speaker pointing upward. The holes can be covered with fine mesh and painted, or ground foliage such as bushes. Recording your own sounds is a lot of fun, but make sure that there are not background noises that you may not want (a jet overhead while recording crickets for a pre-1900's layout really blows the effect!) There are also commercial tapes and CD's available. Good luck and Happy Modeling!! John ------------------ The Colorado and Southwestern, Top of the Rockies! http://jstrainstation.homestead.com
tunnel 88, Thanks for the heads up on GreenFrog. I guess if there is anything fortunate about living in an apartment it's having only enough space for a 2x8 shelf layout which can be completed. Now, someday when I buy a house and start my dream layout then sound will of course fall to the lower end of my list as well. Paul, This is exactly what I'm looking for. Thanks for the link! Roger, Sounds like you are already where I would like to be, that's great! Tell me about your speakers, are they surface mount or hidden exterior? John, Thanks for the input. Since my railroad is rather small and encased in the top shelf of my entertainment cabinet I think in-groud speakers could be a problem (but not impossible). However, I like the idea of hiding small speakers behind shrubbery or within buildings. Thanks for the tip on "aiming" the sound. Craig
