Large Scale Central

Multi-track Sound for Garden Railroad

Electronics Power and Sound
#1

Greetings and Merry Christmas Everyone!!

I’ve been doing some thinking about my garden railroad and how the addition of sound would really enhance the overall experience. My engines have sound as they chug along the rails but the buildings are quiet. I would love for the visitor to hear the sounds of a honky-tonk piano coming from a bar or ice-cream parlor and as you move to another area hear the sounds of a band playing at the town square band stage. I create Broadway soundtracks as a side business for local theaters and school productions so I have all the equipment to create original sounds. But I’m a little unsure of a suitable method for getting everything operational in the outside environment.

Do any of you use multiple sounds in your scenes, and if so what do you use? I’ve considered inexpensive mp3 players that could play tracks on a loop to a small computer and Bluetooth type setup with multiple outputs. I’d love to read your thoughts.

Thanks,

Richard

#2

Sound does add another dimension.

I use Dave Bodnar’s “triggerable” mp3 player with a speaker in the station that does station-type sound (people, animals, carts, etc.), and a speaker in the water tank in the service area that does machine-shop-type sounds. This is a 300 second “loop” and I have it set to start at any 30 second point along the loop, at random, so it doesn’t sound the same each time when the train returns to the station.

A cassette player in one of the structures supplies music for the jazz band in the gazebo, and the singer sounds just like Aretha Franklin.

Sheep, cows, and a telegraph (same recording used at Disneyland) are also present and these are battery-powered units (QSI, ITT,) that are set within the appropriate area.

At the station where the lowrider train parks, an MP3 player plays music by “War” (“The Lowrider” and “Why Can’t We Be Friends”), various other versions of “The Lowrider,” and Cheech and Chong routines.

#3

I use Ardunio type computers and MP3 and WAV players.

I’ve used stuff from these guys, they are single voice sorts of boards and need a chip amp or powered speakers.

http://www.mdfly.com/audio/

This one is essentially a multi-track device, you can play and mix 14 simultaneous tracks in real time. A bit pricey but very cool.

https://www.sparkfun.com/products/13660