# Departed Studios Needs Your Help



## Departed_Studios (May 18, 2008)

Hey all.. Hope alls well, and thanks for your support with our TEEMING release!

I'm posting because we're deep into the production of this years CD release, and are hoping to get some soundscape ideas from Haunt Forum's discriminating haunters and haunt music connoisseurs... 

For this release we aim to include more FX-scapes for use as backdrops in different scenes/settings... And less musical composition. Any input is appreciated! Some scene ideas might include... Mad scientists Lab, an Asylum, etc, etc... As much as we want to stay original as possible, many popular scenes are repeated in different haunts around the country... We may still include a couple that have been 'done to death' (), but promise to put our own departed sick spin on 'em. What I'm REALLY looking fwd to is some of you who have been fiendishly looking for a soundscape to fit an obscure, original scene, and have come up with nothing as of yet... If I can paint a sonic picture, I'm doing my job and I'm confident others will find it useful..

Also, on a side note, Anyone who has the TEEMING CD and digs it, I'd *really* appreciate it if you could post a quick, honest review on Fright Catalog... (here)

Anyway, I'll check back to get your feedback and assure you all ideas will be considered...

Thanks again and happy haunting!

-K
Departed Studios


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## STOLLOWEEN (Apr 13, 2008)

I just visited your site and did a quick listen to the demos, very nice (by that I mean creepy) sounding tracks. Something that I'm always looking for is a soundscape that can support my yard display during the daytime hours...yeah I said daytime.

After nightfall I run two separate soundtracks...one is FX based and the other music, they work well together and compliment the lighting, the fog machines, strobes, the thunder and lightning effects, etc.

However during the daytime hours when the display is up and there are no effects going such as lightning and fog I like to run a subtle soundtrack that pretty much stays in the background but still adds some ambience to the display, this is especially useful because we have quite a bit of foot traffic on the sidewalk in front of our home and a background soundtrack adds a little punch to the daylight hours.

Last year I used one of the FX tracks from the Mannheim Steamroller Halloween CD volume 2...it was low key but was punctuated by a couple of reverberated "howls".

I guess what I would love to see for my yard display is a soundscape that really suggested lonliness, abandonment and decay. Natural sounds such as wind and rustling branches or leaves...but yet is punctuated every 30 seconds or so with something otherworldly that would deliver a shiver and suggest that all is not quite right with this lonely scene.

Here's some photos from our 2008 display:

http://www.stolloween.com/?page_id=153

Again, your work sounds great and I look forward to future releases.


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## Wyatt Furr (Jun 5, 2006)

Well, since you asked nicely.......
For years I have been looking for backround/atmosphere type sounds/music for my old west/haunted mine theme yard haunt.This is nothing fancy, but every year I try to improve on it. 
I would love to have a soundtrack of thunder storms ,low moaning,distant trains,wind thru a cave/mine,crashing ore cars,Indian chanting,saloon piano playing old west tunes,(Darling Celemintine,Red River Valley,Home on the Range,ect),but just a bit off key.....

There could even be a Saloon Singer type character, who sings along/narrates and somehow pulls the story all together.
Dont know if that gets too specific for general use though....

I have a friend doing a GhostTown Haunt this year and this possibly would be what he is looking for too.

What do you think? Good idea or barely marketable?


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## Departed_Studios (May 18, 2008)

*Thanks!*

Those are both great ideas that I'll try to implement.. Keep 'em coming, Thanks!


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## Ghoul Friday (Oct 6, 2007)

Last year, my kitchen was set up like an abandoned restaurant kitchen. I was only able to find one good ambient soundscape - dishes clinking, someone whistling and some chatter you couldn't quite make out. It gave an eerie realistic sense that you were hearing the ghosts of the building without clubbing you over the head with screams. 

Something like this, with more sounds like someone butchering, maybe simple dialogue of someone talking about 'storing the fresh meat' (nice if it sounded far off), and general kitchen sounds (maybe with a bit of whimpering here and there) would be awesome.


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## billman (May 3, 2006)

Well, Terminator is going to be huge this year. Human experiment/Human Disassembler Factory...Robotic speech (no english), factory sound like an assembly line (saws going but not chainsaws), humans screaming, flesh ripping, gas pipe, etc.


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## DarkLore (Jan 25, 2009)

Ghoul Friday said:


> Last year, my kitchen was set up like an abandoned restaurant kitchen. I was only able to find one good ambient soundscape - dishes clinking, someone whistling and some chatter you couldn't quite make out. It gave an eerie realistic sense that you were hearing the ghosts of the building without clubbing you over the head with screams.
> 
> Something like this, with more sounds like someone butchering, maybe simple dialogue of someone talking about 'storing the fresh meat' (nice if it sounded far off), and general kitchen sounds (maybe with a bit of whimpering here and there) would be awesome.


lol...My company makes point of sale terminals for the restaurant and fast food industries. At my office we have a permanent restaurant and fast food demo room. Something like this would be funny to play in October when we're giving executive briefings for large clients.


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## DarkLore (Jan 25, 2009)

School rooms and playgrounds.
Hospital Trauma areas
State Fair/Carnival/Freak/Sideshows


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## shadowopal (Aug 9, 2007)

I've got two suggestions:
1) swamp. frogs, crocs, snakes, bubbles and a banjo in the distance, flies buzzing, etc.
2) Hell....why has no one done this yet? I'm not sure what hell sounds like. But, I haven't heard a good one yet. Backwards talking demons, laughter, cries of pain, flames, growls, roars etc.


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## kprimm (Mar 14, 2009)

The swamp and the hell ideas are awesome. I also think something creepy like insane gigling or laughing very quietly like someone has lost thier mind.Asylum type sounds.Maybe some good zombie attacking thrashing and flesh eating type stuff. I dont hwta kind of sound this could be but would love to hear something that could be used for an evil scarecrow.


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## Departed_Studios (May 18, 2008)

*Thanks...*

Thanks for the feedback so far.. Some great ideas!
I did have a track on the last CD called 'Hell's Whispers', but it was limited to _ghostly human_ sounds, not too much beast & fire fx.. Anyway, thanks again & keep 'em comin! Some of these ideas will definitely be used.. 

-K


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## kprimm (Mar 14, 2009)

I was also thinking about something skeletal. I'm not exactly sure what i mean but there is really nothing out there that you could use for sound for a skeleton. Maybe like the sound of jangling bones and some creepy high pitched screams or such.


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## Warrant2000 (Oct 8, 2008)

(blasted at-work filters not letting me get to your site so I can sample...)

- Twisted Nursery. jewelry-box style music (18-note musical movement is what the part is called) that is off-key, or "sour". A familiar childrens lullaby that starts normal but turns bad would work well.

- Giant spider, insect chamber, spider pods.

- Violent ghoul undead attack, something large like in Thir13en Ghosts, when one of them would attack, loud, large, squeal, booms, thunderous wind blasts, etc. The kind where everyones hair gets blown back. 3-4 different versions of this would be great for different high-scare props.

- Dentist drill and screams - no novocaine.

- Toxic Storage Accident. Electrical zaps, muffled announcements over a PA system about loading docks and evacuation measures, warning claxon, toxic sizzling, etc. A calm female voice saying something like, "Warning, toxic spill in sector 4. Initiating emergency procedures."

- (comical) Undead Airport. "The white zone is for dead and undead only." "(ding-dong) Dracula, Mr. Count Dracula, please meet your party at coffin claim three." "Due to increased security measures, all skeletons must be checked as baggage." (then do the same announcements in Spanish and French. Alternating male/female voices.

"La zona blanca es para los no-muertos y sólo."

"Dracula, Monsieur le comte Dracula, s'il vous plaît répondre à votre demande cercueil partie à trois"


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## Warrant2000 (Oct 8, 2008)

Departed_Studios said:


> Thanks for the feedback so far.. Some great ideas!
> I did have a track on the last CD called 'Hell's Whispers', but it was limited to _ghostly human_ sounds, not too much beast & fire fx.. Anyway, thanks again & keep 'em comin! Some of these ideas will definitely be used..
> 
> -K


A H-E-double-hockey-sticks track might include a thunderous orchestra and chorus, especially when the Big Guy shows up.


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## Haunted Bayou (Feb 16, 2007)

Hmmm, maybe this is just lame but I have never really found a background I like for my small graveyard. I know you specified unusual scenes but people are always looking for graveyard ambiance.

I was thinking more on the lines of the swamp idea above. Where there is crickets, maybe some frogs some howling wind now and then, some creepy night critter sounds and, some ghostly sounds. 
I always thought most of the sound-tracks I hear are too over-the-top and disjointed. 


It is hard to articulate what I am thinking about but I guess it would be more on the lines of what you would hear out in an old graveyard at night out in the woods with your imagination getting the best of you. You hear a stick break, some leaves rustle...subtle stuff without music.


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## Devils Chariot (May 23, 2007)

1. scary jungle and drums

2. scary space sounds with robots (and one with aliens, but not on the same track)

3. haunted circus, not so KKFOS but more like carnival meet ghost towns, sounds of distant crowds, creaking rides, with a grind organ. Kinda with a tom wait bone machine album vibe


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## Sunkenbier (Jan 5, 2009)

Haunted Bayou said:


> Hmmm, maybe this is just lame but I have never really found a background I like for my small graveyard. I know you specified unusual scenes but people are always looking for graveyard ambiance.
> 
> I was thinking more on the lines of the swamp idea above. Where there is crickets, maybe some frogs some howling wind now and then, some creepy night critter sounds and, some ghostly sounds.
> I always thought most of the sound-tracks I hear are too over-the-top and disjointed.
> ...


Id agree with this. It would be nice to have a few tracks like so the common people can set it to loop for a casual yard haunt.


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## Indyandy (Sep 7, 2005)

I agree about the graveyard track. I have never really found one I liked. The wind doesn't always blow or howl. But when it does, thats when you can hear leaves rustling and an old gate squeaking. I also haven't found a good track to play in my cript with my FCG. Maybe I'm too picky?


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## Haunted Bayou (Feb 16, 2007)

Indyandy said:


> I agree about the graveyard track. I have never really found one I liked. The wind doesn't always blow or howl. But when it does, thats when you can hear leaves rustling and an old gate squeaking. I also haven't found a good track to play in my cript with my FCG. Maybe I'm too picky?


oh good, it isn't just me.

I have a lot of CDs but they don't make sense. There are too many unrelated noises that just don't work.

You are right, the wind doesn't howl all the time but it kicks up with gusts. I like the gate idea maybe with it bumping the fence now and then in the wind.

I added thunder and lightning this year. It would be nice to have thunder now and then with the outdoor noises in the background.


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## Terrormaster (Sep 27, 2007)

HB that's an awesome idea. If I weren't doing pirates this year i'd be all over that. Another thing that'd work well with that is the occasional sound of stones shifting against stones as if unseen crypts were sliding open or something similar to the sound of moving stones like in Blaire Witch.


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## Haunted Bayou (Feb 16, 2007)

Thanks Terrormaster

I am always looking so if you spot anything that is close, please let me know. Maybe I just need to make some of my own recordings to see what I can come up with.


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## Dark Lord (Jul 25, 2007)

Hey Departed Studios, so how is the new CD coming.....??? Good stuff I'm sure


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## Departed_Studios (May 18, 2008)

*Thanks!*

Hey thanks for the great replies everyone..

Thanks Dark Lord,  it's coming along, but the season is quickly approaching.. Which is great, but limits my ability to create decent artwork/packaging in time.. Therefore for this season anyway, this release may be a "download only" release, and not available on CD.. We'll see... Things are coming along though.


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## BioHazardCustoms (Aug 5, 2009)

I've been looking for three years for an evil monastery sound scheme that sounds realistic. My driveway is approximately 1/4th of a mile, and sounds of evil chanting would work great as they walk up to the haunt.


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## Terrormaster (Sep 27, 2007)

Biohazard, I was looking for just the thing myself this year. For now I'm using Lustmord's The Monsterous Soul, "The Fourth and Final Key" edited down to the monks chanting. But I could have definitely used something much more refined.

@DS another thing I'm looking for this year but not sure you can squeeze it in in time for this year is an ethereal haunting flute or ocarina piece. For now I'm using Seki Setsu but I would have loved to had something that played intentionally creepy.


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## Dark Lord (Jul 25, 2007)

Departed_Studios said:


> Hey thanks for the great replies everyone..
> 
> Thanks Dark Lord,  it's coming along, but the season is quickly approaching.. Which is great, but limits my ability to create decent artwork/packaging in time.. Therefore for this season anyway, this release may be a "download only" release, and not available on CD.. We'll see... Things are coming along though.


A download Cd is better than no cd at all.....LOL hard to do all that's needed this close to Halloween.........


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## Dark Lord (Jul 25, 2007)

BioHazardCustoms said:


> I've been looking for three years for an evil monastery sound scheme that sounds realistic. My driveway is approximately 1/4th of a mile, and sounds of evil chanting would work great as they walk up to the haunt.


Not meaning to hijack this thread-
I have a freeshare site:http://www.4shared.com/dir/8401245/1b5da472/sharing.html lots of sound effects,help yourselfs.
Try this one for monastery, run it thru goldwave or Audacity & deepen,slow,tweak it.http://www.4shared.com/file/106631281/35511131/The_Ritual_of_Baphamet.html
Hope it helps 

P.S. Terrormaster....Lustmord rocks !!!!!!!!! love they stuff !


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## kprimm (Mar 14, 2009)

Hey darklord what is the pass word to get the download?


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## kprimm (Mar 14, 2009)

I would like to see some soundscape stuff for a creepy old witch lady rocking in a chair and mumbling and creepilly laughing low to herself, like shes crazy.
I also would like to have some creepy child like stuff, like dead children or ghostly children type stuff. Maybe something else for a werewolf also, basically all you have now everywhere are just howls and growls.I also think some grave keeper type stuff also, like him talking to himself and hearing the shovel moving dirt. What else would be great to have is more scary lines that could be used for greeter type characters. Something for skeletons also maybe hearing thier bones rattling while they are walking and some type of high pitched wail or cackle sound they could make.Would like to have more ghost, spectre type stuff instead of just the usual moans, more like the unique stuff they had on the old disney thrilling chilling haunted house album.


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## Dark Lord (Jul 25, 2007)

kprimm said:


> Hey darklord what is the pass word to get the download?


Oops,sorry, password is - haunttunes


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## FEAR (Apr 28, 2009)

I also agree with the graveyard. I haven't found any really good ghost voices calling from beyond for the TOTs to join them...


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