Following a link in a recent MR magazine, I found what could be a fun resource for those wanting to add industrial sounds to mills, factories or similar complexes. I like pulp and paper mills, and for anyone who wants to make an audio soundtrack to play from a
speaker inside a scale model mill, a useful website can be found at
http://freesound.iua.upf.edu/tagsViewSingle.php?id=164&start=15
Check out the files with industrial sounds; I’m working on combining
some with original sound effects to create a paper mill with
highlights such as logs going through a chipper. Combined with lights for night operation, I’m hoping the sound will help create an effective scene. If you like playing with sound, take a look! If anyone has questions about editing, most computers have the tools to do it - play with “windows sound recorder” - I can offer tips if anyone gets stuck.
Thanks a lot for this interesting site. I just bought 2 MRC background sound systems and am using sound chips in my locomotives.
Sound to me is just as much another part of model railroading as a signal system is.
My layout includes rural. suburban, urban areas and a locomotive yard so there is plenty of room for different background sounds.
Doc
Excellent site! Thanks for the link.[tup]
I agree - sound is such an important part of creating an environment - including a miniature environment. It can really “set the stage” for a miniature scene. Just as the roar of pumps, ventilators, chippers, and steam are all a part of a paper mill, the sound of idling locomotives, machine shop tools, and (if you model a steam yard) steam locomotives and whistles can really add life to an engine terminal. For city scenes, the faint hum of traffic and horns, puncuated with the occasional far-off echoing siren, seems to me to really add life to the scene. For rural scenes, ocassional passing cars, and birds with a dog barking now and then could probably really help (though I’ve never tried it.) For a night rural scene, I’d probably add an owl, too!
And when it comes to combining sound and light, how about an occasional flicker of white light on the backdrop behind the scenery, followed by the rumble of thunder during night operations?
When you play a few at once it sounds very realistic
http://www.grsites.com/sounds/
I just ran across this one. It has a train section. The crashes sound awesome!
Thanks - that is a nice collection of free sounds! And you’re right - it seems like editing several sounds together with random sequence (which is pretty easy to do with Windows Sound Recorder) gives pretty good results. I have a two-minute audio clip of a paper mill in operation, with a log going through the chipper now and then; if I can figure out where to post it, I’ll put a link!
Here’s a draft sound file of a pulp mill in operation with sound effects for the log chipper. Go to:
NORTH COAST RAILROAD
See what you think; it wasn’t hard to do, and could be made to loop continuously through a speaker in the mill model.