Sound Mill Meets the Wolf Man (Customer Story)

Sound Mill

Wolf eyes "To my fellow haunters -- This is the software you've been looking for."
Tim Brown, Technology Director, Hauntedweb of Horrors

The Hauntedweb drives 12 different sound zones, each with its own sound design of multiple sound effects. All piped simultaneously from one, desktop computer.

Hauntedweb Ghoul handshake The Hauntedweb of Horrors
The Hauntedweb of Horrors in Memphis Tennessee is one of the premier haunt attractions in the state. A non-profit operation which donates its proceeds to Youth Villages **, Hauntedweb has been in operation for 9 years. The present venue is 13,000 square feet divided into two separate haunt attractions with about 20 rooms each. During the annual, October run, over 10,000 patrons will visit the attraction.

The Sound Sorcerer
Tim Brown, Technology Director, Hauntedweb of Horrors, was the audio/visual technical advisor and sound designer for The Hauntedweb prior to 2011. For the 2009 season, Tim decided to move to a centrally controlled sound management system using Sound Mill .

Hauntedweb passing thru The Ghost in the Machine
You don't need a super-computer to get a lot of sound from Sound Mill . The venue computer is a 3.2 gigahertz Intel Pentium 4 system with 1 gig of RAM running Windows XP Home Edition and Sound Mill . Speakers in each audio zone are tied to the central computer via USB connected sound cards. Each zone plays a different sound program simultaneously. According to Tim, "With over 50 speakers in 12 different zones, and with the added ingeniousness of Sound Mill , this is the first year that I feel confident we have a sound system that complements the visual elements and the enthusiasm of our actors."

Tim Brown was kind enough to send us a review of Sound Mill following this year's successful run.

The Testimonial
November 06, 2009

After years of worrying with multiple CD and MP3 players to generate the audio tracks and sound effects tracks for our Haunted Attraction, I decided to finally take a step into the future and find a computer program that could control all of our sound needs. After a long search for a cost-effective solution, I chose Sound Mill . I couldn't have made a better choice.

With a multitude of easy-to-use functions, including the ability to easily assign tracks to a choice of sound cards and loop them indefinitely, I was able to expand our audio beyond anything we've previously achieved. Thanks to Sound Mill , we were able to easily control 12 zones of sound and effects, enhancing our scenes in ways we never have before. And with more channels still available, we can expand even further when we plan next year's haunt.

The script feature in Sound Mill proved extremely valuable, as it allowed me to program the soundtracks to automatically play and stop during our operating hours. And the ability to stop all tracks with a push of one button gave me the ability to easily make emergency announcements over the house PA system, which made our local fire marshal extremely happy. (Luckily, we did not have to use this function, but it was nice knowing it was there!)

One of the best things about Sound Mill was the exceptional level of support that was offered. The level of customer care offered by the Sound Mill staff went above and beyond that of any other software company I have ever purchased from, which was surprising considering Sound Mill 's remarkably low price. The big software guys could learn a lesson from the folks at Sound Mill!

In closing, I would highly recommend Sound Mill to anyone who needs to run sound for their theatrical or amusement venue, especially if they require multiple zones of sound using several sound cards. Don't let Sound Mill 's affordability fool you -- It's clearly professional-grade software at a consumer-grade price! And to my fellow haunters- This is the software you've been looking for.

Tim Brown
Technology Director
Hauntedweb of Horrors
www.hauntedweb.com

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