Scale Magic Sound
Imagine the sound of wind blowing through the trees, birds chirping, the ever growing sound of an approaching train! This is NOT merely a soundtrack, it's the MAGIC of a miniature scene BROUGHT TO LIFE in front of your very own ears!
The Magic is in the CD which is specifically designed to be incorporated into various miniature sets. With the help of our Scale Magic Manual, you will use tiny speakers, 'itty bitty' amps and a few tricks to create an effective "living" scene.
As seen in the August 2006 issue of Model Railroader, Scale Magic is the easiest way for the average modeler to set the scene on his layout. Equally useful for Department 56 or other holiday and scenic display sets, Scale Magic takes you away to another world of your choice.
Jim Wells, a veteran of the amusement park audio arena and originator of on-board audio in animatronics creatures, turned his Fantasonics Engineering company toward enhancing his favorite hobby - model railroading. Jim individually crafts the Scale Magic sounds like a vintner crafts fine wine. He adjusts the level and phasing of perhaps 100 sounds in the 40 to 80 minutes on a Scale Magic soundtrack to put that sound just in the right place in both time and space.
While this may sound like Voodoo, the result is something to behold! The quick and easy method to enjoy it is, as Gary Gelzer explained (see below ), to put the CD in a Boom Box and stand back! Your sense of hearing will take you to the time and place you have selected, from a steam powered Logging Camp to a Quaint Fishing Harbor to a modern Yard or a Wild West Saloon.
Add realism to your holiday decorations, diorama, etc. with Scale Magic. Imagine the depth added to a scene of skaters and Victorian houses by the sounds of a early 20th Century Big City!
Data presented here is correct to the best of our knowledge. Please report any discrepancies to Bruce.
What Users Say:
I have been using several of the Scale Magic Sound CDs for the past half-year and think it is a great product. Model Railroader recently wrote about the various ways you could use sound on a layout, and I use both mobile sound in several locomotives and background sound on the Great Northwestern Coastline Railway & Navigation Company (GNC web site: CLICK HERE).
The GNC Railway is located right on the waterfront of Tacoma, WA. In addition to serving all the local Water Street industries, we service a pier side grain terminal and have barge and ferry service that crosses Puget Sound to service the Port Townsend to Port Angeles branch of the system. In addition to blue carpet in the aisles (all our operators walk on water to run the switch jobs) we use two Scale Magic Sound CDs to provide a nautical atmosphere to our operating room. I have been using Big Port Harbor Modern and World War II on two separate sound systems to provide the atmosphere that I require to operate this waterfront railway.
Here is how we created the sound effects. I purchased two inexpensive boom boxes that have (this is very important) a REPEAT ALL tracks function. I then took two pairs of old computer speakers and hooked them up to the boom boxes, separating the speakers as far as they could be placed. I placed one set of sound equipment under the layout at one end of a rectangular room, with the second set being placed on a high shelf at the opposite end of the layout room. When operations nights take place, after turning on the DCC system and hearing my ALCOs start to run, we then turn on each boom box, making sure the repeat all function is on. I start each CD a minute or so apart, thus the sounds of the waterfront are somewhat randomly played in the room. Another thing is to keep the volume low, since this is background sound.
So is the affect any good? It is not just good; the nautical sounds make the atmosphere of the room GREAT! Given my former life I as a Navy officer, standing in the room with the Scale Magic Sound playing brings back lots of memories, some even cold and damp. This is as close as it gets to being on board a destroyer, going out to sea on a foggy day. My wife could walk into the session and toss cold salt water in my face and that would only slightly add to the feeling of being on the bridge of a ship when the Scale Magic Sound CDs are playing. If being on a ship is not your thing, imagine standing on the wharf or waiting for the ferry or going to the marina. The sound is so realistic! I have even had an operator say he thought he was getting seasick. (I think he wanted an early quit.)
In addition to using the nautical sounds, I have had the opportunity to use the Big City WWII CD. This CD has the sounds of cars, trucks, taxis, buses, cops, fire trucks and the rest of the city sounds. This is a good alternative to all nautical sounds. The fire truck and police car sirens on this CD are particularly effective. Is this a good product? You bet it is! Does it take away from your sound equipped locomotives? Not at all! If anything, it makes your sound equipped engine that much more realistic. In front of you hear your locomotive and in the background you hear the city or the harbor or the countryside. It really will make the plywood central seem like the real thing. It just adds that extra bit to make a railroad with scenery more realistic. Go out and try Scale Magic, this will be money well spent.
Gary Gelzer, Superintendent
Great Northwestern Coastline Railway
Goodyear, AZ
'Prompt Service, No Matter How Long It Takes!'
Another User's Comments:
I am more than satisfied with the Pricom Dream Player and Scale Magic sound products that I have purchased [from you]. My satisfaction is based on two factors: First, the products are very easy to use, have great features and provide something to the model railroad that has been missing - background sound. Secondly, like any new product offering there can be problems. The minor problems I experienced were quickly handled by Bob Scheffler at Pricom. He has a busy day job but was extremely responsive in handling my problems. Anyone with questions can feel free to contact me and I'll try to help.
Tom (eMail: TomSchilling @ yahoo.com)