Speakers and audio.

Joel Goodpaster
Joel Goodpaster ✭✭
in Animatronics
 I'm starting to look into solutions for adding sound to my animatronic.

My first thought is to put a couple small full range speakers in the head. Size wise, they are pretty thin, and could easily fit inside.  But, the down side is the sound would probably be muffled by the skull and silicone skin. 

Another possibility would be an external speaker setup in whatever base the animatronic is mounted on. Something like a 2.1 computer speaker set. This would allow clear sound with great volume, but the sound perspective would be off (voice coming from base instead of from mouth).

We have some store bought Halloween animatronics that use a single speaker in the torso's, and they do OK, but they aren't very loud. 

Has anyone had any experience with something similar? I know a lot of creatures like this are used in movies where sound is added later by voiceovers, and such, but there are those (like on Disney rides) that use sound directly... maybe?

Ideas, thoughts, experiences?

Keep creating!!

Comments

  • Chris Ellerby
    Chris Ellerby Admin
    For most of my projects I use portable Bluetooth speakers that have a line-in connection.  That way they have their own battery, amp, and speaker all in one package.  Some even have USB out to charger your phone, which can work to power other things as well.

    Otherwise, depending on your skill with electronics and programming, you can use an Arduino micro controller and one of the many available sound/music shields for it that come with small onboard amps that can drive a speaker or two.

    /Chris
  • Joel Goodpaster
    Joel Goodpaster ✭✭
    Does mounting speakers in the head work, or should I be focusing on an external speaker setup?  The Bluetooth speaker might be the way to go, compact, and easy to use, as far as the sound goes.

    I'll be using some prerecorded sounds, and some live (filtered) audio all done through a PC.  
  • Chris Ellerby
    Chris Ellerby Admin
    Mounting in the head can work, but having the batteries and speaker inside the head does add a lot of weight.  You might be able to get away with having the speaker in the body, otherwise you can move just the speakers into the head and run wires to the amp/power supply/audio source.

    /Chris
  • Garyrhoades
    Garyrhoades ✭
    edited February 19
    In that Stan Winston School thread about speakers and audio, people were talking practical animatronics sound - whether to mount speakers inside a head or use external Bluetooth units with line-in connections. One admin even suggests using portable Bluetooth speakers or Arduino sound shields if you want clean, loud output without too much wiring fuss. The conversation is really about finding what works best for your build, and isn’t too technical - great for hobbyists and pros alike. It got me thinking how useful tools that convert audio into text can be when documenting build notes or tutorials you record during projects. Instead of typing everything, you could record your thoughts while testing speakers and then easily turn that audio into text to paste into your build journal or forum post. That makes sharing tips and feedback with others much smoother and faster.

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