Using sound effects at the table?

[Jeff Wilder]

I've been thinking for a while now about how to use sound effects at the table. I hate laptop use at the table ... I've never seen one used without breaking the (IMO vital) dynamic between GM and players, and I know for certain that I could never use one without being preoccupied.

My PDA is a possibility, but even there I sometimes feel the connection break. It's the interface, I think. (For example, there's a spectacular Palm OS app called Combat-Q that does an amazing job of handling initiative, including easily tracking Ready, Delay, and spell effects. But it's difficult for me to use in play without feeling like I'm shutting out players.)

What I would absolutely love is a small, flat device, kinda like the iPod shuffle, combined with a pair of small speakers. The device would have several rows of buttons -- at least 20 buttons total -- which could be programmed to play specific tracks. No hunting for which sound effect you want ... as part of adventure prep, you'd note: "Hit button 1 now." This would also work as an interface on the PDA (and the tech is available now, all that would be needed is the software). You'd want the option to loop the track, too, on a set delay.

Another possibility would be my home stereo, combined with an MP3 disc and a remote control. That's not an option with my current game-room setup, but I will be moving soon, so I may keep it in mind when I set up in the new place.

Any other ideas? Anybody wanna volunteer to write the Palm OS program I outlined above? (I bet you could sell it for $5 or $10 to a large group of gaming geeks.)

 

[Keeper of Secrets]

Hmmm. I use a laptop a lot. I use it to have lots of organized notes and I use music and sound effects. Honestly, it is a really sweet way to have a bunch fo handy stuff.

 

[Desdichado]

It seems it would be difficult to use the mp3 option in play; you'd have to have the display in front of you so you can find the file very quickly when you need it. As much as I don't really like laptops at the table either, that seems like the best method of having sound effects ready easily.

Your ideal device sounds ideal to me too -- I wonder if you could program a small synthesizer or sampler to do that?

 

[GlassJaw]

I hate laptop use at the table ... I've never seen one used without breaking the (IMO vital) dynamic between GM and players, and I know for certain that I could never use one without being preoccupied.

I actually find quite the opposite to be true. I just started using a laptop while DM'ing about 3 weeks ago and I love it. I've actually found that it lets me focus more on the players and speeds up the game because I don't have to fumble through a stack of books to find stuff and I have everything organized using Excel. I now spend less time book-keeping and more time actually playing.

Plus, I can show them pics of monsters and NPC's on the screen as well as play mp3's and such (which I haven't done much of yet but I might start).

 

[Angel Tarragon]

When I GM, I have a 5-cd stereo sytem that I use. I put in my top 5 'sound effects and game soundtrack' cds and whip out my cheat sheat of track info. Whenever I need a specific piece or SFX, I look to my cheat sheet and cue the stereo.

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

What would be ideal is a Flash program similar to those "Samuel L Jackson" quote machines - you push a button on the display and a quote from Pulp Fiction plays, etc. If one were made with 20 or so RPG-related sounds, so that you could trigger them with a click, that would be ideal. I've got a friend at work who made one using audio clips of one of my former bosses, maybe I can have him show me how to modify that... Hmmm...

The other thing I've seen done is simply to copy all of the relevant WAV files to the desktop so that they are easily accessed, though this would be a little slower than using a Flash program.

I've been using a laptop for 6 or so sessions now, and I've been asking for feedback to make sure that I don't refer to it too much, and keep focused on the players. I think it's working out pretty well, and one reason for that is that I'm not using some big combat tracker program. I track that on paper and roll dice like normal, and only use the laptop for intiative tracking, and SRD rules lookup using a hypertexted SRD. So far is working pretty well.

 

[hexgrid]

I think you could do this easily with an iPod. (not the shuffle- one with a screen.) Just put all the sounds you need in a single play list. The amount of time required to scroll to the specific sound you want to play would be negligible.

Of course, I think it would be quicker and easier on a laptop.

 

[Mr. T]

I think you could do this easily with an iPod. (not the shuffle- one with a screen.) Just put all the sounds you need in a single play list. The amount of time required to scroll to the specific sound you want to play would be negligible.

Of course, I think it would be quicker and easier on a laptop.

Yes iPods work very well. I have one and me and my group use it for backround music and sound effects. They also have an advantage (in my opinion). iPods are cheaper that laptops, so you won't have to shell out a couple thousand dollars. An iPod mini is $249 but, you would need speakers or an amp for it to be heard well.

 

[Jeff Wilder]

I think you could do this easily with an iPod.

It can't be done any easier with an iPod than it can be done on my Treo 650 with pTunes loaded. (Which isn't particularly easy.) Again, the ideal solution, for me at least, is something that takes almost none of my attention away from the table. Laptops don't do that (as I said, I've never been in a game that was anything but hurt by a DM using a laptop), and the current mp3 players/software don't do that.

 

[GlassJaw]

something that takes almost none of my attention away from the table

You mean aside from fumbling through a stack of books, a scratchpad to keep track of everyone's initiatives and hp's, a bag of dice, pages of statblocks and adventure notes, and maps?

Laptops don't do that (as I said, I've never been in a game that was anything but hurt by a DM using a laptop)

Just because you've never seen it doesn't mean it can't be done.