Pumpkinland
As Halloween draws closer have you given any thought to what you might be playing on Halloween night? Whether you have a Halloween party or you're just getting set up for the onslaught of Trick or Treaters, you want to set the mood, right?
You may want to consider Pumpkinland. Here are some reviews:
Epitaph Magazine.com
"Within the Haunt Industry there is a large number of companies and individuals producing soundscapes, sound effects and theme music in cd format. The advent of which is one of recent history's most valuable contributions to the industry. Hassle-free sound without the bother of rewinds, broken tapes and distortion caused by wear.
Reviewing these products presents a challenge. It is as much a matter of taste as expertise, not dissimilar to trying to compare a heavy metal music track to rap or classical music. What makes a haunt cd good or bad is more the application it is intended for than the product itself. Many well-produced cd's simply will not work in every type of haunt. First a haunter must ask, "What do I want the sound to do?" Is the haunt to be built around a theme that requires a tightly woven sound track to help enhance the storyline? Or, as is often the case, does the haunt need a background soundscape to merely set the tone a haunter desires? If your desire is in the latter category, take a listen to Pumpkinland and Pumpkinland II.
The creator of the Pumpkinland cd's does soundscapes and does them well. Built primarily of skillfully layered sound effects, these soundscapes provide a series of background tracks that are eerie, effective and, in some cases very long allowing almost gap-free use. While not as music based as some others, the tracks definitely have a place in the industry. Used in sets such as cemeteries and other outdoor scenes the final tracks of both I and II are superb. Pumpkinland shows it's true strength in mixes that are tailored for the night with wind, weather and animal noises perfectly balanced whether the application is subtle or at full volume. The variety of tracks on each cd does cover multiple types of scenes however, and haunters will find them useful in many other scenarios.
Perhaps the only shortcoming of Pumpkinland is the packaging. It tends to portray a more simple and "Halloweenie" product than is hidden within and may unfortunately "put off" some serious haunters. Don't let it fool you, underneath the somewhat mainstream cover is a product sufficiently dark for most applications and far removed from the "scary sounds" cd's found in retail stores that it unfortunately may bring to mind.
While the soundscapes of Pumpkinland may not have the recognizability of music-based haunt tracks, nor are they presented in slick packaging, they are well produced and provide yet another valuable tool to the industry. Take the time to visit their web site (Pumpkinland) and listen to the product. It could well be just the thing you've been looking for."
Rue Morgue Magazine
"Musical director Mark Harvey was motivated to kick start a compilation of truly frightening sounds largely out of his disappointment with the usual mix of cackling witches and rattling chains. 'I wanted something dark, eerie, spooky, mysterious and otherworldly,' he writes in the liner notes that accompany this CD. Pumpkinland is his first shot at your nerves, a throbbing soundscape of ambient noises and ghostly synths based around five musical themes (Swamp, Ghouls, The Pumpkin Patch, etc.). A definite atmos-fear is set, more serious in tone than campy or fun. Still, Pumpkinland would probably work best as the aural counterpart to a thrill ride or Halloween haunt (as was intended) rather than an album to listen to in its own."
Halloween-Online.com
"Are you looking for the perfect background music for your Home Haunt? Well, we found it! Pumpkinland Studios created the Pumpkinland Halloween Haunt CD specifically as a soundscape for Home Haunts and Halloween events. It's wonderfully terrifying. Not the lame sound effects disc you get year after year. If you really want to create a spooky atmosphere for your Halloween event this year, get this CD! We love it and highly recommend it!!"
Larry McKenzie HalloweenMagazine.com
"There is no beating around the bush about this CD. If you are looking for a truly spooky Halloween soundscape that you can play during a Halloween Haunt, gathering, or to play for trick-or-treaters, the Pumpkinland CD is one that you should consider. It took a true Halloween enthusiast to come up with this CD. One of my favorite things about the tracks is that each track keeps the theme throughout the entire track. There is no unwanted sound effects that could take away from your haunting experience. Pumpkinland will truly help create a very spooky atmosphere. There are 5 tracks on the CD (long tracks). 1. Pumpkinland (excellent) 2. Creature (excellent) 3. Swamp (excellent) 4. Ghouls (excellent) 5. The Pumpkin Patch (excellent). Each track is done so that there is an almost seamless transition if you use your "repeat function" on your CD player to loop a track for a continuous "theme". The recording quality and recording level is excellent. I am proud to have this CD in my collection. I will use the Pumpkinland CD in my next Haunt. I sincerely recommend visiting http://www.13thtrack.com/ and listen to a track or two."
Happy Halloween Magazine
"Want to set an eerie mood for your Halloween event but tired of screams and sounds of torment? If so, try the hottest new CD this season, "Pumpkinland" from Nobody Records, a Northern California based independent record label. After years of buying the same old tired sound effects, Mark Harvey decided to create a "soundscape of terror". He's compiled some riveting tracks that are dark, eerie, spooky, mysterious and otherworldly. Our personal favorite is the extended final track, The Pumpkin Patch. It aptly recreates the mood for telling ghost stories, yard haunting, touring your favorite cemetery at night...or just having a party!"
Underground Entertainment
"Are you looking for another great soundtrack for your haunt? Mark Harvey, of NOBODY RECORDS, has produced an interesting mix of tracks that should appeal to Haunters in a variety of ways. The CD consists of five extended tracks hell-bent on disturbing your customers. The first three tracks are ominous tunes played with synthesized low-end sounds bound to make your sub woofers rattle! With these, PUMPKINLAND takes advantage of the proven psychological fact that states low-end frequencies can mentally unnerve you. The fourth track is a departure from the style presented through the first half of the CD. This track is a grand piece performed through the sounds of a pipe organ, mixing high and low end sounds, with an occasional added effect (I don't know how to describe it) that will cut straight through you each time it is played. The last track is filled with a mixture of sound effects, including wind, storms, and howling wolves. If you listen closely you can even hear a whisper in the background saying, "Buy UNDERGROUND ENTERTAINMENT." Okay....I made that part up. But, you can use this sound effects track mixed in with a musical track to develop an entire atmosphere for your haunt. Mark Harvey produced this CD after many years of buying Halloween music and sound effects. He wanted to record what he had not been able to purchase. This dark and eerie album would make a great addition to nay haunt CD library."
Underground DJ from Haunted Attraction Magazine
"...Pumpkinland Halloween Haunt CD by Nobody Records. This CD is all synthesizer sound effects and ambient sound textures designed to make your heart quiver like Jell-O. No punk, no hard rock, and no narration, this CD contains only ambient sound sculptures that can be used as the operator sees fit. The CD is wonderfully terrifying with 5 long tracks. The theme of each piece is kept the same throughout the entire track, and there is no unwanted sound effects that could interfere with other sounds you have in your attraction. Each track plays with an almost seamless transition on the "repeat function" of your CD player and the recording level is excellent. This 'soundscape' would be perfect for Halloween events and Home Haunts alike."
Chaotic Order
"From out of nowhere, very spooky, comes this fairly simple soundscape which only differs from many of the others through the CO doorway by including some delectably odd Halloween related samples."
"Within the Haunt Industry there is a large number of companies and individuals producing soundscapes, sound effects and theme music in cd format. The advent of which is one of recent history's most valuable contributions to the industry. Hassle-free sound without the bother of rewinds, broken tapes and distortion caused by wear.
Reviewing these products presents a challenge. It is as much a matter of taste as expertise, not dissimilar to trying to compare a heavy metal music track to rap or classical music. What makes a haunt cd good or bad is more the application it is intended for than the product itself. Many well-produced cd's simply will not work in every type of haunt. First a haunter must ask, "What do I want the sound to do?" Is the haunt to be built around a theme that requires a tightly woven sound track to help enhance the storyline? Or, as is often the case, does the haunt need a background soundscape to merely set the tone a haunter desires? If your desire is in the latter category, take a listen to Pumpkinland and Pumpkinland II.
The creator of the Pumpkinland cd's does soundscapes and does them well. Built primarily of skillfully layered sound effects, these soundscapes provide a series of background tracks that are eerie, effective and, in some cases very long allowing almost gap-free use. While not as music based as some others, the tracks definitely have a place in the industry. Used in sets such as cemeteries and other outdoor scenes the final tracks of both I and II are superb. Pumpkinland shows it's true strength in mixes that are tailored for the night with wind, weather and animal noises perfectly balanced whether the application is subtle or at full volume. The variety of tracks on each cd does cover multiple types of scenes however, and haunters will find them useful in many other scenarios.
Perhaps the only shortcoming of Pumpkinland is the packaging. It tends to portray a more simple and "Halloweenie" product than is hidden within and may unfortunately "put off" some serious haunters. Don't let it fool you, underneath the somewhat mainstream cover is a product sufficiently dark for most applications and far removed from the "scary sounds" cd's found in retail stores that it unfortunately may bring to mind.
While the soundscapes of Pumpkinland may not have the recognizability of music-based haunt tracks, nor are they presented in slick packaging, they are well produced and provide yet another valuable tool to the industry. Take the time to visit their web site (Pumpkinland) and listen to the product. It could well be just the thing you've been looking for."
Rue Morgue Magazine
"Musical director Mark Harvey was motivated to kick start a compilation of truly frightening sounds largely out of his disappointment with the usual mix of cackling witches and rattling chains. 'I wanted something dark, eerie, spooky, mysterious and otherworldly,' he writes in the liner notes that accompany this CD. Pumpkinland is his first shot at your nerves, a throbbing soundscape of ambient noises and ghostly synths based around five musical themes (Swamp, Ghouls, The Pumpkin Patch, etc.). A definite atmos-fear is set, more serious in tone than campy or fun. Still, Pumpkinland would probably work best as the aural counterpart to a thrill ride or Halloween haunt (as was intended) rather than an album to listen to in its own."
Halloween-Online.com
"Are you looking for the perfect background music for your Home Haunt? Well, we found it! Pumpkinland Studios created the Pumpkinland Halloween Haunt CD specifically as a soundscape for Home Haunts and Halloween events. It's wonderfully terrifying. Not the lame sound effects disc you get year after year. If you really want to create a spooky atmosphere for your Halloween event this year, get this CD! We love it and highly recommend it!!"
Larry McKenzie HalloweenMagazine.com
"There is no beating around the bush about this CD. If you are looking for a truly spooky Halloween soundscape that you can play during a Halloween Haunt, gathering, or to play for trick-or-treaters, the Pumpkinland CD is one that you should consider. It took a true Halloween enthusiast to come up with this CD. One of my favorite things about the tracks is that each track keeps the theme throughout the entire track. There is no unwanted sound effects that could take away from your haunting experience. Pumpkinland will truly help create a very spooky atmosphere. There are 5 tracks on the CD (long tracks). 1. Pumpkinland (excellent) 2. Creature (excellent) 3. Swamp (excellent) 4. Ghouls (excellent) 5. The Pumpkin Patch (excellent). Each track is done so that there is an almost seamless transition if you use your "repeat function" on your CD player to loop a track for a continuous "theme". The recording quality and recording level is excellent. I am proud to have this CD in my collection. I will use the Pumpkinland CD in my next Haunt. I sincerely recommend visiting http://www.13thtrack.com/ and listen to a track or two."
Happy Halloween Magazine
"Want to set an eerie mood for your Halloween event but tired of screams and sounds of torment? If so, try the hottest new CD this season, "Pumpkinland" from Nobody Records, a Northern California based independent record label. After years of buying the same old tired sound effects, Mark Harvey decided to create a "soundscape of terror". He's compiled some riveting tracks that are dark, eerie, spooky, mysterious and otherworldly. Our personal favorite is the extended final track, The Pumpkin Patch. It aptly recreates the mood for telling ghost stories, yard haunting, touring your favorite cemetery at night...or just having a party!"
Underground Entertainment
"Are you looking for another great soundtrack for your haunt? Mark Harvey, of NOBODY RECORDS, has produced an interesting mix of tracks that should appeal to Haunters in a variety of ways. The CD consists of five extended tracks hell-bent on disturbing your customers. The first three tracks are ominous tunes played with synthesized low-end sounds bound to make your sub woofers rattle! With these, PUMPKINLAND takes advantage of the proven psychological fact that states low-end frequencies can mentally unnerve you. The fourth track is a departure from the style presented through the first half of the CD. This track is a grand piece performed through the sounds of a pipe organ, mixing high and low end sounds, with an occasional added effect (I don't know how to describe it) that will cut straight through you each time it is played. The last track is filled with a mixture of sound effects, including wind, storms, and howling wolves. If you listen closely you can even hear a whisper in the background saying, "Buy UNDERGROUND ENTERTAINMENT." Okay....I made that part up. But, you can use this sound effects track mixed in with a musical track to develop an entire atmosphere for your haunt. Mark Harvey produced this CD after many years of buying Halloween music and sound effects. He wanted to record what he had not been able to purchase. This dark and eerie album would make a great addition to nay haunt CD library."
Underground DJ from Haunted Attraction Magazine
"...Pumpkinland Halloween Haunt CD by Nobody Records. This CD is all synthesizer sound effects and ambient sound textures designed to make your heart quiver like Jell-O. No punk, no hard rock, and no narration, this CD contains only ambient sound sculptures that can be used as the operator sees fit. The CD is wonderfully terrifying with 5 long tracks. The theme of each piece is kept the same throughout the entire track, and there is no unwanted sound effects that could interfere with other sounds you have in your attraction. Each track plays with an almost seamless transition on the "repeat function" of your CD player and the recording level is excellent. This 'soundscape' would be perfect for Halloween events and Home Haunts alike."
Chaotic Order
"From out of nowhere, very spooky, comes this fairly simple soundscape which only differs from many of the others through the CO doorway by including some delectably odd Halloween related samples."
The immediate download of this 5-track album in your choice of 320k mp3, FLAC, or just about any other format you could possibly desire can be found here. Have a listen before you purchase:
Happy haunting!
posted by Mark Harvey at 7:10 PM
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