Here is my attempt at building a really cool prop called the Singing Pumpkins. Note that it's still coming together, so these are by no means my final attempt. As always comments are greatly welcome.

You will need the following:
- VSA by brookshiresoftware.com
- A KIT 74 (parallel or serial port version) with 12V power supply
- 8 artificial pumpkins of various sizes
- 8 light sockets
- A WAV or MP3 of the music you want to play

For starters  I'll use This is Halloween as an example but you need to record just the vocal portion of your WAV/MP3 track. I used Audacity for this which is a free audio software tool. Follow this thread for some good tips:

http://www.halloweenforum.com/showthread.php?t=60671

The reason for this is VSA will pick up the music and vocal tracks and the end result will not look like the pumpkins are singing. Here comes the fun part. Once you have this plain vocal track (don't worry nobody but you will ever here it) Load it into VSA and run the wavemotion analysis. Now you should have distinct pulses that match the original song. Simply load the original WAV/MP3 back into VSA and you should now have the original song with distinct pulses.

You'll have to play it a couple times and make minor changes but for the most part, it should be very close. This is 75% of the work. The rest is wiring the KIT 74 to lights and cutting up the pumpkins which I haven't gone into great detail at home yet.

Update: I have wired all 8 lamp modules up to the KIT 74. I had a couple C7 strings laying around that I lit my pumpkin displays up with so I used them instead of going out and buying 8 sockets. Also, 3 - C7 bulbs do a pretty good job of lighting an artificial pumpkin up so I hot glued three sockets together.  Next, I'm going to search the internet for some pumpkin patterns to carve. I have a couple mid-size pumpkins, but I'll probably need to wait until the fall for Michael's to stock there artificial pumpkins.

The KIT 74 will support up to 8 pumpkins, skulls, etc.

VSA pumpkin routine  <<---All I ask is, if you tweak this more please send me an updated copy.

VIDEO1

VIDEO2

<<--- Right click on picture and download video to your computer (Save target as)--->>

 

 

WIRING THE KIT74:

NOTE: 
Use common sense!!!! Power from a wall socket can harm or kill you.  Unplug anything from the wall before working on this!!!!!

I'm making the assumption that you have 8 light sockets (a light/bulb socket with two wires coming off of each one) and a power cord (can be an extension cord with the just the end that plugs into the wall)

1) Cut 7 short pieces of wire, strip both ends and connect all the C (Common) terminals on the Kit74 together.

2) Next take one side of your light socket wire and connect it to NO (Normally Open). Do this 7 more times on each terminal block.

3) Now take the other ends of the light sockets and tie them all together. NOTE: If you look in the below picture I tied 4 together and then another 4 together and ran a wire in between (dark green). This was much easier then trying to tie 8 wires together.

4) Last step. Take one wire of your power cord and screw it into any of the terminal blocks labeled C. My advice is to use either the first or last terminal block since they only have one wire already there (see below pic-white wire). Next take the other wire of the power cord and attach it to the other 8 wires in step #3.