ANH 7: Laser Sword Sound Design (Minutes 31-35)

Lightsaber Sound Design: an extreme deep dive in 4 levels with Justin Leo Kennedy. NOTE: This episode contains a plethora of lightsaber sound effects that may be jarring for some listeners. You may want to have the volume controls handy. Furthermore, headphones or a quiet environment may be helpful for part 3 (starting at the 1-hour mark) if you want to hear the details in the sound design demonstration. Discussion Guide: 0:00:00 - Hello there. 0:00:30 - Description of action in minutes 31-35 of Star Wars. 0:17:14 - Level 1: What do lightsabers sound like in various states of operation? (ignition, retraction, hum-buzz, swing, clash, etc) 0:33:08 - Level 2: Historical/documentarian perspective. How did Ben Burtt make the first lightsaber sounds, and what were his aims? 0:59:38 - Level 3: Mega sound design nerd stuff. We break down the lightsaber sound in extreme detail and talk about how to recreate it. 1:49:31 - Level 4: Big picture discussion, the future of lightsaber sound design, why old lightsaber sounds were re-recorded. 2:18:53 - SWMM Questionnaire Musical Themes: 12) Distress 3. Force 6a. Imperials (Motif) (when O-W is telling Luke about his father) Note: For consistency, I use the theme names and numbers established in Frank Lehman's Complete Catalogue of the Musical Themes of Star Wars. You can download it free at his website: https://franklehman.com/starwars/. Where we are in the soundtrack album: "Landspeeder Search/Attack of the Sand People" Sound Sources and Other References: Ultimate Lightsaber Sounds HD (Mauler Cosplay): https://youtu.be/XBeXy62JSxY Dry ice touching metal, loud annoying screams squeals - https://youtu.be/4Xw0Q5u0CVo Singing Spoons https://youtu.be/NuVxT6UPLBQ 35mm simplex millennium: https://youtu.be/UqKp4O0bNVE Chimes sound effect for the transitions (freesound.org): https://freesound.org/people/newagesoup/sounds/351408/ Justin followed this tutorial from Doctor Mix: How To Make The LIGHTSABER Sound: https://youtu.be/wzYO66HQAgw (From Justin: "I used his TV buzz recording and recreated the synthesized projector sound he made on his analog synth using a software plugin on my computer") This is the interview that talks about making the new lightsaber sounds: Conversations with Sound Artists: The Last Jedi (Dolby Institute) - https://youtu.be/suuDA0ZsLbo The Lightsaber Sound Cookbook: http://www.dblondin.com/071807.html Star Wars Featurette: The Birth of a Lightsaber - https://youtu.be/RIefj6dOhnM Star Wars: Designing a Universe of Sound - https://youtu.be/ot_hsw3AZcs The History of Lightsaber Ignition Sounds in Star Wars (Video Essay) - https://youtu.be/nO0fMIDIKdU Complete Catalogue of the Musical Themes of Star Wars (Frank Lehman): https://franklehman.com/starwars/ ----------- STAR WARS MUSIC MINUTE QUESTIONNAIRE: 1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like? pwsh vrrrrum shhpt 2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about? "Duel of the Fates" orchestration 3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars? I, Robot (composed by Marco Beltrami) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) (composed by John Du Prez) Spirited Away (composed by Joe Hisaishi) ----------- Follow Justin Leo Kennedy! Website: https://www.justinleokennedy.net/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/JLK_Beret Star Wars Music Minute: Leave a voice message: https://starwarsmusicminute.com/comlink YouTube: /starwarsmusicminute Twitter: @StarWarsMusMin Instagram: @starwarsmusicminute TikTok: @StarWarsMusicMinute Email: [email protected] Xanthe: Twitter: @chrysanthetan Instagram: @chrysanthetan Spotify Artist Page: Chrysanthe Tan Website: chrysanthetan.com Patreon: patreon.com/chrysanthetan