ANH 7: Laser Sword Sound Design

A NEW HOPE

Dec 6

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/