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

Star Wars Music Minute

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/

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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)

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Follow Justin Leo Kennedy!

• Website: https://www.justinleokennedy.net/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/JLK_Beret

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