STAR WARS: How the Lightsaber Sound Was Made
The Lightsaber
Have you ever wondered how the sound of the lightsaber was created? After attending a John Williams concert at the Hollywood Bowl this past weekend, I was reminded to share about the lightsaber’s iconic swooshing sound after seeing a sea of them in the audience.
The Discovery
Sometimes the greatest discoveries in art happen by chance. Ben Burtt, sound designer of Star Wars, developed one of the most iconic sounds in the film.
“I was carrying a microphone across the room...the microphone passed a television set which was on the floor which was on at the time without the sound turned up, but the microphone passed right behind the picture tube and as it did, this particular microphone produced an unusual hum” - Ben Burtt
Burtt took the signal buzz from the microphone picking up the television’s transmission and combined it with the sound of a projector motor. A half and half mix of these sounds created the classic lightsaber sound. To achieve the sense of movement, Burtt used a speaker system to play the sound in a room.
As he moved the microphone in front of and across the speaker, the buzzing and humming followed.
A sound person’s natural instinct is to mitigate buzzing in recording due to the disruptive noise floor it creates. But in this case, the hum and the buzz were the answers, and the lightsaber sound was born.
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Watch the full story:
For more information, please see Ben Burtt’s full interview below:
Ben Burtt Interview: The Sound of Lightsabers
Thats pretty cool. Never realized that's how it was made, but it makes sense now.
Pretty cool, the effect is still futuristic sounding. I think surpassing the special effects believability from the original trilogy. @design-guy
very cool, definitely one of the most iconic sound effects !
YES, the simplicity and brilliance at the same time is what makes it special. @clumsysilverdad
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