The Sounds of Star Wars and How They Were Made.
1. R2-D2
English actor Kenny Baker played R2-D2 in all three original Star Wars films. Baker's role was reduced, as R2-D2 was portrayed mainly by radio controlled props and CGI models. R2-D2's sounds and vocal effects were created by Ben Burtt. Burtt said his first attempts at creating Artoo’s voice were too electronic. He used a synthesizer, but he couldn’t capture emotion with it. He tried something else. He said, “We ended up with a 50/50 mix of electronic synthesizer-generated sound and my voice making funny inflections. The combination camouflaged the two sources, and we found that we could get Artoo to act. But it was something that we arrived at very slowly.”
2. The breathing heard around the world.
You can sometimes hear Darth Vader before you can see him. The sound of the Sith Lord’s breathing adds to the intimidation factor. It emphasizes the fact that he’s more machine than man and makes him more ominous. Burtt created the sound by placing a microphone inside a regulator on a scuba breathing apparatus and breathing into it in different ways.
3. The sound of a lightsaber
Fans love to replicate the sound of the light saber. A lightsaber produces different sounds for powering up and down and for strikes in combat — Ben Burtt said “Oddly enough, it was the first sound I ever made for Star Wars. When I read the script, I immediately had something in mind. It was an old motor on a projector at the USC Cinema Department. I went and recorded it right away. The humming sound was partly based on that motor.”
4. Podracers
The variety of noises present in the podrace is staggering; they immerse you in the event. Each vehicle was different because Burtt gave each of them a personality. His team used the sound of actual engines from cars such as Porches and Mustangs and tools such as the Kyma (a sound synthesizer) and wave-table chopper to make the podracers come to life.
5. Growling and howling.
The Wookiee language of Shyriiwook, it’s not a spoken language. Burtt put together Chewbacca’s voice using sounds he collected from animals such as bears, badgers, and walruses. He took pieces from each recording, categorized them by emotion, and cut them together to make Chewie’s speech.
[Source: Starlog Magazine 103 and Star Wars Insider Magazine]
English actor Kenny Baker played R2-D2 in all three original Star Wars films. Baker's role was reduced, as R2-D2 was portrayed mainly by radio controlled props and CGI models. R2-D2's sounds and vocal effects were created by Ben Burtt. Burtt said his first attempts at creating Artoo’s voice were too electronic. He used a synthesizer, but he couldn’t capture emotion with it. He tried something else. He said, “We ended up with a 50/50 mix of electronic synthesizer-generated sound and my voice making funny inflections. The combination camouflaged the two sources, and we found that we could get Artoo to act. But it was something that we arrived at very slowly.”
2. The breathing heard around the world.
You can sometimes hear Darth Vader before you can see him. The sound of the Sith Lord’s breathing adds to the intimidation factor. It emphasizes the fact that he’s more machine than man and makes him more ominous. Burtt created the sound by placing a microphone inside a regulator on a scuba breathing apparatus and breathing into it in different ways.
3. The sound of a lightsaber
Fans love to replicate the sound of the light saber. A lightsaber produces different sounds for powering up and down and for strikes in combat — Ben Burtt said “Oddly enough, it was the first sound I ever made for Star Wars. When I read the script, I immediately had something in mind. It was an old motor on a projector at the USC Cinema Department. I went and recorded it right away. The humming sound was partly based on that motor.”
4. Podracers
The variety of noises present in the podrace is staggering; they immerse you in the event. Each vehicle was different because Burtt gave each of them a personality. His team used the sound of actual engines from cars such as Porches and Mustangs and tools such as the Kyma (a sound synthesizer) and wave-table chopper to make the podracers come to life.
5. Growling and howling.
The Wookiee language of Shyriiwook, it’s not a spoken language. Burtt put together Chewbacca’s voice using sounds he collected from animals such as bears, badgers, and walruses. He took pieces from each recording, categorized them by emotion, and cut them together to make Chewie’s speech.
[Source: Starlog Magazine 103 and Star Wars Insider Magazine]
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