Ben Burtt Sound Design Star Wars | Lightsaber Sound | Empire Strikes Back | Star Wars Sound Effects
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- čas přidán 14. 02. 2018
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Ben Burtt, sound designer of the Star Wars films, details how he created the iconic sound of lightsabers in this vintage interview. The lightsaber hum is one of Burtt's favorite sounds, he says. Inspired by Ralph McQuarrie's concept paintings featuring lightsabers, Burtt said he could "hear the sound in his head." At the time, he was still a graduate student at USC and was working as a projectionist. The old projector had an interlocked motor which, when idle, made a "wonderful humming sound." Burtt recorded it, and it became the basis of the lightsaber sound. But it wasn't enough -- he needed a buzzing sound, and he actually found it by accident. Walking by television set with a live microphone, the microphone picked up the transmission from the unit and produced a buzz. Burtt loved it, recorded it, and combined it with the projector motor, creating a new sound that became the basic lightsaber tone. To achieve the aural effect of a lightsaber moving, he played the hum out of a speaker and waved a microphone by it; doing so created the fascimile of a moving sound, and in this case, the sound of a Jedi or Sith wielding a weapon in battle. In this video, Burtt is seen using this technique to match the strikes in Luke Skywalker's duel with Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back.
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One of the greatest, if not THE greatest sound effect of modern cinema. No matter when or where you hear it, everyone knows the sound of a lightsaber.
For me, it's the sound of a Tie Fighter.
Agreed. back when I was an electrician I noticed that a 12v DeWalt drill charger if moved close to an FM radio would make exactly the same sound. The times I would stand there for five minutes moving the charger from side to side if front of a clients Radio only to be tapped on the shoulder by either another builder or my client who would whisper: "Nigel...... are you ok... any chance we could have the lights back on"?
Crashburn 32 ... Which was taken from the growl of a big lizard in some old monster movie. And yes that TIE sound is the coolest movie sound effect of all time. Lightsaber is up there with it though.
Chris you are a fucking liar
Crashburn 32 uuuuuuuUUUURRRRRRAAAAHHHHhhhh
This guy and John Williams is half of Star Wars right there.
Totally agree!
With the other half being ILM and their revolutionary camera work/special effects. Literally invented so much new technology just because Lucas wanted the shot and they made it happen.
A master of his art, every sound he created for Star Wars is as important as that thing itself
stars wars is the fake version of dune
@@wickedhouston5538 I like them both, they're not similar at all
@@wickedhouston5538 dune is gay
@@novustalks7525 gay is good
@@pradabears not in the case of dune
This man was swinging around to get the movement sounds while the fight scenes were playing, he made this movie way better than it could've turned out.
never heard of foley before huh
Only true geeks can reach this level of artistry. You can just feel his fascination with the world of sounds. Beautiful to watch. We owe him a lot.
0:44 that is so cool... those early paintings framed so much of the aesthetic of the entire franchise. That artist should be proud.
The sound effects are half the reason we love Star Wars
Fun Fact: the well-known wilhelm scream is Ben Burtt's signature. If you hear it, it means he was the chief sound designer of the movie.The lightsaber sound is probably the most ingenious and sophisticated sound effect ever designed.
wilhelm scream has been around forever! There are 3 sound effects that the sound effects guys have been using to call out to each other since the 30s: Wilhelm scream, castle thunder and the universal ringer.
Ben Burtt is the sound design genius for plenty of movies in the world. 3 cheers for him.
It is a very congruent sound effect; it has that electric hum of lights and appliances we are all familiar with.
Lightsaber sound is one of my favourite sounds.
Preach!
It's like one of the most beautiful sounds in the whole universe
So true
I watched another mini documentary about this sound. It was used during some test footage and no one even commented on it. They just thought it was supposed to be there. High praise indeed.
when he said "it was like i had heard the sound of a lightsaber before" i realized that before star wars people didnt have any idea what that might sound like.
Sounds of my childhood ❤
Absolutely creative and innovative genius. The sound of a lightsaber is so distinctive and set apart from any other fictional weapon
One of the most iconic sounds one hears on television was produced by a television.
I'm pretty sure that squelchy screaming noise of when they collide is dry-ice being poked with stainless steel, I used to do that when I was a kid and always remembered that noise
Ben is the man! So lucky to have met him so many times
This was wonderful to watch. Ben Burtt, George, and crew really did amazing things to give us teh wonderful world of Star Wars.
This guy has a face that’s constantly smirking
Looks like Saul Goodman
Pretty interesting how the basic sound of the lightsaber partly comes from the microphone picking up interference from a cathode ray tube which emits light itself.
Thank you for that sound
Ben is one of the greatest sound designers of all time.
I love the screeching sound the sabers make when they're slicing through metal. It's so.... satisfying.
His dad I believe was my chemistry professor in college. He showed us this.
Genius!
The only aspect of making the light saber sound, which I never managed to hear explained by Ben Burtt, is the sound of the weapons being switched on and off, which I always thought was perhaps even more cool than the sound of them moving through the air. And these sounds also had something like the same core element, but also a signature variation from character to character .... Anybody ever pick up that info?
I'm equally curious about this and how he created the sounds of lightsabers clashing with each other and other objects
1:05. I think this is the look everyone should have when facing their fears.
Mark Hamill is a great actor that’s how
This man is an underrated legend.
Incredible, very creative.
The greatest sound of a holy and agent weapon the LIGHTSABER! How did Ben put it about a blaster HOW UNCIVILIZED!
That is fking unreal
Awesome story, thx!
this guy is a genius!
That’s so amazing, the lightsaber itself was made of spare camera parts, and the sound was from a projector and a TV. That’s so neat.
That is so fucking cool!
"mechanical harmony"
Comments are restored thanks to me! :) ))
Interesting video btw. The sound designer for the game Republic Commando also used vegetables to create many of the sound effects.
Thanks Michael I don’t know why they weren’t turned off. Perhaps CZcams turned them off. Thanks also for removing the dislikes. Appreciate it.
@@PeterHobbs1 np. How you mistake my name for Michael :D?
When Benn Burtt chats online with people, he constantly uses :P
When a soundman was art back then
the sound fx and music ARE star wars! the story line on the first one is kind of cheesy actually, the visuals and sound saved it though. 2nd one had everything on the other hand
Fascinating! What about the impact sounds of the sabers when they clash?
Dry ice
Absolutely amazing. Does anyone know how he created the awesome lightsaber IGNITE sound effect?
The microphone picked up inductively (from the deflection yoke) the 60 Hz signal that the TV use for vertical deflection of the cathode ray beam.
I can add, it is the same noise you can ear when close to high power transmission transformers...
'Analog' generated sounds can have a realism lacking in pure digital creations.
Darth Vader's helmet looks a lot better in the drawings.
So that's how he did it
I am just curious about for the last part on recording the movement, how can Mr Burtt holding the microphone, moving around without capturing the wind noise ?
Did anyone else go insane(in a good way) when they found out he voiced Wall-E
So good! Yes I did. He’s a genius
Fun fact: most of the comments here only have 2 likes
Great explanation, but how was the clash sound made when the lightsabers crossed and hit??
I thought the blaster sound effects were just created by smacking onto a metal cable
A genius who makes do with what he has with the limitations of technology in that time period.
Omg comments enabled 👀my people
What kind of microphones do people who make the sound effects out in the field use?
Without these sounds, it's not Star Wars.
Had a relative buy a Lightsaber for her kid she said is seems to have a weird buzzing sound. She sent me a Vid and I said yeah that is how it sounds when idle :D
Like many geniuses, perhaps Lucas' greatest skill for manifesting his vision was recognizing talent and building a team.
Eddie Van Halen says to use a flanger!
to bad he doesn’t explain how he got that clashing sound when the sabers touch
how about the on and off sound effects? and the laser blasts??
How did they do the on/off sounds and the laser sounds
I actually got a technical question. Trying to have some fun and recreate / create new lightsaber sounds using the same technique as mr Burt. I'm talking about swinging the mic in front of a speaker (or the source of the hum). What I have found so far, is that I can't seem to get rid of the wind noise when swinging. I use a shotgun mic, it has a hairy windcover. Interesting enough, he seems to be swinging a super long shotgun mic without any cover whatsoever. Any ideas?
No ideas from myself but I wish you the best of luck Luke!
Louder source, slower movements, no cover.
Where is this interview from? I want to watch the whole thing!
MICHAEL WINSLOW
Wasn't it a broken ceiling fan (interviews with Lucas Arts around the time Star Wars came out).
Not in this video but the other video where he describes how he made the laser sounds, he says he recorded wires that were holding up a large antenna. You can see him holding a microphone against the wire and he’s tapping it with a wrench in the other hand. Does anybody know what kind of microphone that is? I need to make a recording like this. Also, what is the typical list of conventional microphones guys like Bert use?
Sorry I don’t know
But what about the collision sounds ? Was it just that speed was advanced and it makes this ?
I actually don’t know but I wonder if it was the sound of a hot iron rod being dunked in water.
Молодец Задорнов
Be honest, you searched for this
@@VictorCreed82 It would appear you don't
This guy WORKED on Star Wars yet calls a Blaster a “laser gun” 💀
why was it called a light saber and not a light sword? it’s not bent
Now it's just dweebs dragging loops into Ableton.
your lips is bent.. i bet he has micro stroke after the interview
Shameful that Disney ruines the lightsaber true sound
I know what you mean. But the WORST of it has to be in Kenobi. Watch the final duel and listen to it, almost every lightsaber swing sounds painfully different like it's in a filter. There's even some hints of Kylo's lightsaber sounds twice (in a duel with two normal lightsabers) and some hints of I believe Leia's lightsaber swing sounds from TROS. It stands out greatly to me, and I hate it.
The most iconic weapon with the most iconic sound. You close your eyes and hear the lightsaber, the sound is as much iconic as the actual saber itself.
In essencse its captivating as many things in life vibrate a certain wave of sound off and on back and foeth similar to a light saber
You can hear it regardless of what your eyes are doing.
Wonder how he created the ignition and retraction sounds. They are just as paradigm shifting.
I'll take a wild guess on the "retraction sound" and say that it was a "reversed" recording of the ignition sound, IMHO.
@@a.barnard3205 it is
But the contact sound, when it hits another blade?
Brian Hernandez I actually heard back in the day that the sound when the 2 sabres are locked together moving slightly, is actually 2 pieces of polystyrene rubbed together. Not sure about the actual stroke sound.
Dry ice interacting with bits of metal.
There is NO ONE in Hollywood in 2018 that can create sounds as ICONIC as Ben Burtt. the fact that Lucasfilm is not using him for the NEW films is just disgusting.
Its not lucasfilm thats in charge anymore its disney.
@@seriousgoat76 Absolutely incorrect. Disney funds the projects, Lucasfilm under Kathleen creates the projects from top to bottom. NOT Disney. Yes I am right.
Disney is disgusting
Its MAGIC Disney owns it. Lucas film operates it and does a very shitty job under KK
@@KentKaliber but you dont think Disney has any influence over Kathleen Kennedys decisions? Lol
What a Genius. His sound is what made Star Wars possible.
Ben Burtt is the JOHN WILLIAMS of Sound Design!
A Pioneer of the film industry. He also doesn't age? Look at that before and after picture! Maybe creating the sound gave him life 🤔 haha
Like your job & not worrying about it really helps I beg
Ummm he most certainly had aged....this interview wasn't recorded just a few years ago....🙄🙄🙄
@@Anth230 r/wooosh
Thanks Ben Burtt
This man has not aged. Best effect ever.
I have suspected for YEARS that the light sabre sound was some sort of ‘impedance’ hum! The man is a genius!
He is amazing!
Yes he is!;) i love this guy!;) he is soo good in doing these sounds!;) i dont know why dysney wont use this guy that does these wonderful soundss!!
I heard that!
Part of the genius of George Lucas is recognizing genius in people and surrounding himself with those people (Ben Burtt, Gary Kurtz, John Dykstra, Dennis Muren, Joe Johnston, John Williams...)
When Gary Kurtz fucked off, that was the end of Star Wars.
Don't forget to add his ex wife Marcia....
I always thought they had just Ewan McGregor make “woosh” noises
I Am Groot like a wooookie
Same
The sound design in the original Star Wars movies is unparalleled to this day. Ben was able to make the sound effects themselves, blaster fire, lightsabers, X-Wing and TIE Fighters, their OWN characters in the movies. They had their own moods and personalities that came to life with the human characters themselves. The Lightsaber sound is synonymous with the Jedi and the Jedi with the sound of the Lightsaber. Brilliant stuff.
Sound Design, can be such a simple thing, even if it sounds "difficult".
Case in point. The TIE FIGHTER engine sound was basically achieved by the trumpeting cry of an elephant , played back at half speed and then doctored with some electronic white noise.
In RAIDERS, when Indy and Sallah lift the lid off of the ARK, THAT was just a highly produced sound recording of the lid of a TOILET TANK being removed!
And the sound of "liquid creeping snakes" in the Well Of Souls was made by fingers caressing a cheese casserole!
A. Barnard wow elephant cry!!!?
He's a genius.
You sir, are the MVP!
Another thing the newer films lack: BEN BURTT
I remember from reading a copy of the first draft script that lightsabers were originally going to be more common weapons, not special weapons for Jedi only.
I knew this from back in the 80s ...I was a bantha club member
Good for you bud
That is cool. Star Wars used to be so cool.
It still is when you don't look at what Disney is crapping out
@@djhudgins8412 and ignore the prequels
@@nathanghys5760 no, prequels actually have background and story infrastructure. They even coordinate with the book series "legends" Disney took all the books out of canon.
@@djhudgins8412 I know. I don't support disney on that decision. There were some really wonderful stories in 'legends' (some really bad ones too). But connecting those stories doesn't make the prequels great.
@@nathanghys5760 eh, I'm biased. I grew up with them.
I made my own theremin once and as soon as I plugged it in, the lightsaber sound was the first sound to come out of that thing. I was SOOOOO happy about that and guessed this was how Ben Burtt made the sound. No. He had to do a lot more work for it.
It's a good thing he never trademarked that sound because I would owe him millions.
Stormtroopers holding lightsabers ? Blasphemy !
daniel280456 concept art
Don't worry they won't hit anything
daniel280456 originally they were supposed to carry them the elite force of storm troopers like the riot troopers in new movies with the shock baton
Some of the Troopers in the concept looked like phase 1 Dark Troopers
The Maestro of the Star Wars sound effects
He created the coolest sounding weapon of all time hands down
A true unsung hero. Thank you.
Out of the box ingenuity plus tech background equals ultimately mind blowing results.
Amazing
We can credit Been Burtt for discovering the Wilhelm Scream.
You mean "re-discovering" the Wilhelm Scream.
LOVED IT!