10 Best Sound Effects From The STAR WARS Saga
StarWars.com has released a new Top 10 video list for you to watch. This list highlights the ten best sound effects that have been used in the films. The sound effects used in these movies are some of the coolest that have ever been created; they are iconic and very recognizable to anyone that has seen the Star Wars saga. There's a lot of work that went into developing them. The video points our how some of these sound effects were made.
In this installment, we’re picking the galaxy’s greatest sound effects, from the destructive to the delightful. For this list, we're focusing on the best audible inventions from the Star Wars films only, ranking them on memorability, originality, and impact.
To watch the previously released Top 10 list from StarWars.com, click here.
Just in case you can't watch the video, here's a written breakdown that the site offers:
10. Tauntaun
Weird. Friendly. Funny. The tauntaun’s gentle grunts come from an Asian sea otter, which was pitched down just a little to make it sound familiar yet strange. Plus, it’s really, really fun to impersonate.
9. Probe Droid
The Imperial probe droid is the sound of the Empire watching you, and it’s totally unnerving. Mixing a steady, ominous hum with distorted robotic chatter, the end result is a sound effect that’ll both scare you and let you know it’s time to pack up and leave.
8. Seismic Charge
First, there’s nothing. Then, a very, VERY big boom. Sound designer Ben Burtt developed an “audio black hole” for Jango Fett’s seismic charges, where the sound of the explosion is slightly delayed after ignition. The result is powerful — both visually and audibly.
7. Podracer
When you think of speed, power, and personality, odds are you don’t think about an electric tooth brush. But when you mix it with recordings of cars and boats, tweak the tones a bit you get the bombad sounds of a podracer. An effect so cool, even the crashes sound awesome! Music to our ears.
6. Chewbacca
When a voice inspires this many impressions, you know it’s a classic. Here’s how Chewbacca’s memorable growls and grunts came to be. You said it, Chewie.
5. Blaster
How do you create a futuristic, fun, and dangerous sounding gunshot from a galaxy far, far away? Take one hammer. Slam it against radio tower cables, add a touch of bazooka, And voila — you have yourself a blaster! A sound so nice, these guys used it twice.
4. R2-D2
R2-D2 expresses joy, sorrow, and every other human emotion. And he makes us feel them, too. The lovable astromech's voice is magical — a brilliant combination of organic and electronic sounds — and it’s a big reason we love this overweight glob of grease.
3. TIE fighter
Harsh, icy, and menacing. The TIE fighter scream was another result of Ben Burtt’s studio wizardry. Using an electronically stretched out elephant howl the TIE fighter scream remains synonymous with the tyranny of the Empire.
2. Darth Vader breathing
An inhale. An exhale. A defining characteristic for the saga’s central figure. Darth Vader’s mechanical breathing illustrates darkness, tragedy, and mystery. It’s the most haunting sound in Star Wars, and one that has become iconic.
1. Lightsaber
It sounds elegant, it sounds majestic, and it sounds like nothing else. The Jedi weapon was the first sound created by Ben Burtt for the original Star Wars, mixing the motors of an old projector with feedback from a TV tube. In the end, a galaxy far, far away just wouldn't be the same without the lightsaber’s powerful ignition hiss and graceful hum. That’s why we rank it #1.